Elections

Arizona: “Arizona Escalates Probe into Alleged Efforts to Swing Election for Trump” by Yvonne Wingett Sanchez (Washington Post) for MSN

National: “Door-Knocker Complaints Show Risks of DeSantis Super PAC Strategy” by Michael Scherer and Josh Dawsey (Washington Post) for MSN

Ethics

Illinois: “Chicago Watchdog Says Ald. Jim Gardiner, Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot Violated City Ethics Code” by Alice Yin and Gregory Royal Pratt (Chicago Tribune) for MSN

New York: “During First Year, State Ethics Watchdog Launched Few Inquiries” by Chris Bragg for Buffalo News

Oklahoma: “Oklahoma Watchdog Agency’s Executive Director to Leave by End of Year” by Nolan Clay (Oklahoman) for MSN

Oregon: “Oregon Ethics Panel Dismisses Case Against Former Port Director Over Amazon Data Center Tax Breaks” by Mike Rogoway (Portland Oregonian) for MSN

Legislative Issues

National: “GOP Lawmaker Says He ‘Misspoke’ in Referring to ‘Colored People’ on House Floor” by Amy Wang (Washington Post) for MSN

Redistricting

New York: “Appeals Court Orders New Congressional Lines in New York, a Potential Boon for Democrats” by Michael Hill (Associated Press) for MSN

National/Federal

Trump Aide Walt Nauta Pleads Not Guilty in Classified Documents Case

MSN – Shayna Jacobs and Devlin Barrett (Washington Post) | Published: 7/6/2023

Donald Trump’s personal aide, Walt Nauta, pleaded not guilty to charges he schemed with the former president to hide classified documents from authorities at Mar-a-Lago, moving boxes containing top-secret government materials for Trump. Nauta was indicted along with Trump on five criminal charges, including conspiracy to obstruct justice. Nauta was also charged with lying to the FBI.

How Supreme Court Decisions Are Activating a Generation of Young Voters

MSN – Tamia Fowlkes (Washington Post) | Published: 7/9/2023

For many voters under 35 years of age, especially those on the left, the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent rulings have become a political issue in the same way that climate change, gun violence, and immigration have over the course of the past two decades, some political scientists and organizers have said. Democrats and liberals have viewed the court as an institution that historically protects the rights of marginalized groups. But Republican politicians and activists on the right have remade the court: Former President Trump, backed by a GOP Senate, appointed three justices to create a conservative majority.

Buddy Cianci is in the Political Corruption Hall of Shame – Literally

MSN – Edward Fitzpatrick (Boston Globe) | Published: 7/11/2023

He did not make the cut when the Museum of Political Corruption inducted the first five members of its Hall of Shame in 2021, a group that includes former President Richard Nixon and William “Boss: Tweed. But former Providence Mayor Vincent Cianci Jr. did make the second group of inductees in 2022, along with former Vice President Spiro Agnew and former New York City Mayor Jimmy Walker.

DOJ Will No Longer Intervene on Behalf of Trump in Carroll Defamation Suit

MSN – Rachel Weiner (Washington Post) | Published: 7/11/2023

The Justice Department will no longer seek to make the U.S. government the defendants in a lawsuit filed against Donald Trump by a writer who says the former president raped her several decades ago. The decision comes after three years in which the department, under both Republican and Democratic leadership, argued Trump was acting within his presidential duties when he denied sexually assaulting columnist E. Jean Carroll. That determination made Trump, like other federal employees acting in their official capacity, totally immune from any liability.

The Californians Whose Scam PACs Tricked Trump and Clinton Supporters Out of Millions

MSN – Laura Nelson (Los Angeles Times) | Published: 7/9/2023

The FBI, along with consumer groups, have been warning for years of the rise of fraudulent PACs amid surging political spending by independent groups hoping to influence the electoral process. With the 2024 election approaching, including what is expected to be a highly charged presidential election, the climate is primed for another bumper crop of swindlers. Court decisions over the last decade that loosened restrictions on fundraising and led to a surge in independent expenditures in elections have also made it easier for scammers to blend in among the legitimate committees.

Fox News Sued for Defamation by Man Named in Jan. 6 Conspiracy Theories

MSN – Jeremy Barr and Will Sommer (Washington Post) | Published: 7/12/2023

Fox News, which recently settled two separate high-profile legal challenges for approximately $800 million, is now facing a lawsuit from a man who said the network presented him as a “scapegoat” for the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Ray Epps attended the pro-Trump rallies in Washington in January 2021 but was not among the people found to have breached the Capitol building and has not been charged for his conduct. In subsequent weeks, then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson highlighted a video clip of Epps outside the Capitol to suggest Epps might have been a government informant, a notion Epps and the FBI have strongly denied.

Inside the GOP Presidential Candidate Gift Card Ploy Turning Campaign Finance Upside Down

MSN – Roger Sollenberger (Daily Beast) | Published: 7/13/2023

The Republican National Committee requires at least 40,000 individual donors as one of its criteria for allowing a candidate on the stage for the first presidential debate in August. North Dakota Dov. Doug Burgum, one of the announced candidates is far from the household name who could gather all those donors. His solution is to give 50,000 campaign donors $20 all-purpose gift cards in exchange for a one-dollar contribution. The strategy could create its own set of problems, according to campaign finance experts who say it may not be legal.

Group Pushing [FEC] on Deepfake Ads Submitting New Petition

MSN – Daniela Altimari (Roll Call) | Published: 7/13/2023

Less than three weeks after the FEC deadlocked on a request to develop regulations governing so-called deepfake political ads generated using artificial intelligence tools, a non-partisan advocacy group pushing for the new rules is trying again. Public Citizen filed a petition to the FEC seeking regulations regarding deliberately misleading campaign communications generated through artificial intelligence.

Where Clarence Thomas Entered an Elite Circle and Opened a Door to the Court

Seattle Times – Abbie VanSickle and Steve Eder (New York Times) | Published: 7/9/2023

After Clarence Thomas joined the U.S. Supreme Court, he was soon accepted by another exclusive club: the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. At Horatio Alger, Thomas moved into the inner circle, a cluster of wealthy, largely conservative members who lionized him and all he had achieved. During his Horatio Alger tenure, interviews and documents show Thomas has received benefits from a broad cohort of powerful friends. They include major donors to conservative causes with broad policy and political interests and much at stake in Supreme Court decisions, even if they were not directly involved in the cases.

Vivek Ramaswamy Is Paying Supporters to Find Him Donors

Yahoo News – Natalie Adams (Politico) | Published: 7/10/2023

It now pays to be a supporter of Vivek Ramaswamy’s presidential bid, at least for those who can convince their friends to click a link and donate. The Republican is launching the “Vivek Kitchen Cabinet,” a scheme that promises to pay participants 10 percent of any money they raise for his campaign. The campaign continues to employ three traditional fundraising professionals to generate donations, and the new program will mostly generate new small-dollar gifts.

GOP States Quit the Program That Fights Voter Fraud. Now They’re Scrambling.

Yahoo News – Zach Montellaro (Politico) | Published: 7/9/2023

Over the past year, eight Republican-led states quit a nonpartisan program designed to keep voter rolls accurate and up to date. Top GOP election officials in those states publicly argued the program was mismanaged. But experts say the Electronic Registration Information Center was among the best nationwide tool states had to catch people trying to vote twice in the same election. Now, those Republican-led states who left, and other states who lost access to their data, are scrambling to police so-called double voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Social Media Injunction Unravels Plans to Protect 2024 Elections

Yahoo News – Cat Zakrzewski, Naomi Nix, and Joseph Menn (Washington Post) | Published: 7/8/2023

An injunction that places extraordinary limits on the government’s communications with technology companies undermines initiatives to harden social media firms against election interference, civil rights groups, academics, and tech industry insiders say. After companies and the federal government spent years expanding efforts to combat online falsehoods in the wake of the 2016 election, the ruling is the latest sign of the pendulum swinging in the other direction.  Tech companies are facing new election threats as leaps in artificial intelligence give bad actors new tools to create fake videos, photos, and ads.

US Says Missing GOP Whistleblower Is Arms Trafficker, Chinese Agent

Yahoo News – Josh Meyer (USA Today) | Published: 7/10/2023

The Justice Department filed charges against the co-director of a think tank, alleging he acted as an illegal arms broker and unregistered agent for the Beijing government while also seeking to help China obtain Iranian oil in violation of U.S. sanctions. Gal Luft is accused of recruiting and paying a former high-ranking U.S. government official and advisor to then President-elect Trump on behalf of principals based in China without registering as a foreign agent. Luft has accused President Biden’s family members of bribery and received payments from individuals with ties to Chinese military intelligence or energy firms.

Another Trump Legacy: Governor troll wars

Yahoo News – Lisa Kashinsky and Shia Kapos (Politico) | Published: 7/12/2023

Donald Trump changed the playbook when he ushered in both a new era of hyper-partisan politics and vicious personal put-downs. Governors deprived of foils in states with one-party rule are increasingly turning to trolling their ideological opposites in faraway places. As culture wars rage, it can help state executives shore up their home bases and amplify their agendas to a new, national audience. The brief spotlight each high-profile gambit brings is key for eager governors positioning for higher office.

From the States and Municipalities

Alaska – Alaska Ballot Measure Filed to Set Term Limits for State Legislators

Yahoo News – Sean Maguire (Anchorage Daily News) | Published: 7/2/2023

A newly filed ballot measure would set term limits for Alaka lawmakers. Legislators would be restricted to serving a maximum of 12 years consecutively in the state House or Senate, and they then would be required to take a six-year break before serving again. They would also be limited to serving for a lifetime maximum of 20 years as members of the Legislature.

Arizona – Arizona’s ‘Radically Different’ and Hyper-Partisan Legislature

Arizona Mirror – Jerod MacDonald-Evoy | Published: 7/11/2023

The Arizona Legislature has been in session for 184 days with no end in sight. Many Capitol regulars say this session has been more tense, more partisan, and contentious than previous sessions. From a practical standpoint, the shift has transformed how work gets done at the Capitol – or does not get done. Some legislative veterans say they have seen this change coming for years.

California – What Happened to the Big Changes to California Elections?

CalMatters – Sameea Kamal | Published: 7/12/2023

The number of election-related bills introduced in California this legislative session, close to 50, is average, election officials said. But that number has been whittled down since January, and a deadline may narrow the active proposals more. The most sweeping bills got shelved in the Legislature. Instead, lawmakers are focusing on ballot measure language, local redistricting, voting integrity, and campaign finance tweaks before the 2024 election.

California – Ex-San Francisco Utilities Chief Painted as Cunning Manipulator in Corruption Trial

Courthouse News Service – Michael Gennaro | Published: 7/12/2023

In closing arguments, federal prosecutors painted former San Francisco Public Utilities Commission chief Harlan Kelly as a conniving businessperson who misused his authority and connections to rig the bidding process for city contracts. His defense argued Kelly was simply naïve. Kelly stands accused of two separate schemes – collaborating with businessperson Walter Wong to get Wong a city contract to install streetlights, and defrauding Quicken Loans of $1.3 million by lying on a loan application to remodel his home.

California – California Bill That Would Make Google, Meta, Twitter and Apple Pay for News Won’t Move Forward This Year

KCRA – Ashley Zavala | Published: 7/7/2023

A bill in California that would require large tech companies including Google and Facebook to pay news outlets a fee for posting their content has been shelved for the year. The California Journalism Preservation Act is primarily meant to help generate funds for newsrooms across the state. The bill’s author, Assemblyperson Buffy Wicks, said the decision to hold off on moving the measure forward this year was meant to give lawmakers more time to work on what would be a first in the nation law.

California – Ousted Skid Row Receiver Hosted Fundraiser for L.A. City Attorney’s Campaign

MSN – Liam Dillon and Doug Smith (Los Angeles Times) | Published: 7/11/2023

At a March press conference, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto announced they found the best person to prevent 1,500 formerly homeless Skid Row tenants from losing their homes once again. The tenants’ nonprofit landlord, Skid Row Housing Trust, had financially collapsed. The pair petitioned a judge to put the trust’s 29 buildings under a receivership led by Mark Adams. Feldstein Soto did not mention that Adams had hosted a fundraiser for her in October, with Adams and his associates contributing at least $8,500 to her election bid.

Colorado – Here’s How Much Lobbyists Spent to Sway Lawmakers During the 2023 Session

MSN – Nick Coltrain (Denver Post) | Published: 7/10/2023

At least $20 million was spent on lobbying during this past legislative session in Colorado, not counting money spent in the lead-up to the General Assembly’s January start date or spending unreported in a state database. It represents a snapshot of how industry and interest groups try to sway lawmakers into supporting, altering, or defeating some of the hundreds of measures considered by lawmakers every year. The secretary of state’s office, which manages the record-keeping for lobbing disclosures, said it found some reporting issues it is seeking to correct.

District of Columbia – Disciplinary Panel Calls for Rudy Giuliani’s Disbarment

Yahoo News – Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein (Politico) | Published: 7/7/2023

A District of Columbia-based bar discipline committee concluded Rudy Giuliani should be disbarred for “frivolous” and “destructive” efforts to derail the 2020 presidential election in support of former President Trump. Giuliani plans to challenge the panel’s findings and recommended sanction in front of a larger bar-discipline board. His ultimate disbarment or other penalty would be decided by the Court of Appeals.

Florida – A Supporter’s Plane Flew from Florida to N.H. DeSantis Won’t Say If He Was on It

MSN – Sally Goldenberg and Gary Fineout (Politico) | Published: 7/7/2023

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flew to New Hampshire for a campaign swing that coincided nearly exactly with the path of a private plane connected to a wealthy supporter. Daniel Doyle Jr. owns a plane whose flight path lines up with DeSantis’ July 4 trip to the Granite State. Neither DeSantis’ presidential campaign nor representatives for Doyle would say if the governor was aboard. It is a recurring pattern where DeSantis and the organizations assisting him remain quiet about who is bankrolling his travels and his frequent use of private charter jets.

Florida – Long-Running Ethics Case Against Former Florida Legislator Latvala Nears Dismissal

Yahoo News – Dara Kam (Miami Herald) | Published: 7/11/2023

A state lawyer filed a motion asking the Florida Commission on Ethics to dismiss a complaint against former state Sen. Jack Latvala, more than five years after he resigned from office amid sexual-harassment allegations. The request came after two women critical to the case refused to participate. Latvala left office in 2017 after the release of a special master’s report about allegations he had sexually harassed Rachel Perrin Rogers, a former high-ranking Senate aide. He denied wrongdoing with the aide but admitted he had an extramarital affair with former lobbyist Laura McLeod.

Florida – Billionaire Treated Mayor Suarez to $30K Grand Prix Weekend. Miami Says He’s Paying It Back

Yahoo News – Sarah Blaskey, Tess Riski, and Joey Flechas (Miami Herald) | Published: 7/13/2023

Mayor Francis Suarez watched the Miami Grand Prix from a viewing party as the personal guest of Florida’s wealthiest person, Citadel Chief Executive Officer Ken Griffin. Citadel has lobbyists registered in the city as the company pursues various development projects. Florida ethics laws prohibit elected officials from taking expensive gifts from anyone with business in front of their city. Citadel spokesperson Zia Ahmed said Suarez covered the cost of the events. He refused to say when Suarez paid or how much. Neither Citadel nor the city would provide documentation confirming the payment.

Georgia – New Ethics Ruling Allows Campaign Funds to Pay for Candidates’ Child Care

Georgia Public Broadcasting – Donna Lowry | Published: 7/6/2023

Georgia candidates can now use campaign money they raise for childcare. The funds can also cover care for people who have elderly parents or disabled dependents. In a bipartisan effort, Reps. Stacey Evans and Beth Camp asked the state ethics commission to align Georgia’s campaign regulations with federal rules. In 2018, the FEC ruling expanded to allow elder and dependent care payments.

Georgia – Election Officials Sue Conservative Voting Group Over Refusal to Produce Ballot-Harvesting Evidence

Yahoo News – Kate Brumback (Associated Press) | Published: 7/12/2023

The Georgia State Election Board asked a judge to order a conservative voting organization to produce information to help investigate its claims of ballot trafficking in the state. True the Vote filed complaints with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in November 2021, including one saying it had received “a detailed account of coordinated efforts to collect and deposit ballots in drop boxes across metro Atlanta” during the 2020 general election and in a runoff election in January 2021. True the Vote’s assertions were relied upon heavily for the film “2000 Mules,” a widely debunked film by conservative pundit Dinesh D’Souza.

Illinois – Court Ends Oversight of Hiring in Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough’s Office, Closing Historic Anti-Patronage Case

MSN – Ray Long and A.D. Quig (Chicago Tribune) | Published: 7/6/2023

In a historic decision, a federal judge ended the half-century-old anti-patronage case launched to fight the stubborn and unfair use of politics to decide most hiring, firing, and promotion in state and local government in Illinois. The judge granted the request of Democratic Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough to eliminate federal oversight of her office even though she had been criticized for politicizing hiring. The clerk’s office is the last of multiple public offices to be relieved of the supervision in the long-running case.

Illinois – ‘Let Me Put You on with the Boss, OK?’: Feds detail wiretaps involving former Michael Madigan chief of staff

MSN – Jason Meisner and Ray Long (Chicago Tribune) | Published: 7/10/2023

For the first time, federal prosecutors detailed wiretaps capturing Tim Mapes, the indicted former chief of staff to ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, discussing issues central to the scandal that rocked state government – from how to handle a burgeoning sexual harassment scandal to Mapes’ ouster from the speaker’s team and his encounter with the FBI. The filing comes as prosecutors are seeking to play many of the recordings at Mapes’ trial on charges he lied to a grand jury investigating Madigan and his relationship with confidant Michael McClain.

Iowa – Iowa Republicans Will Hold 2024 Caucuses on January 15

CNN – Ethan Cohen | Published: 7/8/2023

Iowa Republicans voted to hold their first-in-the-nation caucuses on January 15 next year, setting up the earliest start of the presidential nominating process since 2012. While there are still several moving parts, the schedule for next year’s early 2024 Republican nominating contests before Super Tuesday on March 5 is coming into focus.

Louisiana – How One Baton Rouge Lobbyist Is Harnessing AI

Baton Rouge Business Report – Holly Duchmann | Published: 7/7/2023

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing how business owners and workers do their job as different industries experiment to see how the technology can be applied to their fields. Louisiana lobbyist Mary-Patricia Wray says AI tools like ChatGPT allow her to get more work done than in years past. Wray, founder of Top Drawer Strategies, has been testing ways to use AI at her firm. “Old school lobbying is dying,” Wray said. “… A donation is not going to convince a savvy, young legislator to go home and tell their constituents why they voted a certain way.”

