Federal law allows soft money to be used only for party-building activities.

As such, she said, it falls under the part of the law that allows donors to provide unlimited contributions for party-building activities.

These funds are supposed to go only for party-building activities and not to candidates themselves.

Letting soft money donations for party-building activities, he said, was an invitation to abuse.

The law restricts the use of such funds to so-called party-building activities.

The national party committees can accept "soft money" contributions, to be used for party-building activities.

Soft money, unlike hard, is supposed to be spent only on party-building activities, not on direct aid to candidates.

Last year he gave $250,000 to the party for what leaders described as "party-building activities," which included a phone drive to recruit members.

But there is no ceiling on contributions to political parties for party-building activities.

Donations to party committees are supposed to be used for party-building activities like get-out-the-vote campaigns.