OCE PROBES. Story here. “The Office of Congressional Ethics began nine preliminary probes during the second quarter of the year, launched more in-depth reviews of five cases and referred one matter to the House Ethics Committee for further investigation, according to a report released today.”
CHAMBER ON AIR. Story here. “The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has hit the airwaves in Florida, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio and Wisconsin with television ads targeting Democratic Senate candidates.”
TWEETING CHEATING? Politico. “A primary challenger in a tight Rhode Island congressional race has nearly 1 million Twitter followers — more than Mitt Romney — but he’s not talking about how he amassed such a staggering social media fan base in a short span of time.”
FUNDRAISER VIDEO: WHAT YOU GET FOR $35K. Adjust your volume, get your popcorn, and click here.
BILLIONAIRE PLEDGES SUPPORT. The Times. “Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon.com, and his wife, MacKenzie, have agreed to donate $2.5 million to help pass a same-sex marriage referendum in Washington State, instantly becoming among the largest financial backers of gay marriage rights in the country.”
ROMNEY UK EVENT. Story here. “Mr. Romney held a fund-raising reception and a more exclusive dinner here on Thursday that included some of the top American financiers working in London.”
AM LAW LAWYERS AND 12. Story here. “Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is keeping more than a few Am Law attorneys busy in his quest to find a running mate.”
OBAMA AND THE BELTWAY. The Post. “Money moves through Washington like blood through arteries, and never more so than during election season.”
STOCK ACT UNDER FIRE. Here. “Some heavy hitters have joined the opposition to potentially harmful public disclosure provisions of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, better known as the Stock Act.”
CONTRIBUTIONS DIVIDE. Wash Times. “Husbands and wives may share checking accounts, but they don’t always share political preferences. So what happens when one-half of the marriage wants to donate to a candidate?”
CT: MORE ARRESTS. Story here. “Federal agents arrested the former manager of Connecticut House Speaker Chris Donovan’s congressional campaign and several other people Thursday in an alleged scheme to hide the source of some campaign contributions.”
SECOND PAC LAUNCH. Story here. “The leader of a super PAC that says it wants to hold entrenched House incumbents accountable by targeting them in primary elections has launched a separate political action committee that’s attacking a Tennessee Republican who has served in Congress for less than two years.”
O’MALLEY PAC. Story here. “Gov. Martin O’Malley has set up a political action committee with the Federal Elections Commission to help raise money to support measures that will be on the ballot in Maryland in November and to continue supporting President Barack Obama, an aide said Thursday.”
PA COUNTY LOBBYING. Story here. “Westmoreland County commissioners said Thursday that a new contract with a Harrisburg-based lobbying firm is a classic case of addition by subtraction.”
CAMPAIGN SEEKS PROBE. The Post. “Dogs and cats have been invited to vote in the swing state of Virginia, and Mitt Romney smells a rat.”
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND.