WASHINGTON -- The Federal Election Commission has asked that Sen. Lincoln D. Chafee's name be removed from the title of the organization that sponsored First Lady Laura Bush's May visit to Providence to raise money for Chafee and Rhode Island's Republican Party.

In one of a series of letters to such groups, known as "joint fundraising committees," the FEC said "enforcement action" may be taken against them if they do not comply with the election campaign rules in question.

But the treasurer of the Chafee-Rhode Island group, Keith Davis, asserted in an interview that the FEC is in error and that the committee's use of the senator's name is well within the rules.

Davis and Chafee campaign spokesman Ian Lang said that Chafee gave his permission to have his name used by the committee. Davis said election law regulates the use of candidates' names to make sure that third parties don't use a candidate's name without the candidate's knowledge.

The FEC's letter to Chafee-Rhode Island Victory 2006 said the senator's name cannot be used because the group also represents a "multicandidate committee" -- meaning the state party, which assists many Rhode Island Republican office-seekers.

The portion of election law that's at issue in the FEC letters was meant to ensure that potential contributors have all the information they need as they invest money in political campaigns.

The Chafee-Rhode Island Victory 2006 group was formed to run Bush's Rhode Island fundraiser and pass the proceeds on to Chafee and the state party. The committee gave almost $110,000 to the senator's reelection campaign and $63,500 to the Rhode Island Republican State Central Committee, according to its midyear report to the FEC.

In a printed statement, the campaign of Senate hopeful Stephen P. Laffey accused the Chafee campaign of "hypocrisy." Alluding to an FEC complaint that the Chafee campaignlodged against Laffey earlier this year, Laffey spokeswoman Nachama Soloveichik said the senator "makes up complaints" to avoid the issues. (The FEC has made no finding on the Chafee complaint.)

"In this case, it is the FEC itself that is initiating the investigation because there appears to be a real violation on the part of the Chafee campaign," Soloveichik said in the statement.

Lang responded that the Laffey campaign is trying to "divert attention" from the fact that one campaign organization, the Club for Growth, has accounted for so many of Laffey's contributions.

jmulligan@belo-dc.com / (202) 661-8423