UPDATE: Here are some thoughts on the complaint from Paul Ryan of the Campaign Legal Center, who weighed in at our request:

The complaint alleges that the activity is illegal because, it alleges, Heffley is a “common vendor” to both the Crist campaign and the Web site. However, the complaint goes on to acknowledge that the Crist campaign isn’t paying Heffley and the complaint provides no evidence that the Web operation is paying Heffley. A person or company is only a “common vendor” under federal campaign finance laws if they’re being paid by both the candidate and the outside group that’s running campaign ads, Web communications, etc.

At any rate, it’s entirely appropriate for a person who suspects the law is being broken to file a complaint with the FEC and I don’t mean to imply otherwise here. … It then becomes the FEC’s job to investigate to learn the facts and determine whether the law’s been broken. … If Crist was behind the Web site, or if coordination occurred between Crist’s campaign and someone who paid for the Web site, either through a common vendor or otherwise, then federal law was likely broken.

Here’s a copy of the complaint Tampa Republican Club President Liz Wessel filed this week with the Federal Election Commission against Rich Heffley, one of Gov. Charlie Crist’s top political consultants.

Wessel said there was something “shady and unethical” about Heffley working on an anonymous Web site aimed at embarrassing Crist’s U.S. Senate primary opponent, Marco Rubio. Heffley has maintained Crist’s campaign had nothing to do with the site.

“I don’t think Charlie Crist is playing by the rules,” she said. “He’s reflecting poorly on all Republicans.”

Wessel voted for Crist in 2006 and donated $150 to his campaign that year (her husband gave Crist $4,800 in September). But she said Crist has “let the people of Florida down.”

” I think he’s an opportunist,” Wessel said. “He’s not held up his end of the bargain and now he’s jumping ship for his own political gain.”

Asked if she was now supporting Marco Rubio, Wessel shot back, “I’m not voting for anyone who hugged Obama.”

As for the complaint, which includes a copy of our story that outlined Heffley’s work the Web site, Wessel acknowledged that it wasn’t an open-and-shut case. Instead, she’s hopes there’s enough for the feds to investigate.

From the complaint:

…it is extremely unlikely that Mr. Heffley created this site without the involvement, consent, and/or knowledge of the campaign. Regardless, the creation of the anti-Rubio site constituted coordination under the commission’s regulations because Mr. Heffley is a “common vendor” for the website and the Crist campaign.”

Tags: Charlie Crist, FEC complaints, Republican infighting

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