EARMARKS AND LOBBYING. Politico reports. “What insiders understand is that the money that used to be tagged for earmarks isn’t going away. It’s just moving. Instead of lawmakers designating it for hometown projects, government agencies and departments will dole it out through contracts and grants — a shift that some lobbying shops have been anticipating for years.”
KOCH CONFERENCE CONCERN. “Liberal critics have launched a campaign to highlight what they say is the systematic way in which the Kochs use their political giving to advance a conservative economic and regulatory agenda designed to further the interests of their oil, chemical and manufacturing empire.” Politico.
SENATE CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE PARITY ACT. Senator Tester issued this press release introducing a new disclosure law: “Senate campaign committees are currently the only federal political committees not required to file their financial disclosure reports directly with the Federal Elections Commission—meaning it can take up to a month for Senate campaign disclosures to be made available online.”
PARDON DELAY. That’s the message of this editorial in today’s Post.
OBAMA AND LARGE DONORS. The Post reports. “In an attempt to patch up the relationship between the president and the nation’s top donors, Jim Messina, the 2012 reelection campaign manager and former Obama deputy chief of staff, will headline a Democratic Party event next week at the Park Avenue apartment of Jane Hartley and Ralph Schlosstein, the Obama fundraising flagship in New York.”
MORE ON FUNDRAISING MATTER DISMISSAL. From the WSJ. “An ethics committee statement dated Wednesday and posted on its website said the dismissals were based on a committee staff investigation that found that Campbell, Price and Crowley “had strict separation between all fundraising activities and legislative activities.” The report noted they hired professional fundraising consultants to manage all aspects of fundraising.”
SCHEDULING ISSUES. “A state senator from Hutchinson could face an ethics investigation for an e-mail his office sent refusing to meet with organizations that supported his opponent in last fall’s election — even if they’re constituents in his district.” West Central Tribune (MN).
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND. Posting will resume Wednesday, February 2.