Ethics Archives - Page 42 of 302 - State and Federal Communications

October 27, 2022 • Written by Jim Sedor

Thursday’s LobbyComply News Roundup

Campaign Finance Tennessee: “Election Watchdog Disputes Harwell Claim That Shifting State Funds to Federal Campaign Was Legit” by Sam Stockard for Tennessee Lookout Elections National: “How Votes Are Cast and Counted Is Increasingly Decided in Courtrooms” by Patrick Marley (Washington […]

October 26, 2022 • Written by Jim Sedor

Wednesday’s LobbyComply News Roundup

Campaign Finance Ohio: “FirstEnergy Cuts Off Its ‘Dark Money’ Spigot in Ohio, Disclosures Show” by Jake Zuckerman (Cleveland Plain Dealer) for Yahoo News Elections Arizona: “Arizona Sheriff Steps Up Security Around Ballot Drop Boxes” by Associated Press for MSN Ethics […]

October 25, 2022 • Written by Jim Sedor

Tuesday’s LobbyComply News Roundup

Campaign Finance California: “California Sets Up Age Requirement for Those Handling Political Campaign Bucks” by Gabriel Greschler (Bay Area News Group) for Marin Independent Record Massachusetts: “Groups Sue to Put Super PAC Question on 2024 State Ballot” by Steve LeBlanc […]

October 24, 2022 • Written by Jim Sedor

Monday’s LobbyComply News Roundup

Campaign Finance Oregon: “Portland City Auditor’s Office Issues Penalty Against Gonzalez’s Campaign” by Michaela Bourgeoise (KOIN) for MSN Elections Texas: “Texas Agencies’ Plan to Monitor Harris County Elections Raises Concerns Among Observers” by Adam Zuvanich for Houston Public Media Ethics […]

October 21, 2022 • Written by Jim Sedor

News You Can Use Digest – October 21, 2022

National/Federal Activists Push for Disclosure of Clients and Income of Judges’ Spouses MSN – Hailey Fuchs (Politico) | Published: 10/20/2022 A coalition of judicial advocacy and watchdog groups are calling on Congress to establish greater disclosure requirements for the spouses of […]

National/Federal

Activists Push for Disclosure of Clients and Income of Judges’ Spouses
MSN – Hailey Fuchs (Politico) | Published: 10/20/2022

A coalition of judicial advocacy and watchdog groups are calling on Congress to establish greater disclosure requirements for the spouses of federal judges. In a letter sent to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, the groups cite a Politico report on potential conflicts posed by the professional work of Supreme Court justice’s spouses and the inadequacy of disclosures around that work. The coalition maintains the “concerns are no doubt more acute” among the hundreds of circuit and district court judges. They also point to the spouses of four justices on the Supreme Court whose work remains opaque yet may intersect with cases before the court.

As Campaign Norms Erode, Even Debates Are Under Debate
DNyuz – Lisa Lerer and Jazmine Ulloa (New York Times) | Published: 10/19/2022

In midterm campaigns across the country, direct political engagement has been falling away, victim to security concerns, pandemic-era restrictions, and Republican hostility to the mainstream media. Many candidates are sticking instead to safer spaces: partisan news outlets, fundraisers with supporters, friendly local crowds. The result is a profound shift in the long traditions of American campaigns that is both a symptom of and a contributor to the ills afflicting the country’s politics.

Big Tech Accused of Shady Lobbying in EU Parliament
Politico – Clothilde Goujard | Published: 10/14/2022

Google, Meta, and Amazon have deceived lawmakers by lobbying through smaller front organizations, leading lawmakers claimed. They asked for an investigation into the tech companies, as well as large lobbying groups including trade association the Computer & Communications Industry Association and advertisers’ group IAB Europe. Three other lobbies representing small and medium-sized companies are also targeted by the complaints. The lawmakers say the companies deceived European lawmakers during negotiations on two landmark laws by hiding behind fronts.

Congressional Ethics Watchdog Calls for Ethics Investigation into Kahele
Honolulu Civil Beat – Nick Grube | Published: 10/14/2022

The Office of Congressional Ethics called for an official inquiry into U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele. He came under scrutiny earlier in the year after a media investigation into his proxy voting record that found he had asked colleagues to vote on his behalf more than almost any other member of Congress at the same time he was laying the groundwork for a gubernatorial campaign in Hawaii. The story led to more questions about Kahele’s part-time job as a pilot for Hawaiian Airlines and work he was doing on the House Transportation and Armed Services Committees.

DOJ Asks Appeals Court to End Outside Review of Trump Mar-a-Lago Documents
MSN – Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney (Politico) | Published: 10/14/2022

An outside review of documents the FBI seized from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate should be halted because it interferes with prosecutors’ authority and is legally unjustified, the Justice Department said in a filing with a federal appeals court. Prosecutors said Aileen Cannon, the judge who ordered the “special master” review at Trump’s request, erred in her ruling because there was no indication of malfeasance or infringement of Trump’s rights in connection with the search a magistrate judge ordered.

High Court Rejects Trump Plea to Step into Mar-a-Lago Case
MSN – Mark Sherman and Jessica Gresko (Associated Press) | Published: 10/13/2022

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected former President Trump’s plea to step into the legal fight over the FBI search of his Florida estate. The justices did not otherwise comment in turning away Trump’s emergency appeal. Trump had pressed the court on an issue relating to classified documents seized in the search. The move appears to greatly reduce the potential impact of the special master process to the ongoing Justice Department criminal investigation into the classified documents.

House Jan. 6 Committee Votes to Subpoena Trump in Finale Surprise
MSN – Rosalind Helderman, Jacqueline Alemany, and Tom Hamburger (Washington Post) | Published: 10/13/2022

The House committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol issued a subpoena seeking testimony from former President Trump, a challenge with little historical precedent. Combining a mix of new evidence gathered by the committee since July and testimony played at previous sessions, members have said the violence was the direct and predictable result of Trump’s choices in the weeks after he lost his bid for reelection. Even after interviews with more than 1,000 witnesses and reviews of hundreds of thousands of documents, U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney said their work is incomplete without hearing answers from “January 6th’s central player.”

Investors Resist Efforts to Paint ESG as a Political Issue
MSN – Ellen Meyers (Roll Call) | Published: 10/20/2022

Institutional investment firms and activist asset managers are amplifying their message to congressional and state lawmakers: stop equating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing with a political agenda. Investors of all sizes are doubling down on the importance of ESG considerations ahead of midterm elections. At stake is a growing body of legislation and regulations in states such as Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana aimed at curbing ESG investment and, in some cases, divesting from certain financial institutions over investment policies that incorporate ESG factors such as climate risk and human capital management.