Massachusetts – Massachusetts Ethics Commission: Former Methuen police chief violated conflict of interest

MSN – Lance Reynolds (Boston Herald) | Published: 7/6/2023

State ethics officials are continuing to press the former Methuen police chief who resigned in 2021 after a scathing investigative report questioned his handling of contracts that would have sent ranking officers’ pay soaring. The Massachusetts Ethics Commission issued an order to show cause alleging Joseph Solomon violated the conflict-of-interest law by changing a draft collective bargaining agreement to increase his salary and providing unwarranted benefits to five intermittent officers.

New Mexico – County Ethics Board Member Resigns Over Opposition to Year-Old Code Change

Yahoo Finance – Nicholas Gilmore (Santa Fe New Mexican) | Published: 7/10/2023

Santa Fe County officials contacted ethics board members recently and asked them to serve another term. Board member Michael Rosanbalm responded by resigning and released a scathing letter about an updated ethics ordinance. The changes were a milestone for the board, whose role initially seemed uncertain after it was created in response to what would become a years-long corruption case.

New York – 6 Charged in Alleged Straw Donor Scheme to Help Get Eric Adams Elected New York City Mayor

MSN – Jake Offenhartz and Michael Sisak (Associated Press) | Published: 7/7/2023

Six people were charged in an alleged scheme to divert tens of thousands of dollars in public money to New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ campaign months before his election. The indictment does not implicate Adams or other current city employees in the plot. Rather, it describes a straw donor conspiracy orchestrated by people with business before the city who hoped to maximize their donations in exchange for political favors.

Ohio – Under Appeals Court Order, Federal Judge Sentences John Raphael to 6 Months in Prison

MSN – Bill Bush (Columbus Dispatch) | Published: 7/11/2023

John Raphael will serve six months for his conviction on corruption charges after U.S. District Court Judge Michael Watson resentenced him. Watson originally sentenced Raphael to 18 months house arrest with no prison time for his role in a bribery scheme for a food services contract at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Federal prosecutors appealed Watson’s sentence to the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court, which vacated the sentence and ordered the judge to resentence Raphael.

Ohio – Ohio Speaker Stephens Asks Rep. Bob Young of Green to Resign Amid Domestic Violence Charges

Yahoo News – Doug Livingston (Akron Beacon Journal) | Published: 7/9/2023

Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens is asking state Rep. Bob Young to resign amid multiple criminal charges, including domestic violence, that allegedly occurred at Young’s residence following a GOP fundraiser. In a criminal affidavit, investigators with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office allege Young struck a female relative with an open hand at his house and, at another residence, rammed a male family member who “did sustain cuts from broken glass.”

Texas – Texas Republicans Divide Over Impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton

MSN – Molly Hennessy-Fiske (Washington Post) | Published: 7/7/2023

Divisions rippling through the Texas Republican Party ahead of state Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial on September 5 that political strategists say is likely to further divide its members and spur primary challenges next year. The state GOP’s infighting mimics the party’s national dispute, which has pitted traditional conservatives against Donald Trump allies. Paxton is perhaps the most powerful Trump surrogate in Texas.

Utah – Utah Supreme Court Scrutinizes Process That Sliced State’s Most Democrat-Heavy District into 4

Stamford Advocate – Sam Metz (Associated Press) | Published: 7/11/2023

The Utah Supreme Court heard arguments on whether courts should allow the state’s Republican-majority Legislature to carve up Democratic-leaning Salt Lake County into four congressional districts. The debate asks whether state courts can review whether district maps drawn by elected officials violate the state constitution and is the latest battle over how states draw political maps and follows a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling denying Legislatures absolute power to do so.

Washington – Lynnwood Councilman Tells PDC He Doesn’t Know How to Write Checks to Pay Fines

Lynnwood Times – Mario Lotmore | Published: 7/9/2023

The Washington Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) fined Lynnwood Councilperson Josh Binda $300 for failing to file his Personal Financial Affairs Statement on time. It will be waived if he pays $1,250 in fines from two previous violations. Binda said he did not see any of the nine reminder notices sent to both his personal and city council email accounts. He also said he recently discovered the PDC only accepts payments for fines in check form. “I have never written a check … before …,” Binda told the PDC. “… The whole checking process is fairly new to me …. I usually do electronic [payments].”

Washington – Complaint Pushes for WA AG Ferguson to Reveal Donors of $1.2M in Campaign Transfers

Seattle Times – Jerry Cornfield (Washington State Standard) | Published: 7/10/2023

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is facing further scrutiny over his shifting of $1.2 million in contributions from past campaigns into the account for his 2024 bid for governor. A complaint contends the individual donors of those contributions must be identified and their past donations, originally for Ferguson’s re-election and now considered “surplus” funds, should count toward contribution limits in his campaign for governor. A second complaint continues to be investigated. Both raise the question of whether Ferguson must abide by recent Public Disclosure Commission actions to require greater disclosure of the source of surplus funds.

Campaign Finance

National: “This Republican Candidate Is Offering $20 Gift Cards for $1 Donations” by Anjali Huynh (New York Times) for Seattle Times

Elections

National: “How Supreme Court Decisions Are Activating a Generation of Young Voters” by Tamia Fowlkes (Washington Post) for MSN

Ethics

Illinois: “‘Let Me Put You on with the Boss, OK?’: Feds detail wiretaps involving former Michael Madigan chief of staff” by Jason Meisner and Ray Long (Chicago Tribune) for MSN

New Mexico: “County Ethics Board Member Resigns Over Opposition to Year-Old Code Change” by Nicholas Gilmore (Santa Fe New Mexican) for Yahoo Finance

Ohio: “Under Appeals Court Order, Federal Judge Sentences John Raphael to 6 Months in Prison” by Bill Bush (Columbus Dispatch) for MSN

Legislative Issues

Arizona: “Arizona’s ‘Radically Different’ and Hyper-Partisan Legislature” by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy for Arizona Mirror

Lobbying

National: “US Says Missing GOP Whistleblower Is Arms Trafficker, Chinese Agent” by Josh Meyer (USA Today) for Yahoo News

Redistricting

Utah: “Utah Supreme Court Scrutinizes Process That Sliced State’s Most Democrat-Heavy District into 4” by Sam Metz (Associated Press) for Stamford Advocate

National/Federal

How Judges Navigate Offers of Free Lunch, Trips and NBA Tickets

Bloomberg Law – Zoe Tillman (Bloomberg News) | Published: 6/25/2023

Recent controversies over perks accepted by Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito have raised questions not only about the justices’ conduct off the bench and what they disclose to the public, but also about how the judiciary broadly enforces ethics. Eight current and former federal judges shared their insights into how the judiciary operates as well as their own experiences with ethics issues. Judges said they usually found the rules clear on what to report, what gifts to refuse, and when to step down from a case. But the judges admit there is a gray area as well.

The Attention Was All on Mar-a-Lago. Some of the Action Was at Bedminster

DNyuz – Alan Feuer, Maggie Haberman, and Jonathan Swain (New York Times) | Published: 6/27/2023

For all the attention focused during the investigation into Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents at his private club and residence in Florida, another of Trump’s properties has played a crucial, if quieter, role in the case: his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Bedminster, where Trump spends his summers, has turned out also to have been a focus of investigators and the scene of a central episode in Trump’s indictment: a meeting in which he was recorded showing off what he described as a “highly confidential” plan to attack Iran.

A.I.’s Use in Elections Sets Off a Scramble for Guardrails

DNyuz – Tiffany Hsu and Steven Lee Myers (New York Times) | Published: 6/25/2023

What began a few months ago as a slow drip of fundraising emails and promotional images composed by A.I. for campaigns has turned into a steady stream of materials created by the technology, rewriting the playbook for elections. Political consultants, election researchers, and lawmakers say setting up new guardrails, such as legislation reining in synthetically generated ads, should be a priority. Existing defenses, such as social media rules and services that claim to detect A.I. content, have failed to do much to slow the tide. As the U.S. presidential race starts to heat up, some of the campaigns are already testing the technology.

Senate Panel Finds More Pre-Jan. 6 Intelligence Failures by FBI, DHS

MSN – Devlin Barrett (Washington Post) | Published: 6/27/2023

A new Senate committee report sharply criticizes the FBI and Department of Homeland Security for what it says were failures to believe the intelligence tips they were receiving in the run-up to the attack on the U.S. Capitol, offering fresh examples of warnings and information that went unheeded. The document sheds new light on the many different types of warnings the FBI received from nongovernmental organizations tracking extremism online, from the public, and from its own field offices.

FEC Deadlocks on Whether to Govern Deepfake Campaign Ads

MSN – Daniela Altimari (Roll Call) | Published: 6/22/2023

The FEC deadlocked on a request to develop regulations for AI-generated deepfake political ads, meaning no action will be taken. Public Citizen submitted a petition asking the commission to establish rules, noting advances in artificial intelligence have given political operatives the tools to produce campaign ads with computer-generated fake images that appear real. Such ads could misrepresent a candidate’s political views, a violation of existing federal law.

Audio Undercuts Trump’s Assertion He Did Not Have Classified Document

Seattle Times – Maggie Haberman and Alan Feuer (New York Times) | Published: 6/26/2023

An audio recording of former President Trump in 2021 discussing what he called a “highly confidential” document about Iran he acknowledged he could not declassify because he was out of office appears to contradict his recent assertion the material that he was referring to was simply news clippings. Portions of a transcript of the two-minute recording were cited by federal prosecutors in the indictment of Trump on charges he had put national security secrets at risk by mishandling classified documents after leaving office and then obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them.

Watchdog Alleges Canadian Hedge Fund Gave Illegal Contributions to DeSantis Campaign

Yahoo News – Mary Ellen Klas (Miami Herald) | Published: 6/28/2023

The Campaign Legal Center filed a second complaint against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s campaign, alleging a Canadian hedge fund made more than $167,000 in illegal contributions to his operation. The Federal Election Campaign Act prohibits the contributions to U.S. elections and bans foreign nationals from participating in any decision-making process with regard to making a political donation.

Ethics Committee Expands Investigation into Santos

Yahoo News – Mychael Schnell (The Hill) | Published: 6/23/2023

The House ethics committee expanded its probe into U.S. Rep. George Santos, adding allegations he fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance benefits to the list of investigative areas. Santos is also accused of misleading donors and misrepresenting his finances to the public and government agencies. The indictment accuses Santos of fraudulently receiving more than $24,000 in unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As Legal Fees Mount, Trump Steers Donations into PAC That Has Covered Them

Yahoo News – Shane Goldmacher and Maggie Haberman (New York Times) | Published: 6/24/2023

Facing multiple intensifying investigations, former President Trump has begun diverting more of the money he is raising away from his 2024 presidential campaign and into a PAC he has used to pay his personal legal fees. The change raises fresh questions about how Trump is paying for his mounting legal bills, which could run into millions of dollars, as he prepares for at least two criminal trials, and whether his PAC, Save America, is facing a financial crunch.

The Super PAC Frenzy Redefining Campaign Operations

Yahoo News – Jessica Piper and Sally Goldenberg (Politico) | Published: 6/25/2023

Super PACs have been growing in strength for more than a decade, but this cycle are swimming in more money than ever. The groups are taking new approaches, deploying staffing at campaign events, paying for door-knocking operations, and even sending fundraising texts on candidates’ behalf. Some of the new strategies could test the legal limits on coordination between campaigns and super PACs, though campaign finance experts say the groups so far seem to be complying with how the FEC has interpreted the rules. But the greater on-the-ground presence of super PACs has not gone unnoticed.

Giuliani Sat for Voluntary Interview in Jan. 6 Investigation

Yahoo News – Ben Protess, Alan Feuer, and Maggie Haberman (New York Times) | Published: 6/28/2023

Rudolph Giuliani, who served as former President Trump’s personal lawyer, was interviewed by federal prosecutors investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The voluntary interview, which took place under what is known as a proffer agreement, was a significant development in the election interference investigation led by Jack Smith, the special counsel, and the latest indication that Smith and his team are actively seeking witnesses who might cooperate in the case.

From the States and Municipalities

Canada – Federal Lobbying Hit a Record High Last Fiscal Year, Industry Watchdog Says

CBC – Staff | Published: 6/27/2023

Lobbying hit an all-time high in Ottawa during the last fiscal year, says a new report from the industry’s watchdog. Under the law, lobbyists must report their oral and arranged communications with certain public office holders. Consultant lobbyists must also report any communications relating to the awarding of a federal contract. A new code of conduct for the industry will come into effect on July 1.

Alabama – Former Alabama Ethics Commission Director Says New Law Could Silence Whistleblowers

MSN – Mike Cason (AL.com) | Published: 6/25/2023

The former executive director of the Alabama Ethics Commission said the loss of anonymity protection for people who file ethics complaints will result in fewer whistleblowers reporting what they believe are illegal acts. The bill passed by lawmakers requires the commission to tell a person under investigation who filed the complaint that sparked the probe. Legislators said public officials should know the identity of their accuser in an ethics investigation, just as they would in a criminal or civil trial.

Arizona – Kari Lake Accused of Defamation in Suit Filed by Arizona Election Official

MSN – Yvonne Winget Sanchez and Mariana Alfaro (Washington Post) | Published: 6/22/2023

A key election official in Arizona’s most populous county filed a defamation lawsuit on against Kari Lake, the former television newscaster who narrowly lost her 2022 race for governor and has falsely blamed widespread fraud and malfeasance in the months since. The lawsuit by Stephen Richer, the Maricopa County recorder, marks the most aggressive attempt to hold Lake and her allies accountable for election-related misinformation. It comes amid other efforts to make right-wing figures and media answerable for spreading election fabrications.

California – A Big Contract Went to a San Jose Private School Run by the Mayor’s Wife. Was It Competitive?

MSN – Gabriel Greschler (Bay Area News Group) | Published: 6/27/2023

A city contract worth nearly $1 million was awarded to a San Jose private high school run by Mayor Matt Mahan’s wife, with officials assuring it went through the routine competitive bidding process, though leaders at other schools say they were not aware of the opportunity. City officials insisted they performed the proper outreach to numerous schools so everyone had a fair chance. The private school, they contended, was the only one that applied for the funding for the work-study program at City Hall for high school students.

California – San Francisco’s Ex-Utilities Chief Accused of Shady Business Dealings on First Day of Corruption Trial

San Francisco Standard – Michael Barba | Published: 6/27/2023

To some, Harlan Kelly was a corrupt San Francisco official who exploited his role overseeing one of California’s largest public utilities for personal gain, including a lavish vacation to China. To others, the former head of the city’s Public Utilities Commission was an exemplary public servant whose key mistake was trusting a shady businessperson who sought to corrupt him. Those are the two versions of Kelly that jurors heard as his federal corruption trial began. Which version the jury chooses to believe could hinge on their trust in Walter Wong, the businessperson who is expected to testify against Kelly.

District of Columbia – D.C. Council Majority Calls for 3rd-Party Investigation into Ex-Aide

MSN – Meagan Flynn and Michael Brice-Saddler (Washington Post) | Published: 6/20/2023

A majority of District of Columbia Council members called for a broader, independent investigation into allegations of sexual harassment against Mayor Muriel Bowser’s former top adviser, John Falcicchio, following an investigation by Bowser’s legal office that substantiated some of the complaints a female employee made against him. Bowser faces mounting questions from lawmakers about whether it is sufficient for the investigative arm of the executive branch to investigate itself when a sexual harassment complaint is lodged against a mayoral appointee.

Florida – Former Broward Mayor Accused of Firing Staffer to Clear Developer for $102M Loan

MSN – Grethel Aguila (Miami Herald) | Published: 6/25/2023

A new report sheds more light into how a former Broward official allegedly bent the rules, and fired a staffer in the process, to help a developer secure $102 million in loans while in public office. Lynn Stoner, the former mayor of Plantation, was charged with official misconduct, falsification of records, and two counts of influencing a building official. If convicted, she faces up to eight years in prison.

Florida – DeSantis Agency Sent $92 Million in Covid Relief Funds to Donor-Backed Project

MSN – Michael Scherer, Isaac Arnsdorf, and Josh Dawsey (Washington Post) | Published: 6/29/2023

The administration of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis steered $92 million last year in leftover federal coronavirus stimulus money to a controversial highway interchange project that directly benefits a top political donor. The decision by the state Department of Transportation to use money from the American Rescue Plan for an I-95 interchange near Daytona Beach fulfilled a years-long effort by Mori Hosseini, a politically connected housing developer who owns two large tracts of largely forested land abutting the planned interchange.

Illinois – Do You Believe in ‘Magic’ Lobbyists? Illinois Businesses Stick by Madigan-Connected Lobbyists.

WBEZ – Dave McKinney | Published: 6/23/2023

More than two dozen lobbyists were on a handwritten registry of “magic lobbyists” that former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s now-convicted aide, Michael McClain, memorialized on a sheet of hotel stationery. The list helped convict four former Commonwealth Edison executives and lobbyists of bribing Madigan to boost the power company’s legislative fortunes. Despite being publicly identified in the corruption case, none of the other “magic” lobbyists are facing charges due to that investigation and these lobbyists appear to have faced no employment fallout from the scandal.

Kentucky – Kentucky Attorney General Is Accused of Seeking Donations from Company His Office Is Investigating

Yahoo News – Bruce Schreiner (Associated Press) | Published: 6/26/2023

State Attorney General Daniel Cameron directly solicited donations for his gubernatorial campaign from executives of a Kentucky drug treatment organization that his office began investigating last year, according to an attorney for the Edgewater Recovery Centers. Several Edgewater executives later gave $7,600 to Cameron’s campaign, which has been refunded. But the solicitations and their timing have led to demands for an investigation from the campaign of Gov. Andy Beshear.

Louisiana – Supreme Court Clears Way for Redrawing of Louisiana Congressional Map

MSN – Melissa Quinn (CBS News) | Published: 6/26/2023

The U.S. Supreme Court tossed out a bid by Louisiana Republicans seeking to reverse a lower court ruling that ordered it to redraw its congressional map, paving the way for new voting lines to be drawn to include a second majority-Black congressional district before the 2024 election. The case had been put on hold while the Supreme Court weighed a similar challenge to Alabama’s congressional voting lines.

Maryland – National Climate Group Asks: Should Md. lobbying firms take fossil fuel clients?

Maryland Matters – Josh Kurtz | Published: 6/28/2023

A new advocacy group is pressing clean energy lobbyists in Maryland and at state Legislatures across the country to part ways with fossil fuel interests. In Maryland, scores of institutions, nonprofit groups, and even clean energy organizations use statehouse lobbyists who are also representing fossil fuels interests. Most Annapolis lobbying firms usually hire teams of politically savvy generalists, who tend to work a range of issues for a broad variety of clients.

Massachusetts – Galvin Pushes to Update Lobbying Laws

Eagle-Tribune – Christian Wade | Published: 6/23/2023

Secretary of State William Galvin wants to bar individuals convicted on federal charges from serving as state lobbyists for at least 10 years. A proposal in the Legislature would expand a state statute “automatically” disqualifying people convicted of certain state crimes from registering as lobbyists to include individuals convicted of federal offenses. The move comes in response to a recent Supreme Judicial Court ruling that cleared former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi to lobby the state Legislature and executive branch, despite his prior convictions on federal charges.

