As for any punishable activities, Willhite was "quite confident that they will not find anything untoward" with the group's filing or financial reports. In their initial statement of organization, the group's only listed contact was part-time Park City resident C.L. Peacock, with a dead-end phone number that was actually found, through a public records search, to belong to Salt Lake County resident Craig Tassainer.

The PAC's current contact information, although still C.L. Peacock, includes a phone number and address for Willhite. The change was made, she said, "as soon as anybody contacted" the group to question the mailings.

The state "required us to do no more," she said. "But we think it would be very good if the state required that there is a real contact for every PAC."

Willhite also readily admitted that she is a friend of Utah Democratic Chairman Donald Dunn, who she got to know when he worked in Washington, D.C., for the Clinton administration, despite his denials about having any knowledge of the group at the time of the mailings. Additionally, the PAC purchased a voter list from the state Democrats, Willhite said, although "Donald had his own job to do" and did not help her plan the mailers.

The Attorney General's Office is still responding to the complaint, and "we will take appropriate action" if the group did violate any laws, spokesman Paul Murphy said. It is not uncommon, however, for them to receive complaints about PACs or candidates.

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E-mail: jloftin@desnews.com