Judge Bucks Trump, Orders Pence Aide to Testify to Jan. 6 Grand Jury
MSN – Spencer Hsu, Josh Dawsey, and Jacqueline Alemany (Washington Post) | Published: 10/14/2022

A top aide to former Vice President Mike Pence returned before a grand jury to testify in a criminal probe of efforts to overturn the 2020 election after federal courts overruled ex-President Trump’s objections to the testimony. In a decision that could clear the way for other top Trump White House officials to answer questions before a grand jury, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell ruled that former Pence chief of staff Marc Short probably possessed information important to the Justice Department’s criminal investigation of the insurrection that was not available from other sources.

Judge: Trump signed court document that knowingly included false voter fraud stats
MSN – Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein (Politico) | Published: 10/19/2022

Former President Trump signed legal documents describing evidence of election fraud he knew were false, a federal judge indicated. U.S. District Court Judge David Carter wrote in an 18-page opinion that emails from attorney John Eastman, an architect of Trump’s last-ditch effort to subvert the 2020 election, needed to be turned over to the Jan. 6 select committee. Those emails, Carter wrote, “show that President Trump knew that the specific numbers of voter fraud were wrong but continued to tout those numbers, both in court and to the public.”

Newspapers with a Partisan Aim Filling the Void of Traditional Media
MSN – Michael Scherer (Washington Post) | Published: 10/15/2022

As local newspapers collapsed amid a rise in online advertising competition, niche news products with private funding sources have sprouted to fill the void. Some function as a sort of direct mail persuasion piece, while others republish content on hundreds of websites with local names like the Fond Du Lac Times in Wisconsin. Other experiments have sought to build actual newsrooms in key swing states to attract audiences to more ideological views. Many worry the newcomers deceive readers, undermine the reputations of existing journalistic brands, and fail, in some cases, to meet even the basic standards of the profession.

Retired U.S. Brass Cash in with Saudis, Other Repressive Governments
MSN – Craig Whitlock and Nate Jones (Washington Post) | Published: 10/18/2022

Foreign governments have long advanced their interests in Washington by paying Americans as lobbyists, lawyers, political consultants, and public relations advisers. But the hiring of retired U.S. military personnel for their expertise and political clout has accelerated over the past decade as Persian Gulf monarchies have splurged on defense spending and strengthened their security partnerships with the Pentagon. For years, the U.S. government withheld virtually all information about the practice. The Washington Post found many military retirees take foreign jobs or gifts without notifying the U.S. government.

Sidley Austin Reveals Work for Chinese Surveillance Firm Under Foreign Agents Law
Reuters – Mike Scarcella | Published: 10/18/2022

The law firm Sidley Austin disclosed its lobbying work for the U.S. subsidiary of Chinese video surveillance company Hikvision under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, revealing about $7.4 million in fees since 2018. The firm said its registration for Hikvision USA was done “solely in response to a request” from the U.S. Justice Department. The firm had earlier reported its lobbying through the Lobbying Disclosure Act in 2018 after it was retained then by Hikvision.

Some Republicans Want to Count Votes by Hand. Bad Idea, Experts Say.
DNyuz – Maggie Astor (New York Times) | Published: 10/18/2022

Over the past two years, Republicans have pursued an array of changes to how Americans vote. The past few weeks have drawn attention to a particularly drastic idea: counting all ballots by hand. Experts in election administration said while hand counting is an important tool for recounts and audits, tallying entire elections by hand in any but the smallest jurisdictions would cause chaos and make results less accurate, not more.

Staffers in Rep. Andy Levin’s Office Sign First Union Contract
MSN – Jim Saska (Roll Call) | Published: 10/17/2022

Courtney Laudick and about a dozen other staff members on Capitol Hill organized the Congressional Workers Union earlier this year. Laudick’s boss, U.S. Rep. Andy Levin, sponsored a resolution to allow House staff to unionize, without knowing Laudick was involved in the effort. The resolution was slipped into a rule for supplemental Ukrainian aid funding and passed. Levin and his aides took another historic step recently, agreeing to a tentative contract that raises the average wage for his junior staff to $76,000 and provides all members of the bargaining unit with a $10,000 salary increase.

Steele Dossier Source Acquitted, in Loss for Special Counsel Durham
MSN – Salvador Rizzo, Rachel Weiner, and Perry Stein (Washington Post) | Published: 10/18/2022

A jury found Igor Danchenko, a private researcher who was a primary source for a 2016 dossier of allegations about former President Trump’s ties to Russia, not guilty of lying to the FBI about where he got his information. The verdict is another blow for special counsel John Durham, who has now lost both cases that have gone to trial as part of his investigation. Durham is sure to face renewed pressure to wrap up his work following the verdict.

Ted Cruz Reimbursed Himself $555,000 After Successfully Challenging a Political Spending Law at the Supreme Court
MSN – Bryan Metzger (Business Insider) | Published: 10/17/2022

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s campaign has paid him $555,000 to cover personal loans to his Senate committee. The 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act set a $250,000 limit on the amount of money that candidates could raise after the election for the purpose of paying off personal loans to their campaign committee. The Supreme Court ruled the limit was unconstitutional. That is despite concerns not just from good-government groups that argued lifting the cap could fuel corruption by allowing campaign donors to essentially pay candidates directly by contributing to the repayment of their personal loans.

Canada

Canada – How a Controversy Over GMOs Exposed Holes in Canada’s Lobbying Laws
National Observer – Marc Fawcett-Atkinsion | Published: 10/17/2022

A controversy over an industry lobbyist’s input into draft guidelines for genetically modified organisms exposed loopholes in Canada’s lobbying laws, experts say. Jennifer Hubert, the executive director of plant bioengineering at CropLife Canada appears to have written an early draft of proposed guidelines for the Canada Food Inspection Agency that would exempt seed companies from disclosing genetically modified products to consumers. These kinds of collaborations happen regularly but typically go unseen thanks to Canada’s lax lobbying rules, said Duff Conacher, the co-founder of Democracy Watch.

From the States and Municipalities

Alaska – Groups Say Pro-Dunleavy Organization Is ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ After Commission Delays Decision on Campaign-Finance Complaint
Yahoo News – Iris Samuels (Anchorage Daily News) | Published: 10/18/2022

Two watchdog groups filed another complaint against the Republican Governors Association and an independent expenditure group supporting Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s re-election. The complaint was filed on the same day that the Alaska Public Offices Commission decided its staff would continue to investigate a previous complaint from the groups alleging Dunleavy’s campaign illegally relied on public funds to subsidize the campaign and coordinated with the independent expenditure group, A Stronger Alaska, ahead of the general election.

