MAJORITY PAC SPENDS.  Story here.  “A Democratic super PAC spent an additional $300,000 in airtime to promote Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) this week — yet another sign that his race has become increasingly competitive.”

BUNDLER’S HUSBAND’S LOANS.  WFB.  “New disclosures show that one of President Obama’s bundlers is the wife of an executive at an energy company that received a more-than-$1.2 billion Department of Energy (DOE) loan guarantee for a solar power plant.”

LINKEDIN LOBBYIST.  The Hill.  “LinkedIn, the professional networking website, has hired its first K Street lobby firm, public records show.”

AFTER VH.  The Hill.  “Court rulings that require the disclosure of funding for campaign ‘issue’ ads will not change the U.S Chamber of Commerce’s political program, officials with the business group insisted Monday.”  More from Politico.

FUNDRAISING EDGE?  The Times.  “President Obama’s once-commanding fund-raising advantage is declining as major Republican donors rally for Mitt Romney, conservative “super PACs” far outpace their liberal counterparts and tax-exempt issue-advocacy groups swarm the political landscape.”

TIMES ON FCPA AND WAL-MART.  Here.  “In this case, shareholders are right to demand answers and accountability from Wal-Mart’s executives and directors.”

BAIN BITES BACK.  The Post.  “As the Obama campaign ramped up its attacks on Bain Capital, Mitt Romney’s former private-equity firm, the company on Monday took the rare step of defending its record.”

JOINING LIMITS.  The Post.  “By joining forces with the Republican National Committee and four of its state-level affiliates, Romney is able to raise $75,800 from one person or more than $150,000 from a couple.”

FEC MEETING.  The agenda for Thursday’s FEC meeting is online here.

NO VERDICT.  Story here.  “On Monday, the second day of deliberations, the jurors were quieter and somber looking, barely looking at prosecutors or Edwards as they waited for the judge to answer questions or release them for lunch of the evening break.”

EDWARDS JURY INSTRUCTIONS VIEW.  Here.  “The Center for Competitive Politics (CCP) today harshly criticized the final juror instructions, issued Friday, in the trial of former president candidate John Edwards.”  The instructions are online here.

DC AIDE CHARGED.  The Post.  “Thomas W. Gore, Mr. Gray’s assistant campaign treasurer, is charged in a federal information — a filing that typically means a defendant has agreed to plead guilty — with violating the District’s campaign finance laws by making straw political donations and then destroying evidence related to those contributions to hinder the federal investigation.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

MCCAIN AND WHITEHOUSE. Senators McCain and Whitehouse joined to file a brief in American Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Bullock.

SUPER PAC STRATEGY.  The Times.  “The intensifying flood of uncapped donations to outside political groups is transforming not just campaigns but the entire business of politics.”

EDWARDS TRIAL VERDICT? When? “Jurors began talking about case Friday. It came after they heard 17 days of testimony about money from wealthy donors that was used to hide Edwards’ pregnant mistress during his 2008 White House bid.” The N&O’s Twitter account would probably be a good bet to get the latest if a verdict is announced.

EDWARDS AND “WILLFULLY.” Story here. “‘Willfully’ may be the word that saves him.’”

HOUSE ETHICS MET. A press release is here and an article is here. “The House Ethics Committee tweaked its rules related to filing financial disclosure statements and those that outline when it can take testimony during a rare public meeting today.”

NEW AD RULES?  Roll Call.  “The ruling by a three-judge appeals court panel last week has the odd effect of imposing stricter disclosure rules on ads that simply picture or name a candidate at election time than on messages explicitly urging people to vote for or against a candidate.”

CFR AND FIXING DC. Mann and Ornstein follow up their controversial commentary on the Republican Party with a call for campaign finance reform here. “Without a different Supreme Court, serious problems with money in politics will endure.”

EARMARK BAN AND CAMPAIGNS.  Roll Call.  “Politicians who pushed this Congress to ban earmarks are the same people who campaigned on those funds in previous elections.”

INDEPENDENT GROUP FEARS.  Politico.  “A super PAC’s abortive plan to launch incendiary, personally charged attack ads against President Barack Obama sent a sharp warning message to candidates up and down the federal ballot: This year more than ever, they are not in control of their own destinies.”

