[Political Activity Law] – Page 406 – Eric Brown's discussion of political activity law issues and practice.

Political law links (Tues., 7/10/12)

Post author By Eric Brown
Post date July 10, 2012
Categories In A.M. Report, DC, House, LDA, Missouri, Voting

REP. BERKLEY ETHICS UPDATE. The Post. “The House Ethics Committee has voted unanimously to launch a formal investigation into allegations that Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) used her position to benefit the financial interests of her husband — a blow to her candidacy in one of the nation’s most competitive Senate contests.”

TRADEMARKS AND CAMPAIGNS. Story here. “Obama for America, the president’s re-election campaign committee, is heading to court today against a t-shirt website the committee claims is infringing its ‘O’ logo on products.”

RANGEL WINS. Politico. “New York Democrat Adriano Espaillat conceded to Rep. Charles Rangel on Monday, ending a nearly two-week-long drama that threw the outcome of the the closely-watched primary into doubt.”

THE CABINET-SUPER PAC CONNECTION. Roll Call. “Senior White House adviser David Plouffe is the only member of President Barack Obama’s administration to attend a fundraiser for a pro-Obama super PAC so far, despite an announcement in February that White House officials and Cabinet members would participate.”

SUPER PAC DONORS (FL). Story here. “Adelson wrote a $1 million check to Freedom PAC in the beginning of June, according to Federal Election Commission documents.”

FORTI PROFILE. The Post. “You’ve probably never heard of Carl Forti. He has never been on television and he’s rarely quoted in the newspaper. But Forti knows the world of super PACs better than anyone in the Republican Party — and that knowledge makes him one of the most important strategists in the GOP heading into the fall election.”

LOBBYIST STATUS ISSUE IN WI. Story here. “After the former governor left his post as health and human services secretary for President George W. Bush, Thompson went to work for a high-powered legal and lobbying firm in Washington, D.C.”

PROBATION IN MO CASE. Story here. “Roger Wilson, a Missouri Democrat who was elevated to the governor’s job after the plane crash that killed Gov. Mel Carnahan, was sentenced Monday to two years of probation for misusing money to make political donations.”

CHARGES IN DC. Story here. “The criminal probe into Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s 2010 campaign broadened Monday when a public relations consultant and Gray donor was charged in a far-reaching scheme to thwart campaign finance laws.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

Good morning, here are today’s political law links (7/9/12)

Post author By Eric Brown
Post date July 9, 2012
Categories In A.M. Report, FARA, Foreign Laws, House, Illinois, IRS, Missouri

INDEPENDENT GROUPS IN THE NEWS. The Times. “The Democratic Party’s Senate campaign arm will file a formal complaint on Monday with the Federal Election Commission against three of the Republicans’ biggest campaign groups, accusing them of willful violations of federal election law and asking that their electioneering be stopped.”

EC REPORTING IN THE NEWS. The Hill. “Outside groups are going to extra lengths to keep their donors secret, worrying that public disclosure could open up their supporters to harassment.”

FRONT PAGE FARA. The Post. “Under federal law, advocates for foreign organizations are required to register as lobbyists and provide details about their clients and income. But the MEK supporters have not registered, which would require disclosing the amounts they are paid and the identities of officials with whom they meet.”

COUNTRYWIDE ISSUES. Time. “The results of the three-year Congressional investigation have renewed attention on one of the more notable influence-peddling schemes in recent memory, and could revive questions about why the well-tanned Mozilo hasn’t spent any quality-time in the slammer.”

CORPORATE GIVING TO (C)(4)’S. The Times. “Two years after the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision opened the door for corporate spending on elections, relatively little money has flowed from company treasuries into ‘super PACs,’ which can accept unlimited contributions but must also disclose donors. Instead, there is growing evidence that large corporations are trying to influence campaigns by donating money to tax-exempt organizations that can spend millions of dollars without being subject to the disclosure requirements that apply to candidates, parties and PACs.”

POLITICAL LAW BRIEFING ON LATEST (C)(4) WRINKLE. Here.

2012 CA$H RACE. Story here. “The top ‘super PACs’ supporting Republicans in the fall elections have raised more than three times as much money as super PACs aligned with Democrats, $158 million to $47 million, a Globe analysis shows.”

RAGING CORPORATE SPENDING DEBATE. Roll Call. “Are big corporations taking over American elections? It depends whether you ask liberals or conservatives, who can’t even agree on the basic facts.”

REP. BERKLEY AND ETHICS ISSUE. Roll Call. “The House Ethics Committee is slated to announce today whether it will investigate if Rep. Shelley Berkley’s (D-Nev.) effort to save a kidney transplant program at a Las Vegas hospital was a conflict of interest given that her husband is a nephrologist who works with the medical center.”

GOV. QUINN SIGNS. Story here. “Gov. Pat Quinn signed a bill Friday that lifts the state’s campaign contribution limits to candidates once big money starts flowing into a state or local political contest, a move that one watchdog group decried as effectively ending limits in any major race.”

SENTENCING IN MO CASE TODAY. Story here. “Former Missouri Gov. Roger Wilson plans to ask for probation when he is sentenced Monday in federal court for misusing money involved in illegal political donations.”

SEARCH IN CAMPAIGN FINANCE CASE. Story here. “Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s home and his Paris office were searched today by police in an investigation into allegations of campaign finance violations, according to his lawyer.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.