California – Councilmember Koretz Seemingly Engages in Illegal Lobbying Scheme with Former Employee
Knock LA – Jon Pelz | Published: 10/12/2022

In 2017, Shawn Bayliss, a former senior employee of Los Angeles City Councilperson Paul Koretz, lobbied Koretz for favors while seemingly prohibited from doing so by city ethics laws. Koretz potentially violated the City Charter when he aided and abetted Bayliss in these apparently illegal lobbying activities. Bayliss left Koretz’s office on May 12, 2017. On the same day, the Bel Air Association (BAA) announced Bayliss as its new executive director. He reached out to Koretz’s private email in June 2017 from his BAA email.

California – Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León Stripped of City Council Committee Posts Over Racist Leak
MSN – David Zahniser and Rachel Uranga (Los Angeles Times) | Published: 10/17/2022

Los Angeles City Council members Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo were removed from an array of committee assignments, the latest in a series of attempts to pressure them to resign following reports they participated in a secretly recorded conversation where racist and disparaging remarks were made. Cedillo and De León have not been persuaded by calls from numerous political leaders, including President Biden, to step down. The move comes at an extraordinarily turbulent time for the council, with one seat vacant and two others effectively dormant.

California – LA Council Members Call for Ethics Commission to Have Greater Independence
KFI – City News Service | Published: 10/19/2022

Half of the Los Angeles City Council signed onto a motion calling to make the city’s Ethics Commission more independent and streamline and expand its enforcement processes. The council members recommended a number of changes, which would have to be approved by voters because they would require changes to the city charter.

California – New Details Show Sprawling Web of Corruption in Southern California Cannabis Licensing
MSN – Adam Elmahrek, Ruben Vives, Robert Lopez, and Paige St. John (Los Angeles Times) | Published: 10/15/2022

As a California lawmaker called for a statewide task force to crack down on corruption in the legal cannabis market, new details are emerging in a bribery scandal that has ensnared local government officials in the Los Angeles area. Federal prosecutors unveiled two plea agreements that detail “pay-to-play” schemes involving cannabis business licensing and corroborate allegations in a recent Los Angeles Times investigation that examined how legalization of marijuana unleashed a wave of corruption across the state.

California – San Jose Mayor Cleared of Fundraising Complaint
San Jose Spotlight – Tran Nguyen | Published: 10/14/2022

A citizen-led city board dismissed a complaint accusing San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo of breaking campaign finance rules through a PAC he formed. The complaint also claimed Liccardo failed to disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions as required and that donations exceeded local limits. The law firm Hanson Bridgett investigated the case and recommended the board dismiss the allegations.

California – Watchdog Investigating 2019 China Trip Made by Top Milpitas Mayor Candidate
MSN – Gabriel Greschler (Bay Area News Group) | Published: 10/16/2022

The California Fair Political Practices Commission opened an investigation against the top contender in the Milpitas mayoral race over a trip she took to China in 2019. The probe centers around a $3,600 gift that Vice Mayor Carmen Montano accepted during the trip and later reported to state authorities. The complaint alleges Montano violated travel policies and rules surrounding lobbying.

Florida – Top DeSantis Advisers Played Hands-On Role in Migrant Flights to Martha’s Vineyard
MSN – Jeffrey Schweers (Orlando Sentinel) | Published: 10/15/2022

Florida’s public safety czar Larry Keefe was in San Antonio nearly two weeks before Gov. Ron DeSantis transported migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, and he may have traveled back to Florida with the migrants, records suggest. Those records also show Keefe coordinating the flights with gubernatorial chief of staff James Uthmeier and politically connected contractor Vertol Systems in the weeks leading up to the operation, which is under criminal investigation. The records also confirm a second flight that apparently was headed to near President Joe Biden’s beach house was scrapped after Texas authorities opened a criminal investigation.

Hawaii – Ban On In-Session Campaign Donations Gets Thumbs Up from Hawaii Standards Commission
Honolulu Civil Beat – Blaze Lovell | Published: 10/19/2022

The Commission to Improve Standards of Conduct is recommending that Hawaii lawmakers stop accepting campaign money during the legislative session. A bill to do that along with nine other measures focused on reforming campaign finance laws will head to lawmakers for consideration during the 2023 session. The commission is scheduled to take up another slate of proposals that seeks to tighten ethics rules for lawmakers and lobbyists.

Illinois – A Powerful Pritzker Administration Insider Cashed in as a Consultant
Better Government Association – Chuck Neubauer and David Jackson | Published: 10/19/2022

Shortly after she left her state job as a senior adviser to Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, political operative Nikki Budzinski collected more than $500,000 in consulting and other fees in 10 months, including more than $80,000 from a Springfield lobbyist that Budzinski helped while working for the governor. State workers are generally barred from accepting compensation as a lobbyist for one year after leaving government work. Since Budzinski was not a registered lobbyist, but rather worked as a consultant to the lobbyist paying her, the rule did not apply to her.

Illinois – Ahead of Key Illinois Supreme Court Elections, Federal Judge Blocks State Campaign Contribution Limits in Judicial Races
MSN – Dan Petrella (Chicago Tribune) | Published: 10/18/2022

A federal judge issued a temporary injunction barring Illinois from enforcing two recent changes to the state’s campaign finance law. One bars non-Illinois residents from donating to state judicial candidates. The second prevents individual donors from giving more than $500,000 to independent expenditure committees like super PACs involved in state judicial elections. While there is some legal precedent for tighter restrictions on campaign fundraising in judicial races, the lawsuit argues the two Illinois laws go beyond what courts have allowed in the name of preventing corruption.

Illinois – AT&T Illinois Fined for Effort to Illegally Influence Ex-Speaker Michael Madigan as New Charges Against Him Revealed
MSN – Jason Meisner and Ray Long (Chicago Tribune) | Published: 10/14/2022

AT&T Illinois agreed to pay a $23 million fine and its former president has been indicted on federal charges over a scheme to influence former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, who was arrested on racketeering and bribery charges earlier this year. AT&T admitted it arranged to make payments to an associate of Madigan in exchange for help in pushing through legislation favorable to AT&T. Paul La Schiazza, the former president of AT&T Illinois, was accused of orchestrating and approving the payments. In exchange for cooperating with the probe, criminal charges will be dropped against the company after two years.

Louisiana – See Lafayette Mayor Josh Guillory’s 2021 Financial Disclosure for Louisiana Ethics Board
Yahoo News – Andrew Capps (Lafayette Daily Advertiser) | Published: 10/17/2022

Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory’s most recent annual financial disclosure was supposed to shed light on his efforts to bolster his income while in office. But the report raises more questions about his side interests than it answers. Guillory’s equipment rental business made headlines shortly before his return from rehab in August, after which he denied any impropriety or conflicts-of-interest. Guillory has continued to work as an attorney since taking office. Dozens of Guillory’s former clients had their criminal charges removed from court records during his tenure.

