Good morning, here are today’s political law links (Tues., 5/22/12)

DONATIONS PROBED.  Roll Call.  “The campaigns of Rep. Jim Renacci and state Treasurer Josh Mandel, the GOP nominee for Senate, confirmed today that they are aware the government is investigating contributions they accepted from employees at a direct marketing firm.”

MAJORITY PAC SPENDS.  Story here.  “A Democratic super PAC spent an additional $300,000 in airtime to promote Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) this week — yet another sign that his race has become increasingly competitive.”

BUNDLER’S HUSBAND’S LOANS.  WFB.  “New disclosures show that one of President Obama’s bundlers is the wife of an executive at an energy company that received a more-than-$1.2 billion Department of Energy (DOE) loan guarantee for a solar power plant.”

LINKEDIN LOBBYIST.  The Hill.  “LinkedIn, the professional networking website, has hired its first K Street lobby firm, public records show.”

AFTER VH.  The Hill.  “Court rulings that require the disclosure of funding for campaign ‘issue’ ads will not change the U.S Chamber of Commerce’s political program, officials with the business group insisted Monday.”  More from Politico.

FUNDRAISING EDGE?  The Times.  “President Obama’s once-commanding fund-raising advantage is declining as major Republican donors rally for Mitt Romney, conservative “super PACs” far outpace their liberal counterparts and tax-exempt issue-advocacy groups swarm the political landscape.”

TIMES ON FCPA AND WAL-MART.  Here.  “In this case, shareholders are right to demand answers and accountability from Wal-Mart’s executives and directors.”

BAIN BITES BACK.  The Post.  “As the Obama campaign ramped up its attacks on Bain Capital, Mitt Romney’s former private-equity firm, the company on Monday took the rare step of defending its record.”

JOINING LIMITS.  The Post.  “By joining forces with the Republican National Committee and four of its state-level affiliates, Romney is able to raise $75,800 from one person or more than $150,000 from a couple.”

FEC MEETING.  The agenda for Thursday’s FEC meeting is online here.

NO VERDICT.  Story here.  “On Monday, the second day of deliberations, the jurors were quieter and somber looking, barely looking at prosecutors or Edwards as they waited for the judge to answer questions or release them for lunch of the evening break.”

EDWARDS JURY INSTRUCTIONS VIEW.  Here.  “The Center for Competitive Politics (CCP) today harshly criticized the final juror instructions, issued Friday, in the trial of former president candidate John Edwards.”  The instructions are online here.

DC AIDE CHARGED.  The Post.  “Thomas W. Gore, Mr. Gray’s assistant campaign treasurer, is charged in a federal information — a filing that typically means a defendant has agreed to plead guilty — with violating the District’s campaign finance laws by making straw political donations and then destroying evidence related to those contributions to hinder the federal investigation.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

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