In the News
Boston Globe: A post-campaign super PAC fight
By Felice BelmanRemember the Mayday PAC, the super PAC created to put an end to . . . super PACs?Mayday, headed by Harvard professor Lawrence Lessig, supports significant reform to the nation’s campaign finance system. In a weird bit of irony, a group called the Center for Competitive Politics has filed a complaint against Mayday, accusing the group of violating federal campaign finance regulations in radio and TV ads aired in New Hampshire during the recent election.Mayday was supporting Jim Rubens, one of several Republicans who ran unsuccessfully against Scott Brown in the US Senate primary. (Brown ultimately lost the race to incumbent Democrat Jeanne Shaheen.)
IRS
Wall Street Journal: ‘Lost’ IRS Emails Found
EditorialThe Democrats’ midterm shellacking was in part a referendum on competence, which leads, naturally, to the all but unreported news that the IRS never “lost” emails after all. IRS Commissioner John Koskinen is pulling off the impossible task of destroying what little credibility that bureaucracy has left.Treasury Department Inspector General Russell George recently informed Congress that his forensic investigation has turned up as many as 30,000 emails from the account of former IRS Exempt Organizations Director Lois Lerner—emails the IRS has insisted were destroyed. The emails cover the crucial period from January 2009 through June 2011 when the IRS was ramping up its targeting of conservative nonprofits.
Washington Times: IRS accused of sharing 2,500 private taxpayer documents with White House
By Cheryl K. Chumley“[T]he Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration informed Cause of Action that there exist nearly 2,500 potentially confidentialdocuments relating to investigations of improper disclosures of confidential taxpayer information by the IRS to the White House,” Cause of Action told The Daily Caller. The Justice Department has requested more time to review the documents before making them public, Newsmax said.
NY Post: Miracle at the IRS
EditorialIt’s not yet Christmas, but we’re already seeing miracles. And at the Internal Revenue Service, no less.After saying over and over — in press statements, in court filings, in congressional hearings — that the emails that went missing when Lois Lerner’s hard drive crashed were gone forever, up to 30,000 Lerner emails have now turned up and are on their way to Congress.But not thanks to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. To the contrary, the emails were reclaimed from disaster-recovery tapes by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
Independent Groups
Washington Post: Groups funded by secret donors buffeted two dozen House races in 2014
By Matea GoldThe money spent by these “dark money” groups heavily favored Republicans, but a large chunk was also spent by liberal groups such as Patriot Majority and VoteVets.org.The overall reach of groups financed by unknown donors was much bigger; the analysis includes only campaign expenditures reported to the Federal Election Commission. Several hundred million dollars more that were not disclosed publicly were estimated to have been spent by tax-exempt groups on “issue ads,” data gathering and voter outreach.
Candidates, Politicians, Campaigns, and Parties
Chicago Tribune: With contribution limits off, Emanuel reels in more cash
By Bill RuthhartMayor Rahm Emanuel has received $400,000 in political donations that he was able to keep only because the state’s campaign contribution limits were eliminated through the actions of an obscure candidate who threatened to run, but didn’t.The contribution limits were lifted for everyone in the Chicago mayoral race last month after frequent local candidate William J. Kelly filed paperwork in October showing he gave his own campaign $100,000. Under state law, once a candidate in a local race contributes $100,000 to his or her own campaign within one year of an election, the state contribution caps no longer apply.But Kelly didn’t file the necessary petition signatures by Monday’s deadline to appear on the ballot. Nonetheless, the lifting of the campaign limits remains in place.Emanuel has cashed in as a result.
NY Times: A Facebook Change Makes It Harder for Political Campaigns to See Your Friends
When you log in to a politician’s Facebook app, the campaign enjoys relatively easy access to your friends on the social network. But starting next year, that automatic access will go away.That may provide users with some relief from unwanted messages. It will certainly help Facebook respond to complaints that it shares too much of its users’ information without their consent. But it also could lead to more campaigns advertising on the platform, which is good for the company’s bottom line.
Lobbying and Ethics
AP: Ethics panel again defers to Justice on Rep. Grimm
WASHINGTON — Rep. Michael Grimm of New York won re-election this month, but he still faces a criminal investigation into possible campaign finance violations, as well as a 20-count indictment on tax fraud and other charges.The House Ethics Committee said Wednesday it again is deferring an investigation of possible campaign finance violations by the Staten Island Republican, leaving the matter in the hands of the Justice Department, which is conducting a criminal probe. The ethics panel also deferred action in 2012 and 2013, citing the ongoing criminal probe.The committee said in a statement Wednesday that the Justice Department continues to investigate allegations that Grimm solicited and accepted prohibited contributions from foreign donors and improperly offered to help a foreign national obtain a green card in exchange for campaign contributions.
State and Local
Alaska –– AP: Alaska pot backer ordered to comply with subpoena
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A campaign-finance investigation is moving forward against an Alaska television reporter who quit her job on-air and vowed to work toward legalizing marijuana.The Alaska Public Offices Commission wants to know whether Charlo Greene used crowdsourcing funds to advocate for a ballot initiative to legalize recreational pot use. Greene challenged the commission’s request for documents.The commission on Wednesday rejected her objection to a subpoena, the Alaska Dispatch News (http://ow.ly/EZQhr) reported. That gives the agency the authority to continue the investigation to determine whether money that was spent would trigger reporting requirements.
Maryland –– Washington Post: Hogan won with public money, but replenishing the fund is uncertain
Gov.-elect Larry Hogan (R) this month became the first candidate in Maryland history to win a gubernatorial election while participating in the state’s public financing system. The question now is whether he’ll be the last.The public fund — from which Hogan drew close to $3 million — is almost depleted, and no one has put forward a viable plan to replenish it.Only gubernatorial candidates can use the fund, which was built up over many years through a voluntary income-tax form checkoff.
California –– LA Times: L.A. voters won’t be offered cash prizes in March city election
By David ZahniserA controversial proposal to offer cash prizes to Los Angeles voters is dead — at least for next year’s city elections.Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson said this week that he wanted more time to consider the idea of using money or other gifts to lure voters to the polls. For now, he is looking to persuade voters on March 3 to move city elections from odd- to even-numbered years — when state and federal contests are held — beginning in 2020.
