MEMBER TO RESIGN. Politico. “Rep. Ed Whitfield, the Kentucky Republican dogged by ethics problems around ‘special favors’ he granted his lobbyist wife, is resigning from Congress next week.”
PAINTER ENDORSES CLINTON. Politico. “Hillary Clinton is the “only qualified candidate in the race and she should become president,” President George W. Bush’s former chief White House ethics lawyer wrote in a New York Times op-ed published Wednesday, while calling on the Democratic nominee to do more to assuage the fears and suspicions about the looming presence of the Clinton Foundation as an influence on policy.”
PAY TO PLAY RULES UPDATE. BNA. “FINRA Rule 2030, modeled on the agency’s rule, was proposed late last year (248 SLD, 12/29/15). The rule seeks to prohibit a member firm from engaging in distribution or solicitation activities on an investment adviser’s behalf with a government entity to which the firm has made political contributions within the past two years.”
THINKING ABOUT THE UNTHINKABLE. USN. “The scenarios have been seriously considered by few outside of the legal community and likely are too morbid for polite discussion in politically mixed company. But prominent law professors have pondered the effects and possible ways to address a late-date vacancy.”
AK: COMPLAINT INVOLVING PAC. ADN. “Lobbyists are barred from donating to legislative candidates, except for lobbyists who live in the candidate’s district.”
CA: REFUNDS MAY BE NEEDED. LAT. “County supervisor candidate Janice Hahn may have to refund more than $280,000 in contributions from political action committees after county election officials alleged that her committee probably violated campaign finance rules.”
MN: CHECK ISSUE. KAA. “Questions are being raised over whether a local state house candidate from Albert Lea violated campaign finance law.”
MO: AUDIT DISCLOSES ACCOUNT. STL. “According to a stinging report issued Monday by state Auditor Nicole Galloway, the potentially illegal account is used to solicit checks in order to bankroll late-night meals during the legislative session.”
NM: ETHICS ACCUSATIONS. SFNM. “The state Democratic Party filed an ethics complaint against Maestas Barnes for failing to promptly disclose her husband’s ownership interest in a company that has been receiving about $91,000 annually in lease payments from the Human Services Department since at least 2011.”
NY: NO DELAY. WSJ. “A federal judge on Tuesday afternoon denied state Sen. Jack Martins’s request to delay the general election date for New York’s 3rd Congressional District to December.”
HAVE A GOOD DAY. I’ll send around the next set of links early next week. Have a safe and wonderful Labor Day weekend.