Michigan – Michigan House Paying for Lawyers for Employees Interviewed in Chatfield Probe
Detroit News – Craig Mauger and Beth LeBlanc | Published: 10/19/2022

The Michigan House is providing legal representation for employees who are being interviewed as part of an expanding investigation into former House Speaker Lee Chatfield. Court records showed state officials were conducting a wide-reaching inquiry into sexual assault, and financial and drug use allegations related to Chatfield. Search warrant affidavits indicated investigators were looking into claims that Chatfield and others were involved in a “criminal enterprise,” which potentially included campaign finance violations, bribery, controlled substances, and embezzlement.

Michigan – Probe into Shirkey-Tied Nonprofits Continues; $2.33M Conciliation Agreement Declined
MLive – Jordyn Hermani | Published: 10/18/2022

Two nonprofits associated with a 2020 petition effort rejected a multi-million-dollar settlement with state elections officials, paving the way for a criminal investigation to progress. Michigan! My Michigan! and Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility were accused of improperly raising millions of dollars for Unlock Michigan for a ballot petition to limit the executive branch’s powers during health emergencies. Should the groups have settled through a conciliation agreement, paying the Michigan Bureau of Elections a cumulative $2.33 million, then any further civil or criminal action would have been barred.

New Jersey – New Jersey Sues 5 Oil Companies and Trade Group Over Climate Disinformation
State Impact Pennsylvania – Susan Phillips | Published: 10/18/2022

New Jersey filed a lawsuit against five oil companies and a trade organization, saying they knowingly deceived the public about their contributions to global warming. The lawsuit alleges the trade group, American Petroleum Institute, designed public relations campaigns aimed at convincing the public that climate change does not exist and creating confusion and doubt about the role of oil and gas.

New York – New York State Judge Sets Hearing to Decide New York Attorney General’s Motion in Trump Organization Case
MSN – Kara Scannell (CNN) | Published: 10/14/2022

A judge set a hearing date to decide whether to grant New York Attorney General Letitia James’ request to block the Trump Organization from engaging in certain business activities. The hearing will be the first since the state filed a $250 million lawsuit against former President Trump, his three eldest children, and the Trump Organization alleging they engaged in a decade-long fraud. The state says the same day it announced its lawsuit, the company incorporated a new entity in Delaware, Trump Organization II LLC. The state says it has not provided any assurances it will not move assets out of New York to avoid potential liability.

New York – Trump Gives Answers in Rape Accuser’s Defamation Suit Deposition
Bloomberg Law – Erik Larson | Published: 10/19/2022

Former President Trump answered questions under oath during a deposition sought by E. Jean Carroll, who alleges he raped her in a department store dressing room two decades ago and defamed her when he denied it. He had to go ahead with the deposition after a judge rejected Trump’s latest effort to put the questioning on hold. Trump recently issuing a statement about Carroll on social media, repeating the allegedly defamatory statements he made. The move could undermine his key defense in the case, that he cannot be sued for defamation because he was a sitting president at the time he denied Carroll’s claim in crude terms.

Ohio – Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost Asks Ohio Supreme Court to Keep Former Utility Regulator’s Assets Frozen
MSN – Jake Zuckerman | Published: 10/19/2022

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost asked the state Supreme Court to press pause on a lower court’s decision unfreezing millions of dollars in assets of a former utility regulator accused of taking a $4.3 million bribe. Attorneys for Yost argued the lower court decision would allow Sam Randazzo to “liquidate” his assets and shield them from judgements the state may win in a civil lawsuit against him down the line. Denying the motion would be a “death knell” ruling in Ohio, Yost argued, setting a precedent that bad actors can move and hide their money while motions are pending.

Oregon – Official Looking ‘Oregon Voter Guide’ May Mislead Voters
Mail Tribune – Hillary Borrud (Portland Oregonian) | Published: 10/18/2022

Oregon voters seeking information about the November election are likely to see a website called “The 2022 Oregon Voter Guide” at the top of their online search results, ahead of the state’s official voters’ guide. Many voters might not realize the online information is not an official state voters’ guide. “The Oregon Voter Guide” is not nonpartisan or neutral. It is funded and designed by a group of Democratic allies, progressive groups, and Democratic PACs. Two years ago, public employee unions, Democrats, and other political allies partnered on a nearly identical official-looking website, as well as mailers.

Texas – In Texas, Where Money Has Long Dominated Politics, Greg Abbott Is in a League of His Own
Texas Tribune – Patrick Svitek, Carla Astudillo, Zach Despart, and Kate McGee | Published: 10/18/2022

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is easily the most prolific campaign fundraiser in the state’s history. His campaign fund has allowed him to scare off potential opponents, intimidate those who challenge him, fund a sprawling grassroots organization, and generally reshape Texas politics in his image. Texas is one of 11 states without contribution limits, enabling Abbott to raise enormous sums from some of the nation’s richest families and individuals. At its worst, critics say, Abbott’s fundraising prowess can give the appearance of a patronage system.

Washington – Ferguson Seeks $24.6 Million from Facebook for Campaign Finance Violations
Yahoo News – Laurel Demkovich (Spokane Spokesman-Review) | Published: 10/15/2022

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is seeking the maximum penalty of $24.6 million against Facebook’s parent company, Meta, for violations of the state’s campaign finance law. A judge ruled Meta had 822 intentional violations of the law, which requires campaign advertisers, including sites such as Meta that host ads, to make information about the state’s political ads available for public inspection in a timely manner. The penalty is $10,000 per violation, but because a judge found Meta intentionally violated the law, the penalty can be tripled.

October 20, 2022 • Written by Jim Sedor

Thursday’s LobbyComply News Roundup

Campaign Finance Michigan: “Probe into Shirkey-Tied Nonprofits Continues; $2.33M Conciliation Agreement Declined” by Jordyn Hermani for MLive Elections National: “As Campaign Norms Erode, Even Debates Are Under Debate” by Lisa Lerer and Jazmine Ulloa (New York Times) for DNyuz Oregon: […]

October 19, 2022 • Written by Jim Sedor

Wednesday’s LobbyComply News Roundup

Campaign Finance National: “Ted Cruz Reimbursed Himself $555,000 After Successfully Challenging a Political Spending Law at the Supreme Court” by Bryan Metzger (Business Insider) for MSN Texas: “In Texas, Where Money Has Long Dominated Politics, Greg Abbott Is in a […]

October 18, 2022 • Written by Jim Sedor

Tuesday’s LobbyComply News Roundup

Campaign Finance Illinois: “Federal Judge Blocks Two Campaign Finance Reforms in Illinois” by Dave Byrnes for Courthouse News Service Ethics National: “Newspapers with a Partisan Aim Filling the Void of Traditional Media” by Michael Scherer (Washington Post) for MSN National: […]

