FEC orders Biden's 2008 presidential campaign to pay $219,000

Federal election officials have ordered Vice President Biden's former presidential campaign to pay the government $219,000 to make up for excessive contributions and recordkeeping errors while he was seeking the 2008 Democratic nomination.

The order, considered last week by the Federal Election Commission, stems from a routine FEC audit of campaigns that accept public financing. Auditors examined the period from late 2006 to the spring of 2008, before Biden dropped out of the race.

Auditors found that the campaign received an estimated $106,000 in excess contributions from individuals and failed to report to election officials about $86,000 worth of checks on time. The campaign also underpaid by nearly $27,000 for the use of a charter plane.

An FEC official said Saturday that the campaign had already repaid to the U.S. Treasury most of the amount it owes.

Elizabeth Alexander, a spokeswoman for Biden, said: "Some repayment is commonplace after presidential campaign audits, and the repayment ordered here is relatively small." She said the campaign will pay the outstanding amount.

In the 2004 election cycle, several campaigns were ordered to repay sums ranging from about $173,000 to $323,000.