A new Federal Election Commission deadlock over an enforcement case that involved “robo-calls” attacking Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) has prompted FEC Chairwoman Ellen Weintraub to criticize her own agency.
Weintraub issued a written statement harshly criticizing the handling of the newly revealed case—designated Matter Under Review (MUR) 6543. She said there was “no excuse” for the agency’s actions.Weintraub told BNA in an April 3 phone interview that FEC delays in handling this and other enforcement cases are presenting major obstacles to the agency’s ability to work through a large backlog of enforcement matters, including many complaints of violations of campaign finance law stemming from last year’s elections.
The dispute involved the meaning of “express advocacy.” Marc Elias: “Recent closed matter suggests FEC might not have votes to enforce express advocacy beyond “magic words.”…If so, that significantly limits what speech is regulated by campaign finance laws.”