More problems at the RNC

The Washington Post reports that the Republican National Committee has filed amended financial reports showing about $3 million in debt for April and May that was previously unreported. Failure to disclose debt is not uncommon, according to a campaign finance lawyer quoted by the Post. But the Post’s source adds that a failure to report a debt of this magnitude is a big deal.
To make matters worse, RNC Treasurer Randy Pullen, who uncovered the unpaid bills for telemarketing, legal fees, and other services, says that Michael Steele’s chief of staff hid invoices and told staff members to withhold information from Pullen. RNC spokesman Doug Heye denied this accusation.
Considering the size of the undisclosed debt, it seems to me that either Pullen is monumentally incompetent or he was denied access to information by RNC staff. Neither scenario reflects well on Michael Steele.
The amended financial reports paint an unfortunate picture. According to the Post, they show that money available for the November elections has been shrinking over the past three months. In fact, Pullen states that since early March fundraising has fallen well short of budgeted numbers, while the costs of fundraising for major donors and direct marketing have significantly exceeded what was budgeted.
This doesn’t reflect well on Steele either.