Campaigning for book funds

Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond (R-Mo.) is writing a book on the growing threat of terrorism in Southeast Asia, and is looking for advice on whether he can use campaign or political action committee funds to pay his co-author.

Bond, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has been working for three years on a book tentatively titled “The Next Front: What Can America Do to Win over Asia’s Muslims.”

{mosads}Reports in 2006 when he started writing the book indicated he was teaming with former Associated Press reporter Lewis Simons.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch report at that time, the pair had signed a contract with Simon & Schuster.

But the initial publishing company declined to finalize publication, according to a request for an advisory opinion from the Federal Election Commission (FEC), sought by Heather Grote, Bond’s campaign treasurer.

Bond has since signed with a new publisher and is trying to work out the details of paying back the $60,000 and paying the co-author, who is not named in Grote’s letter.

“Because the issues present in the book are so important and because we believe the book would be an effective gift to potential donors, we wish to utilize either campaign or leadership PAC funds to compensate Senator Bond’s co-author $25,000,” says Grote’s letter to the FEC, which was released Thursday by the agency.

The total payment to the co-author, the letter says would be $68,333 for three years of work, the letter notes.

Bond has not retained any money from the publishing contracts, and has spent more than $1,000 on incidental expenses, the letter says. It adds that Bond plans to consult with the Senate ethics committee about how Senate rules would apply to the new publishing agreement.

Grote and Bond’s Senate office spokeswoman, Shana Marchio, did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Grote’s request for an advisory opinion was released Thursday by the FEC.