The veteran director of the Election Crimes Branch in the Department of Justice's Public Integrity Section, Craig Donsanto, the DOJ does not view the rules of the Federal Election Commission as a basis for a criminal case.

As reported in Tuesday's BNA Money and Politics Report, the DOJ stance could disappoint campaign reform supporters and officials in the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who have called on the Justice Department to aggressively pursue alleged instances of independent groups weighing in on the current race for the White House.

In response to the American Issues Project's ad examining the links between Sen. Obama and unrepentant domestic terrorist William Ayers, the Obama campaign has demanded three times in the past month that the Department of Justice investigate and prosecute the American Issues Project, its officers, board of directors, and donors for supposed campaign finance law violations.

Ed Martin, president of the American Issues Project, responded to the report: "The American Issues Projects applauds the Department of Justice for refusing to treat as criminal the exercise of free speech during an election. The Obama campaign's tactics have been recognized for what they are - an attempt to bully a legitimate message off the air through intimidation and scare tactics."