Category Archives: campaign finance

“Alleged payment to porn star was illegal donation to Trump campaign, watchdog says”

January 22, 2018, 9:32 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Josh Gerstein for Politico: A watchdog group filed a pair of complaints on Monday alleging that a $130,000 payment reportedly made to a pornographic film actress who claims to have had an affair with Donald Trump violated campaign finance laws.… Continue reading

“Donor privacy and Campaign-Related Speech”—Speaking at Federalist Society Event at Reagan Library

January 22, 2018, 8:01 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Looking forward to this on Saturday at the Federalist Society Western Conference: Luncheon Discussion: Donor privacy and Campaign-Related Speech 12 Noon – 1:45 p.m. With federal proposals like the DISCLOSE Act sidelined by Republicans in Congress, some state governments officials,… Continue reading

“Eight years after Citizens United, it’s time for bold ways to fix democracy”

January 22, 2018, 8:56 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Liz Kennedy and Alex Tausanovitch oped in The Hill.

“Did Citizens United Help Russians Funnel Money To NRA?”

January 22, 2018, 7:34 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

TPM reports.

Bob Bauer: “The Trump Campaign-Russia Alliance and Campaign Finance; A Response to Skeptics and a Statement of the Case”

January 19, 2018, 7:41 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Bob Bauer deep dive. I was surprised the First Amendment got only a brief mention in this piece.

From New Bauer, Ginsberg, Persily Report: “Fewer than 16,000 donors accounted for half the federal campaign contributions in 2016”

January 19, 2018, 7:24 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

WaPo on the new Bauer, Ginsberg, Persily report, with a troubling trend I wrote about in my 2016 book, Plutocrats United: More than 3.2 million Americans contributed to federal candidates in the 2016 elections, but fewer than 16,000 of… Continue reading

As Government May Shut Down, President to Headline $100,000-Per-Couple Fundraiser ($250K if you want to be at roundtable) at Mar-a-Lago Resort He Owns, Profiting from the Event Personally

January 19, 2018, 7:19 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Bloomberg: President Donald Trump will mark the first anniversary of his inauguration on Saturday with a celebration at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, with tickets starting at $100,000 a pair. That amount, according to the invitation, will pay for dinner… Continue reading

“An insidious foreign dark money threat: New reports about Russian money going to the NRA could prove watchdogs’ fears correct”

January 19, 2018, 7:16 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Ciara Torres-Spelliscy NYDN oped.

“Actions, not words, tell Trump’s political money story”

January 19, 2018, 7:14 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

CPI report, with the subhead, “Rhetorically, he talked a liberal’s game. In reality, he’s like most conservatives.”

Event tomorrow at BPC: The Changing Dynamics of Campaign Finance in the U.S.

January 18, 2018, 7:52 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

The Changing Dynamics of Campaign Finance in the U.S. WHEN: Friday, January 19, 2018 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. ET WHERE: Bipartisan Policy Center, 1225 Eye Street NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC, 20005 Nate Persily, Bob Bauer, and Ben… Continue reading

“FBI investigating whether Russian money went to NRA to help Trump”

January 18, 2018, 7:47 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

McClatchy: The FBI is investigating whether a top Russian banker with ties to the Kremlin illegally funneled money to the National Rifle Association to help Donald Trump win the presidency, two sources familiar with the matter have told McClatchy. FBI… Continue reading

“Appropriations bill would bar SEC from requiring political spending disclosure”

January 17, 2018, 7:32 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Star Tribune: The appropriations bill that the Senate and House must pass by Friday to avoid a government shutdown forbids the Securities and Exchange Commission from making publicly traded companies disclose their political spending to shareholders. The language has been… Continue reading