Good morning, here are Monday’s political law links, 6.24.13

REVOLVING DOOR ISSUES AND THE FCC. The Post. “The real problems crop up when the revolving door turns the other way, carrying people from the FCC to private industry. The prospect of a future lobbying job is a powerful inducement for public officials to take industry-friendly positions.”

SITE QUESTIONS. WS. “Reports surfaced earlier this week that the webpage of Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) appears to have been purchased and hosted by City of New York.”

SORRY, CHARLIE. The Post. “Charlie Spies knows how to raise money. The Republican lawyer helped rake in $153 million for Restore Our Future, the pro-Mitt Romney super PAC.” The story goes on to explain that donors may not be “renengaging” this year, yet.

SETTLEMENTS WITHOUT ADMISSIONS. The Times discusses the SEC’s new approach here. “In a departure from long-established practice, the recently confirmed chairwoman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Mary Jo White, said this week that defendants would no longer be allowed to settle some cases while ‘neither admitting nor denying’ wrongdoing.”

NEW PAC LAUNCH. Here. “Republican Richard Pombo is back in politics.”

AL: EASIER TO SEARCH. News here. “As state politicians and hopefuls announce their 2014 bids for office, the public has a new and easier way to track campaign contributions.”

AZ: NEW LAW AND COMPLAINTS. Story here. “An election overhaul bill Brewer signed Wednesday contains a provision allowing the secretary of state to send campaign finance complaints against the attorney general to the county attorney in the jurisdiction where the violation allegedly occurred.”

DC: GUILTY PLEA. Story here. “Lee A. Calhoun, a 65-year-old principal at the accounting firm of Bazilio Cobb Associates, pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court for the District to one misdemeanor count of making contributions in the name of another. Between 2002 and 2011, he was directed to donate to more than 30 campaigns and then reimbursed through ‘bonuses’ by the former director of the firm, Jeffrey E. Thompson, according to his attorney.”

DC: THOMPSON ISSUES. Story here. “D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton today said she reviewed her campaign files and found about $20,000 in tainted contributions from people associated with Thompson, who is under federal criminal investigation for a widespread, nationwide scheme to use ‘straw donors’ to make campaign contributions that actually originated with Thompson. The scheme allegedly lasted from 2002 until last year.”

IA: RTL CASE REVIEW. Here. “The 8th Circuit struck down part of Iowa’s election law, making it easier for special interest groups to spend on behalf of, but not coordinate with, political campaigns.”

MN: LOVE AND LOBBYING: IT’S COMPLICATED. Star Trib. “‘Honey, would you take out the garbage?’ ‘Sure.’ ‘Honey, can we go out for dinner?’ ‘Sure.’ ‘Honey, can you vote for a $27 million contract for my client?’ You see where this is going.”

VA: MCDONNELL DRIP. The Post. “Federal authorities are asking Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell’s associates about previously undisclosed gifts given by a campaign donor to McDonnell’s wife that total tens of thousands of dollars and include money and expensive designer clothing, according to people familiar with the inquiry.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

6.20.13 political law links

ENROLL AMERICA UPDATE. Politico. “Enroll America, which is led by several former Obama campaign staffers, plans to target the uninsured in multiple ways: knocking on doors, advertising on television and radio and partnering with churches, civic groups, hospitals and celebrities.”

ROMNEY READINESS. You might enjoy this interview with Gov. Leavitt about the Romney Readiness Project.

ROCKET PAC LAUNCH. Roll Call. “Rep. Rush D. Holt, D-N.J., has registered Rocket PAC as a new leadership PAC with the Federal Election Commission. Before being elected to Congress, Holt was an astrophysicist and assistant director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Alan Hershey is the treasurer in Pennington, N.J.”

DOJ’S RAMAN ON CORRUPTION. Here. “When corruption takes hold, the fundamental notion of playing-by-the-rules gets pushed to the side, and individuals, businesses and governments instead begin to operate under a fundamentally unfair – and destabilizing – set of norms. This undermines confidence in the markets and governments, and destroys the sense of fair play that is absolutely critical for the rule of law to prevail.”

HEAT V. SPURS AND POLITICAL MONEY. Story here. “Ahead of the 2012 elections, Spurs owner Peter Holt and his wife, Julianna, donated four times as much money to federal politicians and political groups as Miami Heat owner Micky Arison and his wife, Madeleine, according to a Center for Public Integrity review of data maintained by the Center for Responsive Politics.”

JACKSONS’ CRIME VICTIMLESS? Here. “We know that Jesse Jackson Jr. and wife Sandi admitted to looting about $750,000 from their campaign funds, but there is another issue to be resolved: Are there any victims?”

SCOFFING AT LDA REQUIREMENTS? Roll Call. “Truth be told, BBSI may settle the suit against it for much less than $33 million. But the action against the firm is nevertheless a cautionary tale for lobbyists and organizations that employ them. Ignore the law at your own risk.”

ADMISSIONS ADJUSTMENT AT SEC. The Post. “The chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission says the agency will start requiring companies and individuals to admit wrongdoing in some big settlements.”

CA: FPPC KNOWS WAY TO SAN JOSE. News here. “The state political watchdog commission that regulates campaign finance and lobbying in California on Thursday will hold its monthly public meeting for the first time in Santa Clara County.”

DC: WHO KNEW WHAT ABOUT SHADOW CAMPAIGN. The Post. “Crusading federal prosecutor Ron Machen has taken a major step forward in his crackdown on District political corruption by fully exposing a long-standing illegal campaign donation network allegedly run by top city contractor and power broker Jeffrey E. Thompson.”

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

6.19.13 political law links

16 WATCH.  The Times.  “Senator Claire McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat and one of Barack Obama’s first backers in the Senate in his bitter presidential primary fight against Hillary Rodham Clinton, threw her support on Tuesday to the political action committee pressing Mrs. Clinton to run for president.”

VRA RULING SOON.  Roll Call.  “The Supreme Court is expected to rule next week on Section 5 of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965, which requires certain states with a history of discrimination to get federal approval for any changes to voting laws.”

FULL TRANSCRIPT RELEASED.  The Hill.  “House Democrats on Tuesday defied Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) by releasing a full transcript from the congressional investigation into the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups.”

AMENDMENT TO REVOKE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS.  Story here.  “Montana’s Sen. Jon Tester on Tuesday proposed an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that says corporations don’t have constitutional rights – an attempt to restrict corporate campaign spending and overturn a landmark 2010 court ruling that expanded such spending.”

FEDERAL EMPLOYEE GIVING.  Reason.  “Lawyers in federal agencies contributed more to Barack Obama than Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election, a pattern that mirrored giving at every federal agency, a review of Federal Election Commission records by a Pepperdine University law professor reveals.”

MD:  ETHICS REFORM COMING.  Story here.  “Now, as [Rushern] Baker (D) nears the end of his first term and prepares to announce on Thursday his bid for a second, he can claim several successes. But he has also abandoned one of his biggest promises, the creation of an independent Office of Inspector General, and recently there were accusations that politics played a role in the awarding of a major county contract.”

NY:  CFR DEAL?  Story here.  “Two key points in Cuomo’s agenda appear at risk: a bill tackling numerous workplace, abortion rights, human trafficking laws, and the governor’s take on campaign finance and political corruption.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.