SUPER PAC EDITS AD. Story here. “A Washington, D.C.-based SuperPAC is making last-minute changes to a TV spot criticizing Democratic congressional candidate Tammy Duckworth after she refuted claims in the ad.”
TAXES AND POLITICS. Following up on a recent WSJ piece, here’s another look at tax issues and political donations: “A big article in the Wall Street Journal got me thinking: Is Your Political Donation Deductible? It’s not a simple question, but my shorthand answer is: Don’t. It safest to assume they aren’t deductible except in narrow circumstances.”
OPINION IN FREE SPEECH V. FEC. Press announcement here.
CHICAGO: ETHICS BOARD UPDATE. Story here. “Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Wednesday the replacement of the city’s entire ethics board with seven new members, saying the new board will have the professionalism to do the job in a city notorious for corruption.”
FL: CRIMINAL PROBE REGARDING VOTER REGISTRATION. Story here. “Authorities in Florida opened a criminal probe on Wednesday into the activities of Strategic Allied Consulting, the firm hired by the Republican Party to register new voters in the crucial swing state ahead of next month’s presidential election.”
ID: REIMBURSEMENT ISSUE. Story here. “After first saying, ‘I don’t have a problem with it,’ Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna reimbursed a lobbying firm that represents Apple and other clients with an interest in upholding his 2011 education reforms in November.”
MT: UPDATE ON LIMITS CASE. Story here. “A federal judge on Wednesday struck down Montana’s campaign contribution limits as unconstitutional, a decision that comes less than a month before Election Day and marks the latest in a string of court rulings against the state’s campaign laws.”
WA: APPEARANCE IN UNIFORM ISSUE. Story here. “It was a ‘minor’ violation, but King County Sheriff Steve Strachan still ran afoul of the county’s ethics code by appearing in uniform at a GOP picnic, the county Ombudsman’s Office has ruled.”
AUSTRIA: LOBBYIST ISSUES. Story here. “BAE Systems faces having its dirty linen aired in public yet again as one of its former lobbyists comes before judges in Austria to answer charges of involvement in corrupt arms deals.”
HAVE A GREAT DAY.