Linda McMahon’s appearance in a World Wrestling Entertainment ad for the Make-a-Wish Foundation during her 2010 run for Senate violated elections law, but the Federal Election Commission is going to let is slide.
The Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee alleged that the WWE — run by McMahon’s husband, Vince — illegally coordinated corporate in-kind contributions with her campaign.
In a decision made public on Friday, the FEC found that everything besides the Make-a-Wish Foundation ad was on the up-and-up and decided not to do anything about her two-second appearance in the ad as a matter of prosecutorial discretion.
McMahon’s brief appearance in the Make-a-Wish ad, where she is shown “greeting a young boy in a wheelchair,” was “fleeting,” according to the FEC.
The FEC found that a WWE “Fan Appreciation Day” held three days before the election was not in violation of the rules because “there was no specific reference to her name, her opponent’s name, or her candidacy.”
The ad in question is embedded below.
Ryan J. Reilly
Ryan J. Reilly is a D.C.-based reporter for TPM. Prior to joining TPM, he worked for a news website covering the Justice Department and was a researcher for Bloomberg News. His email address is ryan(at)talkingpointsmemo.com.
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