Release: Free Speech For People has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Election Commission for failing to investigate a $150,000 “hush money” payment made in 2016 to Karen McDougal, one of President Trump’s former mistresses, under federal campaign finance law. The investigation … Continue reading
Category Archives: federal election commission
Politico: The head of the Federal Election Commission released a statement on Thursday evening reiterating, emphatically, that foreign assistance is illegal in U.S. elections.“Let me make something 100% clear to the American public and anyone running for public office: It … Continue reading
NYT reports. … Continue reading
This is very good news. You can find the advisory opinion here. It is unanimous, except the Republican commissioners would not have imposed the disclosure requirements or source limitations. From Chair Weintraub’s letter: Under the unusual and exigent circumstances presented … Continue reading
Here at the Daily Caller. … Continue reading
Boston Globe: Lawyers at the Federal Election Commission found that Boston’s Thornton Law firm likely used a phony program to repay partners for political donations, but the case was dismissed after commissioners deadlocked on whether to pursue it.FEC staff lawyers … Continue reading
Huge decision not to take the case en banc today. Under the ruling, if the FEC deadlocks (typically along party lines) on an enforcement matter and those blocking enforcement claim “prosecutorial discretion,” there can be no meaningful judicial review of … Continue reading
CPI: The Federal Election Commission’s four leaders are offering lawmakers clashing perspectives on the agency’s very purpose.The FEC’s greatest challenge to fulfilling its mission is a misperception that “adherence to the rule of law and sensitivity to Americans’ First Amendment … Continue reading
Michelle Ye He Lee for WaPo. … Continue reading
TAP: Of all the Federal Election Commission’s many chronic breakdowns in recent years, its failure to take the slightest action to either stave off or respond to Russian meddling in the 2016 election is the most damaging to American democracy.The … Continue reading
Mother Jones: A gun safety group, Giffords, and a campaign finance watchdog, the Campaign Legal Center, are suing the Federal Election Commission for failing to act on multiple complaints alleging that the National Rifle Association unlawfully coordinated with Donald Trump and other … Continue reading
Release: Today, Common Cause, the Campaign Legal Center, and Democracy 21 filed a supplementto a complaint filed in July 2017 against President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign committee for soliciting contributions from foreign nationals in the form of opposition research offered by Russians. … Continue reading
Release: New data and analysis from the Brennan Center show that the deadlocked Federal Election Commission has failed to provide guidance to candidates, parties, and others seeking to understand their legal obligations; update regulations to reflect changes in the law; … Continue reading
WaPo: The Federal Election Commission could decide today whether nonpartisan groups can offer political campaigns free cybersecurity services, an issue that has made bedfellows of Republicans and Democrats but divided cyber pros and campaign finance hawks.The proposal’s authors, Hillary Clinton’s 2016 … Continue reading
Release: Today, Campaign Legal Center Action (CLC Action) filed suit on behalf of Giffords against the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for failing to announce any action against the National Rifle Association (NRA) for using shell corporations to coordinate campaign spending with … Continue reading
Mike Gilbert and Samir Sheth: he Federal Election Commission (FEC) recently levied a record-breaking fine against Right to Rise, a Jeb Bush-connected super PAC, for soliciting an illegal contribution from a foreign national. The fine brought cheers for the FEC, an agency infamous … Continue reading
Release: Issue One’s latest report, “Busted & Broke: Why the Federal Election Commission doesn’t work,” reveals why the FEC is dysfunctional and how the agency lacks the budget, staff, and teeth it needs to enforce the country’s campaign finance laws … Continue reading
Ken Doyle: A decision by two federal judges is making it impossible to challenge the way the Federal Election Commission enforces campaign laws.When the FEC deadlocks along party lines, that’s now the end of the line — no court can … Continue reading
Dave Levinthal: When Beverly Davis began disqualifying numerous applicants for the Federal Election Commission’s vacant inspector general job — including a long-time staff attorney for Commissioner Matthew Petersen — agency superiors protested. Accusations and allegations flew. A turf war ensued. Davis said … Continue reading
Eric Wang for the Daily Caller. … Continue reading
From an Eleanor Eagan Jeff Hauser analysis of independent agencies: Finally, the plight of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an example of how Trump’s slowdown can exacerbate pre-existing threats to the public good. All of the commissioners are serving expired … Continue reading
WaPo reports. … Continue reading
Mother Jones: The FEC chairmanship, which rotates among the commissioners each year, is mostly a ceremonial role without any real power. But Weintraub plans to use her veto power to stop the FEC from defending itself in court, since the agency needs four … Continue reading
Dan Weiner oped in The Hill. … Continue reading
BREAKING: FEC releases new contribution limits for federal campaigns, parties and pacs for 2019-20. pic.twitter.com/M746S3N6c3— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) February 7, 2019 … Continue reading
