WaPo:

Eric M. Zolt has come up with a unique approach to getting money out of politics: Instead of contributing to their favorite candidates, donors would send their money to charities instead.

Zolt is co-founder of a company called Repledge, which is seeking approval from the Federal Election Commission to run an ambitious experiment aimed at reducing the amount of cash sloshing around in the U.S. political system.

Here’s how it would work: Donors from each party would pledge a certain amount during fund drives at the firm’s Web site, www.repledge.com. Once the time expired, Repledge would divvy up equal amounts from each side to be given to charities chosen by the donors. Any remainder would be given to political candidates.

I know Eric, who is a tax prof at UCLA Law and a very smart guy.  I haven’t had a chance yet to study in detail the dueling advisory opinions on the FEC’s agenda for tomorrow, I’m skeptical of the one draft which suggests that what Repledge is doing is illegal corporate facilitation of fundraising.  This doesn’t look like the kind of corporate “fundraising” which raises a problem of corruption or undue corporate influence. The purpose is to take money out of the campaign finance system. Further, “Zolt said such concerns [about corporate facilitation] are misplaced and that actual donations would be processed by third-party vendors. He and his three partners have asked the FEC to delay any decision until he can respond to the objections in detail.”