National/Federal

Lawsuit Challenges Reporting Requirements for Conduit PACs

Campaigns and Elections – Max Greenwood | Published: 3/10/2025

A new lawsuit is challenging the requirement that conduit PACs disclose the personal details of small-dollar donors in their filings with the FEC. The complaint argues the provision in the Federal Election Campaign Act requiring conduit PACs like ActBlue and WinRed to publicly identify donors to give less than $200 to a campaign or committee violates a right to anonymity guaranteed by the Constitution.

ActBlue, the Democratic Fund-Raising Powerhouse, Faces Internal Chaos

DNyuz – Reid Epstein and Shane Goldmacher (New York Times) | Published: 3/5/2025

ActBlue, the online fundraising organization that powers Democratic candidates, has plunged into turmoil, with at least seven senior officials resigning recently and a remaining lawyer suggesting he faced internal retaliation. The departures from ActBlue, which helps raise money for Democrats running for office at all levels of government, come as the group is under investigation by congressional Republicans. They have advanced legislation that some Democrats warn could be used to debilitate what is the party’s leading fundraising operation.

Trump Expands Retribution Campaign Against Law Firms That Aided His Foes

MSN – Perry Stein and Michael Birnbaum (Washington Post) | Published: 3/6/2025

President Trump targeted another elite law firm that has represented clients he considers his political enemies, sending a message that he is willing to punish firms who work for people or groups that oppose his administration’s agenda. Trump signed an executive order hitting Perkins Coie with a directive that bans the federal government from hiring it, or from using contractors who work with it, except in limited circumstances. The order also bars Perkins Coie employees from entering federal buildings and suspends their security clearances.

Fired Head of Federal Watchdog Agency Says He’s Ending His Legal Battle Over His Removal by Trump

MSN – Alanna Durkin Richer (Associated Press) | Published: 3/6/2025

The fired head of a federal watchdog agency said he is abandoning his legal battle against the Trump administration to get his job back, acknowledging he was likely facing a tough road before the U.S. Supreme Court. Hampton Dellinger said he was dropping his case a day after the federal appeals court sided with the Trump administration in removing him as the head of the Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency dedicated to guarding the federal workforce from illegal personnel actions.

Palestinian Protester Arrested by ICE Despite Green Card, Lawyer Says

MSN – Susan Syrluga (Washington Post) | Published: 3/9/2025

U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student, who played a prominent role in last year’s protests over the Israel-Gaza war at Columbia University. President Trump has promised to deport international students who participated in “pro-jihadist protests.” The federal agents told Khalil his student visa had been revoked. When Khalil told agents he was a lawful permanent resident, holding a green card, agents detained him anyway, his attorney said.

Secretive D.C. Influence Project Appears to Be Running a Group House for Right-Wing Lawmakers

MSN – Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan, and Alex Mierjeski (ProPublica) | Published: 3/6/3035

New evidence suggests Steve Berger, a pastor who runs a nonprofit that is trying to shape national policy, may be running what amounts to a group house for conservative lawmakers, with multiple members of Congress living with him at his organization’s headquarters. The six-bedroom, $3.7 million home is owned by a wealthy Republican donor. Berger has claimed to have personally spurred legislation, saying a senator privately credited him with inspiring a bill.

CDC Posts ‘Conflicts of Interest’ Database on Vaccine Advisory Group Members

MSN – Berkeley Lovelace (NBC News) | Published: 3/7/2025

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched a webpage listing information about current and former members of its independent vaccine advisory committee, including what it describes as conflicts-of-interest. The new database comes after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose department oversees the CDC, has vowed to increase “radical transparency” at the federal health agencies. It was not immediately clear how the webpage would accomplish that.

Judge Says Trump Jan. 6 Pardon Doesn’t Apply to Man Who Conspired to Kill Investigators

MSN – Kyle Cheney (Politico) | Published: 3/10/2025

President Trump’s blanket pardon for the rioters who attacked the Capitol does not cover a conspiracy by one defendant to kill the law enforcement officials who investigated him, a federal judge ruled. Edward Kelley, who was convicted of conspiracy last year by a federal jury in Tennessee, had argued Trump’s sweeping clemency for rioters should also cover his conviction since the agents and officers he targeted were connected to the January 6 investigation.

