By Alex Knott, CQ Staff

The Federal Election Commission has ruled that Sen. John McCain broke no laws when he withdrew from the public financing program during his 2008 primary bid for the White House.

The Democratic National Committee was one of several groups that filed complaints last year alleging that the Arizona senator violated the public financing system by agreeing to abide by its spending limitations during the primaries and then reneging on his commitment.

Specifically, the complaint charged that McCain used his approval for FEC matching funds to obtain a $3 million loan knowing that he would not actually participate in the taxpayer-funded financing program.

Although no matching funds were ever disbursed to McCain during the primaries, the complaint charged that his use of a promise of federal money to obtain a loan constituted a violation.

The commission found that McCain, who went on to become the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, “permissibly withdrew from the matching payment program and thus was released from his obligations.” It also found no reason “to believe that a violation occurred” in connection with the $3 million bank loan McCain received for this campaign.

The agency also cleared McCain in a separate inquiry prompted by a complaint from Judicial Watch, which charged that his campaign accepted in-kind contributions from at least two foreign nationals.