Category Archives: campaign finance

“The Arrest of Giuliani’s Ukraine Associates Shows How Much Trump Has Already Corrupted Our Elections”

October 10, 2019, 10:22 amcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

I have written this piece for Slate. It begins: The news of Thursday’s indictments of two associates of Rudy Giuliani’s, who according to their lawyer (and former Trump lawyer) John Dowd, assisted Giuliani “in connection with his representation of President… Continue reading

“Two Giuliani Associates Who Helped Him on Ukraine Charged With Campaign-Finance Violations”

October 10, 2019, 10:03 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

WSJ: Two Soviet-born donors to a pro- Trump fundraising committee who helped Rudy Giuliani’s efforts to investigate Democrat Joe Biden were arrested late Wednesday on criminal charges of violating campaign finance rules, including funneling Russian money into President Trump’s campaign.Lev… Continue reading

“Cross-partisan coalition urges presidential candidates to embrace transparency and disclose their big-money campaign fundraisers”

October 10, 2019, 9:59 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Issue One release.

“Trump’s 2016 campaign was run on a shoestring. His reelection machine is huge — and armed with consultants.”

October 8, 2019, 8:37 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

WaPo: Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in 2015 had no pollster, rapid-response team or fundraiser. A bare-bones staff fueled by pizza and energy drinks toiled in a makeshift office at Trump Tower. His opponents vastly outspent him — and lost.But as… Continue reading

“Candidates are hoping you’ll buy their rhetoric — as well as their merchandise”

October 7, 2019, 2:44 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Marketplace: Most of us can identify a standard commercial and we usually know someone is trying to sell us something. But what happens when the “product” is a political candidate and the “ad” is a tweet, or Facebook post?In her… Continue reading

“Trump’s Ukraine Call Might Violate Election Laws, But No One’s Enforcing Them”

October 7, 2019, 8:12 amcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

NPR reports.

Aprill: “A Tax Lesson for Election Law”

October 7, 2019, 7:52 amcampaign finance, federal election commission, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

Ellen Aprill has an important new piece at Tax Notes building off the Price for Congress request for an advisory opinion, and lucky for us you can get it from behind the paywall: An August 22 deadlock by the Federal… Continue reading

“Watchdog Allowed to Sue on Donor Disclosure After FEC Won’t Act”

October 1, 2019, 6:31 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Bloomberg: A federal judge eased the way for watchdog groups to bypass a gridlocked Federal Election Commission in a decision allowing a lawsuit seeking to unmask secret donors to a major Republican campaign spending organization.Federal District Judge Christopher Cooper said… Continue reading

FEC Commissioner Hunter Responds to FEC Chair Weintraub’s Attempt to Put Foreign Interference Draft in FEC Digest, Confirms FEC Foreign Contribution Ban (Without Opinion on Whether Opposition Research is a Thing of Value)

October 1, 2019, 5:50 pmcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Statement: Late last week, my colleague, Ellen Weintraub, unilaterally and without advance notice, made public a draft interpretative rule regarding the Act’s foreign national ban and placed it on the agenda for the open meeting of October 17, 2019. Approval… Continue reading

FEC Chair Ellen Weintraub Releases Draft Letter Setting Forth Her View of FEC Law that Candidates Soliciting Opposition Research Not at Market Rates Violate the Federal Law

September 26, 2019, 7:54 pmcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

This cannot be acted on by an FEC without a quorum, and surely this would divide the commission along party lines, but Ellen Weintraub’s analysis seems solid.

“Congress Has Used Campaign Finance for Impeachment Before: Here’s How To Do It Now”

September 26, 2019, 12:22 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Ciara Torres-Spelliscy analysis.

“Justice Dept. rejected investigation of Trump phone call just weeks after it began examining the matter”

September 25, 2019, 5:22 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

I’m quoted in this WaPo piece: Justice Department officials took less than a month to abandon an inquiry into President Trump’s communications with his Ukrainian counterpart about investigating former vice president Joe Biden — reigniting concerns among Democrats and legal… Continue reading

“The FEC Is Paralyzed. It Couldn’t Come At A Worse Time.”

September 24, 2019, 7:32 amcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Ciara Torres-Spelliscy for TPM Cafe.

“As Trump Confirms He Discussed Biden With Ukraine, Pressure to Impeach Builds”

September 23, 2019, 8:31 amcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: President Trump acknowledged on Sunday that he raised corruption accusations against former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. during a phone call with Ukraine’s leader, a stunning admission as pressure mounted on Democrats to impeach Mr. Trump over allegations… Continue reading

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