CONTRACTORS PLEAD. The Post. “Two brothers whose defense business flourished with the help of Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) plan to plead guilty next week to overbilling the Defense Department for their work and paying kickbacks to win business, according to their attorneys and court records.”
5 CAMPAIGN FINANCE NUGGETS. Story here. “Now the guys behind Political Moneyline — a must-read new blog — are helping out by digging through campaign finance reports and coming up with dozens of interesting items.”
POLITICAL LAW BRIEFING ON HEARING. Here. “With uncertain enforcement prospects at the federal level and with no clear agency taking the lead, some states have chosen to take action targeting more politically active 501(c)(4) organizations and corporations through new donor disclosure requirements. The most recent is Utah, which earlier this month passed a law requiring disclosure of donor names by for-profit and nonprofit corporations that make political expenditures.”
INSIDE POLITICAL LAW ON HEARING. Here. “Mythili Raman, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division, testified that DOJ’s primary challenge in the post-Citizens United landscape is showing coordination between Super PACs and campaigns. She said DOJ’s challenge is to understand when an independent expenditure is not independent.”
OGE CONCURS. OGE. “On April 5, 2013, the Director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE), Walter M. Shaub, Jr., sent a letter to congressional leadership concurring with the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) study recommendation to indefinitely suspend a STOCK Act provision that would require online posting of the personal financial data of approximately 28,000 federal employees…”
DAVID POST NOTES CASE OF INTEREST. VC. Post discusses whether a YouTube video constitutes a crime under extortion or bribery laws.
CA: FPPC SUPPORTS REFORMS. News here. “The panel voted unanimously to sponsor Senate Bill 27, by Sen. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, to require more disclosure in certain situations from donors who make contributions intended to influence California politics.”
NY: J. SOROS ON CFR. Here. “No single change can eliminate corruption in Albany. There will always be those brazen or craven enough to break whatever laws exist. But the honest politicians in Albany deserve to be part of a system that inspires the trust and confidence of their constituents, and New Yorkers deserve honest politicians.”
VA: CALL FOR TIGHTER RULES. News here. “Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II said Wednesday that he favors requiring public officials to disclose gifts to immediate family members, such as the wedding reception a Virginia businessman helped bankroll for the governor’s daughter.”
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND.