Former GOP Senate candidate Jon Bruning, the current Nebraska Attorney General, and his Bruning for Senate committee have agreed with the Federal Election Commission to pay a $19,000 civil penalty for campaign finance violations during his 2012 Senate election effort.

A key exhibit in the FEC compliance action (MUR #6449) was a Nov. 30, 2010 solicitation email in which Bruning stated, “Please help me defeat Ben Nelson in 2012 by making a contribution today. Together we can take back this country and bring true Nebraska values to Washington.” In the conciliation agreement the FEC stated, “Bruning’s statement demonstrates that he had decided to be a candidate for federal office.”