A New Role for the South Lawn of Trump’s White House: Tesla car lot

MSN – Matt Viser (Washington Post) | Published: 3/11/2025

On the South Lawn of the White House, President Trump climbed into a Tesla Model S as Elon Musk slid into the passenger seat, converting one of the country’s most revered public spaces into a billboard for a company run by one of his closest allies. The president he made no secret of the fact that he was attempting to boost the financial fortunes of one of his supporters, whose cars, he noted, could be had for the low price of $35,000.

GOP Lawmaker Misgenders Democratic Rep. McBride, Derailing House Hearing

MSN – Kelsey Ables (Washington Post) | Published: 3/12/2025

A House subcommittee hearing went off the rails when Rep. Keith Self misgendered Rep. Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender person elected to Congress, and abruptly adjourned the session after a colleague confronted him. Speaking at a hearing on arms control, international security, and U.S. assistance to Europe, Self, the chairperson of the subcommittee on Europe, addressed McBride, a transgender woman, as “the representative from Delaware, Mr. McBride.”

Justice Department Is Expected to Slash Public Corruption Unit, AP Sources Say

MSN – Alanna Durkin Richer and Eric Tucker (Associated Press) | Published: 3/11/2025

Prosecutors in the Justice Department section that handles public corruption cases have been told the unit will be significantly reduced in size, and its cases will be transferred to U.S. attorney’s offices around the country, two people familiar with the matter said. The discussions about shrinking the public integrity section come weeks after the unit’s leadership resigned when a top Justice Department official ordered the dropping of corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

USAID Workers Told to Shred, Burn Documents, Unnerving Congress

MSN – Missy Ryan and John Hudson (Washington Post) | Published: 3/11/2025

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) ordered employees to destroy internal documents, according to an agency directive, raising new questions about how sensitive records are being handled in the Trump administration’s drive to curtail America’s assistance activities overseas. According to an email, a senior USAID official ordered employees to shred or burn documents at the organization’s Washington headquarters, including those related to agency personnel and those stored in safes used for classified material.

Washington Post Columnist Quits After Her Opinion Piece Criticizing Owner Jeff Bezos Is Rejected

MSN – David Bauder (Associated Press) | Published: 3/10/2025

Ruth Marcus, a columnist who has worked at the Washington Post for four decades, resigned after she said the newspaper’s management decided not to run her commentary critical of owner Jeff Bezos’ new editorial policy. Her exit is the latest fallout from Bezos’ directive that the Post narrow the topics covered by its opinion section to personal liberties and the free market. The newspaper’s opinions editor, David Shipley, had already resigned because of the shift.

Trump Official Tasked with Defending DOGE Cuts Posted Fashion Influencer Videos from Her Office

MSN – Curt Devine, Casey Tolan, and Audrey Ash (CNN) | Published: 3/12/2025

A federal employee tasked with defending the Trump administration’s mass government layoffs has been using her office to film fashion influencer videos. McLaurine Pinover, head of communications for the Office of Personnel Management, which acts as the government’s human resources agency, modeled her outfit choices for the day while directing followers from her Instagram account to a website that could earn her commissions on clothing sales.

Brother of Trump’s GSA Leader Tried to Buy Prime Federal Property

MSN – Jonathan O’Connell (Washington Post) | Published: 3/13/2025

President Trump appointed former tech executive Stephen Ehikian as acting administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA), the agency that manages government buildings, supplies, and services. Two weeks later, Ehikian’s brother, Brad Ehikian, a real estate developer, proposed that the GSA sell his company a federally owned 17-acre campus in Silicon Valley for $65 million. The GSA tried to auction the property in 2022 for nearly twice that amount. Current and former agency officials said they had not encountered such a proposal from someone related to the GSA administrator.

Pleas on X, Biden Dirt and Attacks on the FBI: As Trump flexes his pardon powers, defendants angle for their get-out-of-jail free card

Politico – Ben Schreckinger | Published: 3/11/2025

President Trump’s moves to expand the use of pardons have white-collar defendants jolting to attention, and many are responding with creative maneuvers designed to appeal less to judges or juries than to the ultimate arbiter in the Oval Office. Trump’s appointment of a White House “pardon czar,” Alice Johnson, and an announcement by the Justice Department lawyer who oversaw pardons during Biden’s term that she has been fired, signal Trump is not done exercising his clemency powers.

