BOND QUESTIONS FUND-RAISING FOR OPPONENT NIXON

President Clinton continues to ignore federal campaign finance laws, U.S. Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond said Friday.

The president is scheduled to attend a fund-raiser in St. Louis Monday for Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon's Senate campaign. Nixon hopes to unseat Bond.

The Missouri Republican charged that the fund-raiser violates federal law because participants are asked to contribute more than the $2,000 per person limit.

"That is a flat violation of the law, in my view," said Bond.

But Chuck Hatfield, Nixon's campaign manager, said the fund-raiser is within the law and Bond should know it.

Bond said, "The president is talking about campaign finance reform, but doing everything he can to evade the laws on the books."

The senator said, "What I would like to see is people obey the laws that we have now."

He said the Clinton administration was involved in numerous campaign finance law violations in the 1996 presidential election.

"Here, the Democrats act like a defense team," Bond said.

He criticized U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno for refusing to appoint a special prosecutor.

"Janet Reno is acting like a totally controlled puppet of the White House instead of exercising her role as defender of laws and prosecutor of criminal violations," Bond said.

"I think everybody knows the president's record, the really sorry record of this administration," Bond said.

Hatfield dismissed Bond's accusations.

"I think this is typical Kit Bond, Washington double talk," he said from Nixon's Jefferson City campaign headquarters.

Hatfield said Bond has been opposed to campaign finance reform proposals in Congress.

"Jay Nixon, when he gets to the Senate, will vote for reform," Hatfield said.

The event at the Fox Theatre is expected to raise about $300,000, Hatfield said.

Monday's event is a joint fund-raising effort between the Nixon campaign and the national Democratic Senate Campaign Committee.

Hatfield said that Nixon's campaign would receive $2,000 of each $5,000 donation, with the remainder going to the national Senate campaign group.

Hatfield said some of the money raised by the campaign committee will be funneled to Nixon.

"If I were Sen. Bond, I would be nervous about the president coming in to help my opponent as well," he said.

The Democratic Party has targeted Bond for defeat. "This is the No. 1 Senate campaign in the country for Democrats," Hatfield said.

Bond plans to mount a $5 million campaign for re-election and Nixon must raise a similar sum to compete in the race, he said.