QUORUM REQUEST. WP. “A bipartisan group of campaign finance lawyers on Monday urged the White House and congressional leaders to ‘work together and immediately’ to restore a voting quorum on the Federal Election Commission, which cannot monitor compliance with election laws even as presidential primaries begin in a month.”
PAYMENTS IN THE NEWS. BN. “Former Rep. Chris Collins closed out his political career in late December by repaying himself $146,393.71 in leftover campaign funds – without reimbursing his donors for the $15,400 they gave to his campaign committee early last year when he said he was innocent of insider trading charges.”
ZOMBIES LIVE. FP. “The Federal Election Commission sent dozens of letters late last week to the campaigns of former members of Congress who are still spending from campaign accounts despite retiring from office years ago.”
FUNDS PLAN. BSUN. “In Washington, the campaign accounts of deceased and former lawmakers can legally stay active for years.”
OH: SCRUTINY. CLE. “The mayor of a Cleveland suburb is facing state scrutiny over his misuse of tens of thousands of dollars of campaign funds, cleveland.com’s Andrew Tobias writes.”
WA: SUPER PAC CAP. TS. “The Super PAC donation limits would put Seattle at the forefront of campaign finance reform. According to legal experts, the only other place in the country that has set limits on Super PAC donation limits is St. Petersburg, Florida. That city’s law, passed in 2017, has not been challenged in court but Seattle would likely be sued if it passes its own Super PAC regulations.”
HAVE A GOOD DAY.