Thompson Establishes Campaign Committee

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Fred Thompson took the first formal step toward a widely expected bid for the presidency, establishing a preliminary campaign committee on Friday.

The “testing the waters” committee allows Thompson — a former Tennessee senator and actor best known for his film and television roles, including as a prosecutor on NBC’s “Law & Order” — to raise money, hire staff and gauge support without officially committing to a White House bid and without having to publicly disclose donations or expenditures.

The “Friends of Fred Thompson” committee was incorporated in papers filed with the Secretary of State in Nashville, Tenn., to “promote the potential candidacy of Fred Thompson for the office of president of the United States.”

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