Good morning, here are today’s political law links (Tues., 5/22/12)

DONATIONS PROBED.  Roll Call.  “The campaigns of Rep. Jim Renacci and state Treasurer Josh Mandel, the GOP nominee for Senate, confirmed today that they are aware the government is investigating contributions they accepted from employees at a direct marketing firm.”

MAJORITY PAC SPENDS.  Story here.  “A Democratic super PAC spent an additional $300,000 in airtime to promote Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) this week — yet another sign that his race has become increasingly competitive.”

BUNDLER’S HUSBAND’S LOANS.  WFB.  “New disclosures show that one of President Obama’s bundlers is the wife of an executive at an energy company that received a more-than-$1.2 billion Department of Energy (DOE) loan guarantee for a solar power plant.”

LINKEDIN LOBBYIST.  The Hill.  “LinkedIn, the professional networking website, has hired its first K Street lobby firm, public records show.”

AFTER VH.  The Hill.  “Court rulings that require the disclosure of funding for campaign ‘issue’ ads will not change the U.S Chamber of Commerce’s political program, officials with the business group insisted Monday.”  More from Politico.

FUNDRAISING EDGE?  The Times.  “President Obama’s once-commanding fund-raising advantage is declining as major Republican donors rally for Mitt Romney, conservative “super PACs” far outpace their liberal counterparts and tax-exempt issue-advocacy groups swarm the political landscape.”

TIMES ON FCPA AND WAL-MART.  Here.  “In this case, shareholders are right to demand answers and accountability from Wal-Mart’s executives and directors.”

BAIN BITES BACK.  The Post.  “As the Obama campaign ramped up its attacks on Bain Capital, Mitt Romney’s former private-equity firm, the company on Monday took the rare step of defending its record.”

JOINING LIMITS.  The Post.  “By joining forces with the Republican National Committee and four of its state-level affiliates, Romney is able to raise $75,800 from one person or more than $150,000 from a couple.”

FEC MEETING.  The agenda for Thursday’s FEC meeting is online here.

NO VERDICT.  Story here.  “On Monday, the second day of deliberations, the jurors were quieter and somber looking, barely looking at prosecutors or Edwards as they waited for the judge to answer questions or release them for lunch of the evening break.”

EDWARDS JURY INSTRUCTIONS VIEW.  Here.  “The Center for Competitive Politics (CCP) today harshly criticized the final juror instructions, issued Friday, in the trial of former president candidate John Edwards.”  The instructions are online here.

DC AIDE CHARGED.  The Post.  “Thomas W. Gore, Mr. Gray’s assistant campaign treasurer, is charged in a federal information — a filing that typically means a defendant has agreed to plead guilty — with violating the District’s campaign finance laws by making straw political donations and then destroying evidence related to those contributions to hinder the federal investigation.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

Good morning, here are Monday’s political law links (5/21/12)

TIMES ON MCCAIN. Here. “[McCain] castigated the Supreme Court for arrogance and naïveté in throwing open the corporate money gates in its Citizens United decision, predicting ‘huge scandals because there’s too much money washing around.’ Now he needs to put his reputation and his vote behind that warning.”

MCCAIN AND WHITEHOUSE. Senators McCain and Whitehouse joined to file a brief in American Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Bullock.

SUPER PAC STRATEGY.  The Times.  “The intensifying flood of uncapped donations to outside political groups is transforming not just campaigns but the entire business of politics.”

EDWARDS TRIAL VERDICT? When? “Jurors began talking about case Friday. It came after they heard 17 days of testimony about money from wealthy donors that was used to hide Edwards’ pregnant mistress during his 2008 White House bid.” The N&O’s Twitter account would probably be a good bet to get the latest if a verdict is announced.

EDWARDS AND “WILLFULLY.” Story here. “‘Willfully’ may be the word that saves him.'”

HOUSE ETHICS MET. A press release is here and an article is here. “The House Ethics Committee tweaked its rules related to filing financial disclosure statements and those that outline when it can take testimony during a rare public meeting today.”

NEW AD RULES?  Roll Call.  “The ruling by a three-judge appeals court panel last week has the odd effect of imposing stricter disclosure rules on ads that simply picture or name a candidate at election time than on messages explicitly urging people to vote for or against a candidate.”

