Conservative organization denies 'pay-to-play' scheme

A prominent conservative organization deflected charges Friday of engaging in a high-profile ‘pay-to-play’ scheme, after Capitol Hill newspaper Politico reported it had offered its support in exchange for payment of millions of dollars.

The American Conservative Union, which describes itself as “the nation’s largest and oldest conservative grassroots lobby,” rebuffed the Politico story, which charged that it had offered grassroots support for shipping giant FedEx in its legislative contest with rival UPS in exchange for over $3 million.