FINE FOR BINGO. USAT. “The Michigan Democratic Party has agreed to pay a $500,000 civil fine to the Federal Election Commission, one of the largest penalties that the agency ever has levied.”
ETHICS WARNING. NBC4. “White House social media director Dan Scavino violated the law when he used an official-looking Twitter account for campaign purposes, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel has concluded, issuing Scavino a letter of admonishment.”
CA: BRIBERY AND CONTRIBUTIONS. PE. “Prosecutors say Beaumont Councilman Mark Orozco wanted money in exchange for casting a vote favorable to developers.”
ID: REEXAMINING ETHICS. SR. “Idaho is one of just three states with no financial disclosure requirements for state legislators – or any elected or appointed state official. It also lacks ‘revolving-door’ laws that in most states prevent elected or appointed officials from immediately moving into related roles in the private sector, cashing in on their government experience.”
KY: RULES TOSSED. HD. “The ruling from U.S. District Judge William Bertelsman says it is now OK for lobbyists who are paid to influence legislation to give gifts to lawmakers. He also said it was OK for lobbyists to donate money to politicians’ campaign accounts and to raise money for their re-election bids.”
NV: PERSONAL USE ISSUES. LVN. “Clark County Democrats are raising issue with how a Republican candidate is spending campaign dollars.”
BRAZIL: PRESIDENT CLEARED. NYT. “Brazil’s top electoral court cleared President Michel Temer on Friday night of claims that he violated campaign finance laws, lifting a critical burden on the deeply unpopular leader as he resists calls to resign over a simmering graft scandal.”
GERMANY: LOBBYING IN BERLIN. DW. “Germany, it turns out, has one of the least transparent lobbying systems in the industrialized world: There is no EU- or US-style ‘lobby register’ to force private interests to disclose how and why they contact lawmakers – and how much money it costs.”
HAVE A GOOD DAY.