[Political Activity Law]

PUBLIC FINANCING NEWS.  Politico.  “Zwick noted that Trump is far behind where Romney was in the donor chase at this point four years ago. One option, he said, is for Trump to accept public financing. Under federal election laws, that would allow him to receive a lump sum of government funds while capping how much he’d be able to spend.”

AGENCY SUED.  Cleveland.com.  “A watchdog group that asked the Federal Election Commission to probe whether Murray Energy illegally pressured its workers for campaign donations has sued the federal agency over its decision to drop the case.”

POST:  JUST STOP.  WP.  “Under his bill, called the Stop Act, these representatives could not personally solicit campaign contributions — whether or not Congress is in session.”

AL:  FELONY CONVICTIONS.  NYT.  “Michael G. Hubbard, the speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives, whose sharp-elbowed approach to politics propelled the Republican Party to dominance in his state, was convicted Friday on 12 felony ethics charges, leaving him stripped of power and facing the possibility of decades in prison.”

FL:  BONDI JAMS.  OS.  “With each new controversy, Bondi generally has avoided questions until the scrutiny subsided. Her office did not respond to repeated requests for comment.”

NY:  LOBBYING RULE QUESTIONED.  D&C.  “Commission members want to know if, before an editorial board urges state legislators to act, we have talked to any public relations firms that were hoping we would write that opinion.”

SC:  LAST CHANCE.  GO.  “South Carolina legislators have one more opportunity this year to pass an ethics reform package that would bring some added accountability to the General Assembly, although the options still available to them do not go nearly far enough.”

SD:  WILD WEST.  RCJ.  “Candidates who aren’t up for election, or who never plan to run again, don’t have to file pre-primary finance reports.”

WI:  SLAMMING CHANGES.  WPR.  “One of the Government Accountability Board’s original appointees marked the board’s final meeting on Friday by sharing a benediction for the future of ethics and elections oversight in Wisconsin – and some thinly veiled political statements.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

D REFORMS.  Politico.  “Democrats began building their general election platform on Thursday, as presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton promptly endorsed a package of campaign finance and lobbying bills developed by Senate Democrats.”

RUSS’S LAMENT.  Watchdog.org.  “The godfather of campaign finance reform and previous eschewer of so-called dark money groups is now palling around with the League of Conservation Voters and other liberal organizations that do not disclose their funding sources.”

COLD TURKEY.  CRP.  “Not a single House member or staffer has disclosed a privately sponsored trip to Turkey since the Office of Congressional Ethics in October 2015 released documents connected to the largest ethics investigation since the days of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.”

COERCION CLIENT ALERT.  NLR.  “The FEC needs the affirmative vote of four Commissioners to proceed with an investigation or enforcement action, so the rules as articulated by these three Commissioners will define enforcement going forward.”

GRASSROOTS WIN.  Politico.  “The left-leaning groups’ ability to mobilize political opposition to an industrial giant fits a pattern. They are gaining strength in public debates as well as national politics, with their work also evident in the Commission’s flagging effort to secure a mammoth free trade deal with the U.S. The fight underscores a challenge facing big institutions and their ability to adapt quickly to deal with insurgent campaigns fueled by social media and savvy NGOs.”

RNC DRIVING.  WSJ.  “Donald Trump is pursuing a financial strategy that would leave him largely reliant on party spending that he won’t be able to fully control.”

OPEN FOR BUSINESS.  DB.  “Donald Trump will assemble a group of high-powered lobbyists Thursday, so they can pitch him on their special interests behind closed doors at Trump Tower.”

NO PROS.  DC.  “A U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service (FWS) employee was caught secretly working for a prominent environmental lobbying group while also working for the government, according to an Interior Department inspector general

WEBSITE MIXING.  SLT.  “Republican Chia-Chi Teng is charging that Rep. Jason Chaffetz is using a government website as his personal ‘campaign propaganda tool’ — which Chaffetz denies.”

CALL FOR STRONGER PARTIES.  Brindle.  “So the solution to strengthening parties, drying up the money that goes to Super PACs, and enhancing disclosure is for the high court to take up Louisiana Republican and find the ban on soft money unconstitutional.”

MA:  REFORM AFTER NOV.  BG. “Legislation designed by campaign reformers to crack down on the heated fund-raising by Governor Charlie Baker and the Massachusetts GOP has been sidelined in the House, where Speaker Robert DeLeo wants to shunt it off to a task force that will study political finance, among other issues.”

TN:  ALLEGED PERSONAL USE.  T.  “State election officials are set to audit and investigate the finances of embattled state Rep. Jeremy Durham, a move suggested by Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery that will involve an array of subpoenas.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.