Gilmore Filed False Information On Campaign Disclosure Forms

The Virginia-based Windmill describes itself as "a leading consultancy for financial and government services, as well as project management in Central and Eastern Europe." The description, on its Web site, does not mention veterans.

Gilmore submitted his disclosure form June 14, 2007, five days before the federal lawsuit involving the Virginia-based company was unsealed in federal court.

In the lawsuit, filed in 2006, two plaintiffs allege that Combs and Hansford T. Johnson, a member of the Virginia company's board of directors, conspired in 2005 with a U.S. contractor banned from doing work in Iraq to obtain additional contracts there. The lawsuit alleges that Combs and Johnson "knowingly conspired to defraud the government regarding the suspensions."

Combs and Johnson, acting secretary of the Navy from February to September 2003, deny the allegations. They have asked a judge to dismiss the case.

Combs and his attorney, Peter Hutt, declined to comment. E. Andrew Burcher, Johnson's attorney, did not return calls. Amanda R. Johnson, a lawyer representing Windmill International Ltd. in Virginia, also named in the suit, did not return calls.

Gilmore is not named in the lawsuit, which is pending in U.S. District Court in Alexandria.

Johnson has also donated to Gilmore's political efforts. In February 2007, the Virginia-based Windmill International helped launch Gilmore's presidential bid by registering a "Gilmore4President" Web site. Four months later, Combs and Johnson contributed $2,300 and $1,000, respectively, to Gilmore's presidential campaign. Combs also donated $25,000 to Gilmore's state political action committee last year.

In July 2007, Gilmore dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination for president. In November, he entered the race to replace U.S. Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.).

Gilmore had to file another financial disclosure report with the secretary of the Senate for his bid against Mark R. Warner (D). In that report, Gilmore amended the information to note that he had left Windmill's board in December. But the report still said the company was based in Nashua. "This was a clerical oversight that will be amended as soon as possible," Michael Joyce, Gilmore's financial adviser, said in a statement.

Candidates who file disclosure forms have to certify that their statements are "true, complete and correct to the best of" their "knowledge and belief."

"This is one of the basic disclosure documents that tells you where that person is coming from as a candidate, and they are swearing the form is accurate," said Kent Cooper, a former Federal Election Commission official. "They are saying, 'These are the assets I have and these the connections I have.' "

Cooper said candidates should scrutinize the information on the forms. "This is one of the only documents they have to sign," he said.

Staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.