FUNDRAISING AND LOBBYING HIRING.  Story here.  “The hiring equation for lobby firms is simple: Campaign fundraisers spend time with lawmakers — often more than policy staffers. They also have the kinds of connections with the CEOs and in-house government relations heads that could mean more business for the lobby shop.”

WHITE HOUSE ACCESS.  The Post.  “The White House visitor records make it clear that Obama’s senior officials are granting that access to some of K Street’s most influential representatives.”

CU IN STATE CAPITALS. Story here. “Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia are backing Montana in its fight to prevent the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision from being used to strike down state laws restricting corporate campaign spending.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

APRIL EO UPDATE.  The April 2012 edition of IRS EO Update is online here.

ELECTION LAW NEWS.  The latest edition of Wiley Rein’s Election Law News is online here.  The newsletter includes some tips for those headed to Charlotte or Tampa in a few weeks.

FORMER LAWMAKERS AND ADVISING.  The Hill.  “Several former lawmakers are shying away from registering as lobbyists despite the end of a cooling-off period in the House that had barred them from soliciting their ex-colleagues.”

EVEN MONEY?  The Times.  “Mitt Romney almost matched President Obama in fund-raising during April after securing his party’s presidential nomination and joining forces with the Republican National Committee, the campaign will announce on Thursday.”

SUPER PAC PLANS.  The Times.  “A group of high-profile Republican strategists is working with a conservative billionaire on a proposal to mount one of the most provocative campaigns of the ‘super PAC’ era and attack President Obama in ways that Republicans have so far shied away from.”

SUPER PAC PERSONNEL.  Story here.  “Veteran Democratic strategist Mary Beth Cahill has been hired by the pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA as a consultant.”

CLOSING SET FOR TODAY.  Story here.  “When prosecutors and defense lawyers in the John Edwards trial take their turns before jurors Thursday morning for closing arguments, each side will weave together testimony of witnesses with hundreds of pages of phone records, financial statements, political schedules, email and voicemail messages.”

GEORGIA LOBBYING.  The Post.  “The Washington lobbying effort is aimed at raising doubts about the pace of democratic reforms under Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who has forged a close relationship with the United States.”

LOBBYIST SUES.  Story here.  “Former S.C. legislator Mark Kelley, now a lobbyist for the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, is suing The Sun News, saying he was defamed in articles concerning the origins of tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions.”

BAN ON LOBBYISTS IN THE NEWS.  Story here.  “The attorney general’s office is looking into a state community college trustee group’s alleged scheme to use student fees to pay a lobbyist to fight reforms.”

LOBBYIST DISCLOSURE IN PHILA.  Story here.  “Nearly two years after City Council and Mayor Nutter approved an ordinance requiring lobbyists to register and disclose their expenses, there’s still no computer software to make the program work the way it was intended.”

SUPER PAC WORK-AROUND?  Story here.  “House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago, advanced legislation that would remove contribution limits once an outside group spends $100,000 on behalf of one candidate for the Legislature or local government. Lifting the restrictions would give an opponent a chance to ‘level the playing field,’ she said.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.  The next set of links will prepared on Monday, May 21, 2012.  Have a great weekend.

VAN HOLLEN STAY UPDATE.  CLP Blog.  “The D.C. Circuit yesterday denied motions for an emergency stay pending appeal of the district court’s ruling in Van Hollen v. FEC.”

SUPER PAC EMBRACE.  The Hill.  “A major fundraiser for President Obama who sits on his national finance committee said there was no need for Obama’s reelection campaign to embrace the super-PAC supporting him.”

SUPER PAC UPDATE.  Politico.  “Congressional Democrats who publicly proclaimed that super PACs are the scourge of modern politics are now going all out to chase the big money that’s fueling the 2012 campaign.”

EARMARKS IN THE NEWS.  Story here.  “With that kind of muscle, the provision’s backers just needed a way around the earmark ban. So the money isn’t directed to the facility by name, it was requested by the administration and the legislative language doesn’t specify a precise dollar amount — rather it gives the Energy Department the power to spend ‘up to’ a certain amount on the project.”