October 17, 2022 • Written by Jim Sedor

Monday’s LobbyComply News Roundup

Campaign Finance Alaska: “APOC Hears Complaint Alleging Campaign Coordination” by Tim Rockey for KTUU Washington: “AG Ferguson Seeks Maximum $24.6M Penalty Against Facebook Parent Meta” by Staff for Washington Attorney General’s Office Ethics National: “House Jan. 6 Committee Votes to […]

October 14, 2022 • Written by Jim Sedor

News You Can Use Digest – October 14, 2022

National/Federal A Congressional Campaign Committee Just Reimbursed a Dead Lawmaker for Travel Mileage Yahoo Finance – Madison Hall (Business Insider) | Published: 10/12/2022 The campaign committee of a deceased member of Congress reimbursed him for travel mileage months after he died. […]

National/Federal

A Congressional Campaign Committee Just Reimbursed a Dead Lawmaker for Travel Mileage
Yahoo Finance – Madison Hall (Business Insider) | Published: 10/12/2022

The campaign committee of a deceased member of Congress reimbursed him for travel mileage months after he died. The Friends of Hagedorn campaign committee refunded Rep. Jim Hagedorn more than $1,100 for “mileage” on September 20. Hagedorn, however, died in February. FEC guidance notes congressional campaign funds can be used to refund travel costs incurred by a lawmaker, as well as their spouse and children, as long as it is “directly connected to the officeholder’s official responsibilities.

A Majority of GOP Nominees – 299 in All – Deny the 2020 Election Results
MSN – Amy Gardner (Washington Post) | Published: 10/6/2022

A majority of Republican nominees on the ballot this November for the U.S. House and Senate, and key statewide offices have denied or questioned the outcome of the last presidential election, according to a Washington Post analysis. Candidates who have challenged or refused to accept Joe Biden’s victory are running in every region of the country and in nearly every state. Republican voters in four states nominated election deniers in all federal and statewide races. Most of the election deniers are likely to win. Of the nearly 300 on the ballot, 174 are running for safely GOP seats; another 51 will appear on the ballot in tightly contested races.

First Proud Boys Leader Pleads Guilty to Jan. 6 Seditious Conspiracy
MSN – Spencer Hsu (Washington Post) | Published: 10/6/2022

A former Proud Boys leader became the group’s first member to plead guilty to seditious conspiracy in the Capitol riot, deepening the government’s case against an organization accused of mobilizing violence to prevent the inauguration of Joe Biden. Jeremy Bertino becomes a potential key witness against five Proud Boys leaders, some of whom had ties to influential supporters of Donald Trump. The Proud Boys defendants are set to face trial in December on charges including plotting to oppose by force the presidential transition.

Government Officials Invest in Companies Their Agencies Oversee
Fox Business – Rebecca Ballhaus, Brody Mullins, Chad Day, Joe Palazzolo, and James Grimaldi (Wall Street Journal) | Published: 10/11/2022

Thousands of officials across the government’s executive branch reported owning or trading stocks that stood to rise or fall with decisions their agencies made, a Wall Street Journal investigation found. More than 2,600 officials at agencies from the Commerce Department to the Treasury Department, during both Republican and Democratic administrations, disclosed stock investments in companies while those same firm were lobbying their agencies for favorable policies. That amounts to more than one in five senior federal employees across 50 federal agencies reviewed by The Journal.

How Trump’s Legal Expenses Consumed GOP Donor Money
MSN – Isaac Arnsdorf and Josh Dawsey (Washington Post) | Published: 10/11/2022

Donald Trump’s political operation has spent more money since he left office on lawyers representing the former president and a pair of nonprofits staffed by former Cabinet members than it has on Republican congressional campaigns. Legal fees are expected to climb, Trump advisers say, as he employs a growing retinue of lawyers to fend off federal, state, and county-level investigations. State-level Republicans have also used party resources to defray legal costs related to Trump’s attempts to stay in power.

Judge Dismisses DOJ Bid to Force Wynn to Register as Foreign Agent
Yahoo News – Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein (Politico) | Published: 10/12/2022

A federal judge dismissed a Department of Justice (DOJ) effort to force casino magnate Steve Wynn to acknowledge a stint as an agent of the Chinese government. U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg expressed reservations about his own ruling but suggested that long-standing appeals court precedent bars the DOJ from requiring foreign agents to retroactively register once they are no longer performing that work. If the ruling stands, it could deal a blow to the effort to crack down on undisclosed foreign influence campaigns in the U.S.

Justice Dept. Asks Supreme Court to Deny Trump Request in Mar-a-Lago Case
MSN – Perry Stein and Robert Barnes (Washington Post) | Published: 10/11/2022

The Justice Department asked the U.S. Supreme Court to deny a petition from Donald Trump’s attorneys in the Mar-a-Lago search case, arguing that allowing an outside arbiter to review the classified documents seized from Trump’s residence would “irreparably injure” the government and as a former president, Trump has no “plausible” claims of ownership over sensitive government materials. It is the latest turn in the department’s high-stakes investigation to determine whether the former president or his advisers mishandled national security secrets or hid or destroyed government records.

Leonard Leo Pushed the Courts Right. Now He’s Aiming at American Society.
Seattle Times – Kenneth Vogel (New York Times) | Published: 10/12/2022

Activist Leonard Leo is best known for his role in pushing the appointments of conservative judges to the center of the Republican Party’s agenda. Now, he has developed a coalition that aims to transform American society. Most of the initiatives were supported by a network shaped by Leo and funded by wealthy patrons, usually through “dark money.” An investigation reveals new details of how he has built that network into one of the most sophisticated operations in U.S. politics, giving him influence as he pushes a broad array of conservative causes and seeks to counter what he sees as an increasing leftward tilt in society.

Misinformation Swirls in Non-English Languages Ahead of Midterms
Yahoo News – Tiffany Hsu (New York Times) | Published: 10/12/2022

Unsubstantiated rumors and outright falsehoods spread widely in immigrant communities ahead of the presidential election in 2020. That is happening again in the run-up to this year’s midterm elections, researchers say, but with an insidious twist. The social media accounts pushing misinformation are now targeting audiences in more languages on more topics and across more digital platforms. Multilingual fact checkers say they cannot keep pace with the deluge of falsehoods online. They have called on the big social media platforms, like Facebook and YouTube, to do more for efforts in other languages as they would for misinformation in English.

She Went Out on a Limb for Trump. Now She’s Under Justice Dept. Scrutiny.
Seattle Times – Glenn Thrush, Maggie Haberman, and Michael Schmidt (New York Times) | Published: 10/11/2022

This spring, one of the lawyers representing former President Trump made a request to Christina Bobb, who had just jumped from a Trump-allied cable network to a job in his political organization. M. Evan Corcoran asked Bobb to sign a statement that the Trump legal team had conducted a “diligent search” of Mar-a-Lago and found only a few files that had not been returned to the government. She later complained she did not have a full grasp of what was going on around her when she signed. Her sworn statement was shown to be false. Bobb’s trajectory is a familiar one in Trump’s orbit: a marginal player thrust into a position where her profile is elevated, but at the cost of serious legal and reputational risk.