Massachusetts – Councilor Ricardo Arroyo Admits to Ethics Violation, Pays Penalty in Connection with Representing His Brother

MSN – Danny McDonald (Boston Globe) | Published: 6/27/2023

Boston City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo admitted to a conflict-of-interest violation and paid a $3,000 penalty for continuing to represent his brother in a sexual harassment lawsuit after Arroyo became a member of the city council. The announcement from the state Ethics Commission is the latest controversy to enmesh Arroyo. One of his council colleagues suggested he consider resigning after two investigative reports found former U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins improperly tried to influence last year’s primary election for Suffolk district attorney in Arroyo’s favor.

Mississippi – Mississippi Dems Not Reporting Campaign Spending, Could Face Ethics Penalties

Mississippi Free Press – Ashton Pittman | Published: 6/28/2023

The Mississippi Democratic Party could face fines and other penalties after failing to file periodic campaign finance reports. Unless the party takes action by June 30, the secretary of state’s office will turn the issue over to the Mississippi Ethics Commission. In emails, Democratic Party Executive Director Andre Wagner said the party did not have to file campaign finance reports because they had not engaged in spending that would necessitate reporting.

Missouri – Ethics Commission Fines Ex-St. Louis Candidate $6,000, Citing Campaign Violations

St Louis Post-Dispatch – Austin Huguelet | Published: 6/24/2023

The Missouri Ethics Commission fined one of last year’s candidates for president of the St. Louis City Council $6,000, citing a litany of campaign finance violations. The commission said entrepreneur Mark Kummer failed to report donations of more than $5,000 within 48 hours, neglected to itemize a raft of in-kind contributions worth more than $50,000, and never filed a key disclosure when he terminated a campaign committee.

Nebraska – Nebraska State Senator Sues Conservative Lobbying Group That Accused Her of Grooming

Courthouse News Service – Andrew Nelson | Published: 6/28/2023

Nebraska Sen. Megan Hunt is suing a conservative PAC for defamation after it called her a groomer on Twitter. The Nebraska Freedom Coalition’s Tweet included childhood photos of her now 13-year-old, transgender son. The group also published a tweet in which it described the lawmaker’s “skills” as “grooming children, including her own.” The tweets were published after Hunt shared that her son was transgender on the floor of the Legislature during a debate on a measure that would restrict gender-affirming care for those younger than 19.

Nevada – Analyst, Consultant, or Lobbyist?

Nevada Current – Dana Gentry | Published: 6/28/2023

When consultant Jeremy Aguero co-presented a bill to pump hundreds of millions of dollars of public money into a homeless facility in Las Vegas, he never disclosed working on the project for Wynn Resorts. When Aguero touted to state lawmakers the potential benefits of investing hundreds of millions of dollars to publicly subsidize a baseball stadium, he once again failed to disclose he was working for the Oakland A’s, the team hoping to profit from the venture. Despite his frequent presence at the Nevada Legislature, Aguero is not registered as a lobbyist, a process that would require him to publicly disclose his clients.

New York – Adams’ Confidante Frank Carone Inks Another Deal with Real Estate Big – Advocates Give It a Wary Eye

Yahoo News – Michael Gartland (New York Daily News) | Published: 6/26/2023

Mayor Adams’ former chief of staff, Frank Carone, signed a consulting deal with Related Companies, one of the biggest players in the city’s real estate sector, a development that has good-government advocates concerned about the potential for influence peddling. Carone, who worked as one of Adams’ top lieutenants for a year before leaving to launch his Oaktree Solutions consulting firm, remains close to the mayor and is serving as chairperson of his reelection campaign. Carone said the company retained his firm to provide “strategic advice and ideas.”

North Carolina – Supreme Court Rejects Theory That Would Have Meant Radical Changes to Election Rules

MSN – Robert Barnes (Washington Post) | Published: 6/28/2023

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a legal theory that would have radically reshaped how federal elections are conducted by giving state Legislatures largely unchecked power to set rules for federal elections and to draw congressional maps distorted by partisan gerrymandering. Maintaining the status quo is seen as significant for a court that in recent years has constricted voting and election protections in federal law and the Constitution.

Ohio – Ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder Gets Maximum 20 Years in Prison for Largest Bribery Scandal in State History

Cleveland Plain Dealer – Adam Ferrise | Published: 6/29/2023

Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the largest corruption scandal in state history. Jurors found Householder orchestrated a $60 million bribery scheme secretly funded by FirstEnergy to secure Householder’s power, elect his allies, pass legislation containing a $1 billion bailout for two aging nuclear power plants owned by a FirstEnergy affiliate, and then to use a dirty tricks campaign to stifle a ballot effort to overturn the bill.

Ohio – Ohio Froze an Ex-Utility Regulator’s $8 Million in Assets. Lawyers Disagree Over Whether It’s Legal.

MSN – Julie Carr Smyth (Associated Press) | Published: 6/28/2023

Lawyers disagreed sharply in arguments before the Ohio Supreme Court over whether $8 million in assets belonging to the state’s former top utility regulator should have been frozen after he was caught up in a sweeping bribery investigation. Sam Randazzo resigned as chairperson of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio after FBI agents searched his home, close on the heels of the arrest of then-House Speaker Larry Householder. He has not been charged in conjunction with the House Bill 6 scandal, which remains under investigation.

Oklahoma – Oklahoma Lobbyist Spending Rebounds from Pandemic-Era Decline

Oklahoma Watch – Keaton Ross | Published: 6/26/2023

With COVID-19 concerns heightened, advocacy groups in Oklahoma scaled back large in-person gatherings during the 2021 legislative session. Expenditure reports show that sort of spending has rebounded. Lobbyists have spent nearly $380,000 this year on gifts, meals, and beverages for state legislators and other elected officials through May, a 42 person increase over the same period two years ago.

Oregon – Defying Pledges to Limit Campaign Contributions, Oregon Lawmakers Again Fail to Do So

MSN – Grant Stringer (Portland Oregonian) | Published: 6/22/2023

In a repeat of years past, state lawmakers ended the legislative session without tightening Oregon’s loose campaign finance laws, falling short on a key pledge to do so. Tony Lapiz, legislative director for Speaker Dan Rayfield, said lawmakers will continue to meet after the session with the goal of referring the issue to voters in 2024. Unlike the vast majority of states, Oregon law allows unlimited donations from corporations, unions, individuals, and other entities to candidates for governor, state offices, and the Legislature.

Oregon – Oregon Lawmakers Would Be Able to Remove the Governor Under a Measure Headed to Voters

Oregon Public Broadcasting – Dirk VanderHart | Published: 6/26/2023

Oregon lawmakers would gain the ability to remove the governor and other statewide elected officials under a proposal lawmakers sent to voters. It will appear on the November 2024 ballot. Oregon is the only state where lawmakers do not have the power to impeach the governor. The proposal gained steam after a scandal that forced Secretary of State Shemia Fagan to resign in May.

Oregon – Voters Will Be Asked to Create Commission to Change Elected Leaders’ Salaries

Salem Statesman-Journal – Dianne Lugo | Published: 6/25/2023

Oregon voters will get to decide on the creation of an independent commission to make decisions about elected officials’ compensation. The bipartisan effort to address the issue came at the heels of the resignation of Secretary of State Shemia Fagan. She faces ethical and criminal investigations after it was revealed she was being paid $10,000 a month by a cannabis company while her office was overseeing an audit of the cannabis industry. Fagan said accepted the contract because her salary as secretary of state was not enough to make ends meet.

Rhode Island – Ethics Panel Votes to Investigate R.I. Officials’ Conduct During Philly Trip, and Speaker Shekarchi

MSN – Edward Fitzpatrick (Boston Globe) | Published: 6/27/2023

The Rhode Island Ethics Commission voted to launch an investigation into potential ethics violations by the two former state officials who were accused of “outrageous behavior” during a business trip to Philadelphia, and it will probe a separate allegation against House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi. Commission staff members initiated the complaint filed against David Patten and James Thorsen, the two former state officials who took a now-infamous trip to visit Scout Ltd., a Philadelphia company seeking to redevelop the Cranston Street Armory in Providence.

Rhode Island – Rhode Island Senator Arrested, Accused of Keying Car with Anti-Biden Bumper Sticker

MSN – Steph Machado (Boston Globe) | Published: 6/23/2023

State Sen. Josh Miller was arrested recently, accused of keying a car in a shopping center parking lot that was sporting a bumper sticker reading “Biden sucks.” Body-worn camera videos showed Miller initially denied keying the man’s car when stopped by police, but at his home later acknowledged he did so because he felt he was being threatened by the man. Miller said he has been stalked at the statehouse by “gun nuts” because he is the lead sponsor of a bill to ban assault-style weapons in Rhode Island.

Tennessee – Legislative Office Lawyers Say TN Records Laws Don’t Apply to Them in Lawsuit Over Ethics Docs

Tennessee Lookout – Adam Friedman | Published: 6/23/2023

Lawyers for the Tennessee legislative office believe the state’s public records do not apply to the legislative body, and it would violate the separation of government powers for a court to compel to release the documents related to their investigation into sexual harassment allegations against former Rep. Scotty Campbell. The case has the potential to widen the door on what records fall under the deliberative process privilege exemption, which Gov. Bill Lee has used to deny numerous public records’ request by journalists.

Texas – DeSantis’s Taxpayer-Funded Helicopter Ride in Texas Draws Scrutiny

DNyuz – Neil Vigdor and Nicholas Nehamas (New York Times) | Published: 6/28/2023

A photo op intended to turbocharge Republican voters, one showing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis posing in front of a helicopter at the southern border in Texas. But the display is creating an unwanted spotlight for DeSantis: The helicopter is funded by Texas taxpayers, raising questions about the political nature of the flight and its cost. Reflecting the split nature of his duties, DeSantis wore a shirt that said “Governor Ron DeSantis” on the right and “DeSantis for President” on the left.

Campaign Finance National: “The Super PAC Frenzy Redefining Campaign Operations” by Jessica Piper and Sally Goldenberg (Politico) for Yahoo News Elections Arizona: “Kari Lake Accused of Defamation in Suit Filed by Arizona Election Official” by Yvonne Winget Sanchez and Mariana Alfaro (Washington Post) for MSN Oregon: “Voters Will Be Asked to Create Commission to Change Elected Leaders’ Salaries” by Dianne Lugo for Salem Statesman-Journal Ethics Alabama: “Former Alabama Ethics Commission Director Says New Law Could Silence Whistleblowers” by Mike Cason (AL.com) for MSN National: “How Judges Navigate Offers of Free Lunch, Trips and NBA Tickets” by Zoe Tillman (Bloomberg News) for Bloomberg Law Florida: “Former Broward Mayor Accused of Firing Staffer to Clear Developer for $102M Loan” by Grethel Aguila (Miami Herald) for MSN Lobbying Oklahoma: “Oklahoma Lobbyist Spending Rebounds from Pandemic-Era Decline” by Keaton Ross for Oklahoma Watch Redistricting Louisiana: “Supreme Court Clears Way for Redrawing of Louisiana Congressional Map” by Melissa Quinn (CBS News) for MSN

National/Federal

G.O.P. Rebels Are Breaking the Rule on Rules, Upending How the House Works

Buffalo News – Carl Hulse (New York Times) | Published: 6/13/2023

It has long been an axiom of the U.S. House majority: vote against a piece of legislation put forth by your party if you absolutely must, but never vote against the “rule” to bring that legislation to the floor. Until the last few weeks, that standard had held for more than two decades. But now, about a dozen rebellious House Republicans have decided to leverage their badly needed votes on the routine procedural measures to win policy concessions, breaking the longstanding code of party discipline and threatening the traditional operation of the House.

DeSantis Campaign Uses Apparently Fake Images to Attack Trump on Twitter

DNyuz – Nicholas Nehamas (New York Times) | Published: 6/8/2023

As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis begins to aggressively attack Donald Trump, his campaign has spread three images of the former president embracing Dr. Anthony Fauci that forensic experts say are almost certainly realistic looking “deepfakes” generated by artificial intelligence. As the 2024 campaign heats up, the use of such deepfakes has been of concern to those who study manipulated images, which thanks to new technology are easier to generate than ever before.

Why Lawmakers Can’t Get Their Act Together on Time

Governing – Alan Greenblatt | Published: 6/12/2023

Whether it is Congress waiting until the last minute to raise the debt ceiling or legislators voting on the cusp of midnight the day before the state budget is due, lawmakers cannot seem to help putting off most of their work until they are almost out of time. The final details of Louisiana’s budget were only presented to most legislators just 20 minutes before the end of the session this year.

Liberals Try to Reclaim ‘Parents’ Rights’ from Conservatives in Education

MSN – Laura Meckley, Hannah Natanson, and John Harden (Washington Post) | Published: 6/12/2023

In the culture wars, conservative parents jumped out first with an agenda built around the defense of “parents’ rights.” Now, groups are coalescing on the left to resist conservative efforts to remove books from schools, end student LGBTQ clubs, and restrict classroom discussions of race and gender. Experts and advocates say the progressives, some forming groups nationally and others in states and local communities, increasingly are in a strong position to push back.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal Launches Probe into PGA Tour-Saudi Alliance

MSN – Rick Maese (Washington Post) | Published: 6/12/2023

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, chairperson of a powerful Senate subcommittee, launched a probe into the partnership between the PGA Tour and its Saudi-funded rival, requesting documents and communications that led to the alliance. Blumenthal demanded communications that led to the alliance, records related to the dispute between the competing tours that fractured the sport recently, and records related to the PGA Tour’s tax-exempt status. Blumenthal has broad authority to scrutinize the deal and issue subpoenas on a range of matters, from corporate and financial crimes to terrorism.

Estuaries? Pickleball? Rum? There’s a Congressional Caucus for Practically Everything

MSN – Jim Saska (Roll Call) | Published: 6/13/2023

No matter the topic, Congress has a caucus. In fact, Congress is home to approximately 820 caucuses. Many are focused on just a single, sometimes obscure, issue, like the Congressional American 250 Caucus that is helping plan the nation’s upcoming semiquincentennial, while others may be an intraparty faction trying to drag its colleagues one way or another. The caucus is distinctly American affair. The  term first appeared in writing at the end of the French and Indian War.

Trump’s Path to Indictment: ‘Isn’t it better if there are no documents?’

MSN – Marc Fisher (Washington Post) | Published: 6/10/2023

More than two years after Donald Trump’s departure from the White House, the Justice Department revealed the first-ever federal indictment of a president of the United States, a chronicle of allegations that portray Trump as the architect of a knowing scheme to hide classified documents from the government he had run and to persuade his own attorneys to mislead federal officials. The trouble Trump now faces is virgin terrain: a former president, now his party’s leading candidate to return to the White House, faces trial, at risk of a years-long prison sentence during the heart of his third campaign for the nation’s highest office.

Judge Ruling Requiring Mike Pence to Testify to Grand Jury About Jan. 6 Unsealed

MSN – Spencer Hsu (Washington Post) | Published: 6/9/2023

A federal judge unsealed a potentially landmark ruling that compelled former Vice President Mike Pence to testify before a grand jury investigating the U.S. Capitol attack and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Pence called U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg’s ruling the first to lay out how a vice president also qualifies for constitutional protection enjoyed by lawmakers from being compelled to testify even in criminal investigations.

Why Campaign Websites No Longer Have ‘Issues’ Pages

Yahoo Finance – Mini Racker (Time) | Published: 6/12/2023

“Issues” pages, which outline candidates’ stances on key policy topics, have long been expected features of campaign websites. But of the fourteen major candidates who have entered the presidential race, only a handful have detailed, stand-alone pages describing where they stand on the issues and what they plan to do in office. Several include no written policy commitments at all. Strategists agree the country has become so polarized that the candidates’ positions on issues matter much less than they once did. In general elections, many voters will simply support the candidate of their preferred party without bothering to look up their stances.

The Presidential Candidate Who Has His Own Supporters Scratching Their Heads

Yahoo News – Jonathan Weisman (New York Times) | Published: 6/8/2023

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has a plan for winning the Republican nomination for president: eschewing the culture wars and getting the party back on a business-friendly economic message of low taxes, less regulation, and can-do entrepreneurship. But even North Dakotans who express admiration for their governor’s wealth, business acumen, and energy are baffled by his suddenly lofty political ambitions.

F.B.I. Investigating Spy Ring’s Political Contributions

Yahoo News – Adam Goldman and Mark Mazzetti (New York Times) | Published: 6/8/2023

Federal prosecutors are investigating possible campaign finance violations in connection with an undercover operation based in Wyoming that aimed to infiltrate progressive groups, political campaigns, and the offices of elected representatives before the 2020 election. As part of the operation, participants used large campaign donations and cover stories to gain access to their targets and gather dirt to sabotage the reputations of people and organizations considered threats to the agenda of former President Trump.

From the States and Municipalities

Alaska – Alaska Ballot Measure Filed to Reestablish Campaign Contribution Limits

Yahoo News – Sean Maguire (Anchorage Daily News) | Published: 6/11/2023

A newly filed ballot measure would reestablish campaign contribution limits in Alaska, with the intention of restricting the influence of big-money donors in state politics. A federal appeals court in 2021 struck down three of Alaska’s main contribution limits as a violation of donors’ First Amendment rights. The state’s previous $500-per-year cap on donations had been among the lowest in the nation.

Arizona – An Ariz. Democrat Hid Bibles as a ‘Prank.’ Republicans Tried to Expel Her.

MSN – María Luisa Paúl (Washington Post) | Published: 6/14/2023

Arizona House Republicans failed to expel Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton, who admitted to a Bible-hiding prank caught on hidden camera. Instead, the House could only muster a vote to censure Stahl Hamilton. She apologized over what she called a “peaceful, playful protest” meant as commentary on the separation of church and state. But an ethics committee determined her behavior amounted to “disorderly conduct,” a violation of House rules. Many Republicans were outraged by what they called the “desecration” of scripture.

California – As Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon’s Power Grew, So Did His Wife’s Income

MSN – Hannah Wiley and Katie Licari (Los Angeles Times) | Published: 6/8/2023

Outgoing California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon is one-half of a political power couple with Annie Lam, a successful consultant and nonprofit executive. The two flourished together during Rendon’s unusually long time as speaker. As Rendon’s influence grew, Lam’s consultancy business similarly boomed, allowing her income to swell and public profile to soar. Though Lam is not a lobbyist, she is paid by an organization that lobbies the Legislature. The League of California Cities has reported paying Lam’s business nearly $600,000 over the last 18 months.

California – SF Ethics Watchdogs Issue Huge Fine to Group that Supported Breed’s 2018 Mayoral Run

San Francisco Standard – Josh Koehn | Published: 6/13/2023

The San Francisco Ethics Commission fined one of the most influential political groups in the 2018 elections, saying a committee that supported Mayor London Breed and her allies failed to properly report nearly $1.1 million in spending. An investigation found Progress San Francisco repeatedly alternated between classifying itself as a city and state committee, making it harder for local voters to understand how hundreds of thousands of dollars were being spent to influence races. Progress San Francisco agreed to pay a fine of $29,300.