WILL EDWARDS TESTIFY?  Story here.  “The end of the John Edwards trial came into view Tuesday as his defense team told the judge that only three potential defense witnesses remain — the defendant, his daughter, Cate, and his former mistress, Rielle Hunter.”

VIEW ON EDWARDS.  The Post.  Ruth Marcus: “Nothing in the evidence so far has shaken my view that this case is an unfortunate instance of prosecutorial indiscretion.”

CAMPAIGN FINANCE AND NE.  Story here.  “Today’s primary in Nebraska for the Republican nomination for Senate is important for several reasons, but in particular it may turn out to be a milestone for the current state of campaign finance — if longshot Deb Fischer shocks two statewide elected officials and wins the seat of retiring Ben Nelson.”  Fischer won.

LOBBYIST MOVES.  The Hill.  “Charles Landgraf, part of Dewey & LeBoeuf’s managing team, is leaving the law firm.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

EDWARDS TRIAL UPDATE. The N&O. “The treasurer for the John Edwards 2008 presidential campaign testified Monday that even after the criminal indictment was issued against the former Democratic candidate, she did not think it was necessary to change public finance reports to reflect the hundreds of thousands of dollars that now have him in court.”

JUDGE BARS TESTIMONY.  More here.  “In a setback for the defense, the judge in John Edwards’s corruption trial on Monday barred the testimony of a former federal elections official who was prepared to say Mr. Edwards did not violate campaign finance laws.”

NONPROFIT AND PAUL.  Story here.  “A libertarian organization that paid for plane tickets and other expenses for Rep. Ron Paul says after an audit that the Texas Republican defrauded the group for about $20,000.”

DEWEY CLIENTS.  Story here.  “The unraveling of legal giant Dewey & LeBoeuf could leave a small but lucrative lobbying practice up for grabs on K Street.”

FCC AND BROADCASTERS.  Story here.  “TV broadcasters look at the Federal Communications Commission’s recent drive to move them off frequencies and put their political advertising rates on the Internet and draw one conclusion: The FCC has it in for television.”

FORMER OFFICIAL GUILTY.  The Times.  “Pedro Espada Jr., the pugnacious former Democratic state senator who fought his way through a perennial cloud of suspicion to the top ranks of state government only to later become one of the most glaring examples of endemic corruption in Albany, was convicted on Monday of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the nonprofit health care network he founded.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

CHAMBER ON YOUTUBE.  Story here.  “The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, on pace to spend upward of $50 million on voter mobilization this campaign cycle, has launched a YouTube advertising campaign targeting residents of seven Congressional districts. More ads in other districts are likely on the horizon.”

FEC MEETING PRESS RELEASE.  A press release on last Thursday’s meeting is online here.

EDWARDS DEFENSE.  Story here.    “The first witnesses to be called by the defense include former Federal Election Commission chairman Scott Thomas, political pollster Harrison Hickman and ex-Edwards attorney Wade Smith. Edwards’ attorneys have not indicated whether he will take the stand.”

REP. OWENS TO REPAY.  Story here.  “Congressman Bill Owens says he will repay more than $20,000 dollars for a junket that he took last December to Taiwan.”

JPMORGAN’S LOBBYING.  Story here.  “Several visits over months by the bank’s well-connected chief executive, Jamie Dimon, and his top aides were aimed at persuading regulators to create a loophole in the law, known as the Volcker Rule.”

PERSONAL FUNDS BAN IN THE NEWS.  The Hill.  “The Federal Election Commission (FEC) renewed its charge to Congress Thursday to extend a ban prohibiting personal use of campaign funds to all political committees.”

LOOKING AT LOBBYING.  The Times.  “The steady take-over of this unofficial branch of government by WPP, Omnicom, Interpublic and other conglomerates has turned premier lobbyists, strategists and political operatives into a species of bureaucrat, now vested in bottom-line corporate goals. Their interest in the substance of what Congress accomplishes, in policy outcomes, and in the direction of the country, has diminished. In fact, one could say that the more legislative dysfunction, the more billable hours.”