Steele Dossier Source Heads to Trial, in Possible Last Stand for Durham
MSN – Salvadore Rizzo and Devlin Barrett (Washington Post) | Published: 10/10/2022

Former President Trump said special counsel John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the FBI’s 2016 Russia probe should “reveal corruption at a level never seen before in our country.” But the nearly three-and-a-half-year examination seems destined for a less dramatic conclusion as Durham put Igor Danchenko on trial. He was indicted on charges of lying to FBI agents who interviewed him about the sources behind his claims to former British spy Christopher Steele. Defense attorneys argue Danchenko made a series of “equivocal” statements to the FBI and should not be penalized for giving wishy-washy answers to vaguely worded questions.

Top House Staffers Are Still Overwhelmingly White, Study Finds
Roll Call – Jim Saska | Published: 10/6/2022

The senior aides who hold the most sway with members of Congress have grown more diverse in recent years, but still not nearly as diverse as the nation. A new study by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies finds people of color now occupy 18 percent of the top staff positions in the House, a four-point increase since 2018, but still much lower than the 40 percent of Americans who are not white. People of color have more representation among the actual representatives than their closest aides, the report finds.

Trump Worker Told FBI About Moving Mar-a-Lago Boxes on Ex-President’s Orders
MSN – Devlin Barrett and Josh Dawsey (Washington Post) | Published: 10/12/2022

A Trump employee told federal agents about moving boxes of documents at Mar-a-Lago at the specific direction of the former president, according to people familiar with the investigation, who say the witness account, combined with security-camera footage, offers key evidence of Donald Trump’s behavior as investigators sought the return of classified material. The witness description and footage offer the most direct account to date of Trump’s actions and instructions leading up to the FBI’s search, in which agents were looking for evidence of potential crimes including obstruction, destruction of government records, or mishandling classified information.

Why Little-Noticed State Legislative Races Could Be Hugely Consequential
Yahoo News – Nick Corasaniti (New York Times) | Published: 10/10/2022

With Congress often deadlocked and conservatives dominating the U.S. Supreme Court, state governments increasingly steer the direction of voting laws, abortion access, education, and other issues dominating the lives of Americans. The Supreme Court could soon add federal elections to that list. The justices are expected to decide whether to grant nearly unfettered authority over such elections to state Legislatures. If the court does so, many Democrats believe, lawmakers could have a pathway to overrule the popular vote in presidential elections by refusing to certify the results and instead sending their own slates of electors.

From the States and Municipalities

Alaska – APOC Says Dunleavy Backers Won’t Respond to Investigation Without Subpoena
Alaska Public Media – Lisa Phu (Alaska Beacon) | Published: 10/11/2022

In an investigation into alleged violations of campaign finance laws, an independent expenditure group supporting Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s reelection has refused to respond to requests for information. A complaint says the Republican Governors Association and Dunleavy are “engaged in a scheme” to subsidize and coordinate the campaign activities of the independent expenditure group A Stronger Alaska with those of Dunleavy’s official campaign committee. Coordination between a candidate or a candidate’s representatives and an independent expenditure group is prohibited.

California – Grand Jury Accuses Santa Clara City Council Members of Putting 49ers Ahead of City
MSN – Marisa Kendall (San Jose Mercury News) | Published: 10/7/2022

A grand jury report accuses several Santa Clara City Council members of getting too cozy with the San Francisco 49ers, neglecting their duties to constituents, and potentially violating state law. The report raises a series of concerns about the conduct of five council members who frequently vote in favor of the NFL team’s interests. Frequent closed-door meetings between 49ers lobbyists and those council members raised a “serious question” about whether they are violating state open-meeting laws, according to the report. The report also takes issue with some of the council members’ personal use of the stadium, among other issues.

California – Jose Huizar’s Brother to Testify in Federal Corruption Trial of Former L.A. Councilman After Pleading Guilty
Yahoo News – Nathan Solis (Los Angeles Times) | Published: 10/12/2022

The older brother of Jose Huizar admitted to lying to FBI agents about receiving envelopes of cash from Huizar and will cooperate with the federal government’s corruption investigation of the former Los Angeles City Council member. Jose Huizar gave his older brother, Salvador, envelopes of cash and asked him to write a check for the exact amount out of his own bank account, federal investigators said. Salvador Huizar admitting to repeatedly lying about the cash, including while under oath before a grand jury and as recently as two weeks ago when he was interviewed again by FBI agents.

California – Nury Martinez Resigns from L.A. City Council in Wake of Audio Leak Scandal
Yahoo News – David Zahniser, Julia Wick, Dakota Smith, and Benjamin Oreskes (Los Angeles Times) | Published: 10/12/2022

Nury Martinez, the Los Angeles City Council member at the center of the scandal over a taped conversation in which she made racist comments about colleagues and constituents, has resigned. The Los Angeles Times published a recording in which Martinez is heard making the remarks while talking with fellow council members Kevin de León and Gil Cedillo and labor leader Ron Herrera about how the city’s council district boundaries should be redrawn. The October 2021 conversation focused on how the group could maintain Latino political power while ensuring they and their colleagues would have districts that help them win reelection.

California – San Francisco Election Watchdog Boss Set to Resign
San Francisco Standard – Alex Mullany | Published: 10/12/2022

LeeAnn Pelham, executive director of the San Francisco Ethics Commission since January 2016, will resign on January 23, 2023. Over the years, the commission has been slow to handle complaints and been criticized for using the city attorney’s office as counsel rather than having its own independent attorneys. Yet, Pelham was able to hire more staff and modernize many of the commission’s systems. “I would say that LeeAnn Pelham substantially increased the reach of the commission in terms of accomplishing its mission,” commission member Larry Bush said.

Colorado – Adams County Must Pay Legal Fees of the Treasurer It Sued, Colorado Supreme Court Orders
MSN – John Aguilar (Denver Post) | Published: 10/10/2022

The Colorado Supreme Court ordered Adams County to pay the legal expenses of its elected treasurer, who it sued over allegations she mismanaged her office. The state’s high court called Adams County’s failure to cover Lisa Culpepper’s costs of defending herself against the county’s lawsuit an “abuse of discretion.” Culpepper would normally be represented by the county attorney’s office in legal matters. But because that same office was representing the county commissioners suing her meant Culpepper had to obtain outside counsel.

Colorado – Political Group Agrees to Pay Fine Over Primary Voter Guide That Failed to Disclose Information
Colorado Springs Gazette – Marianne Goodland (Colorado Politics) | Published: 10/11/2022

ProgressNow Colorado agreed to pay a fine of $16,277 for a primary “voter guide” that failed to fully disclose required information. It was the third complaint over ProgressNow’s voter guides in the past 18 months and the second that the organization has settled with the Elections Division. The first complaint, in 2021, resulted in a $3,000 fine.

