SUPER PAC ELIMINATION LEGISLATION. Cruz. “U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) today introduced the SuperPAC Elimination Act of 2017, which champions free speech in the election process and effectively eliminates SuperPACs by allowing unlimited individual contributions to candidates with immediate disclosure.” WSJ coverage is here.
TRANSITION UPDATE. WP. “Michael Toner, who served as general counsel to the Bush-Cheney transition in 2000, recalled the 10-week post-election period as a time for setting broad ethical policy — and considering specific safeguards for the incoming president — that would set the tone for the incoming administration.”
AMENDED FARA FORMS. WT. “The Podesta Group, run by chairman Tony Podesta and his brother, filed two amended disclosure forms earlier this month in response to reporting by The Washington Free Beacon.”
WHAT’S ABOUT THOSE OGE TWEETS? CNN. “The Office of Government Ethics normally uses its Twitter account to send bland updates about rules and regulations, barely noticed and sometimes weeks apart. So it was a little unusual on Wednesday when the office issued a burst of enthusiastic tweets to cheer on President-elect Donald Trump.”
OGE TROLLS. HP. “The Office of Government Ethics released a stream of odd tweets on Wednesday that praise President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to hand control of his real estate empire to his three eldest children.”
BI SAYS BIZARRE. BI. “In a statement after the tweetstorm, an OGE spokesman said the organization was ‘excited’ to read Trump’s early-morning tweets.”
LOSING MONEY ON PAY TO PLAY. DB. “It seems that back in 2013, Ackman’s (now formerly?) favorite former analyst gave $500 to a friend’s sister’s hopeless campaign for governor of Massachusetts.”
TODAY AT THE FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION. The meeting agenda is here.
CA: TICKET PROBE. MN. “Calling it a ‘bankrupt’ policy, the Public Ethics Commission at a hearing Wednesday offered strong criticism of the city’s use of free tickets to Golden State Warriors games and other events at Oracle Arena and the Coliseum.”
CA: FORMAL INVESTIGATION. EBT. “A state agency on Wednesday launched an investigation into allegations that BART illegally used public funds to campaign for its $3.5 billion bond after it aired a video featuring Warriors’ star Draymond Green.”
GA: FOCUS ON LOBBYIST RULES. AJC. “State law requires lobbyists to register and report their spending on public officials, but many believe there is a hidden army of lawyers, business executives, issue advocates, and state government employees who work feverishly to pass, alter or kill bills but do so without registering as lobbyists.”
TX: TEC DEATH WARRANT. WCN. “‘The TEC signed its own death warrant today,’ said Trey Trainor, an attorney representing Empower Texans in litigation with the TEC. ‘In order to avoid giving depositions and paying twenty to thirty thousand dollars in attorneys’ fees, the agency has agreed to an order that will soon unravel all of its power.'”
WI: LIMITS URGED. BH. “This bill, which state Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, and other Democratic legislators will introduce next year, would limit the coordination political candidates can have with outside, independent groups.”
HAVE A GOOD DAY.