California – Anaheim’s Ticket to Ride: City leaders hand out thousands of free tickets every year

Voice of OC – Noah Biesiada and Hosam Elattar | Published: 6/12/2023

Officials in Anaheim, home to Angel Stadium and Honda Center, regularly give out thousands of free tickets every year to events at city-owned venues, arguing they mainly go to community nonprofits. Yet a Voice of OC review of the past six months of ticket passes given out by Anaheim’s new council majority and city staff shows loose tracking of who really gets access to what amounts to a six-figure sum of free sports and concert tickets.

Illinois – City Ethics Board to Seek Changes to Contractor Oversight Following Tribune Report

MSN – Alex Harrison and John Byrne (Chicago Tribune) | Published: 6/13/2023

The Chicago Board of Ethics will look to amend the city’s ethics ordinance in response to a Chicago Tribune story that detailed how several aldermen used tax dollars to pay a former top Park District official tens of thousands of dollars as a consultant after he had had been asked to resign and placed on the district’s “do not rehire” list for his role in that agency’s sexual abuse lifeguard scandal. The proposal comes after a Tribune review of aldermanic expense accounts, which are little-known funds totaling $122,000 a year for each of the city’s 50 council members to spend on almost anything they want with little oversight.

Illinois – As Chicago’s City Commissions Start Meeting in Person Again, Future of Online Access in Doubt

WTTW – Heather Cherone | Published: 6/12/2023

For the first time in more than three years, all city boards and commissions in Chicago are once again meeting in person, putting an end to the virtual meetings that became a hallmark of the COVID-19 pandemic. But there are no rules ensuring those meetings will continue to be streamed online or allow members of the public to weigh in virtually, either by Zoom or by phone. When Gov. J.B. Pritzker ended the public health emergency, boards and commissions across the state could no longer meet virtually, as rules that allowed them to meet via Zoom or other teleconferencing platforms expired.

Illinois – Ex-Mayor Lightfoot Was Warned About Email Electioneering 10 Months Before Campaign Tried to Recruit CPS Students

Yahoo News – Gregory Pratt (Chicago Tribune) | Published: 6/10/2023

Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s campaign was told to stop electioneering to city employees nearly a year before her staff tried to recruit Chicago Public Schools students to do political work for extra credit. When it came to light in January, Lightfoot’s camp first defended but then quickly denounced the practice of sending emails to public workers soliciting campaign help. Now it is emerged that her campaign had been warned by the city Board of Ethics in March 2022 to cease sending political communications to public employee emails.

Kentucky – Judge Rejects Louisville Lawmaker’s Plea for Privacy in Ethics Probe

Louisville Public Media – Jacob Ryan | Published: 6/13/2023

Metro Council member Anthony Piagentini claimed Louisville’s ethics commission violated state and local laws by disclosing his response to a complaint accusing him of ethics violations. But a judge ruled the Louisville Metro Ethics Commission did not violate any laws and is free to disclose certain records related to the investigation. Piagentini has been investigated for possible violations related to his assistance securing a $40 million COVID-19 relief grant for the Louisville Healthcare CEO Council. The day after the council approved the spending measure, Piagentini took a consulting job with the group.

Maryland – Maryland State Board of Elections Taps Longtime Employee Jared DeMarinis as Administrator

MSN – Emily Opilo and Hannah Gaskill (Baltimore Sun) | Published: 6/8/2023

The Maryland State Board of Elections hired a new elections administrator, selecting a longtime employee for the top job. Jared DeMarinis was chosen by a unanimous vote., DeMarinis, who has worked as the director of the board’s campaign finance division, will face a confirmation hearing before the state Senate next session before he can take on the role in a permanent capacity.

Nevada – Lombardo Could Have Taken $50K Settlement in Ethics Case; Fine Now $1.6 Million

MSN – Greg Klas (KLAS) | Published: 6/13/2023

After Joe Lombardo won the 2022 gubernatorial election, a letter from the Nevada Ethics Commission offered to settle complaints against him before he was sworn into office. The offer: a $50,000 fine, censure from the Ethics Commission, ethics training for “all staff within 30 days of your client’s inauguration as governor,” and a designated ethics officer in the governor’s office during Lombardo’s first term. But in turning down the settlement, the governor is facing a hearing and a possible fine of $1.6 million.

New York – Could Democrats Get Another Shot at Redistricting in New York?

DNyuz – Nicholas Fandos (New York Times) | Published: 6/8/2023

A year ago, Democrats were taken to task by New York’s highest court for attempting to gerrymander the state’s congressional districts, and saw their tilted map replaced by more neutral lines that helped Republicans flip four House seats. Now, with a 2024 rematch approaching, Democratic leaders in Washington and Albany are reviving a legal battle to reopen the mapmaking process and potentially pull the lines back in their direction.

New York – Judge: E. Jean Carroll can seek more damages after Trump CNN remarks

MSN – Andrea Salcedo and Shayna Jacobs (Washington Post) | Published: 6/13/2023

E. Jean Carroll, who won a $5 million lawsuit against Donald Trump in a sexual assault and defamation case, can amend a separate pending lawsuit to seek more damages against the former president for disparaging comments he made during a recent CNN town hall, a judge ruled. Attorneys for Carroll filed an amended complaint following Trump’s comments during the CNN special event, seeking at least $10 million in damages for the town hall comments and for the initial defamation that Carroll alleged.

New York – Critics Say Changes to State’s Public Campaign Finance Law Subverts Its Purpose

WXXI – Karen DeWitt | Published: 6/13/2023

Before New York legislators adjourned their session, they approved a measure to alter the state’s fledgling public campaign finance system – a change that critics and some lawmakers say undermines the program’s original purpose. For state legislative offices, there is a tiered system with higher match ratios for contributions up to $250. Now, donations of up to $18,000 would be eligible for public matching funds. The bill goes to Gov. Kathy Hochul.

North Carolina – NC GOP Wants to Restructure State Elections Board, Stripping Governor of Appointment Power

MSN – Kyle Ingram (Charlotte Observer) | Published: 6/12/2023

Republicans in North Carolina introduced legislation to drastically restructure the State Board of Elections, taking away the power of the governor to appoint its members and creating an even partisan split among the powerful board. Under the proposed law, the board would have an even number of Republicans and Democrats, all of whom would be appointed by legislative leaders rather than the governor. A similar bill passed in 2016 was later ruled unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court.

Ohio – State Issue 1 Ballot Language Must Be Rewritten, Ohio Supreme Court Rules

MSN – Andrew Tobias (Cleveland Plain Dealer) | Published: 6/12/2023

The Ohio Supreme Court ordered state officials to rewrite some of the language for an August ballot measure that, if passed, would make it more difficult to amend the state constitution. The court, however, declined to take a more expansive role in ordering the language to be rewritten, rejecting some of the core arguments from plaintiffs. State Issue 1 would amend the Ohio Constitution to require future amendments to get a 60 percent supermajority in a statewide vote to pass. That is compared to the current simple majority standard that has been in place for more than a century.

Ohio – Federal Judge: Ex-Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger is not a victim of convicted successor Householder

MSN – Jake Zuckerman (Cleveland Plain Dealer) | Published: 6/12/2023

A federal judge rejected a request from ex-Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger to be formally acknowledged as a victim of former Speaker Larry Householder’s bribery and racketeering scheme. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Black ruled Rosenberger failed to prove the FBI’s investigation into his own conduct as speaker and subsequent resignation were directly caused by Householder’s political maneuvering.

Oregon – Democratic Party of Oregon Will Return Illegal $500K FTX Contribution

Centralia Chronicle – Ted Sickinger (Portland Oregonian) | Published: 6/8/2023

The Democratic Party of Oregon said it will return the illegal $500,000 campaign contribution it received last October from an executive at FTX, the bankrupted cryptocurrency exchange, by tapping into donations from some of the state’s most powerful Democrats. The party received the donation last fall from FTX executive Nishad Singh, but at his request, party officials misattributed it to Prime Trust, a crypto payment processor. The Oregon Secretary of State’s election division subsequently investigated the party’s handling of the contribution and fined it $15,000.

Oregon – Shemia Fagan Spent Taxpayer or Donor Money on Hotel Pet Fees, Airfare for Her Kids. She Says She’s Done Nothing Wrong.

MSN – Aimee Green (Portland Oregonian) | Published: 6/9/2023

A media investigation found former Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan sought, and in many cases received, thousands of taxpayer dollars in questionable reimbursements from the state for travel expenses both large and small. The investigation also found Fagan spent tens of thousands of dollars in campaign funds on airplane tickets for her children and stays at four-star hotels thousands of miles from Oregon, among many other unexplained expenses. Acting Secretary of State Cheryl Myers now says Fagan ignored warnings that she may be breaking state travel rules.

Rhode Island – Two Rhode Island Officials Visited Philly. They Were So Rude Their State Launched Two Separate Investigations.

MSN – Zoe Greenberg (Philadelphia Inquirer) | Published: 6/12/2023

Two Rhode Island officials traveled to Philadelphia to tour Bok, the former vocational school that is now home to dozens of artists and entrepreneurs. Scout Ltd., the team behind Bok, had contracted with Rhode Island, under a former administration, to develop a vacant state building in Providence. Hoping to convince a new administration to fund the project, Scout executives offered to show the officials around. But the way the Rhode Island representatives allegedly behaved was so “bizarre, offensive, and unprofessional” that the company executives documented what happened in an email that was sent to the governor of Rhode Island.

Rhode Island – Lawmakers Want to Make It Easier to Raise Campaign Cash. Who Will Benefit the Most?

MSN – Patrick Anderson (Providence Journal) | Published: 6/13/2023

The Rhode Island House passed a package of campaign finance law changes that would double how much an individual could give to a candidate each year. Progressive Democrats blasted both hiking the $1,000 maximum annual individual contribution to $2,000 and raising the maximum size of donations that can be reported anonymously. Rep. Brian Newberry said while the bill might allow top lawmakers to collect more campaign cash than they already do, he believes it would have a greater benefit to challengers who often struggle to raise the bare minimum to compete.

South Carolina – Judge Extends Election Fundraising Rights in Win for Ultraconservative South Carolina Lawmakers

Associated Press News – James Pollard | Published: 6/13/2023

Special interest caucuses in South Carolina can formally campaign, a federal judge ruled in a victory for a hardline conservative group of state representatives that want to push the Republican-controlled Legislature further to the right. The order allows the South Carolina Freedom Caucus to fundraise and distribute election materials just like the House Republican, Democratic, Black, and Women’s Caucuses already do. The conservative faction argued a state law limiting those abilities only to caucuses organized by political party, race, ethnicity, or gender violated its freedom of speech.

Campaign Finance New York: “NY Bills Overhaul Local Elections, Roll Back Campaign Reforms; NYPA Nominee Rejected” by Chris Bragg (Buffalo News) for KPVI Elections National: “Why Campaign Websites No Longer Have ‘Issues’ Pages” by Mini Racker (Time) for Yahoo Finance North Carolina: “NC GOP Wants to Restructure State Elections Board, Stripping Governor of Appointment Power” by Kyle Ingram (Charlotte Observer) for MSN Ohio: “State Issue 1 Ballot Language Must Be Rewritten, Ohio Supreme Court Rules” by Andrew Tobias (Cleveland Plain Dealer) for MSN Ethics National: “Sen. Richard Blumenthal Launches Probe into PGA Tour-Saudi Alliance” by Rick Maese (Washington Post) for MSN Rhode Island: “Two Rhode Island Officials Visited Philly. They Were So Rude Their State Launched Two Separate Investigations.” by Zoe Greenberg (Philadelphia Inquirer) for MSN Legislative Issues National: “Estuaries? Pickleball? Rum? There’s a Congressional Caucus for Practically Everything” by Jim Saska (Roll Call) for MSN Redistricting New York: “Could Democrats Get Another Shot at Redistricting in New York?” by Nicholas Fandos (New York Times) for DNyuz

National/Federal

Prosecutors Scrutinize Political Nonprofit Groups for Fund-Raising Fraud

DNyuz – David Fahrenthold, William Rashbaum, and Tiff Fehr (New York Times) | Published: 6/1/2023

Federal prosecutors are scrutinizing at least 10 political nonprofit groups seeking to determine if the organizations defrauded donors, according to subpoenas. The subpoenas sought recordings of the fundraising calls made by two separate networks of political nonprofits that together have raised tens of millions of dollars. The Justice Department has charged a handful of other political operatives with fraud for running what prosecutors called “scam PACs.” Prosecutors said these groups deceive donors by promising their money would be used to help politicians but then using it to enrich themselves.

N.J. Sen. Bob Menendez Escaped Legal Peril Once. Can He Do It Again?

MSN – Isaac Stanley-Becker and Perry Stein (Washington Post) | Published: 6/3/2023

Prosecutors in 2017 failed to convince jurors that U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez helped a wealthy Florida doctor in exchange for lavish gifts. After beating back the government’s case, Menendez won reelection in 2018. When Democrats captured control of the Senate, he regained the chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, cementing his place as one of the highest-ranking Hispanic leaders in the nation. But now, Menendez is once again at the heart of a federal criminal investigation concentrating at least in part on the possibility he received undisclosed gifts.

Republicans Set Presidential Debate Rules That Could Exclude Some

MSN – Michael Scherer and Josh Dawsey (Washington Post) | Published: 6/2/2023

The Republican National Committee will require presidential candidates to attract 40,000 individual campaign donors and the support of at least one percent of voters in multiple national polls to qualify for the first debate this August. The filter also requires candidates to pledge support for the party’s eventual nominee. Some candidates are concerned the rules could sideline their campaigns at the starting gate. The first Republican debates of the 2016 campaign season included 17 candidates in two different events.

Supreme Court Tossed Out Heart of Voting Rights Act a Decade Ago, Prompting Wave of New Voting Rules

MSN – Christina Cassidy and Ayanna Alexander (Associated Press) | Published: 6/6/2023

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling that dismantled a key provision of the Voting Rights Act continues to reverberate across the country a decade later, as Republican-led states pass voting restrictions that, in several cases, would have been subject to federal review had the conservative-leaning court left the provision intact. At the same time, the justices have continued to take other cases challenging elements of the landmark 1965 law that was born from the sometimes-violent struggle for the right of Black Americans to cast ballots.

These Academics Studied Falsehoods Spread by Trump. Now the GOP Wants Answers.

MSN – Naomi Nix and Joseph Menn (Washington Post) | Published: 6/6/2023

House Judiciary Committee Chairperson Jim Jordan and his allies in Congress are demanding documents from and meetings with leading academics who study disinformation, increasing pressure on a group they accuse of colluding with government officials to suppress conservative speech. The push caps years of pressure from conservative activists who have harangued such academics online and in person and filed open-records requests to obtain the correspondence of those working at public universities.

Conservatives Seek Control Over Public Universities with State Bills

MSN – Susan Svrluga (Washington Post) | Published: 6/3/2023

Conservative lawmakers have accelerated efforts to try to rein in what they see as liberal indoctrination on college campuses, with dozens of state bills igniting debates in recent months over academic priorities and how public universities should operate. Their efforts include limiting teaching about certain topics, mandating courses, ending faculty tenure, banning diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and fighting accreditors trying to limit political interference. Having state leaders working to fight national culture wars on campus and codify their vision for higher education into law has dismayed many academics.

Justice Thomas Delays Disclosures After Reports of Travel, Property Sale

MSN – Ann Marimow and Robert Barnes (Washington Post) | Published: 6/7/2023

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas asked for more time to file annual financial disclosures after criticism that he failed to report luxury travel and real estate deals with a wealthy Republican donor. Justice Samuel Alito also asked for an extension as he has done in previous years. The reports, covering activity in 2022, show the justices earned thousands of dollars from teaching positions; received payments for books they have authored; and accepted free travel to lecture at legal conferences, including in Italy and Scotland.

Chris Christie Launches 2024 Run as Brawler Eager to Take on Trump

MSN – Maeve Reston and Hannah Knowles (Washington Post) | Published: 6/6/2023

More than seven years after he ended his first campaign for president and then endorsed Donald Trump, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie returns as a long-shot candidate in a growing Republican field where the former president has jumped out to a wide lead. Christie’s backers point to his blunt style and his sharp wit as traits that make him suited to shake up the race by forcefully challenging Trump. But polls show Christie is viewed negatively by many Republicans. Many prominent figures in the party who have vocally criticized Trump from a more traditional GOP posture in recent years have been rejected in party primaries.

Pence Unleashes Sharp Attacks on Trump as He Launches White House Bid

MSN – Marianne Levine and Ashley Parker (Washington Post) | Published: 6/7/2023

Mike Pence launched his run for president, making his most sweeping case yet against Donald Trump’s fitness for office and beginning a campaign against his former boss more than two years after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol upended their relationship. The former vice president also challenged Trump on other matters, including abortion, changes to entitlement programs, comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin, and even general civility. Pence faces an awkward task of promoting his experience while arguing he is a strong alternative to Trump.

The Spam and the Scam: What’s driving those incessant political fundraising email and text campaigns blowing up your inbox

Yahoo News – Madison Hall (Business Insider) | Published: 6/1/2023

Consumers are drowning in a sea of spam messages and scams from political campaigns, and experts said it is not going to change anytime soon. For one, the very business model of campaigning means a key asset of a debt-laden campaign post-election is its email list, opening up the people on it to subsequent unwanted spam. Some campaigns have also begun to turn to misleading tactics within those emails. Campaign operatives said annoying voters is simply part of the job.

Through Ties to Saudis, Golf Deal Promises Benefits to Trump

Yahoo News – Eric Lipton (New York Times) | Published: 6/7/2023

The surprising deal ending a civil war in the world of professional golf stands to produce benefits for Donald Trump’s family business by increasing the prospect of major tournaments continuing to be played at Trump-owned courses in the U.S. and perhaps abroad. The outcome is the latest example of how the close relationship between Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, and Saudi Arabia, whose sovereign wealth fund is the force behind the upheaval in the golf world, has proved beneficial to both sides even as it has prompted intense ethical scrutiny and political criticism.

Trump Lawyer’s Notes Could Be a Key in the Classified Documents Inquiry

Yahoo News – Alan Feuer, Ben Protess, and Maggie Haberman (New York Times) | Published: 6/3/2023

Turning on his iPhone one day last year, the lawyer M. Evan Corcoran recorded his reflections about a high-profile new job: representing former President Trump in an investigation into his handling of classified documents. Corcoran recounted in detail a nearly monthlong period of the documents investigation. A recording like the voice memo Corcoran made is typically shielded by attorney-client or work-product privilege. But a federal judge ordered the recorded recollections to be given to the office of the special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the documents probe.

