CLAIM REBUTTAL. PHILLY. “U.S. Rep. Robert Brady’s lawyer pushed back Wednesday against federal prosecutors’ claims that the congressman secretly paid a political rival $90,000 to drop a bid to unseat him in the 2012 Democratic primary.”
SUPER PAC DIVERSIFIES. WP. “The CLF’s multimillion-dollar campaign, unfolding this year in 20 targeted districts and expanding next year to 30, is an ambitious bet that the Republican House majority can be spared from midterm backlash over President Trump.”
BIG DATA AND GOOGLE. WFB. “A data firm that is backed by Eric Schmidt, the chief executive of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has been paid millions by Democratic committees, Federal Election Commission filings show.”
MINIBUS ETHICS. RC. “Another amendment from Rep. Brendan F. Boyle , D-Pa., would block the use of taxpayer money to pay any of the legal bills for Trump and his family members in the Russia investigation.Trump is allowed to use campaign funds for legal fees and has already tapped the committees set up for his re-election to do so.”
REGISTERED LOBBYISTS DROP. BB. “The number of federally registered political lobbyists has fallen by 14 percent thus far in 2017 from the 2016 total.”
NE: LIMITS INITIATIVE. OMA. “An Omaha man has launched a petition drive with the goal of letting voters decide whether to place limits on campaign contributions in Nebraska.”
NY: AD FINGERPRINTS. NYT. “To government watchdogs, the connections are evidence that Mr. Cuomo is once again skirting campaign finance rules by using a secretive nonprofit to advance his agenda.”
NY: INVESTIGATION DENIED. DC. “Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren on Wednesday said she is not under investigation for financial contributions to her campaign that have been criticized by political opponents.”
PA: CHARGES IN CORRUPTION CASE. MC. “In both cities, prosecutors allege, consultants and engineering firm principals eager to land contracts for public projects made political contributions with the understanding their companies would receive a leg up in the bidding process.”
SD: FIGHT ON CORRUPTION. IVN. “The South Dakota State Legislature fully repealed a major anti-corruption law earlier this year that voters approved in November 2016. But voters in the state may get a second chance at reform.”
TX: COMPLAINT FILED. KIII. “A complaint has been filed against former Councilman Mark Scott with the Texas Ethics Commission regarding how he used his campaign funds during the special election in May.”
WA: IMAGINING A NEW SYSTEM. NATION. “At the beginning of each election year, every eligible resident in Seattle receives four $25 democracy vouchers in the mail. They can donate these vouchers to any combination of candidates they choose. Legal voters, as well as green-card holders, can all participate in the program, which is funded by an increase in local property taxes that will bring in $30 million over 10 years.”
HAVE A GOOD DAY.