Category Archives: campaign finance

“Trump vows to ‘totally destroy’ restrictions on churches’ support of candidates”

February 2, 2017, 8:48 pmcampaign finance, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

WaPo: President Trump vowed Thursday to “totally destroy” a law passed more than 60 years ago that bans tax-exempt churches from supporting political candidates, a nod to the religious right that helped sweep him into office. Speaking at the National… Continue reading

Sen. Tester Will Try Again to Get Senate to File Campaign Reports Electronically

February 2, 2017, 2:18 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

You’d think this would be a no brainer. CPI: Yet the bill’s fate is likely controlled by just one man: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who campaign disclosure advocates accuse of blocking similar legislation in years past.

Snopes Debunks Twitter Claim That President Trump’s Filing for Reelection Inhibits Political Activity by Nonprofits

February 1, 2017, 6:32 pmcampaign finance, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

Here. I tweeted a thread about this over the weekend.

“U.S. District Court Orders Federal Election Commission to Re-Consider Whether Commission on Presidential Debates is Breaking Campaign Finance Law”

February 1, 2017, 5:46 pmcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

BAN: On February 1, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan issued a 28-page opinion in Level the Playing Field v Federal Election Commission, 1:15cv-1397, D.C. She ruled that the FEC clearly did not look at the evidence presented by… Continue reading

“Meet the true source of those viral Donald Trump TV ads”

January 31, 2017, 7:21 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

CPI: Stop Hillary PAC’s pro-Trump ad is a prime example of how political ads aren’t always what they seem. What some lay viewers may interpret as a straightforward call to arms from Trump himself is really a fundraising effort for… Continue reading

Philanthropy Roundtable Amicus Brief in 9th Circuit in Koch Brothers Disclosure Case

January 30, 2017, 7:20 amcampaign finance, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

Release: The Philanthropy Roundtable filed a friend-of-the-court brief Friday in the case Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Becerra asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to uphold a federal district court’s earlier ruling that the California attorney… Continue reading

Steve Klein Defends South Dakota Reversing Voters on Ethics Measure

January 26, 2017, 1:22 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Here. If in fact the measure is unconstitutional (I haven’t looked yet and have no opinion on that), the appropriate thing to do is to challenge it in court. Not to have those who are completely self-interested decide reverse a… Continue reading

“Big Money’s Other Casualty: Fair Courts”

January 25, 2017, 8:28 amcampaign finance, judicial electionsRick Hasen

Dorothy Samuels and Alicia Bannon for TAP.

“Gov. Cuomo turns to Floyd Abrams for First Amendment Help”

January 24, 2017, 12:56 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Ron Collins blogs at Concurring Opinions: Yes, it’s true: Floyd Abrams, the nation’s preeminent First Amendment lawyer and author of the forthcoming The Soul of the First Amendment is defending two government officials against a claim of a First… Continue reading

“South Dakota GOP Rushes To Repeal Ethics Reforms Passed By Voters”

January 23, 2017, 8:14 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

HuffPo: Republican lawmakers in South Dakota are ready to declare a legislative emergency so that they quickly and completely wipe out an ethics and campaign finance reform law adopted by popular vote in November. The measure, known as IM-22,… Continue reading

“FBI, 5 other agencies probe possible covert Kremlin aid to Trump”

January 19, 2017, 7:21 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

McClatchy: Investigators are examining how money may have moved from the Kremlin to covertly help Trump win, the two sources said. One of the allegations involves whether a system for routinely paying thousands of Russian-American pensioners may have been used… Continue reading

Trump: Super PACs Need to be “Straightened Out”

January 18, 2017, 9:30 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Maggie Haberman for the NYT: President-elect Donald J. Trump, in a free-flowing speech Wednesday night at a dinner honoring his running mate, Mike Pence, jabbed at his new Republican allies and his critics alike, questioned the ethics of “… Continue reading