From the States and Municipalities

Europe – EU Commission Proposes Common Ethics Body for All EU Officials in Wake of Corruption Scandal

ABC News – Samuel Petrequin (Associated Press) | Published: 6/8/2023

The European Union’s (EU) executive arm proposed to create an ethics body that would set up common rules of conduct for institutions after the 27-nation bloc was rocked last year by a cash-for-influence scandal. The EU does not currently have comprehensive lobbying regulations and the proposal would establish common standards for all politicians when it comes to gifts, hospitality, and travel offered by third parties.

Alabama – Legislature Passes Bill Opening Ethics Complaints to Respondents

Alabama Political Reporter – Samuel Stettheimer | Published: 6/7/2023

The Alabama Legislature voted to require the state Ethics Commission to provide exculpatory evidence discovered during investigations to those accused of violating the ethics law. Though the rules of criminal procedure govern the discovery process in current law, the commission operates under similar secrecy requirements as grand juries. The ethics panel hears cases, but prosecution is referred to the state attorney general or appropriate district attorney.

Alabama – Supreme Court: Alabama must draw new voting map favorable to Black residents

MSN – Robert Barnes (Washington Post) | Published: 6/8/2023

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Republican-drawn congressional districts in Alabama that civil rights activists say discriminated against Black voters in a surprise reaffirmation of the Voting Rights Act. The ruling upholds a decision by a three-judge panel that threw out Alabama’s new congressional map, which included only one congressional district with a majority of Black voters even though African Americans make up more than a quarter of the state’s population.

Arizona – Democratic Senate Hopeful Claims Primary Residence in Arizona – and D.C.

MSN – Daniel Lippman (Politico) | Published: 6/5/2023

When U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego bought a house near Capitol Hill last year, he claimed the property as his primary residence as part of a special mortgage rate afforded to veterans. But Gallego and his wife also say a home they own in Phoenix is their primary residence. The loan documents confirmed he counts the District of Columbia as his primary home even though his campaign for the U.S. Senate maintains he resides in Arizona. Politically, it means Gallego, who hopes to take out Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in a hotly contested race next year may have to explain why he declared he was primarily a resident of the nation’s capital.

California – San Francisco Ethics Watchdog Decries ‘Severe’ Cuts Under Mayor’s Budget

San Francisco Standard – Mike Ege | Published: 6/5/2023

San Francisco Ethics Commission Chairperson Yvonne Lee released a statement denouncing Mayor London Breed’s cuts to the agency’s budget, calling them “unusually severe” and implying the commission had been singled out for reductions that will drastically impede its work. Lee said the published budget for the agency would amount to a 32 percent reduction in operating funds and 40 percent cut to staff over two years.

Florida – How a Developer Pushing a Luxury Coral Gables High Rise Became a Tenant of the Mayor

MSN – Tess Riski (Miami Herald) | Published: 6/1/2023

A developer who hired Miami’s mayor as a $10,000-a-month consultant has also paid tens of thousands of dollars in rent for a storefront owned in part by the mayor of Coral Gables while pushing for city approvals to build a luxury high-rise across the street. Developer Rishi Kapoor leased a former martial arts studio from a group of investors that included Mayor Vince Lago. New details are emerging following reports that at the same time Kapoor was leasing from Lago, he was also contracting privately with Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and pursuing a development project in Coconut Grove.

Florida – Accused of Corruption, Latin Leader Uses Mystery Money, Florida Firms Amid Impeachment Fight

Yahoo News – Antonio Maria Delgado and Kevin Hall (Miami Herald) | Published: 6/2/2023

As the president of Ecuador faced threats of impeachment for alleged corruption, a tiny Florida public relations firm was given a six-figure contract to lobby journalists to publish favorable stories about the embattled leader – not in Ecuador, where his political fortunes were dire, but in British and U.S. media markets, including in Miami. Mysteries abound over the $250,000 payment benefiting President Guillermo Lasso. The Foreign Agents Registration Act requires that any company working in the U.S. on behalf of foreign interests disclose its connections to ensure the American political process is not manipulated by hidden forces.

Georgia – Georgia Probe of Trump Broadens to Activities in Other States

MSN – Amy Gardner and Josh Dawsey (Washington Post) | Published: 6/2/2023

An investigation in Georgia of alleged election interference by former President Trump and his allies has broadened to include activities in Washington, D.C., and several other states, a fresh sign that prosecutors may be building a sprawling case under Georgia’s racketeering laws. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis launched a probe to examine efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 defeat in Georgia. She has signaled publicly she may use the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statute to allege these efforts amounted to a far-reaching criminal scheme.

Illinois – Politically Connected Businessman James Weiss Heads to Trial Amid Swirling Investigations, Intrigue

MSN – Jason Meisner (Chicago Tribune) | Published: 6/5/2023

Chicago businessperson James Weiss is facing federal bribery charges alleging he agreed to pay off a state senator in exchange for support on legislation that would benefit the sweepstakes gaming industry. It is a trial filled with political intrigue, both in the line-up of current and former elected officials expected to the take the stand, as well as the backdrop of ongoing federal investigations swirling around Weiss’s associates, including the Cook County Assessor’s Office and for House Speaker Michael Madigan and other members of the Illinois General Assembly.

Illinois – Second Jobs for Chicago Aldermen Would Be Restricted or Even Banned Under Proposed Ordinance

MSN – A.D. Quig (Chicago Tribune) | Published: 6/5/2023

The ability of Chicago City Council members to hold down outside jobs would be sharply curtailed under a proposed ordinance. The bill stipulates “serving as alderperson shall be considered a full-time job” and allows only a few carve-outs for attorneys performing pro-bono work and aldermen who are landlords for fewer than five properties. Aldermanic salaries range from $115,560 to $142,776. Talk of barring outside employment has been floated repeatedly but never gained traction. The council instead passed ordinances chipping away at potential conflicts or slightly tightening ethics restrictions.

Illinois – Aldermen Use Expense Accounts to Pay Ex-Park District Official Who Resigned Amid Lifeguard Scandal

Yahoo News – Alex Harrison (Chicago Tribune) | Published: 6/5/2023

Four aldermen have paid more than $48,000 out of their taxpayer-funded expense accounts to a consulting firm run by a former top Chicago Park District official who was asked to resign for his involvement in a sexual harassment scandal and placed on a do-not-rehire list. Alonzo Williams was paid as an independent contractor for various consulting jobs. The payments came from little-known aldermanic expense allowances, which now provide each of the city’s 50 council members $122,000 annually to spend on almost anything they want with little oversight.

Kentucky – Group Pushing to Expand Service Boundary Won’t Release Donors. They Don’t Have to in Lexington

Yahoo News – Beth Musgrave (Lexington Herald-Leader) | Published: 6/1/2023

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government’s ethics rules do not require people and groups who lobby city government to register or disclose their spending. Two groups have emerged with specific stands on the city’s proposed growth: Lexington for Everyone, which has pushed for an immediate expansion of the urban service boundary, and the Fayette Alliance, which has lobbied for the city to wait until studies are complete before pushing forward. According to its spokesperson, Lexington for Everyone does not have to disclose its donors because it is a 501 (c)4 nonprofit. The Fayette Alliance is a 501(c)3.

Maryland – The Cozy Relationships and Shadowy Disclosures Behind Baltimore’s $8M Police Consent Decree

Baltimore Banner – Ben Conarck | Published: 6/5/2023

Last November, as Mayor Brandon Scott prepared to announce his former chief of staff as the city’s new top attorney, the head of the Baltimore Police Department’s consent decree monitoring team notified the federal court of a familial relationship. Ebony Thompson, Scott’s choice for acting city solicitor, is the great-niece of Ken Thompson, the head of the independent group responsible for measuring the police department’s compliance with reforms. Though Ken Thompson and city officials saw the relationship as significant enough to disclose to the judge overseeing the decree, they never made it public.

Nebraska – Nebraska Agency Rejects Conflict-of-Interest Complaint Against Sen. Megan Hunt

Lincoln Journal Star – Erin Barner (Omaha World-Herald) | Published: 6/2/2023

A complaint alleging a Nebraska lawmaker had a conflict-of-interest during the Legislature’s debate over gender-affirming care restrictions has officially been dismissed. A complaint was based on Sen. Megan Hunt having a transgender child, and on her family being covered by Medicaid. Although Nebraska’s Medicaid policy explicitly excludes gender-affirming care, the complaint alleged Hunt and her child “have a slightly more than average chance of obtaining Nebraska Medicaid coverage,” and argued she should have disclosed this prior to debate on the bill.

Nevada – Lombardo Violated Ethics Laws, State Commission Executive Director Says

MSN – Jessica Hill (Las Vegas Review-Journal) | Published: 6/5/2023

Nevada Commission on Ethics Executive Director Ross Armstrong alleges Gov. Joe Lombardo committed multiple ethics violations by using his sheriff’s badge and uniform during his campaign. He also argues that Lombardo’s violations were “willful,” in part because he did not self-report or attempt to rectify the violations before or after the complaints were filed. Armstrong asked the commission to order Lombardo to pay a civil penalty of about $1.67 million, issue a censure, and designate an ethics officer to his office.

New Mexico – Candidate Charged with Shooting at Democrats’ Homes After Election Loss

MSN – Ben Brasch and Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff (Washington Post) | Published: 6/1/2023

A failed New Mexico candidate was indicted on a charge of allegedly organizing and carrying out a plan to shoot at the houses of Democrats and officials who certified his losing election. Solomon Peña and co-conspirators Demetrio Trujillo and Jose Trujillo were formally charged with conspiracy and interference with elections and several firearms offenses that include the use of a machine gun. Investigators say text messages and data from cellphones show how they formed their violent plan.

New York – Cuomo Seeks to Upend Ethics Commission and Keep $5M Book Payment

Albany Times Union – Joshua Solomon | Published: 6/2/2023

Attorneys for former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government squared off in state Supreme Court in a case in which Cuomo is arguing the panel was created in violation of the constitution and should not be allowed to investigate a $5 million deal he secured to publish a book about his handling of the pandemic. Cuomo’s attorneys are asserting the state’s ethics agency is unconstitutional because of its lack of executive oversight, which, in turn, violates separation of powers.

Ohio – A Former Ohio House Speaker Says He’s the Victim of His Corrupt Successor

MSN – Jake Zuckerman and Jeremy Pelzer (Cleveland Plain Dealer) | Published: 6/1/2023

In a filing in the case of ex-Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, the man who held the gavel before him, Cliff Rosenberger, sought recognition under the Crime Victims Rights Act. This could allow him to receive money from the case. Rosenberger said Householder and lobbyist Neil Clark waged a campaign of “misinformation” that sparked an FBI probe and Rosenberger’s resignation. If it were not for Householder targeting him, Rosenberger said he would have finished his time as speaker without suffering the “economic, reputational, and emotional injuries” inflicted on him.

Ohio – Judge to Ex-Councilman Jeff Pastor: Guilty plea ‘a very important day in your life’

Yahoo News – Sharon Coolidge and Kevin Grasha (Cincinnati Enquirer) | Published: 6/7/2023

Former Cincinnati City Councilperson Jeff Pastor faces up to two years in prison after pleading guilty to a federal corruption charge for a bribery scheme that began during his first year in office. He is now the third former council member in recent years to be convicted on corruption charges. Pastor was accused of receiving $55,000 in bribes from an undercover FBI agent posing as a developer. In the plea agreement, he admitted taking $15,000. He is required to repay that money.

Oklahoma – Oklahoma Board Approves Nation’s First Religious Public Charter School

MSN – Nuria Martinez-Keel (Oklahoman) | Published: 6/5/2023

An Oklahoma school board approved what would be the country’s first taxpayer-funded religious school amid threats of lawsuits, dueling attorney general stances, a last-minute board member replacement, and growing national interest. The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City intends to open St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School in 2024, serving students K-12 in all parts of the state. Archdiocese officials have said the school will promote the Catholic faith and operate according to church doctrine, including its views on sexual orientation and gender identity, raising questions of whether it would abide by all federal non-discrimination requirements.

Oregon – Federal Criminal Investigators Examining Former Secretary of State Shemia Fagan’s Dealings with a Cannabis Company

Oregon Public Broadcasting – Dirk VanderHart | Published: 6/7/2023

Federal criminal investigators are looking into former Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan and the two cannabis entrepreneurs she briefly worked for, records show. According to subpoenas, prosecutors sent demands to five state agencies for records concerning Fagan and the owners of the La Mota cannabis chain, Aaron Mitchell and Rosa Cazares. Fagan resigned after revelations she had taken on private consulting work for Mitchell and Cazares as her office prepared an audit of state regulations that was seen as extremely favorable to cannabis companies.

Pennsylvania – The Ethics Board Has Fined a Real Estate Firm Tied to the 76ers for Failing to Disclose it Lobbied for a Proposed Arena

MSN – Sean Collins Walsh (Philadelphia Inquirer) | Published: 6/6/2023

The Philadelphia Board of Ethics fined CBL Real Estate $4,000 for omissions on its lobbying reports in 2022. The firm filed amended reports that show it lobbied members of Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration and city council members on a proposal to build an arena in the city. The firm shares an address with Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Philadelphia 76ers. Neither the 76ers organization nor 76 Devcorp, the team’s development arm, filed lobbying reports in 2022, and it is not obvious from CBL Real Estate’s lobbying registration that they have ties to the team.

Pennsylvania – Shapiro Won’t Share Daily Calendar, a Departure from Previous Pa. Governor’s Transparency

Spotlight PA – Katie Meyer | Published: 6/5/2023

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is declining to make public his daily calendar, a policy that obscures many of the details about who he meets with and what they discuss. The decision breaks from the practice of his predecessor and is the latest choice by the governor to roll back a transparency measure. Attorneys for the governor told said Shapiro’s calendars are personal, do not have an official purpose, and are not shared widely within the office, an explanation that elected officials in Pennsylvania have frequently offered in response to calendar requests.

Pennsylvania – Pa. House Passes Bill to Require Electronically Filed Campaign Finance Reports

Yahoo News – Associated Press | Published: 6/6/2023

The Pennsylvania House approved legislation to require candidates for a state office to file their campaign finance reports electronically, instead of on paper. The bill goes to the state Senate, which is considering its own version of similar legislation. Many candidates and PACs already file reports electronically, and paper filing is costly and inefficient, sponsors said, adding that moving to an entirely electronic model would reduce costs.

Rhode Island – New Bill Could Bring Big Changes to RI Political Donations. Here’s What’s Proposed.

Yahoo News – Patrick Anderson (Providence Journal) | Published: 6/5/2023

Legislation in Rhode Island would raise the $1,000 annual individual campaign contribution limit to $2,000. The bill would also allow primary candidates for statewide office to qualify for public matching funds. It would limit candidates’ ability to list services they have received as “accounts payable” without reporting them as expenditures or contributions, along with other reforms.

Tennessee – Judge Finds Tennessee Law Aimed at Restricting Drag Shows Unconstitutional

Seattle Times – Emily Cochrane (New York Times) | Published: 6/3/2023

A federal judge ruled a Tennessee law strictly limiting drag shows in public or in places where children could be present is unconstitutional, finding it violates freedom of speech protections. The ruling is an initial victory for supporters of LGBTQ rights after weeks of confusion over the law’s language and how it would affect not only drag artists in the state, but also transgender, nonbinary, and other gender-nonconforming people. Across the country, drag events and Pride celebrations have faced an uptick in protests and threats as conservative activists have sought to limit the events.

Texas – How Angela Paxton Could Help Decide the Fate of Her Embattled Husband, Ken

DNyuz – J. David Goodman (New York Times) | Published: 5/31/2023

Angela Paxton is one of 31 state senators who are designated to act as jurors in her husband’s impeachment trial this summer, deciding whether to convict Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on charges he abused his office to benefit himself and a donor and permanently remove him from office. She is not only married to Ken Paxton; she has also been directly affected by the conduct her husband is accused of. Among the articles of impeachment are allegations he had an extramarital affair and used his office to help a donor who repaid him in part by giving the woman a job.

Utah – Protester Opposed to Book Bans Gets Bible Pulled from Some Utah Schools

MSN – Justine McDaniel (Washington Post) | Published: 6/3/2023

The Bible has been removed from libraries in a Utah school district after being challenged by a person making a jab at book bans. After a state law allowing school districts to pull “pornographic or indecent” books from schools passed last year, someone in the Davis School District submitted a complaint about the King James Bible, arguing the text was “pornographic by our new definition.” A school district committee determined the Bible was not age-appropriate for elementary and middle-schoolers, though it ruled the text does not contain the type of “sensitive material” the law seeks to keep out of schools.

National/Federal

Chief Justice John Roberts Defends Supreme Court’s ‘Highest Standards of Conduct,’ Offers No New Rules

ABC News – Devin Dwyer | Published: 5/24/2023

Chief Justice John Roberts defended the integrity of the Supreme Court in the face of slumping public approval and growing political pressure after a recent barrage of misconduct allegations. It was the first time Roberts directly addressed growing concern about how the justices handle potential conflicts-of-interest with their personal lives, a topic that has gotten renewed attention amid a series of alleged ethical infringements by Justice Clarence Thomas.

Rioter Pictured with Foot on Desk in Speaker’s Offices Gets 4½ Years

MSN – Tom Jackman (Washington Post) | Published: 5/24/2023

The U.S. Capitol rioter who was photographed with his foot propped on a desk in then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s offices and then tried to make money with the image was sentenced to four-and-one-half years in prison. The photograph of Richard Barnett in Pelosi’s suite of offices in 2021 became one of the defining images of the insurrection. Barnett carried a walking stick with a 950,000-volt stun device into the Capitol along with a 10-pound metal flagpole and menaced police with them, prosecutors said, but he did not assault any officers.

Stewart Rhodes, Oath Keepers Leader, Sentenced to 18 Years in Jan. 6 Case

MSN – Alan Feuer (New York Times) | Published: 5/25/2023

Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the far-right Oath Keepers militia, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his conviction on seditious conspiracy charges for the role he played in helping to mobilize the pro-Trump attack on the U. S. Capitol. The sentence was the most severe penalty so far in any of the more than 1,000 criminal cases stemming from the insurrection and the first to be increased for fitting the legal definition of terrorism. It was also the first to have been given to any of the 10 members of the Oath Keepers and another far-right group, the Proud Boys, who were convicted of sedition.

Tim Scott Begins Presidential Campaign, Adding to List of Trump Challengers

MSN – Jonathan Weisman and Maya King (New York Times) | Published: 5/22/2023

Tim Scott, the first Black Republican elected to the U.S. Senate from the South since Reconstruction, announced his campaign for president, bringing an aspirational message to a growing field of Republicans running as alternatives to Donald Trump. Scott enters the primary field having amassed $22 million in fundraising and having attracted veteran political operatives to work on his behalf. But his message of hope and inclusion may not resonate among base Republican voters steeped in Trump’s demands for vengeance, and the field of Republicans is about to grow far more crowded.

