Ciara Torres-Spelliscy blogs. … Continue reading
Category Archives: campaign finance
Release: Free Speech For People has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Election Commission for failing to investigate a $150,000 “hush money” payment made in 2016 to Karen McDougal, one of President Trump’s former mistresses, under federal campaign finance law. The investigation … Continue reading
Here on the News Hour (beginning around the 11 minute mark). … Continue reading
San Diego Union-Tribune: Years of cavalier spending of her husband’s political contributions culminated in a guilty plea Thursday for Margaret Hunter, the wife of Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter who was co-indicted last year in a sweeping campaign-finance investigation.During a change-of-plea … Continue reading
Watch the clip: EXCLUSIVE: Pres. Trump tells @GStephanopoulos he wouldn't necessarily alert the FBI if approached by foreign figures with information on his 2020 opponent: "It’s not an interference. They have information. I think I’d take it." https://t.co/7gvoAViw9r pic.twitter.com/k5Yqd9YxdC— Evan … Continue reading
Seattle Times: … Continue reading
Gannett: Big-spending “dark money” political groups in New Jersey will have to reveal who is funding them after all, lawmakers agreed Monday.Gov. Phil Murphy, despite vetoing the exact same legislation last month, has now committed to signing it, but his office did … Continue reading
This is history I did not know. Watch the video: Thanks. Didn’t realize there was more than one page. I wonder what @rickhasen thinks of that proposed amendment.— Mike Stern (@mls1776) June 7, 2019 … Continue reading
Ciara Torres-Spelliscy: A few weeks ago, the Supreme Court delivered a surprising rebuke to those who think corporations just don’t have enough influence on U.S. elections. In declining to hear the case of 1A Auto, Inc. vs. Sullivan, the court essentially guaranteed … Continue reading
FiveThirtyEight deep dive. … Continue reading
Michael Beckel: Latest example of @FEC gridlock on a major enforcement issue: On Friday, #FEC announced the commission deadlocked 2-2 in complaints against the joint fundraising committees (JFCs) that aided Hillary Clinton & Donald Trump in 2016 https://t.co/vjZsNYECtt & https://t.co/rqNgZ2A0Up … Continue reading
WaPo: Across the Democratic field, candidates are embracing the big donors they distanced themselves from early on — a sign of increasing doubt that the small, online donations the campaigns have been chasing will be sufficient to sustain two-dozen primary contenders.Many … Continue reading
Lots of interesting and perhaps surprising information at the OpenSecrets.org site on the occupation of the “groups” that gave the largest contributions in the 2018 congressional election cycle. A couple points that stood out to me: Those who list their … Continue reading
Politico: The nation’s largest super PAC devoted to grassroots Democratic turnout is launching its organizing efforts earlier than ever in seven swing states with a new campaign director and its largest budget to date: $80 million to $90 million. … Continue reading
NYT: The Democratic Party’s new directive that candidates must have at least 130,000 donors to qualify for the third primary debate in September arrived virtually without warning on Wednesday morning, and immediately sent shock waves through presidential campaigns worried that it would … Continue reading
See the opinion in Schickel v. Moellman here. Some rejections were on standing grounds and some on the merits. … Continue reading
Fred Wertheimer for Just Security. … Continue reading
Miriam Galston has posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: If you read Supreme Court campaign finance cases, you will be struck by the disconnect between the lofty rhetoric used to justify the constitutional protections afforded political speech … Continue reading
Release: A new report today released by Issue One and Campaign Legal Center (CLC) shows that instead of doling out funds to political allies, members of Congress routinely use leadership PAC funds to pay for expensive meals, rounds of golf, and luxury hotel stays — often under … Continue reading
NYT: A campaign finance watchdog group filed a complaint on Tuesday against a Canadian billionaire alleging that he violated a federal ban on contributions by foreigners when his United States-based company donated $1.75 million last year to a political committee … Continue reading
AP: Prosecutors aren’t quite finished investigating campaign finance violations by President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer.U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III agreed Tuesday to keep search warrant materials related to the investigation of Michael Cohen under seal until July … Continue reading
This is very good news. You can find the advisory opinion here. It is unanimous, except the Republican commissioners would not have imposed the disclosure requirements or source limitations. From Chair Weintraub’s letter: Under the unusual and exigent circumstances presented … Continue reading
Washington Examiner: President Trump was “thrilled” that his campaign acquired Northern Virginia office space at “bargain basement” rates, a campaign official told the Washington Examiner in an interview in the plush 14th floor offices overlooking the Potomac River from Arlington, Va.But campaign … Continue reading
Read the opinion in Libertarian National Committee v. FEC. Judge Tatel’s majority opinion begins: When Joseph Shaber passed away he left over $235,000 to the Libertarian National Committee (LNC). This case is about when and how the LNC can spend … Continue reading
NYT: And Zekelman Industries made political donations in the United States — skirting or possibly violating a ban on contributions by foreigners — including $1.75 million last year to a group supporting President Trump…..Federal Election Commission rules prohibit any foreigner … Continue reading
