CONSULTANTS AND NONPROFITS. Daily Beast. “The often negative and misleading ads these groups put out may be little help to voters trying to make informed decisions, but the increased spending is a boon to the consultants who make millions no matter who wins.”
LOVING THE SUPER PACS. The Hill. “When it comes to Democrats and outside money, they’ve learned their lesson for 2014 — if you can’t beat them, join them.”
SLEEK SUPER PACS. MSNBC. “n recent months, a new breed of smaller, more targeted Super PACs has emerged—some supporting specific candidates, others pushing issues their founders care about.”
QUESTIONS AND D’SOUZA CASE. Weekly Standard. “Four United States Senators have a written a letter to FBI director James Comey about the indictment of author and filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza. Senators Charles Grassley, ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, Jeff Sessions, Ted Cruz, and Mike Lee are the four senators, all Republicans, to have signed the letter.”
INDICTMENT MADE. LAT. “A wealthy Mexican businessman, accused of hoping to buy influence with political contributions, has been indicted on a federal charge of making illegal contributions during the 2012 mayoral election.”
LOBBYIST REGISTRATION AND REPORTING COVERAGE. The Nation. “On paper, the lobbying industry is quickly disappearing.”
BYE, BYE, BIENNIAL LIMIT. How big will the Supreme Court go in McCutcheon? The opinion may come soon; check SCOTUSBlog for the latest. Prof. Hasen’s views were in yesterday’s Post, online here.
CA: FPPCS DIDN’T GO FAR ENOUGH. LAT. “California’s political ethics agency signed off Thursday on a $133,500 fine for a lobbyist who made improper campaign contributions to elected officials, but the attorney whose lawsuit triggered the investigation is not satisfied.”
GA: SUPER PAC HELP. Politico. “Republican operatives in Georgia have formed a new super PAC to aid GOP Gov. Nathan Deal in his reelection bid this fall, POLITICO has learned.”
KS: LETTING LOBBYISTS GIVE. Wichita Eagle. “A change in campaign finance laws would allow lobbyists to donate to party committees for the House and Senate during the legislative session.”
NY: BIG $ BEHIND CFR. NYT. “On Monday, a national group that seeks to lessen the influence of big campaign donors plans to unveil a $1 million advertising campaign aimed at promoting the public financing plan.”
PA: GIFT RULES LATEST. Philly.com. “An ordinance, introduced by all members of Council on behalf of Council President Darrell Clarke, amends a portion of the Philadelphia Code by placing limits on gifts from anyone having a financial interest in a city matter to any employee who can affect official action.”
SC: LOGJAM BROKEN. The State. “The state Senate agreed Thursday that lawmakers should not have political action committees, anonymous political groups must reveal their donors and public officials must disclose who is paying them.”
TX: FINES OWED. WLTX (video started playing automatically for me). “The chair of the Richland County Council has been hit with a $45,000 fine from the State Ethics Commission.”
VA: SWISS CHEESE. WP. “The quiet move to scrap the notarization requirement is just one example of why Virginia’s political class should be ashamed of the weak, loophole-riddled ethics measure.”
WV: STRONGER RULES. Charleston Gazette. “Legislation that targets West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and strengthens his office’s ethics rules will be up for a passage vote in the House of Delegates Monday.”
HAVE A GREAT DAY.