Musk’s Team Must Produce Documents to Comply with Open Records Laws, Judge Says

Seattle Times – Zach Montague and Minho Kim (New York Times) | Published: 3/10/2025

A federal judge found Elon Musk’s government-cutting unit is likely subject to public disclosure laws and must promptly turn over documents to a group that had sued for access to its internal emails. U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper said the Department of Government Efficiency that Musk leads had all the hallmarks of an agency that would typically be subject to laws like the Freedom of Information Act.

State Politics Has a Sexual Misconduct Problem

Yahoo News – Grace Panetta (The 19th) | Published: 3/11/2025

State Legislatures craft most of the laws passed in the U.S. and serve as the main pipeline for higher office. But sexual harassment in state politics “remains a systemic and ongoing issue affecting both parties” according to a new report from the National Women’s Defense League. Legislatures are largely self-governing bodies, and even after a spate of post-#MeToo reforms, many lawmakers surveyed said the mechanisms for reporting misconduct in their states are lacking.

From the States and Municipalities

Europe – Belgian Prosecutors Arrest Suspects in Huawei Bribery Probe Targeting EU Parliament

MSN – Samuel Petrequin and Sylvian Plazy (Associated Press) | Published: 3/13/2025

Belgian prosecutors announced the arrests of several people in a corruption probe linked to the European Parliament and the Chinese company Huawei. The arrests came as a media investigation said lobbyists working for the telecommunication giant were suspected of bribing current or former European Parliament members to promote the company’s commercial policies in Europe.

Canada – Supreme Court Strikes Down Doug Ford’s Controversial Campaign Finance Law

Toronto Star – Robert Benzie | Published: 3/7/2025

A key section of Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s controversial campaign finance law has been struck down by the Supreme Court of Canada. The high court found it was unconstitutional for Ford to limit pre-election spending by unions and other third-party groups in his 2021 legislation. It is a major legal triumph for a coalition of labor unions and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, which opposed the Progressive Conservatives’ bill that limited their spending to $600,000 on advertising and other political activities in the 12 months before an election.

California – Probe Finds Nonprofit’s Gift to Former Top S.F. Official Created ‘Appearance of a Bribe’

MSN – Michael Barba and St. John Barned-Smith (San Francisco Chronicle) | Published: 3/11/2025

An investigation concluded a $5,500 gift from the nonprofit Urban Ed Academy to former San Francisco Human Rights Commission Executive Director Sheryl Davis appeared to break city ethics rules and created “at least the appearance of a bribe and undue influence.” Davis subsequently awarded a $270,000 contract to the nonprofit. That contract was one of $2.3 million in city contracts that Urban Ed Academy received in recent years under the Dream Keeper Initiative, a major city reinvestment in the Black community that Davis oversaw.

California – Contractors Might Have to Disclose Campaign Finance Violations in Santa Ana

Voice of OC – Hosam Elattar | Published: 3/6/2025

Contractors and developers in Santa Ana might soon have to disclose any campaign finance violations issued by state or federal officials, a move that could be a first for Orange County. Santa Ana City Councilperson Phil Bacerra wants it made clear to the public if a developer or business applying for a permit, contract, license, or entitlement has been found to have violated any state or federal campaign finance laws.

Colorado – Former State Senator Now Faces Investigation by Denver, Boulder District Attorneys After Resigning Amid Ethics Probe

Denver Post – Seth Klamann and Nick Coltrain | Published: 3/11/2025

Former state Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis is under investigation by the Denver and Boulder district attorneys’ offices, nearly a month after legislative staff determined Jaquez Lewis forged at least one letter of support in an ethics probe. Under Colorado law, using deceit in an attempt to influence a public servant is a felony, as is the use of certain forgeries.

District of Columbia – D.C. U.S. Attorney Targets Ukraine Whistleblower Rep. Vindman

MSN – Spencer Hsu (Washington Post) | Published: 3/11/2025

Interim U.S. attorney Ed Martin has sent another letter to U.S. Rep. Eugene Vindman, a critic of President Trump, demanding information in what Democratic lawmakers say is a potential abuse of his prosecutorial power. Martin wants information about a business founded by Vindman and his brother to help arm Ukraine to fight Russia. Eugene and Alexander Vindman, both former U.S. Army officers with national security backgrounds, played key roles in Trump’s first impeachment, over his reported attempt to pressure Ukraine’s then-incoming president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to find damaging information about Joe Biden.