Florida – DeSantis Broke Florida Precedent and Maybe the Law, Too, in Making Congressional Map
Yahoo News – Joshua Kaplan (ProPublica) | Published: 10/11/2022

An examination of how Florida’s congressional districts were drawn, and who helped decide the new boundaries, show Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration appears to have misled the public and the Legislature and may also have violated state law. Gubernatorial aides worked behind the scenes with an attorney who serves as the national Republican Party’s top redistricting lawyer and other consultants tied to the national party apparatus. The Florida Constitution was amended in 2010 to prohibit partisan-driven redistricting, a landmark effort in the growing movement to end gerrymandering.

Florida – Ethics Panel Finds ‘Probable Cause’ That Miami Commissioner Abused Power with City Car
MSN – Joey Fletchas (Miami Herald) | Published: 10/12/2022

The Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust agreed to charge Miami City Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla with violating county ethics law and exploiting his official position after a friend who did not work for the city used a city car to pick up alcohol for the commissioner, drop off his dry cleaning, and drive him to a property his family owns. The friend, Jenny Nillo, worked for the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency, and should not have had access to the car, according to city policy.

Georgia – Common Cause Georgia Sues FEC Over Dismissed Complaint That Conservative Nonprofit Broke Finance Rules
Georgia Recorder – Stanley Dunlap | Published: 10/11/2022

Common Cause Georgia is suing the FEC for dismissing a complaint alleging conservative election-monitoring organization True the Vote illegally contributed to the Georgia Republican Party during the January 2021 runoffs for two U.S. Senate seats. The lawsuit accuses three Republican commissioners of failing to enforce federal campaign finance law when they went against the agency’s general counsel’s recommendation to open an investigation into the relationship between the Texas-based nonprofit and the Georgia GOP.

Georgia – GOP Crisis in Herschel Walker Race Was Nearly Two Years in the Making
MSN – Isaac Arnsdorf, Ashley Parker, Michael Scherer, and Josh Dawsey (Washington Post) | Published: 10/6/2022

In early 2021, as football star Herschel Walker considered running for the U.S. Senate, he approached some of Georgia’s top Republican operatives about advising his campaign. The operatives were warned about political vulnerabilities in Walker’s past that were openly discussed in the state’s political circles. Walker’s overwhelming name recognition and backing from former President Trump made him so formidable that state and national Republican leaders did not mount a serious challenge in the primary. Now, they are stuck with him as those liabilities threaten to dominate the news and derail his campaign.

Illinois – City Council Debate Over Private Booting Shines Light on Ways Clout and Campaign Cash Work in Chicago
WTTW – Heather Cherone | Published: 10/10/2022

Faced with a surge of criticism at City Hall, Innovative Parking Solutions owner Michael Denigris did what Chicago business owners have done for decades – he hired an influential lobbyist and poured tens of thousands of dollars into lawmakers’ campaign accounts. But it is not clear whether that expensive and time-consuming effort, which illuminates how wealthy interests get their issues in front of the city council, will pay off for Denigris and his firm.

Iowa – Iowa Board Requires ‘Paid for By’ Statements on Some Political Texts
Bleeding Heartland – Laura Bellin | Published: 9/28/2022

The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board said some political text messages are subject to the state law requiring disclosure of who is responsible for express campaign advocacy. Board Executive Director Zach Goodrich drafted the advisory to clarify when text messages can be considered “electronic general public political advertising.” He decided to address the issue after a mass texting campaign from an undisclosed source reached Kansas voters shortly before a constitutional referendum in August.

Maryland – Allegations Against Vice Chair Deepen Montgomery Planning Board Controversy
MSN – Daniel Wu (Washington Post) | Published: 10/11/2022

An investigation into Montgomery County Planning Board Chairperson Casey Anderson’s conduct has expanded to include the actions of Vice Chair Partap Verma and the abrupt firing of Planning Department Director Gwen Wright. A complaint sent to the county council levied new accusations against Verma, who already had been publicly reprimanded alongside Casey and fellow board member Carol Rubin, deepening concerns about the planning agency’s governance and rattling employees as a council vote looms on a long-term growth plan.

Missouri – St. Louis County Ethics Committee Stonewalled on Marijuana Questions
St. Louis Post-Dispatch – Joe Holleman | Published: 10/10/2022

The majority of the main players involved in a conflict-of-interest probe of St. Louis County Councilperson Lisa Clancy continue to give the silent treatment to the council’s ethics committee. Of five people involved in 2019 with Clancy and the county’s zoning laws for medical marijuana industry, all of whom refused to attend a committee meeting on September 6, only one has responded to written questions the committee sent out recently. The committee asked for a response by October 5.

Montana – GOP House Candidate Paid Vendors with Bad Checks and Misreported Debts
Montana Free Press – Arren Kimbel-Sannit | Published: 10/7/2022

Montana Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan found a state House candidate tried to pay vendors with bad checks and misreported accrued debts as expenditures, referring the matter to the Lewis and Clark County attorney for possible prosecution. Alden Tonkay misreported a minimum of $2,264 in debts, Mangan found. Those debts stemmed from non-payment to sign-making and catering companies. Tonkay repeatedly said he would send a response to the complaint as well as a full accounting of his campaign finances, but never delivered, according to Mangan’s decision.

Montana – How Montana’s New Election Laws Failed Legal Muster
Montana Free Press – Alex Sakariassen | Published: 10/6/2022

Three new laws that changed how Montanans can vote and access the polls were declared unconstitutional. People will once again be able to register to vote on Election Day, use student IDs and voter registration cards as primary identification at the polls, and accept payment for collecting ballots on behalf of voters unable to return them themselves. A spokesperson was noncommittal on whether Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen would appeal the decision to the Montana Supreme Court.

Nevada – How a Las Vegas Newsroom Set Out to Solve a Colleague’s Killing
MSN – Sarah Ellison (Washington Post) | Published: 10/6/2022

Executive Editor Glenn Cook sent an email to staff members at The Las Vegas Journal-Review on September 3, informing them that their colleague, Jeff German, had been found dead outside his home. Over four days of relentless reporting, Review-Journal staff would essentially solve the case, delving into German’s old stories and doing their own on-the-ground detective work to identify a surprising suspect, who is now behind bars, facing murder charges.

New Hampshire – In Time of Distrust, How One State Is Trying to Boost Voter Confidence
MSN – Joanna Slater (Washington Post) | Published: 10/10/2022

Since May, the New Hampshire Special Committee on Voter Confidence has traveled the length of the state holding public hearings that are part civics roadshow, part airing of grievances. They have come together for an unusual experiment aimed at bolstering faith in American democracy. The committee’s stated goal is to identify the causes of the decline in voter confidence and recommend ways to reverse it. Left unstated is the unprecedented nature of the current moment, where former President Trump and Republican candidates continue to deny the outcome of the 2020 election.

