BILLS RISE. Here. ” A congressman . . . has paid $25,000 for his legal defense before a panel probing his campaign spending.”
PEOPLE’S PLEDGES AND CFR. Story here. “Recently, another approach has emerged: private contracts between candidates about spending by third party groups outside the control of the campaign. ”
TWITTER LOBBYING. The Post. “Altogether, Twitter spent about $40,000 lobbying Congress, according to the filing. That’s pocket change compared to the likes of Microsoft and AT&T, which spent $2.2 million and $4.3 million, respectively.”
QUESTIONING MANDATORY DISCLOSURE. Here. “Reading the historical record left me with the conviction that the Founders would have found mandatory disclosure of contributors to political advertising an outrageous violation of privacy. And certainly inconsistent with freedom of the press.”
NSA: WEALTH OF DATA. The Verge. “Once the agency gained access, according to Spiegel, a top secret May 2010 report reveals that it monitored ‘diplomatic, economic and leadership communications which continue to provide insight into Mexico’s political system and internal stability.'” Given the continued reporting on the NSA, a novel or movie involving NSA surveillance of U.S. political targets may not seem too far-fetched.
AZ: HORNE DENIES. Here. “In his first extensive comments about the report, Horne said he has no intention of paying back $400,000 that Sheila Polk said was illegally funneled into his 2010 race by what was supposed to be an independent campaign committee. He called the allegations “technical” and insisted he will be vindicated.”
MA: WOLF OUT. Boston Herald. “State Sen. Dan Wolf said he’s officially ending his stalled gubernatorial run amid after realizing it could be ‘several more months, quite possibly longer’ until the state Ethics Commission reaches a decision that would allow him back on the campaign trail.”
MI: SUPER PAC UP. Here. “The latest :30 spot from the not-at-all-affiliated-with-Mike-Duggan (they don’t even know him!) superPAC Turnaround Detroit asks why Benny Napoleon is attacking Duggan. ”
NJ: FREEZE SOUGHT. Here. “State Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) and his campaign committee went to court today in an effort to freeze more than $75,000 in contributions to his Republican opponent, Niki Trunk, because of questions over who gave her the money.”
HAVE A GREAT DAY.