CPI: For most of this decade, Congress has all but ignored the perpetually gridlocked Federal Election Commission, which exists to enforce and regulate the nation’s campaign finance laws. No longer, two Democratic congressional representatives tell the Center for Public Integrity. The … Continue reading
CPI reports. … Continue reading
CPI reports. … Continue reading
CPI reports. … Continue reading
CPI: The American social media platforms Russian entities used to influence the 2016 presidential election are essentially attempting to regulate themselves, fearing a repeat during the 2018 midterms. Meanwhile, the federal government agency tasked with protecting U.S. elections from foreign meddling struggled on Wednesday … Continue reading
Bloomberg BNA: Congressional campaigns may find it easier to coordinate their messages with super political action committees and other outside groups as a result of Federal Election Commission decisions. The commission dismissed complaints that messages posted on the campaign websites … Continue reading
Ellen Weintraub: With a bolt out of the blue last Friday, a panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals bestowed a superpower upon the Federal Election Commission. Unfortunately, it is the power to kill any FEC enforcement matter, wholly … Continue reading
Statement from dissenting FEC Commissioner Weintraub: Trump hotels, Trump steaks, Trump water, Trump golf courses, Trump wine. The Complaint in this matter cites to an unprecedented catalog of candidate-branded products and properties used along the 2016 campaign trail. According to … Continue reading
This opinion by Senior Judge Randolph, joined by Judge Kavanaugh is most unfortunate. As Judge Pillard suggests in her dissent, the opinion insulates FEC Commissioners’ refusal to enforce certain campaign finance laws from judicial review under the guise of “prosecutorial … Continue reading
Bloomberg BNA: A federal court upheld the Federal Election Commission’s dismissal of disclosure charges involving two wealthy contributors who allegedly funneled $14 million to super-political action committees through obscure companies. The FEC’s three Republican commissioners, who voted to dismiss the charges, exercised … Continue reading
The Washington Examiner headline does not match the story. And it’s sadly been amplified by Eric Brown, who is counsel to FEC Commissioner Hunter. Here’s the Q & A with Ann: Ann Ravel, now a lecturer at the University of … Continue reading
NPR: As tech companies and government agencies prepare to defend against possible Russian interference in the midterm elections, the Federal Election Commission has a different response: too soon. The four commissioners on Thursday deadlocked, again, on proposals to consider new … Continue reading
Bloomberg BNA: A Democrat on the Federal Election Commission is renewing her push for FEC rules to prevent foreign campaign spending following an announcement from the Senate Intelligence Committee confirming Russian election meddling. “There is no doubt that Russia undertook … Continue reading
CPI: In separate interviews Thursday with the Center for Public Integrity, each of the four “holdover” commissioners — who may continue to serve until President Donald Trump and the U.S. Senate replace them — confirmed that they have no immediate plans to step … Continue reading
In footnote 2 of this document, the two Republican FEC Commissioners attack Democratic FEC Commissioner @EllenLWeintraub, calling her work encouraging CREW to sue in Court and other actions “ill-advised public statements on social media and attempts to obstruct routine Commission … Continue reading
Dan Tokaji has posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming, Democracy by the People). Here is the abstract: Composed of six commissioners, three aligned with each major party, the Federal Election Commission (“FEC”) consistently stalemates on critical questions of campaign finance law. … Continue reading
Bloomberg BNA: The Federal Election Commission should have pursued enforcement action against the American Action Network, a conservative nonprofit, for failing to disclose funding sources for millions of dollars in television ads supporting Republican congressional candidates, a federal judge ruled March 20. … Continue reading
TPM: News broke late last week that the Federal Election Commission had opened a preliminary inquiry into whether Russians illegally channeled money to the National Rifle Association to support Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. But the FEC’s move, which came after … Continue reading
WaPo: More than a year into his presidency, President Trump has shown little interest in beefing up the Federal Election Commission, the agency that could serve as a key player in his avowed agenda to reduce the influence of moneyed … Continue reading
Lee Goodman, who has been a strong force for deregulating campaign finance law at the Federal Election Commission, has tendered his resignation. (You can listen to my interview with Commissioner Goodman on the ELB Podcast.) With the loss of Commissioner … Continue reading
This is something from the Tampa Bay Times: IT’S BEEN MORE THAN A DECADE since South Florida Rep. Mark Foley was forced out of Congress for sending sexual text messages to teenage boys. But Foley tapped his congressional campaign fund to dine on … Continue reading
Bloomberg: The U.S. Federal Elections Commission is moving forward with a plan to introduce new rules on political advertising on social media ahead of the 2018 election cycle. The commission has a working draft of the rules in front of … Continue reading
Bloomberg BNA: FEC commissioners are feuding over when a nonprofit group spending to influence elections can be regulated as a political action committee. Democratic Federal Election Commission member Ellen Weintraub said in a statement that a recent court decision mandates that a … Continue reading
CPI piece, with the subhead: “Agency could lose quorum just as liberals, conservatives find sliver of common ground” … Continue reading