A draft opinion from the Office of the General Counsel at the Federal Election Commission recommends rejection of an advisory opinion request from both parties’ congressional campaign committees for a unique and novel interpretation of campaign finance law.

The request from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and the National Republican Congressional Committee, sought permission for the committees to pay building-related expenses from separate federal accounts that the committees have established to pay for recounts and some other expenses. View Political MoneyLine’s earlier posting on the request.

The Office of the General Counsel draft response “concludes that the Committees may not use funds in their separate accounts to pay building-related expenses because funds raised and spent by the Committees for this purpose are contributions and expenditures under the Act and Commission regulations.”

The Commission has made the draft advisory opinion public and is seeking comments by the end of Aug. 21. The draft is scheduled for discussion by the commissioners on Aug. 22.