Seattle Times: For example, Conscience of the Progressives is actually funded by conservatives and last year sent election mailers to aid Republicans in swing-district legislative races. It is funded almost wholly by another PAC named Send A Message, whose prime … Continue reading
Jim Rutenberg NYT column: The rules now in place just don’t match up with how certain groups influence voters via the internet. Thanks to savvy lobbying by tech companies, online election campaign speech remains almost entirely unregulated.The platforms won exemptions from many … Continue reading
Bloomberg: The U.S. Supreme Court declined an opportunity to give businesses broader rights to contribute money to political candidates and causes.The justices, without comment Monday, refused to question a Massachusetts law that bars for-profit corporations from making campaign donations. … Continue reading
Politico: A federal appeals court has rejected a legal challenge to Congress’ ban on most foreign nationals donating to state and local election campaigns.The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ban Thursday, saying that a “summary” Supreme Court ruling in … Continue reading
Ciara Torres-Spelliscy blogs. … Continue reading
Boston Globe: Lawyers at the Federal Election Commission found that Boston’s Thornton Law firm likely used a phony program to repay partners for political donations, but the case was dismissed after commissioners deadlocked on whether to pursue it.FEC staff lawyers … Continue reading
Roll Call: Democrats have long touted the importance of raising small amounts of money from a large number of donors as a sign of political strength on the campaign trail and in Congress.But recent campaign finance disclosures show some lawmakers — from … Continue reading
Paul Smith oped in The Hill. … Continue reading
Huge decision not to take the case en banc today. Under the ruling, if the FEC deadlocks (typically along party lines) on an enforcement matter and those blocking enforcement claim “prosecutorial discretion,” there can be no meaningful judicial review of … Continue reading
WSJ reports. … Continue reading
AP: One of the founding members of the 1990s hip-hop group the Fugees has been charged in a campaign finance conspiracy that took place during the 2012 presidential election, the Justice Department said Friday.A four-count indictment accuses Prakazrel “Pras” Michel … Continue reading
Miami Herald: The FBI has opened a public corruption investigation into Republican donor and South Florida massage-parlor entrepreneur Li “Cindy” Yang, focusing on whether she illegally funneled money from China into the president’s re-election effort or committed other potential campaign-finance violations, … Continue reading
Release via email: A federal judge has ruled unconstitutional South Dakota Initiated Measure 24, a state law which would have banned Americans from other states from contributing to ballot measure campaigns in South Dakota. The Institute for Free Speech and … Continue reading
CPI: The Federal Election Commission’s four leaders are offering lawmakers clashing perspectives on the agency’s very purpose.The FEC’s greatest challenge to fulfilling its mission is a misperception that “adherence to the rule of law and sensitivity to Americans’ First Amendment … Continue reading
Michelle Ye He Lee for WaPo. … Continue reading
NYT: President Trump’s re-election campaign on Tuesday denounced “dishonest fund-raising groups” that use the president’s image to solicit money that several people close to Mr. Trump said was directed at a group run by David Bossie, one of his earliest … Continue reading
NYT: About 200 bundlers from across the country are expected to gather Tuesday at the Trump International Hotel for a series of meetings and workshops about the campaign’s new fund-raising program. Vice President Mike Pence will address the group. Brad … Continue reading
Axios: A political organization run by David Bossie, President Trump’s former deputy campaign manager, has raised millions of dollars by saying it’s supporting Trump-aligned conservative candidates — but has spent only a tiny fraction of that money supporting candidates.Instead, federal … Continue reading
Politico: Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand sank a ping-pong ball into a cup of water — a spin on the drinking game, beer pong — and turned the moment into a digital ad urging $1 donations to her presidential campaign. Washington Gov. … Continue reading
In The Guardian: [P]erhaps surprisingly, given that she is among the most successful political fundraisers in America today, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has set the only meaningful bar. HR1, the reform package that she passed in the House, was extraordinary not … Continue reading
LA Times, on a state senate committee’s rejection of a bill that would limit contributions to candidate-controlled ballot measure campaign committees. … Continue reading
Bob Bauer’s take on Just Security: “The Report treats the campaign finance issues almost cursorily—one could say, superficially— even to the point of failing to identify and address all the applicable law. The results are an unconvincing decision to decline … Continue reading
Bob Egelko for the SF Chronicle. … Continue reading
TAP: Of all the Federal Election Commission’s many chronic breakdowns in recent years, its failure to take the slightest action to either stave off or respond to Russian meddling in the 2016 election is the most damaging to American democracy.The … Continue reading
Mother Jones: A gun safety group, Giffords, and a campaign finance watchdog, the Campaign Legal Center, are suing the Federal Election Commission for failing to act on multiple complaints alleging that the National Rifle Association unlawfully coordinated with Donald Trump and other … Continue reading