Crow Sidesteps Panel’s Questions About Gifts to Clarence Thomas

MSN – Michael Macagnone (Roll Call) | Published: 5/23/2023

A billionaire Republican donor brushed off questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee about his relationship with Justice Clarence Thomas, in a letter that argues the panel did not have the authority to investigate the lavish gifts he provided to the member of the U.S. Supreme Court. An attorney for Harlan Crow told the committee Crow did not have to answer questions about reports Thomas did not disclose that Crow had provided luxury vacations for the justice, bought property from him and paid for a relative’s private education.

Ron DeSantis’s 2024 Kickoff on Twitter Is Plagued by Technical Issues

MSN – Hannah Knowles and Faiz Siddiqui (Washington Post) | Published: 5/24/2023

Ron DeSantis and his allies worked to build momentum ahead of a long-expected presidential campaign launch, rolling out endorsements, sleek videos, and the image of an alligator lurking just beneath the water on his campaign website. But the novel Twitter Spaces announcement with Elon Musk that the Florida governor’s team had hyped as the culmination of his big day was plagued by glitches. The live chat came to a halt after roughly 20 minutes of mostly silence; by the time it restarted and DeSantis began his remarks, hundreds of thousands of listeners had peeled off. It was an awkward start to a campaign that had already hit numerous roadblocks.

House Votes to Refer Santos Matter to Ethics Panel

MSN – Lindsay McPherson (Roll Call) | Published: 5/17/2023

The House voted to refer a resolution from Democrats that would expel U.S. Rep. George Santos to the Committee on Ethics. Speaker Kevin McCarthy defended the move as providing Santos with “due process.” Santos was indicted on 13 federal criminal charges, including wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and making false statements to the House. Expelling Santos would put a dent in the GOP’s narrow four-seat majority until a special election can be held. Another Republican victory there would not be guaranteed.

School Librarians Face a New Penalty in the Banned-Book Wars: Prison

MSN – Hannah Natanson (Washington Post) | Published: 5/18/2023

Librarians could face years of imprisonment and tens of thousands in fines for providing sexually explicit, obscene, or “harmful” books to children under new state laws that permit criminal prosecution of school and library personnel. At least seven states have passed such laws in the last two years. Another dozen states considered more than 20 similar bills this year. Some educators and activists say the laws will forge a climate of fear among school librarians, spurring the censorship of books by and about LGBTQ individuals even as the nation already faces a historic onslaught of challenges to books in those categories.

Sen. Feinstein’s Health Complications from Shingles More Severe Than Disclosed

MSN – Liz Goodwin and Carolyn Johnson (Washington Post) | Published: 5/18/2023

Sen. Dianne Feinstein returned to Washington after having suffered more severe health complications from her shingles diagnosis than were previously disclosed. Feinstein’s shingles triggered encephalitis, which is inflammation of the brain, as well as Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which causes facial paralysis. She returned to the Senate after facing pressure to resign from a few members of Congress and California progressive groups, who complained her months-long absence was slowing judicial confirmations and imperiling the Democratic agenda.

Meet the Influential New Player on Transgender Health Bills

Yahoo News – Jeff McMillan and Kimberlee Kruesi (Associated Press) | Published: 5/20/2023

Do No Harm, a nonprofit that launched last year to oppose diversity initiatives in medicine, has evolved into a significant leader in statehouses seeking to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youths, producing model legislation that has been used in at least three states. Do No Harm organized as a charitable organization whose tax-exempt status would be endangered by substantial lobbying. In March, after the group had already made significant inroads in Legislatures with its model bill, lobbyists, and hearing witnesses, it incorporated Do No Harm Action as a separate nonprofit with a tax status that allows for more lobbying,

From the States and Municipalities

Arizona – Groups Settle Arizona Lawsuit Over Voter Intimidation at Ballot Boxes

MSN – Daniel Gilbert (Washington Post) | Published: 5/21/2023

An Arizona group that monitored ballot drop boxes for signs of fraud during the midterm elections settled a lawsuit and agreed to “publicly condemn intimidation of any kind in connection with the exercise of the right to vote,” according to the League of Women Voters of Arizona, which had filed the suit. The drop boxes, intended to provide a secure, convenient place to submit ballots, have become a symbol of mistrust in elections among many supporters of Donald Trump.

Arizona – Judge Dismisses Kari Lake’s Final Claim in Election Loss for Arizona Governor

Yahoo News – Associated Press | Published: 5/21/2023

A judge dismissed the only remaining legal claim in Kari Lake’s challenge of her loss in last year’s race for Arizona governor, affirming the election of Katie Hobbs. Superior Court Judge Peter Thompson said Lake failed to prove her claim that Maricopa County did not verify signatures on mail ballots as required by law. Lake faced a high bar in proving not only her allegation over signature verification efforts but also that it affected the outcome of her race.

California – 49ers’ Former Lobbyist Emerges as Key Witness in Anthony Becker Perjury Case

MSN – Lance Williams and Ron Kroichick (San Francisco Chronicle) | Published: 5/19/2023

The former chief lobbyist for the San Francisco 49ers testified Santa Clara City Councilperson Anthony Becker illegally leaked a confidential report criticizing the team’s political influence. Rahul Chandhok told a grand jury that Becker gave him a confidential copy of a watchdog agency’s report accusing the 49ers of having undue influence over government in Santa Clara, home of publicly owned Levi’s Stadium. Becker is charged with one felony count of perjury and one misdemeanor count of failing to perform his official duty.

Connecticut – Consultant on New London Pier Project Fined for Ethics Violations – Again

WSHU – Brian Scott-Smith | Published: 5/19/2023

The Connecticut Office of State Ethics fined Seabury Maritime $10,000 for violating the state’s lobbying law. It lobbied from 2017 to 2019 to gain contracts and other business from the Connecticut Port Authority, a quasi-public agency. Seabury spent over $3,000 in lobbying each year, which triggered a requirement for them to register their activity, which they failed to do. The company also did not complete any financial disclosures as required.

Florida – Developer Paid Miami’s Mayor $170K to Push His Project, Company Records State

MSN – Joey Flechas, Jay Weaver, and Sarah Blaskey (Miami Herald) | Published: 5/23/2023

Internal company records provide details, for the first time, of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez’s private work for the development firm Location Ventures while he held public office. The company paid Suarez at least $170,000 over the past two years to help secure permits for a stalled real estate project, raising legal and ethical questions about the relationship between his role as mayor and his job as a developer’s consultant.

Florida – DeSantis Signs Bill That Makes His Presidential Run Easier

MSN – Gary Fineout (Politico) | Published: 5/24/2023

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis removed a threat to his campaign for president by signing into law a measure that makes it clear he does not have to resign his current position as governor. The change to Florida’s resign-to-run law was part of a larger overall elections bill that has drawn the scorn of Democrats and voting rights groups who have labeled it “voter suppression.” Two lawsuits were immediately filed in federal court challenging the law.

Florida – Florida Senator Sued by His Family Business for ‘Embezzling’ Money

Yahoo News – Lawrence Mower (Tampa Bay Times) | Published: 5/22/2023

State Sen. Nick DiCeglie is being sued by his cousins and his family trash collection business for allegedly spending tens of thousands of the company’s dollars on political expenses, travel, and a personal loan. In two lawsuits, DiCeglie is accused of “embezzling” money while he was president of Solar Sanitation. DiCeglie has agreed to pay back some of the money, including $120,000 in loans from the company. But he said the political spending was to further the company’s business, which relies on contracts with local governments in Pinellas County.

Georgia – Book Removals May Have Violated Student Civil Rights, Education Dept. Says

MSN – Hannah Natanson and Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff (Washington Post) | Published: 5/22/2023

In a move that could affect how schools handle book challenges, the federal government has concluded a Georgia school district’s removal of titles with Black and LGBTQ characters may have created a “hostile environment” for students, potentially violating their civil rights. The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights investigated Forsyth County Schools’ 2022 decision to pull nearly a dozen books from shelves after parents complained of titles’ sexual and LGBTQ content. To resolve the investigation, the district agreed to offer “supportive measures” to students affected by the book removals and to administer a school climate survey.

Illinois – Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin’s Girlfriend, Ex-Business Partners and City Employee’s Husband Awarded Thousands in Taxpayer-Funded Grants

WTTW – Nick Blumberg | Published: 5/18/2023

The Aurora City Council has awarded dozens of taxpayer-funded business grants to local businesses in recent months. The owners of two of the companies are in personal relationships with top city officials. A majority of recent donations to Mayor Richard Irvin’s campaign fund are from people doing business with or getting incentives from the city, The council approved a $10,000 grant to Laura’s Furniture, owned by Laura Ayala-Clarke. Sources have described her as Irvin’s girlfriend.

Illinois – Under Pressure on Ethics, Illinois Lawmakers Consider Tightened Rules on Red-Light Camera Industry

Yahoo News – Dan Petrella (Chicago Tribune) | Published: 5/24/2023

Facing pressure to bolster state ethics laws following the recent bribery convictions of former Commonwealth Edison executives and lobbyists, Illinois lawmakers have turned their attention to another branch of a corruption investigation: the red-light camera industry. A bill approved in the Senate seeks to place new guardrails around an industry that has been at the center of multiple federal probes that have ensnared a host of state, county, and local officials, including two state senators.

Kansas – Kansas Ethics Commission to Evaluate Factors Influencing Waiver of Campaign Finance Penalties

KPVI – Tim Carpenter | Published: 5/25/2023

At a recent meeting, the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission voted to waive fines against the Geary County Republican Central Committee’s treasurer along with penalties against the treasurer of the defunct Prairie Roots PAC and a lobbyist with Kansans for Life. Others appealing campaign finance penalties had their fines upheld. The hit-or-miss voting on appeals led to discussion of how commission members placed their fingers on the scale to either enforce or waive penalties.

Kentucky – Agency Fines Alison Grimes $10,000 for Handling of Voter Data as KY Secretary of State

Yahoo News – John Cheves (Lexington Herald-Leader) | Published: 5/19/2023

Alison Lundergan Grimes must pay $10,000 in fines for improperly ordering the downloading and distribution of voter registration data from her office while she was Kentucky’s secretary of state. The Lexington Herald-Leader and ProPublica published a series of stories on her improper use of the Voter Registration System. They also showed how Grimes pushed through a no-bid contract with a company owned by a campaign donor.

Louisiana – New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s Office Sought to Avoid Public Disclosure Rules for Anti-Recall Mailer

NOLA.com – John Stanton | Published: 5/23/2023

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration circumvented city public bidding rules to hire a public relations firm with apparent ties to one of her top advisors to defend her record as mayor in the waning days of a failed recall effort. Documents turned over to the city council under a subpoena, provide the clearest picture yet into the development of a potentially illegal taxpayer-funded mailer sent to likely voters in the week before the recall petition deadline, and the lengths to which top Cantrell officials went to obscure their work on it.

Maryland – Treasurer for Baltimore County Campaign Committees Pleads Guilty to Stealing Funds

Maryland Daily Record – Madeline O’Neill | Published: 5/25/2023

William McCollum, the treasurer for a powerful Baltimore County political slate, pleaded guilty Thursday to theft and perjury charges, admitting to stealing campaign funds from the group and from a former county councilperson’s finance committee. The charges alleged McCollum embezzled nearly $100,000 from the Friends of Cathy Bevins fund for his personal benefit. Prosecutors said McCollum used campaign money to travel with a romantic partner while in Puerto Rico and for flights to Palm Beach, Florida, and Iceland. He did not disclose those expenditures on campaign finance reports.

Massachusetts – Calls for Arroyo to Step Down from Boston City Council after Rollins Investigation

WBUR – Walter Wuthmann | Published: 5/19/2023

At least one Boston city councilor and a conservative advocacy group are calling for Councilor Ricardo Arroyo to resign following the release of two federal investigations tying him to alleged election meddling by former U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins. The reports found Rollins attempted to influence the race for Suffolk County district attorney in 2022 by leaking negative information about interim District Attorney Kevin Hayden to help Arroyo, her preferred successor to the office. The Department of Justice report contains 299 mentions of Arroyo and includes portions of 380 private texts and encrypted chats between him and Rollins over two months.

Mississippi – Chris McDaniel’s Reports Deny Accurate Public Accounting of Campaign Money

Mississippi Today – Geoff Pender | Published: 5/18/2023

After six campaign finance filings – including amended, termination-amended, and even one the-computer-temporarily-ate-it reports – it is still unclear exactly how much money longtime Mississippi Sen. Chris McDaniel has raised or now has for his lieutenant governor campaign. McDaniel’s reports for his campaign and a PAC he created last year have been confusing and confounding, at times leaving voters in the dark on the sources of hundreds of thousands of dollars and continuing to contain double-reported donations and amounts and dates that do not add up.

Nebraska – A Year After Scandal, Nebraska Legislature Revises Its Workplace Harassment Policy

Omaha World-Herald – Erin Bamer | Published: 5/17/2023

Over a year after a scandal rocked the Nebraska Legislature, lawmakers adopted a handful of changes to its workplace harassment policy, although some say there is still more work to be done. The changes were developed after the revelation that ex-Sen. Mike Groene took photos of a former female staff member without her knowledge. Soon after, Groene resigned from the Legislature, and a later investigation found his conduct was “boorish, brainless and bizarre,” although not unlawful.

New York – Trump Makes Video Appearance in New York Criminal Case, Trial Date Tentatively Set for Late March

Associated Press News – Michael Sisak | Published: 5/23/2023

Donald Trump threw up his hands in frustration as a judge scheduled his criminal trial for March 25, putting the former president and current candidate in a Manhattan courtroom in the heat of next year’s presidential primary season. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records at his family company, the Trump Organization. Trump often discusses the cases at his rallies and in other speeches and has repeatedly attacked prosecutors and judges by name. At the hearing, the judge reviewed an order barring Trump from publicly disseminating certain evidence turned over by prosecutors.

New York – Supreme Court Tosses Convictions of Cor Development Executives Steve Aiello and Joe Gerardi

MSN – Tim Knauss (Syracuse Post-Standard) | Published: 5/22/2023

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the convictions of business executives Steven Aiello and Joseph Gerardi, who were accused of bid-rigging and other crimes related to state development projects. The ruling was expected due to the court’s rulings in two related cases. Alain Kaloyeros, a former economic development official in the administration of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, also had his conviction formally set aside. Aiello and Gerardi, executives at Cor Development Co., were convicted of conspiring with Kaloyeros, the former president of SUNY Polytechnic Institute.

New York – Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano’s Brothers Run Lobbying Firm with Biz Before City

MSN – Carl Campanile (New York Post) | Published: 5/22/2023

Two brothers of Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano run a lobbying firm with clients that have had business before the city during the mayor’s tenure, including with the agency that doles out tax breaks and is chaired by him, records show. Empire Strategic Planning (ESP) was founded by Nick Spano, a former state senator. John Spano is on ESP’s executive team. Mayor Spano and his siblings-led firm said it lobbies on these clients’ behalf in Albany, not Yonkers City Hall.

New York – Lobbyists Fundraise for Adams 2021 Campaign

NY1 – Courtney Gross | Published: 5/23/2023

Documents show lobbyists raised money for Eric Adams in his 2021 race to be New York City mayor, fundraising that has not been reported previously. Adams’ campaign never reported any of these lobbyists as bundlers or intermediaries with the city’s campaign finance board. By law, campaigns must report who collects donations for their campaigns.

North Dakota – Lame-Duck North Dakota Lawmakers Roamed to Faraway Conferences on the Taxpayers’ Dime

Bismarck Tribune – Jeremy Turley (Forum News Service) | Published: 5/23/2023

Since 2014, the North Dakota Legislature has spent more than $45,000 to send a dozen retiring and defeated lawmakers to out-of-state conferences. Some of the departing lawmakers served on interstate policy boards and were expected to show up to faraway meetings, but others went to conferences that could have been attended by any of their colleagues who planned to remain in the Legislature. Sen. Ray Holmberg, Holmberg, who attended more out-of-state trips than any of his peers since 2013, also signed off on his own travel during the time he served as chairperson of Legislative Management, an interim panel of top lawmakers.

Oregon – Before Oregon Elections Officials Slashed Democratic Party’s Fine, State Lawyer Blasted Party’s ‘Lackluster’ Efforts to Find True Source of $500K Donation

Portland Oregonian – Hillary Borrud | Published: 5/23/2023

Two weeks before Oregon elections officials greatly reduced a fine against the state Democratic Party for falsely reporting the source of its largest ever campaign donation, Assistant Attorney General Kevin Gleim criticized the party, calling its efforts to correctly identify the donor “lackluster.” Gleim also said the Elections Division had no authority to reduce a resulting $35,000 fine on the party, which was determined solely on the size of the contribution donation and the number of days the party was tardy in reporting the donor.

Pennsylvania – Allegheny County Council Approves Campaign Finance Regulations

WESA – Julia Zenkevich | Published: 5/24/2023

The Allegheny County Council passed a bill that would impose FEC contribution guidelines on candidates for county offices. Those guidelines are adjusted for inflation every two years, but individual contributions are currently capped at $3,300, while PACs can give $5,000 per election cycle. County Executive Rich Fitzgerald has said he would likely veto the bill. He said campaign finance limits should come from the state Legislature.

Texas – Texas Pushes Church into State with Bills on School Chaplains, Ten Commandments

MSN – Michelle Boorstein (Washington Post) | Published: 5/23/2023

Texas lawmakers were scheduled to vote on whether to require the Ten Commandments be posted in every classroom in the state, part of a newly energized national effort to insert religion into public life. Supporters believe the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of a high school football coach who prayed with players essentially removed any guardrails between religion and government. The legislation is one of about a half-dozen religion bills approved this session by the state Senate.

Texas – Investigators Detail Years of Alleged Misconduct by Texas AG Ken Paxton in Stunning House Committee Hearing

MSN – Zach Despart and James Barragán (Texas Tribune) | Published: 5/24/2023

A Texas House committee heard testimony that state Attorney General Ken Paxton may have violated multiple state laws and ethics rules during a hearing that summarized its months-long investigation. The testimony came a day after Paxton called for Speaker Dade Phelan to resign, accusing him of being “intoxicated” while presiding over the House recently. One area of the inquiry focused on a proposed $3.3 million agreement to settle a whistleblower lawsuit filed by four high-ranking deputies who were fired after accusing Paxton of accepting bribes and other misconduct.

Virginia – In N. Virginia, Endorsement Primaries Point to Increasingly Politicized School Boards

MSN – Karina Elwood (Washington Post) | Published: 5/21/2023

As Harold Sims Jr. knocked on doors for his school board campaign, many of the Northern Virginia residents on the other side did not know there was an election in May. Sims was not campaigning for the general election or primary that most voters are familiar with. He was door knocking, along with fundraising and debating other candidates to win the local Democratic Party’s endorsement. School board races in Virginia, like most of the country, are nonpartisan. But for years, local political parties around the state have endorsed school board candidates to signal to voters which candidates match their political ideology.

