[Political Activity Law]

CONVENTION ASK.  Politico.  “Millions of dollars short and running out of time, organizers of the Republican National Convention have written an urgent request for $6 million to Las Vegas billionaire couple Sheldon and Miriam Adelson to cover the bills for next week’s festivities.”

WHITFIELD MATTER UPDATE.  RC.  “The House Committee on Ethics  has concluded unanimously that Kentucky Republican Ed Whitfield failed to prohibit lobbying contracts between his staff and his wife.”

REVIEWING REPORTS.  CT.  “What do they tell us about the region’s elected office holders? Well, Sen. Richard Blumenthal is an Uber believer, racking up $829.67 in charges from the San Francisco-based online ride pioneer. And how about over $400 for an event catered by Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ in Windsor? Yum!”

WATCHDOG LEFT OUT.  WP.  “The group’s request for credentials was denied by convention organizers — not by a congressional press gallery, as Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer suggested — then denied again on appeal. OpenSecrets asked for two passes but didn’t receive even one.”

QUESTIONS ON JET.  TP.  “It’s unclear what kind of private jet Hannity provided, but the cost of even a one-way trip on a small jet from DC to Indianapolis, which takes over an hour, would likely far exceed $2700. If so, Hannity’s contribution itself would be illegal because it would exceed the limit.”

AZ:  CFR DEAD.  AZ.  “Organizers of the referendum drive to block Senate Bill 1516 from becoming law called it quits on Thursday. Stop Corruption Now couldn’t get the signatures needed to put it on the November ballot.”

MS:  REPORT ISSUES.  JCL.  “During Jackson’s special mayoral election of 2014, examinations into then-Councilman Tony Yarber’s campaign finance reports put the now mayor on defense. A year out from the next election, questions remain.”

NV:  NEW SUPER PAC.  LVN.  “During the election cycle, money continues to pour into the state of Nevada millions of dollars at a time, and those dollars are going to races all over the ballot.”

NJ:  EX-LOBBYIST CHARGED.  S.  “A former high-ranking New Jersey official and airline lobbyist has been charged with conspiracy in a plot to help the former chairman of the agency that controls New York City-area airports get a regular flight to his vacation home.”

PA:  CLAIM OF ACCOUNTS SEIZED.  MC.  “Federal officials have frozen two bank accounts containing Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski’s campaign money, his lawyer claims in a court filing challenging the seizure.”

UT:  CCP WIN.   CCP.   “In an agreement approved by a federal judge this afternoon, Utah agreed not to enforce a state campaign finance law that violated the First Amendment. The complex law required nonprofit advocacy groups to register with the state and publicly report their supporters’ private information, threatening donations to those organizations.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

FAILURE TO DISCLOSE FINES.  SF.  “The Federal Election Commission (FEC) announced today that it will fine three dark money groups a total of $233,000 for concealing the sources of funds spent on political ads in 2010.”

GROUPS FINED.  AZC.  “Three groups have agreed to pay $233,000 to settle a complaint they violated campaign-finance laws by hiding the receipt of funds from a Phoenix-based committee then backed by the conservative Koch brothers.”

THREE GROUPS FACE CIVIL PENALTY.  NYT.  “Millions of dollars worth of those contributions were provided by an Arizona-based organization that, at the time, was a central hub of financing in the Koch network of donors and political groups. The Koch network has since cut ties with the groups, replacing them with political organizations more closely controlled by its own operatives.”

GINGRICH COMMITTEE DEBT NOTED.  WP.  “The former House speaker’s 2012 campaign committee owes more than $4 million to about 100 vendors, including firms that provided charter flights, event planning, public relations and security services.”

LOBBYIST HIRED.  RC.  “Though Heritage often chastises the big-business lobbyists of K Street, the group has increased its own lobbying in recent months, posting a 143 percent increase in lobbying expenditures in this year’s first quarter.”

CA:  GROUP FACES FINE.  SF.  “An Oakland company is facing $114,400 in state and city fines for laundering campaign contributions to several former mayoral and City Council candidates, including Councilwomen Rebecca Kaplan and Desley Brooks, officials said Monday.”

MT:  HITTING COUNTY PARTIES.  MTS.  “The Madison County Republican Party violated campaign laws by, among other things, not reporting the expense of a newspaper ad it took out in May against a GOP legislator it opposed, a state official has ruled.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

$1 BILLION MARK.  MGE.  “According to federal filings, the presidential race has now blown past the $1 billion mark, with the Hillary Clinton money machine leading the way.”

BERN-ING MONEY.  ED.  “There are a few things that will happen with the remaining money Sanders has from his campaign.”

SANDERS AND THE RULES.  N.  “His historic run for the White House is over, but Bernie Sanders rewrote the rules for money in politics.”

REPORT TANGLE.  NOLA.  “Four candidates — Kennedy, Republican U.S. Rep. John Fleming and Democrats Caroline Fayard and Josh Pellerin — received notices Monday from the FEC that they had failed to file their pre-primary reports.”

SUPER PAC QUESTIONS.  WFB.  “A Democratic super PAC founded by a former U.S. senator has pulled in millions of dollars in recent years but has not made any contributions to Democratic candidates or committees since 2008, a review of campaign finance records shows.”

SENATE SPENDING.  HP.  “Super PACs and nonprofit groups have already spent at least $101 million in most of the states hosting contested Senate races that will determine which party controls the chamber in 2017. In almost every state where control of the Senate is at stake, groups aligned with Republicans dominate. In all, Republican groups have spent $70 million of the $101 million total.”

UBER INFLUENCE.   Hill.  “Uber stopped its service for a single minute over the weekend to ‘reflect on gun violence.'”  Uber’s significant regulatory challenges are the topic of this 2014 report.

CA:  LYFT LATE.  LAT.  “The ride-hailing firm Lyft Inc., which has enjoyed a string of legislative victories at the Capitol, has agreed to pay $6,000 in fines for repeatedly being late in disclosing its use of lobbyists to influence California state officials.”

NJ:  JAIL FOR EXECUTIVE.  P.  “A third executive in what was one of the largest engineering firms in New Jersey has been sentenced to jail for his role in a million-dollar scheme to avoid New Jersey’s pay-to-play political contribution laws, the state attorney general’s office announced.”

VT:  FINE OWED.  VTD.  “A nonprofit corporation and its affiliated political action committee will pay $3,000 to the state to settle a case saying the two entities violated campaign finance laws in 2012 and 2014.”

ISR:  FUNDS WIND UP IN FOREIGN CAMPAIGN.  WT.  “The State Department paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayers grants to an Israeli group that used the money to build a campaign to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in last year’s Israeli parliamentary elections, a congressional investigation concluded Tuesday.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.