WAL-MART ALLEGATIONS IN THE NEWS.  The Post.  “The U.S. and Mexican governments reportedly are investigating the chain. Wal-Mart’s stock is down almost 5 percent since the allegations surfaced. The company and top executives are being sued by angry investors. And some shareholders are planning to vote against the re-election of several board members at Wal-Mart’s annual meeting next month.”

ROBOCALL TRIAL RESULT.  Story here.  “A Republican campaign consultant was convicted Friday of conspiracy for 2010 robocalls that prosecutors said were aimed at keeping black voters from the polls during Maryland’s gubernatorial election.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

ETHICS AND REP. BUCHANAN.  The Hill.  “The House Ethics Committee indefinitely extended an inquiry Wednesday into whether Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) attempted to procure a false affidavit from a witness testifying about allegations of a straw-donor scheme.”  The Times has coverage here.

COMPLAINT AGAINST BROWN.  Story here.  “The Massachusetts Democratic Party has filed an ethics complaint against Scott Brown, alleging that Brown has used official resources for campaign purposes.”

HOLLYWOOD OFA FUNDRAISING.  The Times.  “At last count, organizers said, the event had raised well over $6 million, plus many millions more through an online raffle, record territory. They said they stopped selling $40,000-a-plate tickets last week because there was no room to squeeze in any more tables.”

GETTING CREEP-Y AFTER CU?  Ciara Torres-Spelliscy discusses here.  “A Watergate redux feels palpably close when money’s role in choosing a viable candidate waxes, as transparency simultaneously wanes.”

100.22(B)LOCKBUSTER.  The Federal Election Commission’s advisory opinion in response to a group called Free Speech is online here with statements from commissioners here and here.

YESTERDAY IN THE EDWARDS TRIAL.  Story here.  “Prosecutors told Judge Catherine Eagles late Wednesday that they still were on schedule to wrap up their side of the case on Thursday, and Hunter, the woman with whom Edwards had an extramarital affair and a child, was not one of the witnesses they intend to call.”

SUPER PACS AND CONTRACTORS.  Story here.

RECALL FUNDS IN WI.  Story here.

HAVE A GREAT DAY.  The next set of links will be sent around on Monday.  Have a great weekend!

LUGAR’S K ST. CONNECTIONS.  Roll Call.  “Sen. Dick Lugar’s K Street ties run deep and include a network of loyal former aides and family members. But the help of his downtown supporters wasn’t enough to push the Indiana Republican to victory Tuesday.”

CONSULTANT/LOBBYIST.  The Hill.  “A lobbyist for a generic drug company was introduced as a special consultant to Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) during negotiations on patent law, according to others who attended the meeting.”

NORTON TO VENABLE.  Press release.  “Adding one of the country’s leading authorities on political law to its government affairs bench, Venable LLP announced that Lawrence Norton, formerly General Counsel at the Federal Election Commission, has joined the firm as a partner and co-chair of its Political Law practice group in Washington, DC.  Mr. Norton was previously with the Washington office of Womble Carlyle.”

READING SOROS.  The Post.  “Another senior party strategist took it even further, arguing that Soros’ decision to pass over Priorities is evidence of the ongoing riff between liberal donors and the Obama White House.”

INDEPENDENT GROUP SPENDING.  The Times.  “Senior leaders of the Democratic Party expressed alarm on Tuesday that a $100 million plan by liberal donors to increase voter turnout would duplicate a similar effort by President Obama’s campaign and squander a chance to fend off an advertising onslaught from Republican groups.”

APPLE LOBBYING.  Politico.  “Apple is taking a bruising in Washington, and insiders say there’s a reason: It’s the one place in the world where the company hasn’t built its brand.”

TEXTING DONATIONS.  Story here.  “Political campaigns are already raising millions of dollars via the internet. Now, two political consulting firms are pushing a bipartisan plan to make online giving even easier by letting cellphone users make small donations with a single text.”

REP. CANTOR AND YG ACTION FUND.  Politico.  “House Majority Leader Eric Cantor sought to distance himself Tuesday from the YG Action Fund, a super PAC run by two of his former top aides, another example of the discomfort elected lawmakers have with the big money groups.”

