CQMoneyline says the FEC “fined” John Edwards and Rev. Al Sharpton yesterday. Sharpton will have to pay $497,000 in fines to the government for accepting prohibited contributions. Edwards faced fines of $681,000 for four separate offenses involving violations of contribution limits. But the commission voted to reduce his fine to $173,000… In fact, these were […]
What aspect of internet activity qualifies as lobbying under Washington law? The Examiner reports. Forget K Street. If a citizen emails his legislator about an issue of concern, does that make him a lobbyist? If you blog about the legislative session, will you have to report this as a lobbying activity? Here’s more from The […]
The Boston Globe editorializes on recent ethics scandals in Massachusetts. Today, key legislative leaders are again under a cloud. The state inspector general reported recently that three close associates of House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi received more than $1.8 million in unreported lobbying fees from the software firm Cognos. DiMasi, meanwhile, is blocking efforts by the […]