Florida – Florida Senate Committee Moves to Ban Using Tax Dollars on Ballot Initiative Campaigns

Yahoo News – Jeffrey Schweers (Orlando Sentinel) | Published: 3/11/2025

After Gov. Ron DeSantis used millions of state dollars last year to battle against abortion and marijuana proposals, some Florida lawmakers want to ban the use of public funds to promote or oppose ballot amendments. The Senate Ethics and Elections Committee approved such a measure by voice vote, adding it to a controversial bill to further restrict the petition-gathering process citizens groups use to get amendments before voters.

Maine – Republican Maine Lawmaker Sues House Speaker Over Censure for Post on Transgender Athlete

MSN – Patrick Whittle (Associated Press) | Published: 3/12/2025

Maine Rep. Laurel Libby sued the House speaker over her censure that followed a social media post about a transgender athlete participating in high school sports. Libby posted about a high school athlete who won a girls’ track competition. The post included a photo of the student and identified them by first name, with the name in quotation marks, saying they previously competed in boys’ track. Libby claims the censure violated her right to free speech. The lawsuit also says the censure stripped her right to speak and vote on the House floor, and that disenfranchises the thousands of residents in her district.

Maine – Committee Rejects Clean Elections Expansion, Other Proposals to Alter Election Laws

Yahoo News – Emma Davis (Maine Morning Star) | Published: 3/10/2025

The Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee voted down several proposals to alter election laws in Maine, including measures that sought to expand the state’s clean elections program, eliminate ongoing absentee voter status, and reestablish a component of ranked choice voting tabulations that was done away with last session. These mark the first few committee recommendations for how the state should alter its elections laws this session.

Maryland – Maryland Democrats File Elections Complaint Against ‘Shadowy’ Campaign Targeting Gov. Wes Moore

MSN – Sam Janesch (Baltimore Sun) | Published: 3/7/2025

Maryland Democrats asked the State Board of Elections to sanction what they are calling a “shadowy” and illegal campaign against Gov. Wes Moore ahead of his reelection bid next year. The campaign, which has identified itself only as “No Moore” since its launch in February, has targeted the Democratic governor over his handling of the state’s budget deficit. Daily posts that evoke Moore and sometimes refer to his election prospects are likely a violation of state campaign finance law because the group behind those messages has not registered with the as a campaign entity, the Democratic Party argued.

Mississippi – Federal Trial in Jackson Corruption Case set for Summer 2026

Mississippi Today – Anna Wolfe | Published: 3/7/2025

U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan set the corruption trial for Jackson’s mayor, a city councilperson, and the county’s district attorney for July 13, 2026. A federal grand jury indicted Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, and council member Aaron Banks in a bribery scheme after concocting a sting involving undercover FBI agents posing as real estate developers. All three officials pleaded not guilty.

Montana – Ravalli County Rep. Ron Marshall Resigns, Cites Influence of Lobbyists in Legislature

Yahoo News – Micah Drew (Daily Montanan) | Published: 3/4/2025

State Rep. Rob Marshall resigned from the Montana Legislature, citing corruption in a Capitol “run by lobbyists.” During previous sessions, Marshall said there was a greater appetite among legislators and the Republican leadership to work together and hear each other out on the merits of various pieces of legislation, but this year there is “more wheeling and dealing” going on in Helena.

New Jersey – New Jersey’s Ballot Design That Gave Party Bosses Big Influence Is Officially Dead

MSN – Ry Rivard (Politico) | Published: 3/6/2025

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law a redesign of primary ballots, formally ending an entrenched system that gave unique influence to the state’s party bosses but faced an unexpected wave of opposition. The county line system gave political parties in all but two of the state’s 21 counties the power to help design primary ballots based on party endorsements. Party-backed candidates were grouped together while candidates without endorsements were displayed awkwardly or on obscure parts of the ballot. Getting the line could make or break a campaign.

New Jersey – This Democrat Is Running for Governor with No Staff – but $35M in His Corner

New Jersey Monitor – Dana DiFilippo | Published: 3/10/2025

In his last disclosure, Democrat Sean Spiller reported spending of just $64,253 since he launched his campaign to be New Jersey governor last June. What is fueling Spiller’s campaign is not money that he raised himself. He is backed by an outside spending group that told election officials it will spend $35 million on the race. That independent expenditure group, Working New Jersey, has not disclosed any of its financial information since Spiller entered the race. This should raise red flags for election observers, including the state’s Election Law Enforcement Commission, said Craig Holman of Public Citizen.

