Category Archives: campaign finance

“Wealth, philanthropy and politics — considering ‘wealth tax’ proposals”

October 16, 2019, 4:45 pmcampaign finance, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

Ellen Aprill oped: The impact of private wealth on public policy through tax-exempt organizations has garnered much attention of late, with recent scandals involving the Sacklers, Jeffrey Epstein, and a number of prestigious universities. Recent critiques, however, fail to… Continue reading

Campaign Finance Attorney Jim Bopp Advising Trump Campaign on Campaign Finance Issues

October 16, 2019, 8:03 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Carrie Levine: 1/One interesting tidbit from the Trump campaign's most recent FEC disclosure: the architect of the Supreme Court's Citizens United case is now on the campaign's ever-growing roster of lawyers. The campaign reported paying Jim Bopp's law firm $25,000… Continue reading

“Honest Ads Act Is False Advertising”

October 15, 2019, 4:09 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

WSJ oped by Bradley A. Smith, Lee E. Goodman, and Michael E. Toner.

“Power Up: FEC chair warns charges against Giuliani associates ‘just the tip of the iceberg'”

October 14, 2019, 8:11 amcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

WaPo reports.

“Indicted Donors Spread Campaign Cash Widely; Pair of Soviet-born Florida businessmen donated $675,000 to at least 14 GOP candidates and groups last year”

October 11, 2019, 2:53 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

WSJ reports. At least 14 Republican candidates and groups directly received a total of $675,500 in campaign contributions last year from Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, the Soviet-born Florida businessmen indicted this week on campaign-finance violations.Federal prosecutors in Manhattan say… Continue reading

“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

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