SEC AND ENHANCED DISCLOSURE. COOLEY. “Notwithstanding the deregulatory emphasis of the current administration, two campaigns are currently being waged to convince the SEC to adopt new regulations mandating more disclosure—one related to human capital management and the other related to a frequent target, corporate political spending. Are these just pipe dreams?”
CRYING FOUL ON BRIEF. NJ. “Prosecutors allege they have uncovered a bribery scheme between the men dating back to 2006, shortly after Menendez was appointed to his Senate seat. Prosecutors say they can prove the pair explicitly agreed to exchange specific favors — the essence of a bribery charge — by showing how the timing of official actions taken by Menendez lined up with the provision of gifts or contributions by Melgen.”
THE CASE AGAINST MENENDEZ. CNN. “Email correspondence, flight manifests, hotel bills, credit card statements and Federal Election Commission filings will all be deployed as evidence of an alleged bribery scheme carried out for seven years by Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez and an associate, according to a new brief filed by prosecutors in federal court Wednesday.”
CU WON’T DIE AND WHY. TIME. “Obama knew how to work within the post-Citizens United framework, and he didn’t push for the reforms he championed on the campaign trail, said Holman and Paul S. Ryan, vice president of policy and litigation at the nonprofit Common Cause.”
HOW TO GET RICH. NYT. “There are about 10,000 registered lobbyists in Washington — roughly 20 for every member of Congress — and thousands more unregistered ones: consultants and ‘strategic advisers’ who are paid to help shape government policy but do not disclose their clients.”
REFORMERS DREAM IS DEAD. GOVERNING. “The old dream of completely eliminating big, private money from politics has been dashed by Citizens United and other court rulings.”
SPEECH ANALYSIS. WP. “The Republican National Committee or the Trump 2020 campaign — which has up and running since January — should cover part of the cost of Wednesday’s event.”
STATE CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM EFFORTS. TIME. “State lawmakers this year are engaging in full-throated debate on campaign finance proposals — with some surprising outcomes… So far this year, lawmakers in at least 18 states have introduced legislation to change the amount of money people can give politicians, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of proposed legislation in the nation’s 50 statehouses.”
CA: COMMITTEE MOVES BILL. SCV. “The bill will – among other requirements – mandate disclosure of the true names of political donors who give more than $50,000 for print, television, radio and electronic advertisements. Additionally, AB 249 requires advertisements to display donors’ names for a minimum length of time, in a legible font and in a size easily readable against a black background occupying no less than one third of the screen or advertisement.”
CA: TAXPAYER MAILINGS. AP. “The correspondence is supposed to be ‘non-campaign,’ but Assembly spending data show members spent more during recent election years, and those with the highest tabs usually are in the most competitive races.”
MD: EMAIL AND ICE CREAM. WP. “Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s re-election campaign could be slapped with a $250 fine for a minor violation of state election law, an inconvenience that has erupted into a messy partisan brawl.”
NM: PUBLIC FUNDING FRAUD ACCUSATIONS. KRQE. “The complaint states that when Benavidez’s campaign reps were out seeking at least 381 people to contribute $5 on the spot, to qualify Benavidez for $38,000 in public financing, some of the reps may have broken city ordinance.”
HAVE A GOOD DAY.