New Mexico – Lobbyist Disclosure Bill Advances – Minus Cap on Lobbyist Spending on Lawmakers

Santa Fe New Mexican – Daniel Chacón | Published: 3/10/2025

The Senate Rules Committee endorsed a bill designed to shine a brighter light on lobbying activities in New Mexico after the panel stripped a House floor amendment many interpreted as capping lobbyist spending at $50 per day per legislator during a legislative session. Sen. Jeff Steinborn said he believes the Republican-sponsored amendment was an attempt to “undermine the bill” and create a “side show.”

New York – For #MeToo Movement, Mayor’s Race in New York City Poses a Test

DNyuz – Emma Fitzsimmons (New York Times) | Published: 3/10/2025

This year, three Democratic candidates for mayor of New York City – Andrew Cuomo, Scott Stringer, and the incumbent, Eric Adams – will provide a durability test for the #MeToo movement in New York politics. All three have faced allegations of sexual misconduct; all have forcefully denied the accusations and challenged the accusers in court. Some of the accusers, their lawyers, and women’s groups are trying to keep the #MeToo allegations front and center, hoping to persuade voters that they should be viewed as disqualifying behavior.

New York – Adams Case Should Be Permanently Dismissed, Outside Legal Expert Recommends

MSN – Shayna Jacobs (Washington Post) | Published: 3/7/2025

The Justice Department should dismiss a corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams “with prejudice,” eliminating the possibility of bringing charges again in the future, former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement said in court documents. The Justice Department had sought to toss the charges but leave open the possibility of reindicting the mayor. Their decision to abandon the case outraged career prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office in New York and at Justice Department headquarters, prompting a slew of resignations.

New York – What New York State Aide’s Help Was Worth to China: More than $15 million

MSN – James Avery (Wall Street Journal) | Published: 3/8/2025

In an indictment, the Justice Department alleged former gubernatorial aide Linda Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, got rich as she levered proximity to two New York governors to help China. She was criminally indicted for illegally acting as a foreign agent and, along with her husband, was hit with financial charges including money-laundering conspiracies. Now prosecutors have unsealed details of how they allege Sun orchestrated a scheme that generated a stream of funds and gifts as she did favors for Chin and how managing the intake was a family affair.

Oklahoma – LOFT Report Uncovers Outdated Complaints and Revenue Discrepancies at Ethics Commission

MSN – Colleen Wilson (KOKH) | Published: 3/6/2025

A report by the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency about the Ethics Commission revealed poor record keeping, as well as a misguided focus and a loss of sight of the original mission of the state agency. The report recommended several ways to get the agency back on track, including increasing transparency and creating a complaint tracking system.

Oregon – Citizen-Driven Ballot Measures Could Become More Rare Under Proposals Taken Up by Oregon Lawmakers

Oregon Public Broadcasting – Dirk VanderHart | Published: 3/11/2025

Landing a measure on the Oregon ballot could be more time-consuming and expensive under a pair of provisions lawmakers are considering putting before voters next year. Both seek to address what their backers say is a growing problem: the concentration of the state’s population in the Portland metro area that ensures measures can qualify for the statewide ballot without a say from the rest of Oregon.

Pennsylvania – Helping to Run an Election in Pennsylvania Often Starts with Running for Election

Votebeat – Carter Walker | Published: 3/10/2025

This year, voters across Pennsylvania will have a chance to choose the people who will staff their polling locations for the next four years. In most states, these workers are appointed, but in Pennsylvania, the people who oversee voting at the precinct level are elected officials with four-year terms. Pennsylvania is the only state that does it quite like this.

Tennessee – Ex-Tennessee Lawmaker Announces Trump’s Pardon 2 Weeks into Prison Time for Campaign Finance Scheme

MSN – Jonathan Matisse (Associated Press) | Published: 3/12/2025

Former Tennessee Sen. Brian Kelsey said President Trump pardoned him two weeks into his 21-month prison sentence for an illegal campaign finance scheme that he pleaded guilty to in 2022, before he tried unsuccessfully to take back his plea. Kelsy admitted his attempts to funnel campaign money from his state legislative seat toward his failed 2016 congressional bid.