20 MONEY CHASE. NYT. “In interviews, more than three dozen leading Democratic donors, fund-raisers and operatives agreed that it was the earliest start they had ever seen to the jockeying that typically precedes the official kickoff to the campaign for the party’s presidential nomination.”
KID ROCK ACCUSED. ML. “Kid Rock might not have formally announced a run for U.S Senate last month when he released a ‘Kid Rock for Senate’ website, but one group is formally accusing him of violating campaign finance law by doing so.”
SCHOCK REQUEST. LC. “Federal prosecutors filed a flurry of motions this weekend blasting former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock’s attempts to have his federal corruption case thrown out, saying they are disingenuous and use previously rejected arguments.”
CO: FORCING DISCLOSURE. DP. “Less than two years before the next municipal election, a Denver City Council proposal seeks to close transparency gaps that allow such spending to go unreported as long as the people behind it don’t coordinate directly with a candidate’s campaign.”
HI: ETHICS VIOLATION FINE. CB. “The Hawaii State Ethics Commission announced Thursday that it has reached a $25,000 settlement agreement with Office of Hawaiian Affairs Trustee Peter Apo, who admitted to using the state agency’s connections and resources to benefit his consulting firm, The Peter Apo Company.”
ID: REFORM URGED. MV. “Many of the proposals originate with ethics advocates who tried unsuccessfully to force a voter initiative that would have curbed donation limits, banned gifts from lobbyists to lawmakers and increased penalties for violations.”
MI: LAW NOT UPDATED. DN. ‘An “avalanche of campaign finance fines’ could be looming for corporations and labor groups over political spending in Michigan, according to warnings from a Republican attorney urging legislators to update state law.”
MI: VIOLATIONS ALLEGED. FREEP. “Rep. Bettie Cook Scott, D-Detroit, who was returned to the state House in 2016 after a six-year absence, has not filed a single campaign finance report for the 2016 election cycle. She already has $3,000 in late penalties for three required reports on donations and expenditures that her committee never filed.”
NY: SHEEHAN LOAN. TU. “In the days leading up to Albany’s Democratic Primary for mayor, incumbent Kathy Sheehan has loaned another six-figure sum to her campaign. The $150,000 loan boosts Sheehan’s total of personal loans to $387,000 since Jan. 1.”
WI: ONE INVESTIGATION. TU. “The commission’s administrator, Brian Bell, said the panel fielded 39 complaints of alleged legal violations from July 2016 through June 2017. One led to an investigation into alleged use of public resources for private benefit. Further details of the investigation can’t be released because it’s ongoing, he said.”
HAVE A GOOD DAY.