TX SUPER PAC OPPOSES RANGEL.  The Times.  “State Senator Adriano Espaillat’s campaign to unseat Representative Charles B. Rangel received a boost on Tuesday from an unexpected quarter, when a ‘super PAC’ based in Texas announced that it planned to support Mr. Espaillat against Mr. Rangel.”

MOUNT KISCO ON CU.  Story here.  “Seeking to send a message to Congress, Mount Kisco’s Village Board of Trustees unanimously voted for a resolution that calls for amending the federal Constitution to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

K STREET PUNDITRY.  Story here.  “Handicapping races and dispensing other political wisdom helps a firm’s clients figure out how to dole out campaign donations and position for legislative victories after Election Day.”

UNION ACTIVITY.  Story here.  “Annual financial reports filed with the Labor Department by national and local unions show they gave nearly $16 million in contributions to more than a half-dozen umbrella groups, according to a review by The Hill.”

OUTSIDE MONEY ON THE LEFT.  The Times.  “After months on the sidelines, major liberal donors including the financier George Soros are preparing to inject up to $100 million into independent groups to aid Democrats’ chances this fall.”

FEC MEETING.  The agenda for Thursday’s meeting of the Federal Election Commission is online here.

NOMINEES APPROVED.  Story here.  “The Senate approved two nominees to the Federal Communications Commission after a months-long political tangle over an agency grappling with policies to bolster wireless Internet networks.”  Congratulations to Republican Ajit Pai and Democrat Jessica Rosenworcel.

OFA PRESSURE.  The Post.  “The Obama campaign began the week by announcing a whopping $25 million ad buy in nine battleground states — and their top strategists told reporters that it is only the beginning.”

EDWARDS TRIAL SECRETS.  Politico.  “A secret pre-dawn rendezvous to meet an aide to former Sen. John Edwards, the aide’s wife and a pregnant woman at a home construction lot and drive them to a waiting plane at a private hangar — that was just part of the story [Chapel Hill builder] Tim Toben told on the stand here Monday.”  The N&O reports here:  “Toben, 53, not only recounted his role in getting a very pregnant Hunter to a private jet at Raleigh-Durham Airport in late December 2007, he also talked about several interactions and a phone call from Edwards after that.”

BLOGGERS ON THE SHELF.  Story here.  “The director of California’s political watchdog agency is shelving her proposal to require bloggers to disclose payments they receive from political campaigns.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

PUBLIC FINANCING PUSH. The Times. “Public financing of presidential elections, the greatest reform to come out of the post-Watergate era, died this year after a long illness.”

SUPER PACS AND CONTRACTORS. Story here. “The FEC has indicated that the statute is still in effect, although some election law experts believe it will be found unconstitutional in the wake of Citizens United.”

DLA POLITICAL ALERT. Tips on how businesses can stay compliant are topic of this Political Law Alert from DLA Piper.

EDWARDS TRIAL UPDATE.  The Times.  “On Friday, the end of two weeks of testimony in a trial that is expected to stretch toward the end of the month, both her close confidant and her estate manager described how agitated she became when she realized some of the millions of dollars she had given to Mr. Edwards’s presidential bid and to his favorite causes had been used instead to hide a pregnant mistress, Rielle Hunter.”

SHOPPING AND GIVING.  Politico. “Americans may soon find it easier than ever to participate in pocketbook politics thanks to a series of new and pending federal campaign finance decisions that loosen restrictions on Internet and mobile technology.”

ELECTRONIC FILING.  Story here.  “Under arcane Senate rules, candidates don’t have to file their campaign finance reports electronically and can, instead, go through a tedious process that holds up reports for weeks, even months.”

VIEW ON L.A. ETHICS COMMISSION. Here. “The commission is the city’s political watchdog, enforcing laws to protect against improper influence in contracting, unfairness in political fundraising and spending, and conflicts of interest among officeholders and lobbyists.”

GA GIFT BAN REVIEW.  Story here.  “The language in Gov. Nathan Deal’s order is crystal clear on how the state bureaucracy is supposed to handle lobbyists. But it’s less so on whom it covers.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.