New Mexico – Vote to Amend Legislature’s Internal Investigative Procedure Fails
Santa Fe New Mexican – Robert Knott | Published: 10/11/2022

A body of lawmakers charged with administering legislative policies and procedures in the New Mexico Legislature deadlocked on a proposal to add a fifth and tiebreaking member to a pair of interim ethics committees, in effect killing the proposal and leaving the Legislature’s embattled internal investigation process unchanged. Calls for reform to the harassment policies and investigation of complaints have grown louder in the wake of accusations by lobbyist Marianna Anaya and others against Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto.

New York – Hochul Raises Massive Sum in Final State Election Before New Campaign Finance System Kick In
Gothamist – Ethan Geringer-Sameth | Published: 10/12/2022

Since Kathy Hochul became governor of New York in August 2021, 47 people have given the maximum amount, $69,700, directly to her campaign. In total, Hochul’s campaign has brought in $46 million in her first 14 months in office. That massive sum will not be as easy to accumulate in future elections thanks to a new state campaign finance system that will lower individual contribution limits and establish a small-dollar public matching program for state-level offices. The new system goes into effect immediately after Election Day this year for the next election cycles and will apply to statewide offices.

New York – New State Ethics Watchdog Agrees to Chew on Old Cases
Albany Times Union – Chris Bragg | Published: 10/6/2022

New York’s ethics and lobbying commission is rolling over all pending investigations inherited from its predecessor, a move that increases the odds those inquiries will reach conclusions. As of September 23, the new ethics body had 32 “open investigations” in motion, including that of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, had been scheduled to face a hearing over whether he violated the law by using state employees to assist in the production of his lucrative memoir of the Covid-19 pandemic.

New York – New York Lobbyists Hold Sway in Spite of Shake-Ups, Scandals
Poli-Ticks – Rebekah Ward (Albany Times Union) | Published: 10/7/2022

Lobbyists in New York often are key in passing or defeating legislation. Many are veteran lawmakers themselves or had prior jobs, including as agency leaders or legal counsel for top elected officials, that provide them connections and insight into the government’s inner workings, which enable them to shape political outcomes for their clients. They are a constant presence in Albany, customizing pitches to assuage the differing concerns of key officials, strategically framing stories to steer media attention, and using the hectic legislative calendar to their advantage.

Ohio – Ohio Is About to Hold Elections for Unconstitutional Congressional and Legislative Districts. Here’s How It Happened
MSN – Jeremy Pelzer (Cleveland Plain Dealer) | Published: 10/9/2022

Ohio’s congressional and state legislative districts have twice been ruled unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court, but one of those maps will be in place for the November elections. It is the result of a previously untested state redistricting process, a months-long fight between Republican leaders and the Ohio Supreme Court, and a federal court finally intervening and picking one of the redistricting plans to use just for the 2022 election. So, despite voters approving two state constitutional amendments to end gerrymandering, the congressional and legislative lines have again been drawn in a way that gives Republicans a clear advantage.

Ohio – Steve Dackin, One-Time Ohio Schools Superintendent, Signs Settlement Agreement for Ethics Violations, Avoids Criminal Prosecution
MSN – Laura Hancock (Cleveland Plain Dealer) | Published: 10/7/2022

Steve Dackin, who spent 11 days as the state superintendent of public instruction before resigning amid an ethics investigation, signed a settlement with the Ohio Ethics Commission. The commission will not refer its investigation to any public prosecutor. Dackin will be required to attend three hours of ethics training and agreed to not apply for the state superintendent job again until February 26, 2023. Dackin had access to the applications for the job as the committee conducted its search. Days before the application period ended, Dackin resigned from the Ohio State Board of Education and submitted his own application for the job.

Tennessee – Kelsey Co-Defendant Smith to Plead Guilty in Federal Campaign Finance Case
Tennessee Lookout – Sam Stockard | Published: 10/11/2022

The co-defendant in a federal campaign finance case against Tennessee Sen. Brian Kelsey is set to plead guilty to one charge of funneling “soft money” to the senator’s congressional campaign six years ago. Federal prosecutors claim Kelsey and Josh Smith, the owner of The Standard Club in Nashville, conspired with others to illegally shift a total of more than $80,000 from his state account to buy ads that supported his federal race. Prosecutors say Kelsey gave Smith a check for more than $106,000 in July 2016 during a gathering at The Standard to be transferred from his campaign account to the restaurant’s PAC.

Washington – Judge: Facebook intentionally violated WA campaign finance law 822 times
Seattle Times – David Gutman | Published: 10/6/2022

A judge ruled Facebook’s parent company Meta intentionally violated Washington’s campaign finance law 822 times, which may subject the company to millions of dollars in fines. The law requires advertisers to make information about political ads run in Washington that appear on their platforms available for public inspection. The judge said the violations were intentional because of the company’s history of failure to comply with the law, its extensive experience with campaign finance law, and its “lack of good faith and failure to acknowledge and take responsibility for its violations.”

October 13, 2022 • Written by Jim Sedor

Thursday’s LobbyComply News Roundup

Campaign Finance Alaska: “APOC Says Dunleavy Backers Won’t Respond to Investigation Without Subpoena” by Lisa Phu (Alaska Beacon) for Alaska Public Media Colorado: “Political Group Agrees to Pay Fine Over Primary Voter Guide That Failed to Disclose Information” by Marianne […]

October 12, 2022 • Written by Allyson Smith

Meet our Expert – Gamble Hayden

Meet Gamble Hayden, Coordinator, Federal Compliance Services! What are your areas of expertise? I am a member of the Compliance Team focusing primarily on issues related to Federal lobbying such as registration and reporting. I am also the coordinator of […]

October 12, 2022 • Written by Jim Sedor

Wednesday’s LobbyComply News Roundup

Campaign Finance National: “How Trump’s Legal Expenses Consumed GOP Donor Money” by Isaac Arnsdorf and Josh Dawsey (Washington Post) for MSN Tennessee: “Kelsey Co-Defendant Smith to Plead Guilty in Federal Campaign Finance Case” by Sam Stockard for Tennessee Lookout Elections […]

October 11, 2022 • Written by Jim Sedor

Tuesday’s LobbyComply News Roundup

Campaign Finance Montana: “GOP House Candidate Paid Vendors with Bad Checks and Misreported Debts” by Arren Kimbel-Sannit for Montana Free Press Elections National: “Why Little-Noticed State Legislative Races Could Be Hugely Consequential” by Nick Corasaniti (New York Times) for Yahoo […]

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News You Can Use Digest – October 14, 2022

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Meet our Expert – Gamble Hayden

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