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Trying to counter the success of Michael Moore, Karl Rove's men in Hollywood are rushing to release a pro-Bush epic, "The Big Picture." But are they violating federal campaign law?
Aug 20, 2004 | The next salvo in the cinematic campaign war of 2004 is "The Big Picture," a documentary film attacking John Kerry sponsored by David Bossie's Citizens United, the right-wing group that unsuccessfully sued to stop national advertising of Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11." But Bossie's latest project could create legal problems for him and his organization -- in part because Lionel Chetwynd, the award-winning director, is working not only on the documentary but also on two shorter films to be screened at the Republican National Convention.
The director's simultaneous involvement in both the convention films and the Bossie documentary raises eyebrows among campaign finance experts, because Citizens United is a tax-exempt foundation legally restricted from "coordinating" its "independent" political broadcasts or messages with the Bush-Cheney campaign or the Republican National Committee. If Chetwynd, Bossie, or anyone else working on "The Big Picture" discussed that project with RNC officials or the Bush-Cheney reelection committee, they could be violating the law.
"This kind of common vendor arrangement would raise serious questions about whether the law's coordination restrictions are being complied with," said Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, a nonpartisan organization that advocates stronger enforcement of the campaign finance laws. "That is a factual question that has to be determined by the appropriate enforcement authorities."
The mere hiring of Chetwynd to work on both projects may be enough to spark an official probe, says Trevor Potter, a former Federal Election Commission member. "Given the facts here, there's certainly enough for somebody to file a complaint with the FEC alleging impermissible contributions, expenditures or coordination," Potter said. "Whether an investigation would bear out that complaint, it would focus on whether there was coordination between the RNC and the filmmaker on the [Citizens United] film." But Potter, who practices election law in Washington, also pointed out that the FEC rules are sufficiently vague and permissive to allow a "common vendor" like Chetwynd to work for both the RNC and Citizens United under some circumstances.
An outline of the "The Big Picture" obtained by Salon suggests that the Citizens United documentary will offer not only a staunch defense of Bush but also an aggressive attack on Kerry, including a recitation of various smears having to do with his medal-winning military history put forward lately by the so-called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. The outline portrays the Democratic nominee as the preferred candidate of such "foreign leaders" as Osama bin Laden, Kim Jong Il and the Nicaraguan Sandinista Party, and as an "appeaser" of European powers deemed corrupt and hostile to U.S. interests -- especially France. Virtually all the world's other nations are solidly behind Bush and the war in Iraq, according to the outline, which labors to disprove allegations that Bush "lied" about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction and ties to al-Qaida.
Chetwynd, widely known as one of the Bush administration's most fervent advocates in the movie industry, serves on the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. He also happens to be a friend of political strategist Karl Rove. Last year, Chetwynd directed Showtime's "DC 9/11: Time of Crisis," a semi-fictionalized docudrama about the White House response to the terrorist attacks (described in the Washington Post by reviewer Tom Shales as "primitive propaganda" and "a reelection campaign movie"). Now, while he toils on the Citizens United documentary at a studio in North Hollywood, he is also preparing two films to be screened at the Republican National Convention, according to Daily Variety. The first is a "tribute" to the late President Ronald Reagan, for whom Chetwynd once served as a speechwriter. The second is a "toast to George W. Bush."
Listed as the writer-director of "The Big Picture" on a staff list for the film obtained by Salon, Chetwynd failed to return calls seeking comments. So did Bossie and Craig Haffner, the CEO of Greystone Television, whose facilities are being used to produce "The Big Picture." The Aug. 3 staff list for the film shows the North Hollywood address and telephone numbers for Greystone, which has produced dozens of cable documentaries. The same list also gives contact information for executive producer Bossie and Citizens United vice president Michael Boos at their organization's offices in Washington, under the heading "Production -- East Coast."
