[Political Activity Law]

FUNDS ISSUE. CIN. “While U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot hasn’t said anything publicly about the missing money from his campaign fund, his attorney on Friday vowed to conduct ‘a thorough audit’ and work with law enforcement.”

MONEY CHASE. FN. “Mr. Chaffetz has been digging into nonprofits since his time as House Oversight Committee chairman, and the book details how powerful the liberal nonprofit sector has grown.”

MONEY HIT. PH. “Maine Sen. Susan Collins decried the influence of ‘dark money’ in political campaigns and outlined issues on which she has supported and opposed President Trump during a wide-ranging interview on public radio Friday.”

LAST WEEK AT THE FEC. The week’s Weekly Digest is here.

ARABELLA REPORT. BB. “A largely unknown, massively funded strategy company pushing the interests of wealthy leftist donors has been quietly behind a hydra-like dark money network of pop-up groups designed to look like grassroots activist organizations. These front groups push everything from opposition to President Trump’s proposed border wall to support for Obamacare to gun control to government control of the Internet to pro-abortion activism and other leftwing causes.”

OR: OPEN TO LIMITS. OL. “The Oregon Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a request to delay arguments in a major campaign finance case, a decision that leaves open the possibility that political donations could be capped in statewide races next year — even though lawmakers have stumbled in their own attempts to set them.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

DEMOCRACY DEAD. BG. “The Federal Election Commission is essentially toast.”

PERIL ABOUNDS. ST. “For the well-being of American democracy, Congress and President Donald Trump must immediately repair the Federal Election Commission.”

FEC STATUS. 538. “What this means is that the agency responsible for both enforcing and advising on the nation’s campaign-finance laws is out of commission for the foreseeable future. And because we’re in the middle of a presidential election … things could get hairy fast.”

WAR ON DRUDGE. HILL. “First, it was Democrats on the Federal Election Commission. Now it’s congressional Democrats and Republicans who want to squelch the political voices on major online websites such as Facebook, Twitter, the New York Times, and eventually the Drudge Report.”

KY: FINE FROM 16. CJ. “The Kentucky Registry of Election Finance has found probable cause that the campaign of Louisville Metro Councilman Scott Reed violated several campaign finance laws in his 2016 race.”

TX: NEW DISCLOSURES. TT. “In a U.S. Senate campaign disclosure filed last month, which includes all of 2018 and this year through mid-August, West reported that he made over $1 million in earned income, and that he’ll be eligible to draw a state pension exceeding $80,000 a year — or more, depending on when he retires.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

JOINT FUNDRAISING DEVELOPMENTS. CRP. “Joint fundraising committees are growing increasingly common as candidates and parties seek out big checks from wealthy donors.”

LIBERAL TARGET. WE. “Years after Republicans on the Federal Election Commission claimed Democrats were targeting conservative speech on outlets like the Drudge Report, the liberal head of the FEC is teaming with an anti-Trump free speech advocacy group to host a symposium targeting online ‘disinformation.'”

LOBBYIST REFUNDS. HILL. “Former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign on Tuesday said it would return the money recently given by lobbyists, the same day a report highlighted the thousands of dollars in cash donated to the campaign by members of the influence industry.”

BOOM REAPERS. HILL. “Two years after the fall of the Podesta Group, lobbyists for the former powerhouse are reaping the K Street boom.”

CA: PERSONAL USE ALLEGED. CBS. “The Fair Political Practices Commission is investigating charges against Republican Bill Brough. Jasmine Viel reports.” (Video.)

MO: FINE FOR CAMPAIGN. MT. “The Missouri Ethics Commission (MEC) found Sen. Jamilah Nasheed failed to report a few campaign donations, totalling $2,500, in a “timely manner” and levied a fine on the Democratic senator.”

NJ: LEFRAK ATTACK. HC. “A super PAC linked to the LeFrak Organization, one of two entities who sued the City of Jersey City over this year’s newly implemented 1 percent business payroll tax, expects to spend $250,000 on the Jersey City Board of Education race, according to campaign finance records.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.