Virginia – A Republican Lawmaker Delivered Doughnuts to Teachers. Then Came a Political Food Fight

Virginia Mercury – Graham Moomaw | Published: 5/23/2023

Virginia Del. Amanda Batten bought almost 1,000 doughnuts to give to public school teachers in her Williamsburg-area district. The doughnut deliveries to 19 schools were accepted. But in a sign of the intensity of Virginia’s political debates over K-12 public schools, some in the system saw an ulterior motive in the gifts. A photo showed a doughnut-box label with a line in smaller print: “Paid for and Authorized by Friends of Amanda Batten.” That phrase signals an activity was funded by money from a political campaign. The pushback was so strong school officials told Batten similar doughnut drop offs would be declined due to their “political nature.”

Virginia – Though Critiques Persist, Many Agree Virginia’s New Political Maps Are ‘Quite Balanced’

Virginia Mercury – Graham Moomaw | Published: 5/17/2023

As Virginia enters a high-stakes General Assembly election year, the first playing out on electoral maps drawn by outside experts rather than incumbent legislators, many lawmakers, advocates, and experts agree it looks like a fair fight, with neither party getting an undue advantage based on political geography alone. Despite fears that the new redistricting process could lead to backsliding in minority representation, a look at the field of candidates running this year indicates the Legislature elected on the new maps will be more diverse, not less.

West Virginia – Democrats Sue W.Va. Gov. Justice Over Refusal to Disclose Work Schedule

MSN – John Wagner (Washington Post) | Published: 5/23/2023

Democrats sued West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, who is running for a U.S. Senate seat, for refusing to release his work schedule as governor in response to public records request seeking to show a continued pattern of absenteeism. The move by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee follows months of back and forth with Justice’s office over whether disclosure of the records is required under West Virginia law. Such requests are a typical part of opposition research conducted by campaigns and political parties.

National/Federal

Durham Finds Fault with F.B.I. Over Russia Inquiry

DNyuz – Charlie Savage, Glenn Thrush, Adam Goldman, and Katie Benner (New York Times) | Published: 5/15/2023

John Durham, the Trump-era special counsel who has pursued a politically fraught investigation into the Russia inquiry, accused the FBI of having “discounted or willfully ignored material information” that countered the narrative of collusion between Donald Trump and Russia. Durham’s final report revealed little substantial new information about the inquiry, known as Crossfire Hurricane, and it failed to produce the kinds of revelations accusing the bureau of politically motivated misconduct that Trump and his allies suggested Durham would uncover.

Former Hawaii Executives Plead Guilty to Sending Illegal Donations to US Sen. Susan Collins

Honolulu Civil Beat – Nick Grube | Published: 5/15/2023

Clifford Chen and Lawrence Lum Kee. two former executives of a Hawaii-based defense contractor, recently pleaded guilty to taking part in a scheme to funnel tens of thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins during her 2020 bid for reelection. Chen and Lum Kee used company funds to donate large sums of money to Collins’ reelection, including through a shell company meant to mask their identity when sending $150,000 to a pro-Collins super PAC. They also recruited family members to donate thousands of dollars directly to Collins’ campaign.

How Kyrsten Sinema Uses Campaign Cash for Her Marathon Habit

MSN – Sam Brodey (Daily Beast) | Published: 5/14/2023

When U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an avid marathoner and triathlete, ran the Boston Marathon last year, it was a proud moment she wanted to publicize. “It’s been a long road to get here,: Sinema tweeted, along with photos of her running and celebrating the finish. Far less publicized, however, was another aspect to Sinema’s long-awaited journey to Boston: she appears to have turned it into a fundraising junket, allowing her campaign to cover the thousands of dollars in expenses she would have incurred herself by traveling to the race.

Supreme Court to Review House Oversight Lawsuit from 2017

MSN – Michael Macagnone and Ryan Tarinelli (Roll Call) | Published: 5/15/2023

The Supreme Court will decide whether lawmakers can turn to the courts when the federal government denies them documents, as members of an oversight committee did when they sought information about the former Trump International Hotel in Washington. The case centers on a law that gives any seven members of what was then called the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee the right to request information from the federal government, which is separate from the typical authority of the panel’s majority to do so. A decision could reshape the ability of the minority party in Congress to oversee the federal government.

CNN Leadership Under Fire After ‘Disastrous’ Trump Town Hall

MSN – Paul Farhi and Jeremy Barr (Washington Post) | Published: 5/11/2023

CNN’s prime-time broadcast of a raucous town hall with Donald Trump propelled a tsunami of criticism from inside and outside the network and renewed questions about how the news media will handle the challenge of covering the serial falsehoods of the Republican Party’s leading candidate going into the 2024 election. The main impact may be the damage done to the reputation of the network. It also raised questions about the future prospects of chief executive Chris Licht, who is charged with striking a more neutral tone at a cable channel that exploded with impassioned commentary during the Trump years.

George Santos Confesses to Theft in Brazil to Avoid Prosecution

MSN – Terrence McCoy, Marina Dias, and Isaac Stanley-Becker (Washington Post) | Published: 5/11/2023

Rep. George Santos signed a deal with Brazilian prosecutors in which he confessed to theft and agreed to pay restitution and fines if prosecutors agree to drop the criminal case against him, bringing a likely resolution in a case that has tailed the embattled politician for more than a decade.  Santos was given 30 days to pay around $2,000 in fines and $2,800 to the victim. The deal means Santos will not have to fight criminal prosecution in two countries.

Did Jan. 6 Defendants Act ‘Corruptly’? An Appeals Court Weighs the Question.

MSN – Tom Jackman and Rachel Weiner (Washington Post) | Published: 5/11/2023

When analyzing the prosecutions of rioters at the U.S. Capitol, some defense lawyers have zeroed in on a key word in the law used to charge many defendants: “corruptly.” The law requires proof that the defendants acted corruptly in obstructing the electoral vote certification. But the exact definition of what it means to be corrupt was at question as judges for an appeals court weighing whether a law used to secure felony convictions against more than 100 participants in the attack is being appropriately applied.

How to Raise $89 Million in Small Donations – and Make It Disappear

Seattle Times – David Fahrenthold and Tiff Fehr (New York Times) | Published: 5/16/2023

A group of five linked nonprofits have exploited thousands of donors in ways that have been hidden until now by a blizzard of filings, lax oversight, and a blind spot in the campaign finance system. Since 2014, the groups have pulled in $89 million from small-dollar donors who were pitched on building political support for police officers, veterans, and firefighters. But just one percent of the money they raised was used to help candidates via donations, ads, or targeted get-out-the-vote messages, according to an analysis by The New York Times.

From the States and Municipalities

Canada – Ford Government Defeats Attempt to Get Tough on Gift-Giving After Controversial Party and Wedding

Toronto Star – Bob Fergiuson | Published: 5/11/2023

A bill that would have changed Ontario’s conflict-of-interest rules after developers attended a stag-and-doe party and wedding for one of Premier Doug Ford’s daughters has been blocked. The bill would have amended the Members’ Integrity Act to make it clear members of the legislative assembly should not take gifts that could lead to the appearance of a conflict.

California – Should Nonprofits Have to Register as Lobbyists in Long Beach? Ethics Commission Still Debating

Long Beach Post – Jason Ruiz | Published: 5/12/2023

As the Long Beach Ethics Commission continues to tweak its recommendations to tighten the city’s lobbying laws, nonprofits are arguing they should remain exempt from registering as lobbyists to avoid a chilling effect on their advocacy. The commission met recently to discuss some new changes it is considering to a proposal from earlier this year when they signaled that they may do away with rules that exempted nonprofits from the lobbying ordinance. The proposal now includes “advocacy” as a form of lobbying, but a rule to make groups like business improvement districts and neighborhood associations register has been dropped for now.

California – Developer Fined $4 Million for Bribing Former L.A. Councilmember Jose Huizar

MSN – Michael Finnegan (Los Angeles Times) | Published: 5/12/2023

A Chinese real estate company was fined $4 million for the bribes its owner paid former Los Angeles City Councilperson Jose Huizar as it sought approval to build a downtown skyscraper. U.S. District Court Judge John Walter, who has presided over a series of City Hall graft cases, bemoaned “the crushing weight of corruption” as he imposed the sentence on Shen Zhen New World I. At the company’s criminal trial, witnesses detailed more than $1 million in bribes paid to Huizar, much of it through all-expense-paid trips to Las Vegas.

California – Oakland Ethics Commission Reckons with ‘Devastating’ Budget Proposal

Oaklandside – Eli Wolfe | Published: 5/11/2023

The Oakland Public Ethics Commission has laid out in stark terms how the proposed city budget will affect its operations. Commission staff said the budget would remove funding for the Democracy Dollars program, which aims to level the city’s campaign finance landscape by giving vouchers to voters to support candidates. With only a modest budget increase, the commission also will not be able to hire additional staff for its overburdened enforcement program. Due to a prolonged staffing shortage, the enforcement chief said he must put half the city’s existing ethics cases on hold indefinitely.

Connecticut – Sullivan Sentenced to 6 Months in Prison for Lavish 2015 Kentucky Derby, Golf Trips

Yahoo News – Claire Bessette (New London Day) | Published: 5/17/2023

James Sullivan, a former chairperson of the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative, was sentenced to six months in prison for using the utilities’ money to pay for lavish trips in 2015 to the Kentucky Derby and a West Virginia golf resort. The jury convicted Sullivan, former cooperative executive Drew Rankin, and former Norwich Public Utilities General Manager John Bilda on theft from a program receiving federal funds for the trips.

Florida – Miami Mayor Suarez’s Big VIP Weekend Was Worth $30K. And He Still Won’t Say Who Paid

MSN – Sarah Blaskey (Miami Herald) | Published: 5/17/2023

For the second year in a row, Mayor Francis Suarez made the rounds to lavish parties during the recent Formula One race in Miami, where hosts tied to local lobbying efforts waived cover charges for elected officials. If Suarez paid the cover for each event he and his wife attended, their Grand Prix weekend would have cost well over $30,000. Suarez would not say who paid for his weekend, nor did he file a quarterly report disclosing sponsors behind a similar tour of the party circuit he made last year, as is legally required when an elected official receives complimentary admissions or free tickets from anyone outside of their immediate family.

Georgia – Republican Tapped to Lead Fulton Elections Board Withdraws Under Pressure

MSN – Amy Gardner, Matthew Brown, and Michael Scherer (Washington Post) | Published: 5/17/2023

An Atlanta Republican withdrew his nomination to lead the elections board of Georgia’s most populous county after voting-rights activists and national Democrats, including the state’s two U.S. senators, lobbied to block the appointment. Lee Morris’s appointment would have given Republicans a majority on the Board of Registrations and Elections in a county that forms the core of metropolitan Atlanta and is governed by a majority-Democrat commission.

Illinois – Exelon Is Paying the Legal Tab for Two Former Executives Convicted in ComEd Bribery Scheme

WBEZ – Doug McKinney | Published: 5/15/2023

Exelon has been paying the legal fees for two now-convicted former Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) executives who were part of a conspiracy to bribe former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. ComEd spokesperson Shannon Breymaier noted a section of Exelon’s bylaws that specifies current and former directors and officers of the company and its affiliates qualify to have their legal costs covered in criminal cases so long as the charged were acting in “good faith” and did not believe they were engaging in criminal behavior.

Kansas – What’s in the Bag? Kansas Lobbying Expenditure

KSNT – Colter Robinson | Published: 5/17/2023

Last year, 165 “gift bags” were given to Kansas lawmakers. In Kansas, expenses related to lobbying must be reported. In 2022, a total of $287,252.76 in spending was reported. Of the total amount, only $75,209.63 was itemized. The annual lobbyist expenditure report must include the costs for items such as food and beverages, gifts, and entertainment. The purpose of the items must be documented.

Kentucky – Trump-Backed Daniel Cameron to Face Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear in November

Associated Press News – Bruce Schreiner | Published: 5/17/2023

Daniel Cameron won the Republican primary for Kentucky governor, becoming the first major-party Black nominee for governor in the state’s history and setting up a November showdown with Democratic incumbent Andy Beshear. Cameron, the state’s attorney general, claimed a convincing victory over a 12-candidate field. Beshear easily dispatched two challengers in his own primary. The race now shifts to the general election, which will be one of November’s most closely watched contests and could provide clues heading into next year’s presidential election.

Louisiana – LNG Lobbyists Ghost Wrote Louisiana Officials’ Letters Supporting Gas Storage Project

Louisiana Illuminator – Sara Sneath | Published: 5/17/2023

In an effort to gain federal approval for a natural gas storage project, Sempra LNG lobbyists crafted letters for Louisiana elected officials to send to federal regulators in support of the project. Last fall, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission greenlit the Hackenberry gas storage project, which involves converting underground domes constructed in the 1970s to mine for salt into storage space for natural gas. Sempra LNG has been trying to build the project in Cameron Parish since 2006.

Massachusetts – Dana Pullman Sentenced to Prison in State Police Union Kickback Case

MassLive – Tréa Lavery | Published: 5/11/2023

Dana Pullman, the former president of the State Police Association of Massachusetts (SPAM), was sentenced to 30 months in prison for his role in a kickback scheme during his time heading the union. Anne Lynch, a lobbyist who worked with him in the scheme, will serve 24 months in prison. Lynch’s lobbying firm represented SPAM in exchange for monthly retainer payments. Prosecutors say that for six years, the two used Pullman’s position to defraud members of the union, the state, and vendors seeking to do business with the state police.

Massachusetts – Federal Watchdogs Issue Scathing Reports on U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts

Politico – Lisa Kashinsky, Josh Gerstein, and Kyle Cheney | Published: 5/17/2023

Massachusetts’ top federal prosecutor leaked sensitive Department of Justice information to a reporter as part of an effort to help an ally in a political campaign and then lied about it to investigators, a watchdog found. The finding was the most damaging in a pair of reports issued by DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz and another federal watchdog agency against U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins, who announced she would resign her position.

Massachusetts – SJC Upholds AG’s Ruling Striking Ballot Question

The Eagle-Tribune – Christian Wade | Published: 5/16/2023

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld a decision by then-state Attorney General Maura Healey to reject a ballot question calling for limits on campaign spending by PACs. The justices said the case is “moot” because the proponents of the referendum did not follow the state’s timelines for gathering the required number of signatures from voters to qualify for the ballot. As such, the justices said they are showing “judicial restraint” by not resolving the matter.

Michigan – Michigan Democrats’ Early Campaign Finance Bills Bolster Union Influence

Detroit News – Craig Mauger | Published: 5/16/2023

A committee in the Democrat-controlled Michigan House advanced bills that would help labor unions, which frequently support Democratic lawmakers’ campaigns, raise money for political contributions. Democrats won control of both the state House and Senate for the first time in 40 years in November. The new proposals would remove a ban on government bodies administering payroll deductions for political committees and would broadly allow automatic deductions to be set up for giving to labor union committees.

Michigan – 2nd Lobbyist Pleads Guilty in Medical Marijuana Corruption Scheme

MSN – Arpan Lobo (Detroit Free Press) | Published: 5/12/2023

Federal prosecutors secured the fourth guilty plea in a bribery scheme involving Michigan’s former medical cannabis licensing board. Brian Pierce said he conspired to give $42,000 and other benefits to former House Speaker Rick Johnson to help clients with license applications before the board was disbanded in 2019.

New Hampshire – Bill to Boost Political Finance Transparency Heads to Sununu’s Desk

New Hampshire Bulletin – Ethan DeWitt | Published: 5/15/2023

A bill to increase campaign finance transparency in New Hampshire is headed to Gov. Chris Sununu’s desk. House Bill 195 would expand which groups would count as political advocacy organizations, a designation that requires them to register with the secretary of state’s office and report receipts and expenditures. Currently, the label applies only to organizations that spend $5,000 toward advocacy for or against a candidate or party in an election cycle. The bill would lower that threshold to $2,500 or more.

New York – ‘Lobbying Loophole’ Bill After LaSalle Fight Advances Through Senate

Albany Times Union – Joshua Solomon | Published: 5/16/2023

State Senate Democrats advanced legislation to close a “lobbying loophole” on judicial nominations and other state offices that followed undisclosed efforts earlier this year to influence votes on the selection of New York’s chief judge. The bill was introduced after an Albany Times Union story highlighted the lack of public reporting requirements for outside groups seeking to buttress or oppose a judicial nomination.

New York – U.S. Supreme Court Tosses Convictions of Percoco, Kaloyeros, Developers

Albany Times Union – Robert Gavin | Published: 5/11/2023

The U.S. Supreme Court threw out two fraud convictions during New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration, dealing prosecutors the latest in a series of setbacks in their efforts to pursue federal charges of public corruption in state government. The court unanimously overturned the bid-rigging convictions of SUNY Polytechnic Institute founder Alain Kaloyeros and three businesspeople while also reversing the fraud-related conviction of Joseph Percoco, the once powerful top aide to Cuomo.

New York – Head of NYC Campaign Finance Board Resigns Six Months After Taking Job

Gothamist – Brigid Bergin | Published: 5/16/2023

The head of the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) is stepping down from her post just six months after taking the job. Beth Rotman became the agency’s third executive director when she took the position in October. She cited personal reasons for departing her new role so soon. The former executive director, Amy LoPrest, will serve as the interim director of the program until the CFB completes its search for a new executive director.

New York – Eric Adams’ Transition Fined Nearly $20K by Campaign Finance Board

The City – Katie Honan | Published: 5/15/2023

The Campaign Finance Board hit New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ transition team with nearly $20,000 in penalties for violations related to the weeks in between 2021’s election and his January 2022 inauguration. The board voted to approve $19,600 in fines for three violations, finding the account for Adams transition and inauguration committee accepted prohibited donations, failed to respond or responded late to requests for information or documentation, and failed to properly wind down “transition and inauguration expense” activities.

Ohio – Ohio Lawmakers Vote to Set Aug. 8 Election for Controversial 60% Constitutional Amendment Proposal

MSN – Andrew Tobias and Jake Zuckerman (Cleveland Plain Dealer) | Published: 5/10/2023

Ohio lawmakers passed a resolution asking voters to raise the threshold for approving constitutional amendments. The vote caps off nearly six months of legislative wrangling largely meant to hobble an abortion rights amendment. Lawmakers are entering questionable legal territory, however, as they set the vote in August through the resolution itself. Legislation approved last December places strict limits on such special elections, and a measure aimed at loosening those restrictions faltered in the House.

Oklahoma – Ethics Commission Settles Conservative Alliance PAC Lawsuit, Kannady Mum

NonDoc – Michael McNutt | Published: 5/17/2023

The Oklahoma Ethics Commission settled a lawsuit against a PAC that spent more than $150,000 in multiple Republican legislative races in 2018 as part of an electoral effort participated in by a top GOP House leader to defeat several hardline members of his own caucus. The Conservative Alliance PAC and its treasurer, Chris Marston, admitted targeting specific candidates and failed to follow the disclosure requirements in Oklahoma law. The PAC and Marston will pay $45,000 to the state.

