Category Archives: federal election commission

Four Separate Draft Advisory Opinions Signals Potential Deadlock at FEC on Tom Price Plan to Use Campaign Funds for 501c(4) Electioneering

August 17, 2019, 6:30 pmcampaign finance, federal election commission, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

See here. If the FEC deadlocks, Price will have to decide whether to go forward with his plan and risk liability for doing so. But given how lax FEC enforcement is these days, it is not clear how much… Continue reading

Breaking: Republican FEC Commissioners Block Investigation into NRA Russian Ties in 2016 Election

August 16, 2019, 11:54 amcampaign finance, chicanery, federal election commissionRick Hasen

FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub (whose full statement is here): BREAKING: @FEC's Republicans block all investigation of & enforcement against Russians Torshin & Butina re the NRA & the 2016 presidential election. Result: FEC does nothing to find out… Continue reading

“Republican FEC commissioners let Clinton campaign off the hook for super PAC coordination”

July 23, 2019, 5:48 amcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Open Secrets: Deadlocked on a party-line vote, the Federal Election Commission has dismissed a complaint that Hillary Clinton’s campaign illegally coordinated with a super PAC during the 2016 presidential election cycle.Continuing a recent trend with the embattled regulatory agency that… Continue reading

Last week at the FEC

July 15, 2019, 10:57 amcampaign finance, federal election commissionJustin Levitt

Here’s last week’s roundup of the latest at the FEC. Includes, among other things, an advisory opinion allowing a vendor to offer cybersecurity services to campaigns at low- to no-cost, and an advisory opinion allowing a congressional campaign to distribute… Continue reading

“FEC Gets New Internal Watchdog Following Tumultuous Search”

July 12, 2019, 10:49 amfederal election commissionRick Hasen

CPI reports.

“F.E.C. Allows Security Company to Help 2020 Candidates Defend Campaigns”

July 12, 2019, 8:04 amcampaign finance, campaigns, chicanery, federal election commissionRick Hasen

NYT: The Federal Election Commission said on Thursday that a Silicon Valley security company could immediately start helping 2020 presidential candidates defend their campaigns from the kinds of malicious email attacks that Russian hackers exploited in the 2016 election.The… Continue reading

“Manafort Campaign-Finance Charges Dismissed by Deadlocked FEC”

June 24, 2019, 12:58 pmcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Bloomberg reports.

“Free Speech For People Sues Federal Election Commission for Failing to Investigate Trump and Trump Campaign’s Role in McDougal Hush Money Payoff”

June 14, 2019, 3:32 pmcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

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.… Continue reading

“‘Let me make something 100% clear’: FEC chair lays down the law on foreign help”

June 13, 2019, 8:11 pmcampaigns, chicanery, federal election commissionRick Hasen

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:… Continue reading

“Election Rules Are an Obstacle to Cybersecurity of Presidential Campaigns”

June 6, 2019, 11:38 amchicanery, election administration, federal election commission, voting technologyRick Hasen

NYT reports.

Eric Wang Responds to Brennan Center’s Call to Revamp the Federal Election Commission

May 21, 2019, 5:29 pmfederal election commissionRick Hasen

Here at the Daily Caller.

“FEC lawyers find evidence of illegal campaign contributions by Boston’s Thornton law firm, but commissioners dismiss complaint anyway”

May 15, 2019, 7:30 pmcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

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

Breaking: DC Circuit Denies En Banc Consideration in Crew v. FEC Case, Essentially Giving Republican Commissioners Unfettered Ability to Block All Campaign Finance Enforcement Matters with No Judicial Review of the Decision

May 14, 2019, 8:37 amcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

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