Tag Archives: Pay-to-Play

“Trump pardons ‘humbled’ John G. Rowland, former CT governor”

campaign finance, ethics investigations, , ,

An excerpt from the CT Mirror about a governor convicted of corruption and campaign finance charges:

John G. Rowland, the thrice-elected and twice-convicted former Republican governor of Connecticut, said he was “humbled and appreciative” Wednesday after learning he was the recipient of a pardon from President Donald J. Trump.

* * *

“I am very humbled and appreciative,” Rowland said via email. “I have been blessed with a wonderful family and friends that have been through a great deal over the years. This is a wonderful final resolution.”

Retired FBI agents who investigated him begged to differ, as did a member of the bipartisan impeachment committee whose inquiry prompted his resignation as governor nearly 21 years ago.

“It’s a sad day for justice. Rowland deserved what he got,” said Charles Urso, a former FBI agent who worked on Rowland’s first case, which involved bid rigging. “It’s a misuse of pardons to let off politicians.”

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“Donald Trump’s Politics of Plunder”

campaign finance, chicanery, conflict of interest laws, ethics investigations,

Evan Osnos, in the latest issue of the New Yorker, reviews the state of American oligarchy and the First Family’s use of the Oval Office as a private moneymaking machine.

One small excerpt:

Even seasoned practitioners of Washington pay-to-play have been startled by the new rules for buying influence. In December, a seat at a group dinner at Mar-a-Lago could be had for a million-dollar contribution to MAGA Inc., a super PAC that serves as a war chest for the midterms. More recently, one-on-one conversations with the President have become available for five million. The return on investment is uncertain, a government-affairs executive told me: “What if he’s in a bad mood? You have no clue where the money is eventually going.” Another lobbying veteran described the frank exchange as “outer-borough Mafia shit.”

And on a related note, in the NYT today: “Trump Pardoned Tax Cheat After Mother Attended $1 Million Dinner”

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Selection of Governor Walz–Implicates Pay-to-Play Rules

campaign finance,

Jason Abel and his colleagues at Steptoe flag that selecting a sitting Governor as a running mate implicates critical pay-to-pay rules. In this helpful brief, the authors lay out three sources of pay-to-play rules that now constrain the Harris campaign’s fundraising efforts, especially from the financial services sector:

  • Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 206(4)-5 for investment advisers
  • Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board Rule G-37 for municipal securities dealers and municipal advisors
  • Commodity Futures Trading Commission Rule 23.451 for swap dealers
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