[Political Activity Law]

EXTENDED REVIEW.   NP.  “U.S. Rep. John J. ‘Jimmy’ Duncan Jr. is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, the AP reports.”

CA:  CHAIR RESIGNS.   SFE.  “The chair of the Ethics Commission has abruptly stepped down after the watchdog agency failed to place a campaign reform measure on the June ballot intended to crack down on the potential for pay-to play politics at City Hall.”

CA:  OAKLAND MONEY.   ML. “A new MapLight analysis of campaign finance records for Oakland found that local candidates raised more than $4 million over the past three election cycles – with the vast majority of funding coming from a fraction of the city’s overall population.”

KS:  EXPANDED REACH.   CJO.  “The Kansas Senate advanced a bipartisan bill Tuesday that requires registration of people lobbying any of the three branches of state government and allowing for expansion of gift and meal limits for state employees.”

TN:  AD QUESTIONS.    TN.  “Unlike recent ads launched by other campaigns, the 30-second spot promoting the Nashville lawmaker wasn’t technically funded by Harwell’s campaign. And it doesn’t mention her candidacy.”

WY:  PROVISION REMOVED.   TRIB.  ” A package of election law reforms meant to strengthen campaign finance reporting requirements took a significant step forward Tuesday as a House committee amended the bill to add clarity and sent it back to the full chamber.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

LEGAL ATTACK.   HASEN.  “The Mueller indictment of 13 Russian nationals for interfering with the 2016 U.S. presidential election offers a remarkably detailed account of a complex plot to sow discord and influence the presidential contest in favor of Donald Trump. The indictment critically points to something else, though: It provides a roadmap for the Russians to do it all again, without violating any current campaign finance laws the next time.”

TOUGH PROPOSAL.   SEL.  “The proposed FEC rule would require all text and display advertising to include the name of the sponsor in the ad (not merely a link) “in letters of sufficient size to be clearly readable.” This provision might be a source of objections from Google or Facebook.”

DUES PAYMENTS.   HILL.  “Eleven sitting lawmakers have used campaign funds to pay membership dues to the National Rifle Association (NRA).”

NEW CLAIM.   NW.  “Cohen also distanced Trump’s former campaign and his global company from any knowledge of the payment to Clifford.”

IL:  BREAKING RECORDS.   PRW.  “The March 20, 2018 Illinois gubernatorial primary is on track to become the most expensive in Illinois history, thanks to millions being put on the line by three billionaires.”

PA:  FINES INCREASED.   TL.  “Being late with their paperwork will cost state lobbyists more under a new law that takes effect in about two months.”

TX:  VIOLATION ALLEGED.   KVIA.  “According to the document, De La Torre and Torres-McLean ‘authorized the spending of public funds’ for a newsletter that advocated for the approval of a YISD bond measure … the newsletter was published in the fall of 2015 in advance of a November 9, 2015 YISD school bond election.”

WA:  STATE SUES.  SFC.   “A Washington attorney who ran an unsuccessful campaign for the state Court of Appeals is facing allegations of campaign-finance violations.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

ETHICS REPORT.   FORT.  “The Secretary of Veterans Affairs’ chief of staff doctored an email and lied about the purpose of his trip to Europe with his wife that was paid for by taxpayers, according to an investigation by the agency’s inspector general.”

PROBE CALL.  HILL.  “A left-leaning government organization on Wednesday called for an investigation into Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson.”

ETHICS WATCHDOG.  NW.  “An ethics advocacy group says it has identified multiple instances where Congressional watchdogs meant to maintain high standards on Capitol Hill have not enforced the rules and have given elected officials a slap on the wrist when they could have been punished more severely.”

UPDATE ON PAYMENT.   NYT.  “Michael D. Cohen, President Trump’s longtime personal lawyer, said on Tuesday that he had paid $130,000 out of his own pocket to a pornographic-film actress who had once claimed to have had an affair with Mr. Trump.”

CONTRIBUTION ISSUE ARISES.  WSJ.  “Campaign attorneys and legal scholars are divided on whether Michael Cohen’s $130,000 payment to an adult film star weeks before the presidential election is a violation of campaign-finance law.”

BOOKER PLEDGE.   WE.  “Sen. Cory Booker announced late Tuesday that he will no longer accept campaign contributions from political action committees of for-profit companies, following the example of some of his fellow Democrats.”

ID:  BILL INTRODUCED.  SM.  “Candidates and political action committees would have to report more detailed information more often about their campaign contributions under legislation introduced in the Idaho Legislature on Tuesday.”

NY:  PAY TO PLAY MOVE.   RO.  “Orange County lawmakers may gut the 2013 law that has reduced the amount of campaign money County Executive Steve Neuhaus can accept from companies that hold or are seeking county contracts.”

OR:  MULTIPLE VIOLATIONS.   USN.  “An investigative report released Wednesday says former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber allegedly violated state ethics laws 11 times during his third and fourth terms as governor.”

SC:  WARNING ON FUNDS.   USN.  “South Carolina House members are being warned not to use campaign funds to defend themselves from personal misconduct allegations.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.   I’ll send around the next set of links after the holiday.