Good morning, here are Wed. political law links, 9-25-13

ETHICS UPDATE.  Roll Call.  “The Senate Ethics Committee has dismissed a complaint made against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Ethics Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., by Republican David Vitter of Louisiana.”

7-11 PAC.  Story here.  “After a four-and-a-half-year absence, 7-Eleven Inc. is getting back into running a corporate political action committee.”

NEW CU.  IBT.  “The case will be a clear sign of whether the court, with five solidly conservative justices, is open to tearing down what remains of the nation’s campaign finance laws.”

CFG WARNS.  Story here.  “A powerful conservative group is trying to block efforts in the Senate to reinstate funding for ObamaCare in a must-pass government spending bill.”

ELECTION WAGER.  Story here.  “A ‘very sophisticated’ trader lost over $4 million dollars placing bets on Mitt Romney in the two weeks leading up to the election, according to new study.”

LOBBYIST NOMINATED.  Story here.  “Catherine Novelli, VP of Worldwide Government Affairs for Apple, has been tapped for a State Department post.”

LERNER HIT.  Politico.  “Lois Lerner is the political piñata that Congress still loves to whack months after she awkwardly acknowledged that the IRS wrongly scrutinized conservative groups for years.”

DELAY:  WHAT’S NEXT.  Roll Call.  “Although his two top lieutenants pleaded guilty to a 2001 contribution scheme, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, had his conviction reversed Thursday by a party-line vote of three-judge panel from the Third District Court of Appeals, but prosecutors announced they would appeal to the full Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.”  As it happens, I’m just finishing up The K Street Gang: The Rise and Fall of the Republican Machine.  You can pick it up for $.01.

TIES QUESTIONED.  The Hill.  “The National Republican Senatorial Committee is launching its next phase in a prolonged attack against Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) focused on her husband’s ties to lobbyists through his real estate work.”

FL:  HERE COME LOBBYIST AUDITS.  Story here.  “As local governments, companies, and third-party groups spend record levels lobbying state government, the Legislature finally is poised to add a long-required layer of transparency to the money that flows to state lobbyists.”

NV:  LOBBYIST SENTENCING.  Story here.  “Lawyers for former Nevada lobbyist Harvey Whittemore are asking a federal judge for an evidentiary hearing before his sentencing next week to prove why he only deserves probation, not four years in prison for breaking campaign contribution laws.”

WA:  LOBBYIST MEAL REPORTING ISSUE.  Story here.  “The staff at Washington’s Public Disclosure Commission has recommended changes to how lobbyists report their meals out with lawmakers.”

WI:  PUBLIC FINANCING REJECTED.  Story here.  “A proposal to provide a taxpayer-funded public campaign finance option for Janesville City Council candidates had no other supporters Monday than the councilman who initially floated the idea late last week.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

Comments are closed.