BIDEN SPENDING SCRUTINY. POL. “Former Vice President Joe Biden raised more money for a PAC that supports Democrats in 2018 than any of his likely White House competitors did. But unlike many of them, he spent the lion’s share of that haul on himself.”

RUSSIAN TACTICS IN PUSH. HP. “Social media campaigns supporting Democrat Doug Jones in the 2017 Alabama Senate race employed tactics borrowed from Russian interference in U.S. elections, according to multiple reports published in recent weeks.”

LEAVE CAMPAIGN FINANCE ALONE. NOK. “From a 20,000-foot view, it’s evident complaints about the undue influence of money in politics are overblown and that past “reforms” have made things worse.” 

HASEN ON CONSENT DECREE. SLATE. “On Friday, a federal consent decree to stop potential voter suppression by the Republican National Committee—in place since 1982—is set to expire unless further extended by a federal district court in New Jersey.”

CASE REOPENED. FLP. “Miami U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke granted the FEC permission on Jan. 4 to reopen its civil case against Rivera and proceed with an amended lawsuit against the Republican accusing him of secretly funneling $55,601 to the 2012 primary election campaign of Justin Lamar Sternad, a ringer candidate who ran against Rivera’s eventual Democratic challenger, Joe Garcia.”

GA: DIRECTOR SUSPENDED. AJC. “The state ethics commission suspended its director with pay Tuesday amid allegations that he misused state computers.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.