CFR AND FIXING DC. Mann and Ornstein follow up their controversial commentary on the Republican Party with a call for campaign finance reform here. “Without a different Supreme Court, serious problems with money in politics will endure.”

EARMARK BAN AND CAMPAIGNS.  Roll Call.  “Politicians who pushed this Congress to ban earmarks are the same people who campaigned on those funds in previous elections.”

INDEPENDENT GROUP FEARS.  Politico.  “A super PAC’s abortive plan to launch incendiary, personally charged attack ads against President Barack Obama sent a sharp warning message to candidates up and down the federal ballot: This year more than ever, they are not in control of their own destinies.”

FUNDRAISING AND LOBBYING HIRING.  Story here.  “The hiring equation for lobby firms is simple: Campaign fundraisers spend time with lawmakers — often more than policy staffers. They also have the kinds of connections with the CEOs and in-house government relations heads that could mean more business for the lobby shop.”

WHITE HOUSE ACCESS.  The Post.  “The White House visitor records make it clear that Obama’s senior officials are granting that access to some of K Street’s most influential representatives.”

CU IN STATE CAPITALS. Story here. “Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia are backing Montana in its fight to prevent the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision from being used to strike down state laws restricting corporate campaign spending.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY!

Here are today’s political law links (Thurs., 5/17)

ANTI-INCUMBENT SUPER PAC.  Roll Call.  “The political action committee’s recent decision to hire Mark Meckler, a high-profile tea party activist, raises further questions about its independence.”

APRIL EO UPDATE.  The April 2012 edition of IRS EO Update is online here.

ELECTION LAW NEWS.  The latest edition of Wiley Rein’s Election Law News is online here.  The newsletter includes some tips for those headed to Charlotte or Tampa in a few weeks.

FORMER LAWMAKERS AND ADVISING.  The Hill.  “Several former lawmakers are shying away from registering as lobbyists despite the end of a cooling-off period in the House that had barred them from soliciting their ex-colleagues.”

EVEN MONEY?  The Times.  “Mitt Romney almost matched President Obama in fund-raising during April after securing his party’s presidential nomination and joining forces with the Republican National Committee, the campaign will announce on Thursday.”

SUPER PAC PLANS.  The Times.  “A group of high-profile Republican strategists is working with a conservative billionaire on a proposal to mount one of the most provocative campaigns of the ‘super PAC’ era and attack President Obama in ways that Republicans have so far shied away from.”

SUPER PAC PERSONNEL.  Story here.  “Veteran Democratic strategist Mary Beth Cahill has been hired by the pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA as a consultant.”

CLOSING SET FOR TODAY.  Story here.  “When prosecutors and defense lawyers in the John Edwards trial take their turns before jurors Thursday morning for closing arguments, each side will weave together testimony of witnesses with hundreds of pages of phone records, financial statements, political schedules, email and voicemail messages.”

GEORGIA LOBBYING.  The Post.  “The Washington lobbying effort is aimed at raising doubts about the pace of democratic reforms under Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who has forged a close relationship with the United States.”

LOBBYIST SUES.  Story here.  “Former S.C. legislator Mark Kelley, now a lobbyist for the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, is suing The Sun News, saying he was defamed in articles concerning the origins of tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions.”

BAN ON LOBBYISTS IN THE NEWS.  Story here.  “The attorney general’s office is looking into a state community college trustee group’s alleged scheme to use student fees to pay a lobbyist to fight reforms.”

LOBBYIST DISCLOSURE IN PHILA.  Story here.  “Nearly two years after City Council and Mayor Nutter approved an ordinance requiring lobbyists to register and disclose their expenses, there’s still no computer software to make the program work the way it was intended.”

SUPER PAC WORK-AROUND?  Story here.  “House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago, advanced legislation that would remove contribution limits once an outside group spends $100,000 on behalf of one candidate for the Legislature or local government. Lifting the restrictions would give an opponent a chance to ‘level the playing field,’ she said.”

HAVE A GREAT DAY.  The next set of links will prepared on Monday, May 21, 2012.  Have a great weekend.