Political law links

WAL-MART ACCUSED. Bloomberg. “The groups allege in the complaint that Wal-Mart’s offer of a 2-for-1 match ‘provides a powerful financial incentive — in the form of indirect compensation — to an employee.'”

LIBERALS TOPS. Sunlight. “Left-leaning billionaires continue to top the list of the biggest super PAC donors, with an ever-increasing chunk of the cash coming from just one man, reports to the Federal Election Commission filed in August show.”

DONATION SOURCE. Yahoo. “The Center for Public Integrity first raised questions about the six-figure super PAC contribution because the address American Crossroads listed for Glenmede seemed odd: It wasn’t the location of the company’s corporate headquarters in Philadelphia but that of a beachside condo in Florida.”

GA: LOBBYIST TRAVEL. AJC. The article discusses the impact of new rules on officials’ travel.

MA: SUPER PAC ATTACK. Boston Globe. “A GOP-aligned super PAC that has already spent millions of dollars on the Massachusetts gubernatorial race today released a new ad attacking Democratic nominee Martha Coakley.”

MT: ELECTION COMING. NBC. “The countdown to November is on so Motl is busy inspecting complaints to uphold transparency in politics.”

MT: DARK MONEY V. GHOST MONEY. Dailyinterlake.com. “I have noticed with amusement the Democrats’ absolute terror over money they deem to be dark money. This is any money that finds its way into Republican coffers. But, I notice their alacrity in accommodating their own unaccounted money. It order to explain this money I will refer to it as ‘Ghost Money.'”

NY: EARLIER PAYMENTS. Capital New York. “Chief among the proposed reforms is permission for the board to accelerate payments of matching funds to qualifying candidates.”

VA: SEEKING DOJ OK. WP. “House Speaker William J. Howell announced Monday that he will block the confirmation of three former legislators’ nominations to state employment until the U.S. Justice Department assures him that the appointments are legal.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

Mon. Political Law Links

POTENTIAL INTERVENOR. Crainsnewyork.com. “Public Advocate Letitia James is looking at jumping into a major federal campaign finance lawsuit—a move that would put her in a court battle against the New York Republican Party.”

SUPER PACS AND D’S. WSJ. “Strong fundraising by Democrats and their allies—including a formidable super PAC run by people close to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid —is helping the party remain competitive in Senate races where many other factors favor Republican candidates.”

STEYER FUNDS. Houston Chronicle. “Hedge fund executive Tom Steyer continued to funnel cash from his personal fortune to his pro-environment super PAC, NextGen Climate Action.”

AZ: SECOND COMPLAINT. AZcentral.com. “Republican candidates for the Arizona Corporation Commission are facing a second complaint that they have broken finance rules, this time dealing with how they reported paying for signatures.”

CA: LEE ALLEGATIONS. SFBG.com. “Mayor Ed Lee has been named in a civil lawsuit that alleges he conspired to accept bribes in the form of illegal campaign contributions from an undercover FBI agent involved in the far-reaching federal corruption and racketeering probe into State Sen. Leland Yee, Raymond ‘Shrimp Boy’ Chow, and 26 other defendants.”

CT: ROWLAND CONVICTED. NYT. “Former Gov. John G. Rowland of Connecticut, who nearly a decade ago was forced to resign from office in disgrace, was found guilty in federal court on Friday of engaging in corrupt political acts even after serving prison time for his previous conviction.”

LA: SUPER PAC COMPLAINT UPDATE. NOLA.com. “An attorney for Sen. David Vitter’s Super PAC is asking the Louisiana Board of Ethics to quickly reject a complaint from a Democratic group challenging a $100,000 transfer from Vitter’s Senate campaign account.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

9.19 political law links

EARMARKS FOR CONTRIBUTIONS FOR A DECADE. WP. “Convicted lobbyist Paul Magliocchetti told the FBI that an aide to Rep. Peter J. Visclosky (D-Ind.) offered him legislative earmarks in exchange for campaign contributions annually for about a decade, according to newly released FBI files.”

POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE BILL ON THE RADAR. WSJ. “Lawmakers plan to introduce legislation in the House on Thursday that would for the first time shed light on the political-intelligence industry.”

EX-IM SUPER PAC. WSJ. “A new super PAC aims to weigh in on political candidates who oppose the U.S. Export-Import Bank, an unusual political development for a niche agency that has recently found itself in the political crosshairs.”

FARA ISSUES. WFB. “A rule change has been introduced in the House to require think tanks to disclose sources of foreign funding when they testify before Congress.”

SUPER PAC LEADER. RC. “Meet Alixandria Lapp, the executive director of a super PAC with the sole mission of electing as many House Democrats as possible.”

SUPER PAC STRATEGY. USAT. “As Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton heads back into Iowa politics Sunday afternoon, a super PAC encouraging her to seek the presidency is planning a big gathering of its top donors in late November.”

D’S SUPPORT FCC CHANGE. RBR.com. “Energy and Commerce Committee leaders Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA), along with Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), have written FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and his 8th Floor colleagues seeking to have the political disclosure rules currently applicable to broadcast television imposed as well on radio, cable and satellite entities.”

AZ: LORD OF DARK MONEY. AZcentral.com. “The lords of darkness could be on the move once again – this time on behalf of a Democrat.”

CT: DELIBERATIONS BEGIN. SFgate.com. “A federal jury on Thursday began deliberating the fate of former Gov. John G. Rowland, who is accused of conspiring to hide work on two political campaigns as business deals.”

LA: VIEW ON MONEY IN POLITICS. NOLA.com. “There ought to be a law against such sickening hypocrisy.”

VA: WHAT’S CORRUPTION? RC. “The McDonnell case hinges on a question that goes to the heart of the national campaign finance debate, namely: What is corruption? Must it involve out-and-out bribery — the deliberate exchange of money or favors for official acts? Or can corruption take the form of ingratiation, influence and distortions of public policy?”

HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND.