SCHOCK TRAVEL UPDATE. AP. “Illinois Rep. Aaron Schock, a rising Republican star already facing an ethics inquiry, has spent taxpayer and campaign funds on flights aboard private planes owned by some of his key donors, The Associated Press has found. There also have been other expensive travel and entertainment charges, including for a massage company and music concerts.”
COORDINATION CONCLUSION. NLR (R. Lenhard). “It is hard to escape the conclusion from reading the FEC’s decision that until the prospective candidate crosses the statutory line and becomes a ‘candidate’ under the law, the coordination rules do not yet apply to that individual.”
COORDINATION GUILTY PLEA. JDSupra.com. “The DOJ – through its Public Integrity Section and that section’s Election Crimes Branch – announced its first successful criminal prosecution for campaign finance coordination between an independent expenditures PAC and a candidate’s political committee.”
WAXMAN LANDS. The Hill. “Recently retired Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) is headed to K Street.”
CPAC PANELS. The latest agenda features a number of interesting panels related to political law topics.
EYE ON HOLLYWOOD DONATIONS. CNN. “Analysts from Crowdpac, a group that compiles campaign finance data, examined records of actors, producers, directors and crew members who worked on this year’s Oscar-nominated films in search of a correlation between the message of their film and the political views of their creators.”
LA: PERALTA EXPENSES. New Orleans Advocate. “As he gears up for what’s expected to be a hard-fought re-election campaign, embattled St. Bernard Parish President David Peralta will likely have to start raising more cash — and fast.”
NM: LOBBYING ON LOBBYING. LCSun. “The lobbyist spending report showing the highest amount of expenses so far in the 2015 legislative session is from a group that is pushing for more lobbyist disclosure requirements.”
UK: RIFKIND TO QUIT. Telegraph. “Sir Malcolm Rifkind, the Conservative MP embroiled in cash for access allegations, is to step down as an MP at the General Election and has also resigned as chairman of the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee.”
HAVE A GOOD DAY.