FEINGOLD FIGHTING. Roll Call. “‘Almost nothing of our election laws is still standing,’ said Feingold, who now heads the political action committee Progressives United. The PAC’s mission is to counter and eventually reverse the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling, which overturned the long-standing ban on corporate and union spending for independent campaign activities.”
MCCASKILL AMENDING. Story here.
EDWARDS REPAYING? Story here.
ENSIGN’S EXPENSES. Former Senator Ensign’s campaign payments are the topic of this story.
GROUPS DENIED TAX-EXEMPT STATUS. The Times. “In recent months, the I.R.S. has undertaken actions that suggested the agency had stepped up its scrutiny of these groups. The agency recently backed off inquiries into whether five major donors to such groups had paid gift taxes — a rule rarely if ever enforced. The I.R.S. said it needed to develop a broader policy before taking any individual actions.”
REP. WATERS AND THE ETHICS COMMITTEE. Politico. “Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) is threatening to take the House Ethics Committee to federal court if the secretive panel charges her with any violations of House rules.”
GETTING PORK-Y? The Times. “An examination of spending bills, news releases and communications with federal agencies obtained under the Freedom of Information Act shows that nearly two dozen freshmen have sought money for projects that could ultimately cost billions of dollars, while calling for less spending and banning pork projects.”
NATIONAL DEBT AND FUNDRAISING. Politico.
WV CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAW SAGA. The opinion in Center for Individual Freedom v. Tennant isn’t online at the court website at the time of this post but is available here.
WISCONSIN RECALL UPDATE. Here.
CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS FOR VOTES ALLEGED. Story from Alabama here.
FUNDRAISING ISSUE IN TN. Here. “According to [Drew] Rawlins with the Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance, money raised during a legislative session can be used for political party expenses such as rent and salaries as well as get-out-the-vote activities and even television ads so long as they do not expressly support or oppose a particular candidate.”
QUESTIONS FOR GRAY. Post editorial here. “Most donors use checks or credit cards; cash is harder to track and that’s one reason that it is restricted. Mr. Gray said he entered the race late and so his campaign was “truncated” and ‘chaotic.’ How does that explain the extra effort — actually going to a store and paying a fee — to convert cash into money orders? If it wasn’t done to get around the cash limits, what explanation is there?”
USE OF CAMPAIGN FUNDS FOR FINE ISSUE IN DETROIT. Story here. “An attorney cited the words of a nemesis of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick — Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy — in arguing today it was lawful for Kilpatrick to use his campaign fund to pay nearly $1 million to his criminal defense attorneys.”
HAVE A GREAT DAY.