Simon & Schuster hosts “Young Guns” video featuring link to website collecting donations for GOP

Simon & Schuster is drawing fire for using a video to promote a new book that includes the address for a website raising money for the National Republican Congressional Committee. The book, Young Guns: A New Generation of Conservative Leaders, is authored by GOP Reps. Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan and Kevin McCarthy each of whom are prominently featured on the website as well. The book is being published under Threshold Editions, Simon & Schuster's conservative imprint helmed by Mary Matalin, a former assistant to President George W. Bush and counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney.

According to a review of Federal Elections Commission records, Matalin has made campaign contributions to Cantor and "Young Gun" featured candidate Tim Griffin during this 2010 election cycle.

Politico reports this afternoon that the “Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s attorneys sent Simon & Schuster a letter Thursday, hinting that the publisher may have violated several campaign finance laws that prohibit in-kind contributions by corporations by posting on its website a promotional video for a book penned by three top House Republicans.”