the boston globe offices. | darren mccollester/getty images by lauren dezenski 11/04/16 02:52 pm edt boston <u+2014><u+00a0>conservative activist steve aylward has filed a formal complaint with the federal elections commission against the boston globe, calling for a <u+201c>full and vigorous investigation<u+201d> into whether opinion page editor marjorie pritchard <u+201c>provided illegal corporate in-kind contributions<u+201d> to hillary clinton's campaign. the complaint is the result of correspondence unearthed as part of hacked and leaked emails from clinton campaign manager john podesta. pritchard had emailed podesta about an op-ed from clinton in july 2015 , specifically saying <u+201c>it would be good to get it in on tuesday, when she is in new hampshire. that would give her big presence on tuesday with the piece and on wednesday with the news story.<u+201d> story continued below in his letter to the fec, aylward says pritchard<u+2019>s emails are <u+201c>proof of the illegal scheme that resulted in substantial in-kind corporate contributions made by the boston globe on behalf of the clinton campaign.<u+201d> <u+201c>clearly, ms. pritchard, in her communications with mr. podesta, was not acting as a journalist operating within the protected boundaries of the fec<u+2019>s well established press exemption," aylward wrote. "instead, ms. pritchard was using the globe, a corporate entity, illegally to serve as a covert advocate and a behind-the-scenes helper for hillary clinton<u+2019>s presidential campaign." as a result of this apparent <u+201c>collusion,<u+201d> aylward wrote, <u+201c>the boston globe deserves to be severely sanctioned for its violations of our campaign finance laws.<u+201d> aylward is an anti-tax activist and businessman based in watertown and an unsuccessful candidate for the state senate in 2012. he is currently challenging the massachusetts republican party chair kirsten hughes. ellen clegg , the globe's editorial page editor, said that both campaigns had been asked to write op-ed pieces for the paper. "steve aylward<u+2019>s claim simply has no basis in fact,<u+201d> clegg said in a statement to politico massachusetts. "newspapers do not violate campaign finance laws by asking candidates to write opinion pieces. the globe asked both the trump and the clinton campaigns if their candidates would write op ed pieces to be published in the globe. that is not against the law, and unless the first amendment is repealed, it never will be." after the wikileaks release of the emails in october, pritchard defended the correspondence on twitter: <u+201c>re: @wikileaks: opinion is separate from newsroom. my goal: to persuade writers that globe is best forum for their ideas. it's what we do.<u+201d> aylward cited guidance from the fec in 2013 regarding an email to subscribers to a sean hannity email list from clear channel radio host mark levin specifically advocating for congressional candidate john gomez, encouraging readers to donate to gomez<u+2019>s campaign, and including a link to the campaign<u+2019>s website. the fec ruled the correspondence was outside <u+201c>legitimate press function<u+201d> and therefore counted as an <u+201c>email solicitation<u+201d> for the gomez campaign. a spokesperson for the fec could not confirm receipt of the complaint, which was filed on friday, according to aylward. according to fec protocol , should the complaint meet basic requirements, it will be referred to the office of complaints examination and legal administration, where findings of the investigation will remain confidential until resolved. alt-right news outlets including breitbart have jumped on the correspondence, calling it an example of <u+201c>media canoodling<u+201d> with clinton. update: this story has been updated with comment from the globe. lauren dezenski's must-read rundown of what's up on beacon hill and beyond
aylward files fec complaint against globe over podesta correspondence
lauren dezenski