Ciara Torres-Spelliscy’s article “Safeguarding Markets from Pernicious Pay to Play: A Model Explaining Why the SEC Regulates Money in Politics” is out. From the abstract: At first blush, the SEC’s regulation of money in politics may seem to fall outside … Continue reading
Category Archives: conflict of interest laws
Noam Noked blogs. … Continue reading
Oh boy. … Continue reading
WaPo reports. … Continue reading
AP: “The FBI investigation of state Sen. Ron Calderon involves legislation he introduced for a Los Angeles-area water district that uses his brother as a consultant, according to two people questioned by federal agents.” … Continue reading
WaPo reports. … Continue reading
Eric Wang oped. … Continue reading
Important New Republic report. … Continue reading
WaPo reports. … Continue reading
Watch (NSFW). … Continue reading
NPR: To understand how the law changed, I asked Holman to meet me in the basement of the Cannon House Office Building. “This is where the public records are kept, for those who can handle traveling to Washington, D.C.,” Holman … Continue reading
WaPo: The Senate on Thursday and the House on Friday passed on short-cut procedures a bill that indefinitely delays, and effectively repeals, a controversial provision of the Stock (Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge) Act enacted a year ago. That law … Continue reading
WaPo reports. … Continue reading
BLT reports. … Continue reading
Bloomberg: “Salomon Melgen, the Florida political donor at the center of a criminal probe, said he and Senator Robert Menendez are ‘like brothers’ who spoke weekly, yet his companies never benefited and he broke no laws.” … Continue reading
Bloomberg BNA breaking news: “The privacy rights of thousands of high-level federal employees could be violated if a provision of the STOCK Act requiring online disclosure of the employees’ financial information goes into effect, a federal judge said in a … Continue reading
Extensive CPI report begins: Conservative foundations, multinational oil companies and a prescription drug maker were the most frequent sponsors of more than 100 expense-paid educational seminars attended by federal judges over a 4 1/2-year period, according to a Center for … Continue reading
Politico: A company controlled by the Democratic donor in the middle of the Robert Menendez controversy this week revealed that it spent as much as $60,000 on previously undisclosed lobbying. Salomon Melgen, a wealthy South Florida ophthalmologist and investor, has … Continue reading
News from Georgia. … Continue reading
NYT: “The House Ethics Committee has found credible evidence that two lawmakers — a Republican from Alaska and a Democrat from New Jersey — improperly used campaign money for personal expenses, among other abuses.” … Continue reading
USA Today: “Thirty-two members of Congress dispensed more than $2 million in campaign funds to pay relatives’ salaries during the 2012 election cycle, a USA TODAY analysis of the most recent campaign records shows.” … Continue reading
WaPo: “A federal grand jury in Miami is investigating Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), examining his role in advocating for the business interests of a wealthy donor and friend, according to three people aware of the probe.” … Continue reading
Mother Jones report, with the subhead: “How did the chair of the House ethics committee end up on a corporate-backed African safari? Meet the shadowy nonprofit that throws some of DC’s finest junkets.” … Continue reading
Press release: “In a letter sent today to President Obama, Democracy 21, joined by the Campaign Legal Center, wrote that ‘your involvement with Organizing for Action (OFA) raises serious questions about whether you are complying with the Ethics in Government … Continue reading
NYT: “On a Monday evening in early February, two months into a national debate over gun violence after the massacre at a Connecticut elementary school, representatives of the firearms industry were wining and dining lawmakers in Washington.” … Continue reading
WaPo: More and more foreign governments are sponsoring such excursions for lawmakers and their staffs, though an overhaul of ethics rules adopted by Congress five years ago banned them from going on most other types of free trips. This overseas … Continue reading
Press release: “Reform groups sent a letter today to the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) urging the agency to avoid the procedural minefield of rules changes proposed recently by several private attorneys. The reform groups include the Campaign Legal Center, … Continue reading
NYT editorial. … Continue reading
I will go out on a limb and predict this won’t end well for the Senator. … Continue reading
Over a year ago, I wrote a CNN opinion piece which concluded: “But I am concerned that Super PAC spending will influence the outcome of close Senate and congressional races. And I am greatly concerned that when Election Day is … Continue reading
Ben Nelson earns $1 million (plus!) payday. … Continue reading
WaPo reports. … Continue reading
Roll Call: “President Barack Obama’s decision to collect unlimited corporate cash for his inauguration, and to disclose less about donors than he did four years ago, has triggered broad speculation about what he really plans to do with the money. … Continue reading
Bloomberg reports. … Continue reading
National Journal: “The independent Office of Congressional Ethics officially received the green light Wednesday to continue its watchdog work, with the formal reappointments of its board members by House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.” … Continue reading
WaPo: “Fewer than a dozen corporations have donated to the official Presidential Inaugural Committee, compared with more than 400 individuals who have given $200 or more. Contribution amounts were not released.” … Continue reading
Roll Call: The House Ethics Committee announced on Thursday that it has adopted new regulations for accepting privately financed congressional travel, including heightened disclosure requirements and earlier approval deadlines. The changes were the result of a working group convened by … Continue reading
Open Secrets and CBS News reports. Meanwhile Sen. Bob Bennett is angry he had to wait two years after leaving office before being able to cash in as a lobbyist. … Continue reading
WaPo: “In 2007, in the wake of the biggest lobbying scandal in decades, Congress limited the ability of family members to lobby their relatives in the House or Senate. But it declined to ban the practice entirely. Since then, 56 … Continue reading
Kathleen Clark blogs on Congress’ passage of the Hatch Act Modernization Act, … Continue reading
Jeff Patch reports for the Iowa Republican. … Continue reading
NYT: ” President Obama’s finance team is offering corporations and other institutions that contribute $1 million exclusive access to an array of inaugural festivities, including tickets to a ‘benefactors reception,’ a children’s concert, a candlelight celebration at the National Building … Continue reading
NYT editorial: “As Congress waits for negotiators to resolve the budget standoff, there is other worthy business that could be accomplished, particularly in political ethics.” … Continue reading
Bloomberg BNA: “Most state and local government employees would be permitted to run for partisan political office without violating the Hatch Act under legislation (S. 2170) approved by the Senate Nov. 30 by unanimous consent.” … Continue reading
NYT: “The Treasury Department said Thursday that a communications firm with close ties to President Obama talked to the administration about allowing tax breaks for its corporate clients on more than $1 trillion in offshore revenues.” … Continue reading
NYT: “In the rarefied world of political consultants who straddle the line between campaign adviser and corporate strategist, Anita Dunn has few peers.” … Continue reading
The Fix reports. … Continue reading
WaPo reports. … Continue reading
WaPo reports. … Continue reading
WaPo: “If you could peer deeply into how the 535 members of Congress handle their money, what would you find?” … Continue reading