Tues. pol. law links

RIGHT TO RISE ANALYSIS.  Breitbart.  “His unique approach to building a presidential campaign is raising eyebrows, and several campaign finance law experts told Breitbart News that they believe Bush is violating the law.”

SUPER PAC BURN RATE.  DB.  “Liberals have slammed Priorities USA Action, the pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC, for not raising enough money, but that didn’t prevent a pair of prominent Democratic operatives from scoring lucrative paydays with the group.”

CROSSROADS COVERAGE.  NYT.  “Donald F. McGhan, a Republican campaign-finance lawyer, said it was not clear how those efforts would play out. ‘It’s really too early to tell this cycle who is going to be the dominant one and whether Crossroads is going to be more relevant or less relevant,’ he said.”

RING PERSPECTIVE.  RC.   “[Kevin] Ring, a former Hill aide, is wrapping up his 20-month sentence for an honest services fraud conviction by serving home confinement that allows him to work in downtown Washington, D.C.”

GRAHAM TEST.  USAT.  ” Sen. Lindsey Graham’s all-but-official presidential campaign likely will draw support from super PACs, but the South Carolina Republican said this should be the last election where wealthy donors are allowed to write such huge checks.”

AETNA REJECTS.  Modern Healthcare.  “Shareholders of Aetna voted against a measure last week that would’ve required the Hartford, Conn.-based health insurance giant to disclose political donations that are directed toward not-for-profit groups.”

GINGRICH STATUS.  USAT.  “Dentons, which brags of being the world’s largest law firm, announced Wednesday that Gingrich is joining its lobbying practice as an advisor.”

FORMS REVISED.  Fuel Fix.  “Former U.S. Senator Don Nickles, who runs a Washington lobbying firm, revised a federal disclosure report about work for Exxon Mobil Corp. to say his company was enlisted to monitor legislative activity related to Iran, not to lobby.”

IL:   RAUNER GIVES.  CB.  “When Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office acknowledged that he had made $400,000 in campaign contributions to Republican members of the state Legislature, it opened up a familiar debate.”

MO:  ETHICS FAIL.  KTRS.  “The Missouri Legislature once again has failed to pass bills aimed at clamping down on ethics laws considered some of the loosest in the nation. A bill aimed at preventing lawmakers from leaving office and immediately becoming lobbyist failed to pass before the May 15 legislative deadline.”

NJ:  PAY TO PLAY MYTHS.  Genova Burns.  “Now that David Letterman has hosted his last show, the universe is experiencing a distinct lack of top-ten lists. We are happy to take on this awe-inspiring responsibility in the best way we know how: with a list of the top ten New Jersey pay-to-play myths.”

NM:  TWO MEETINGS.  DT.   “The state task force announced in February to overhaul a campaign finance reporting system that has operated with little oversight in recent election cycles has met twice and is considering and creating policy recommendations, according to a spokesman for Attorney General Hector Balderas.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

5-21 political law links

VISUALIZED:  POLITICAL DATA.  I’ll be spending most of today at “Visualized: Political Data,” a “conference focused entirely on exploring, analyzing, and visualizing political data, as well as discussing the potential impact of political data visualizations.”  The day features an impressive set of speakers.

SUPER PAC MOVES.  NYT.  “The shuffle is taking place as Guy Cecil, who managed Mrs. Clinton’s 2008 campaign after a shake-up in that race, is coming into Priorities as the co-chairman of the board and the chief executive officer.”

COMPLAINT AGAINST GROUP.  WT.  “Correct the Record, a super PAC providing a rapid-response team and opposition research for Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential run, was hit Wednesday with a complaint to the Federal Election Commission that alleges the group’s activity violates campaign finance law.”

LEAKY ETHICS.  Politico.  “A credible investigation into the leak must be conducted and responsibly reported. While it would be tempting to treat the ensuing interviews of the OCE board and staff according to OCE’s own procedures, releasing transcripts and emails at an early stage, this investigation must be handled carefully and confidentially — without leaking.”

IN:  REFORM PROPOSALS.  Indystar.com.  “Indianapolis mayoral candidate Joe Hogsett on Wednesday proposed a series of ethics reforms that include new restrictions on lobbyists, a government transparency website and term limits.”

VT:  NEW COMPLAINT.  VTD.  “The new allegations build on Toensing’s earlier accusation that Sorrell illegally coordinated spending with a super-PAC funded by the Democratic Governor’s Association during his 2012 re-election campaign.”

EU:  TRANSPARENCY REGISTRY.  Allenovery.com.  “While parties that lobby in the United States are generally subject to mandatory lobbyist registration and reporting obligations at every level of government (federal, state and local), parties that lobby EU institutions (European Commission, Parliament and Council) traditionally have only been subject to a ‘voluntary’ registration and disclosure regime. But that gap now appears to be closing.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.   I’ll send around the next set of links early next week.  Have a great weekend.

5-20 political law links

BALZ ON MONEY RACE.  WP.  ”In their own ways, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Jeb Bush have brought unintentional attention to the role of money in politics and public life, to the intersection of money and political and public influence, and to the general absence of restraints, self-imposed or enforced.”

PAC PERKS.  USAT.  “Craig Gilbert of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel got a look Tuesday at what a super PAC supporting Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s expected candidacy is offering donors.”

STATE STRATEGY.  NJ.  “Jeb Bush’s plan to delay actually entering the 2016 election and instead spend time fundraising and coordinating directly with a friendly super PAC has revolutionized presidential campaign finance. And now, a likely Republican Senate candidate—also from Florida—has adopted the Bush model for his own race.”

AR:  BALLOT MEASURE SUPPORT.  Ark. Online.  “A coalition of groups is rallying support for a measure vying for a spot on the Arkansas ballot next year that would require more disclosure from outside political groups participating in campaigns.”

NJ:  MISSING REPORTS.  NJ.  “Two of the three winning candidates in last year’s City Council election have failed to comply with state regulations regarding the filing of campaign finance reports, officials said.”

UK:  TAXES AND DONATIONS.  Reuters.  “Some of Britain’s biggest political donors, including a dozen senior lawmakers, have benefited from a little-noticed loophole that lets them avoid tax on millions of pounds in donations to political parties, a Reuters analysis has found.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.