Oregon – Oregon Lawmakers May Consider Boosting Elected Officials’ Pay, Passing Ethics Reforms in Wake of Shemia Fagan’s Resignation

MSN – Grant Stringer (Portland Oregonian) | Published: 5/10/2023

Oregon lawmakers are mulling whether to boost pay for statewide officeholders and pass ethics reforms following the resignation of former Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, who stepped down after it was reported she had taken a $10,000 a month side job with a cannabis company. Fagan said she took the lucrative side job in part because she struggled to pay her bills as secretary of state. The post pays $77,000 per year.

Oregon – State Election Officials Fine Democratic Party of Oregon for Cryptocurrency Donation Flap

Oregon Public Broadcasting – Lauren Dake | Published: 5/12/2023

State election officials issued a $15,000 fine for the Oregon Democratic Party Democratic Party after the party changed the name of the donor of a hefty campaign check. The state also plans to monitor the party’s financial disclosures to ensure campaign finance laws are being followed in the future. The secretary of state’s office initially proposed a fine of $35,000after a three-month investigation but lowered the amount.

Pennsylvania – Cherelle Parker Wins Crowded Democratic Philadelphia Mayoral Primary; Dems Keep Pennsylvania House Majority

CBS News – Caroline Linton | Published: 5/17/2023

Philadelphia Democrats selected Cherelle Parker to be their party’s mayoral nominee. Parker will be favored to win the general election in November when she takes on Republican David Oh. The mayor’s race was the most expensive in the city’s history, with two candidates – Derek Green and Maria Quiñones Sánchez – dropping out because the price of the race was too high. In addition, Democrats narrowly maintained their majority in the Pennsylvania House, thanks to a win in a closely watched special election.

South Carolina – Supreme Court to Consider South Carolina Plan That ‘Exiled’ Black Voters

MSN – Robert Barnes (Washington Post) | Published: 5/15/2023

The U.S. Supreme Court will consider South Carolina’s attempt to reinstate a congressional redistricting plan that a lower court found had “exiled” 30,000 Black voters to create a district winnable for a White Republican candidate. The three-judge panel in January said the plan by the GOP-led Legislature split Black neighborhoods in the Charleston area to create a “stark racial gerrymander.” The judges found that South Carolina’s mapmaker tried to keep the African American population below a certain target in the district, treating Charleston County “in a fundamentally different way than the rest of the state.”

Tennessee – Former State Sen. Brian Kelsey Won’t Be Allowed to Change Guilty Plea; July Sentencing Set

MSN – Melissa Brown (Nashville Tennessean) | Published: 5/16/2023

Philadelphia Democrats selected Cherelle Parker to be their party’s mayoral nominee. Parker will be favored Former Tennessee Sen. Brian Kelsey will not be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea in a federal campaign finance case. Kelsey sought to take his case to trial after what he called a flawed plea deal in November 2022, when he pleaded guilty to charges stemming from his failed 2016 congressional campaign. U.S. Chief District Court Judge Waverly Crenshaw, Jr. criticized Kelsey’s legal argument that he did not fully understand the implications of a criminal felony plea, given his career as a constitutional lawyer and a state lawmaker.

Texas – A TxDOT Commissioner Resigned in 2018. He Continued Drawing Pay for Five Years.

Yahoo News – Tony Plohetski (Austin American-Statesman) | Published: 5/11/2023

In February 2018, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Commissioner Victor Vandergriff resigned from his governor-appointed position. Instead of stopping his payments, the state continued to cut him 62 monthly paychecks totaling nearly $92,000, plus benefits over the next five years. The state took steps to stop the payments after reporters asked why Vandergriff was still getting paid. Vandergriff’s abrupt exit came a month after the Texas Tribune reported Vandergriff had performed work as a private lobbyist during trips to Austin that were paid for by TxDOT.

Virginia – How Redistricting Reform Is Launching the Virginia General Assembly into a New Era

Virginia Mercury – Graham Moomaw | Published: 5/16/2023

The dramatically different electoral maps created after Virginia voters approved a new redistricting process in 2021 have been a clear factor in the ongoing institutional shake-up at the General Assembly, pushing many incumbents out and opening more room for candidates to run in new districts other incumbents cannot fully claim as their own. No matter which party wins control in November, the state Legislature will look very different when it reconvenes. That is fueling both trepidation over the loss of longtime statehouse figures and optimism over the opportunity to build anew.

Washington – Smiley PAC for ‘Political Outsiders’ Actually Pays Campaign Debt

Seattle Times – Jim Brunner | Published: 5/13/2023

A few months after her unsuccessful bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, Republican challenger Tiffany Smiley announced the launch of a new PAC to boost “political outsiders” across the country. Making the rounds of sympathetic conservative TV and radio shows, Smiley promoted Endeavor PAC and appealed for money.  What Smiley did not mention during her media tour is that donations solicited by her PAC are earmarked first to retire a six-figure debt lingering from her Senate campaign.

Washington – Before Rule Change, AG Bob Ferguson Moves $1.2M ‘Surplus’ to Campaign

Seattle Times – Jim Brunner | Published: 5/11/2023

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson shifted more than $1.2 million in surplus campaign money to his 2024 gubernatorial bid, getting ahead of a ruling placing new limits on such transfers. The Public Disclosure Commission voted to close the loophole that allowed such transfers without counting them toward individual contribution limits, agreeing with critics that the loophole violated the spirit of Washington’s campaign finance laws. The new guidance says candidates transferring surplus money should attribute the cash to specific donors.

Campaign Finance National: “Former Hawaii Executives Plead Guilty to Sending Illegal Donations to US Sen. Susan Collins” by Nick Grube for Honolulu Civil Beat Oregon: “State Election Officials Fine Democratic Party of Oregon for Cryptocurrency Donation Flap” by Lauren Dake for Oregon Public Broadcasting Washington: “Smiley PAC for ‘Political Outsiders’ Actually Pays Campaign Debt” by Jim Brunner for Seattle Times Ethics California: “Oakland Ethics Commission Reckons with ‘Devastating’ Budget Proposal” by Eli Wolfe for Oaklandside National: “Did Jan. 6 Defendants Act ‘Corruptly’? An Appeals Court Weighs the Question.” by Tom Jackman and Rachel Weiner (Washington Post) for MSN Michigan: “2nd Lobbyist Pleads Guilty in Medical Marijuana Corruption Scheme” by Arpan Lobo (Detroit Free Press) for MSN Texas: “A TxDOT Commissioner Resigned in 2018. He Continued Drawing Pay for Five Years.” by Tony Plohetski (Austin American-Statesman) for Yahoo News Redistricting South Carolina: “Supreme Court to Consider South Carolina Plan That ‘Exiled’ Black Voters” by Robert Barnes (Washington Post) for MSN

National/Federal

No Rest Between Censuses for Congressional Mapmakers

DNyuz – Reid Epstein (New York Times) | Published: 3/10/2023

For just about all of the nation’s history, politicians would fight over redistricting for a short period after each once-a-decade census, then forget about congressional maps until the next reapportionment. Now, a string of lawsuits and in-the-works state referendums are poised to redefine the battles over state legislative and congressional lines and leave the country in a state of perpetual redistricting. Not since 2012 and 2014 have all 50 states’ congressional lines remained constant for consecutive elections, a streak unlikely to be broken next year.

Social Media Threats Exploded after Tucker Carlson’s Jan. 6 Claims, Analysis Finds

MSN – Jessica Guynn and Will Carless (USA Today) | Published: 3/13/2023

Tucker Carlson’s portrayal of the deadly January 6 attack as a largely peaceful event on his  Fox News show set off a new wave of social media chatter that includes death threats against Capitol police officers and Democratic leaders, according to experts who monitor extremism and a report from Advance Democracy. The segment downplayed the violence, falsely recasting the mob that breached the Capitol as an “orderly and meek” gathering of “sightseers.”

GOP Rep. Andy Ogles Seems to Have Kept $25,000 From a GoFundMe for a Child Burial Garden

New Republic – Tori Otten | Published: 3/15/2023

U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles appears to have kept money raised through a charitable GoFundMe event. A media investigation found Ogles set up a GoFundMe in 2014 after his son was stillborn. Ogles said he wanted to build a garden where families could bury their stillborn children and sit on benches by the gravestones. It raised almost $25,000, but the garden was never built. GoFundMe confirmed that Ogles received the money.

Sold: Yacht with a waterfall. Price: $19 million. Broker: George Santos.

Yahoo News – Rebecca Davis O’Brien and William Rashbaum (New York Times) | Published: 3/15/2023

A $19 million luxury yacht deal brokered by U.S. Rep. George Santos between two of his wealthy donors has captured the attention of federal and state authorities investigating his campaign finances and personal business dealings. Even if Santos broke no laws, the deal serves as further evidence of an emerging narrative given by people in his political orbit, that Santos seemed to use his campaign not only to win elected office but also as a networking exercise to ingratiate himself with rich donors and enrich himself from those contacts.

House Republicans Quietly Halt Inquiry into Trump’s Finances

Yahoo News – Luke Broadwater and Jonathan Swain (New York Times) | Published: 3/13/2023

House Republicans halted a congressional investigation into whether Donald Trump profited improperly from the presidency, declining to enforce a court-supervised settlement agreement that demanded that Mazars USA, his former accounting firm, produce his financial records to Congress. Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairperson James Comer professed ignorance about the inquiry Democrats opened when they controlled the House, and was instead focusing on whether President Biden and members of his family were involved in an influence-peddling scheme.

From the States and Municipalities

Arizona – Commissioner Will Change Response to Ethics Complaint Following 12News Reports

MSN – Joe Dana (KPNX) | Published: 3/10/2023

A prominent association representing utility commissioners across the country said its name was falsely used to promote a two-day event hosted by the American Gas Association in New York in January. The revelation contradicts a statement filed by Arizona Corporation Commission member Kevin Thompson in response to an ethics complaint. Thompson, a former manager and lobbyist at Southwest Gas, said the meetings were beneficial to the public because it’s the job of commissioners “to reassure there’s regulatory stability in Arizona.”

California – Ethics Commission Wants More Time to Decide If Nonprofits, Other Groups Will Have to Register as Lobbyists

Long Beach Post – Jason Ruiz | Published: 3/9/2023

The Long Beach Ethics Commission said it will continue to work on its recommendations for changes to the city’s lobbying law after dozens of nonprofit leaders turned out to its meeting to demand their current exemption from the law remain intact. There are over 600 nonprofits with a location in Long Beach, according to Michelle Byerly, executive director of The Nonprofit Partnership, who told the commission its proposal to add “advocacy” to the law and treat advocates the same as lobbyists would put a great burden on nonprofits.

California – Inside the Financial Ties Between a Controversial Housing Nonprofit and Kevin de León

MSN – Liam Dillon, Benjamin Oreskes, and Doug Smith (Los Angeles Times) | Published: 3/13/2023

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation in 2020 was pursuing a lawsuit alleging Los Angeles illegally denied funding for an affordable housing project the nonprofit was proposing. Kevin de León, the area’s incoming city council member who had been elected but not yet taken office, contacted an aide to then-Mayor Eric Garcetti. The aide arranged a video call for De León with city department heads and high-ranking mayoral staffers. But those in the meeting did not know De León was a consultant working for the foundation, a job that would pay him more than $100,000 in the six months prior to his taking office.

California – Lawyers Make Opening Statements in Mark Ridley-Thomas Corruption Trial

MSN – Matt Hamilton (Los Angeles Times) | Published: 3/8/2023

At the start of the corruption trial of suspended Los Angeles City Councilperson Mark Ridley-Thomas, jurors heard conflicting portraits of the onetime power broker. Defense attorneys cast him as a lifelong public servant who represented the poorest communities of Los Angeles. Prosecutors said Ridley-Thomas was a conniving operator eager to “monetize” his position and conceal a sexual harassment investigation into his son, then a state Assembly member. To preserve the family’s political brand, the elder Ridley-Thomas helped engineer his son’s abrupt resignation from the Legislature, supposedly for medical reasons, and leaned on the University of Southern California for favors to benefit his son.

Colorado – Former Trump Lawyer Jenna Ellis Censured by Colorado Judge for False Statements

MSN – Matthew Brown (Washington Post) | Published: 3/9/2023

A Colorado judge censured Jenna Ellis, a former senior legal adviser to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign who admitted in state disciplinary proceedings that she made at least 10 false statements about the 2020 election as part of an effort to mislead the public. Ellis is the latest of Trump’s legal aides to face scrutiny for their conduct in the aftermath of the 2020 election. She is the first of the cohort to acknowledge in public that comments she made surrounding the election were false.

Florida – Florida Scoured Math Textbooks for ‘Prohibited Topics.’ Next Up: Social Studies.

DNyuz – Sarah Mervosh (New York Times) | Published: 3/16/2023

In Florida, textbooks have become hot politics, part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’s campaign against what he describes as “woke indoctrination” in public schools, particularly when it comes to race and gender. Last year, his administration made a splash when it rejected dozens of math textbooks, citing “prohibited topics.” Now, the state is reviewing curriculum in what is perhaps the most contentious subject in education: social studies. A prominent conservative education group, whose members volunteered to review textbooks, objected to a slew of them, accusing publishers of “promoting their bias.” At least two publishers declined to participate altogether.

Florida – Inside Ron DeSantis’s Politicized Removal of an Elected Prosecutor

Yahoo News – Alexandra Berzon and Ken Bensinger (New York Times) | Published: 3/11/2023

As he travels the country promoting a new book and his expected presidential campaign, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis repeatedly points to his ouster of Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren as an example of the decisive way he has transformed Florida and could remake the nation. He casts Warren as a rogue ideologue whose refusal to enforce the law demanded action. But an examination of the episode reveals a different picture: a governor’s office that seemed driven by a preconceived political narrative, bent on a predetermined outcome, and focused on maximizing media attention for DeSantis.

Georgia – Little-Known Lawyer, a Trump Ally, Draws Scrutiny in Georgia

Yahoo News – Danny Hakim and Richard Fausset (New York Times) | Published: 3/11/2023

At a Georgia Senate hearing after Donald Trump lost his bid for reelection, attorney Robert Cheeley presented video clips of election workers handling ballots at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Cheeley spent 15 minutes laying out specious assertions the workers were double- and triple-counting votes. The fact that Cheeley was called to appear before the special grand jury investigating election interference by Trump adds to the evidence that the false claims made by his allies at legislative hearings have been of significant interest.

Hawaii – Hawaii’s New Deputy Economy Chief Has a Powerful Business Partner in The Senate

Honolulu Civil Beat – Blaze Lovell | Published: 3/15/2023

The business partner of a powerful state senator is on his way to being confirmed as deputy director for Hawaii’s economic development agency. Dane Wicker, a former chief of staff to Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz and co-owner of Kilani Brew with Dela Cruz, cruised through a Senate committee hearing on his nomination. Senate rules on conflicts-of-interest apply to legislation in which a senator has a “direct financial interest.” The rules do not have any provisions on nominees before the Senate.

Illinois – ‘ComEd Four’ Bribery Trial to Put Focus on Ex-Speaker Madigan’s Power, State’s Blurry Line Between Politics and Crime

MSN – Jason Meisner and Ray Long (Chicago Tribune) | Published: 3/12/2023

Four former Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) officials – ex-Chief Executive Officer Anne Pramaggiore, onetime utility lobbyist Mike McClain, retired ComEd executive John Hooker, and ex-City Club of Chicago president and former ComEd consultant Jay Doherty – are on trial in federal court, accused of scheming to influence indicted ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Prosecutors alleged the four defendants tried to bribe Madigan, who controlled what proposals the House would consider and approve, from 2011 until 2019 to advance legislation favorable to ComEd and defeat bills the company opposed.

Illinois – As ComEd Bribery Trial Gets Underway, Judge Reverses Course and Will Allow Secret Recordings to Be Released to the Media

WBEZ – Jon Seidel and Tina Sfondeles (Chicago Sun-Times) | Published: 3/14/2023

The federal judge presiding over the Commonwealth Edison bribery trial reversed course and ruled secret recordings made of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and his allies may be released to the media after they are played for jurors. That means people across the state will finally have an opportunity to hear the evidence at the core of the corruption investigation that ended Madigan’s record-breaking tenure as the leader of the state House and landed him under indictment.

Kansas – Kansas Republicans Push Forward with Changes to Ethics Rules Amid Ongoing Investigations

Kansas Reflector – Sherman Smith | Published: 3/15/2023

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s chief of staff urged Republican lawmakers to spend more time studying proposed changes to campaign finance law before moving forward with legislation inspired by ongoing investigations. The House Elections Committee amended and advanced a version of House Bill 2391, which was written by attorneys who represent a GOP political operative. The executive director of the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission warned lawmakers the revised bill still contains numerous changes that would limit his agency’s authority.

Kansas – Wichita Council Member Frye’s Vote Buys time for Wife’s Company on City Contract

Yahoo News – Chance Swaim and Matthew Kelly (Wichita Eagle) | Published: 3/15/2023

Wichita City Council member Bryan Frye cast a decisive vote related to a city contract with his wife’s employer, Copp Media Services. Frye’s action raises questions about whether his vote ran afoul of the city’s ethics rules that aim to prevent council members from voting on friend-and-family deals. Frye did not disclose the potential conflict-of-interest or recuse himself from the vote. Mayor Brandon Whipple and council members who knew about it did not raise any public objections during the meeting, citing confusion over who actually voted.

Louisiana – New Orleans Mayor Fights Lowered Recall Signature Threshold

Yahoo News – Kevin McGill (Associated Press) | Published: 3/14/2023

A court settlement that significantly lowered the number of petition signatures New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s opponents need to force a recall election was challenged in two state courts by Cantrell and one of her supporters. The settlement came after recall organizers sued election officials saying New Orleans voter rolls still list hundreds of dead people and thousands of voters who should be placed on an “inactive” list because they have likely moved. Questions have been raised about Cantrell’s travel expenses and her personal use of a city-owned apartment, among other issues.

Maine – Portland City Council Begins Developing State’s First Municipal Clean Elections Program

Yahoo News – Rachel Ohm (Portland Press Herald) | Published: 3/13/2023

The Portland City Council began developing a new clean elections program the city plans to have in place for the November election. The state in 1996 established the Maine Clean Elections Act, a voluntary program for public campaign funding for state level offices including governor and legislators, but Portland is the state’s first community to establish such a program at the municipal level.

Maryland – Judge Issues Warrant for Roy McGrath, Hogan’s Former Chief of Staff

MSN – Ovetta Wiggins (Washington Post) | Published: 3/13/2023

A federal judge issued a bench warrant for Roy McGrath, once a top aide to former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, after he did not appear in court for the first day of trial on wire fraud and embezzlement charges. McGrath was charged in federal and state court in 2021 with dozens of charges stemming from his time working for a quasi-governmental agency he led before serving as Hogan’s chief of staff. He became the subject of an investigation shortly after it was publicly revealed he was given a severance package of nearly $250,000 when he left the Maryland Environmental Service.

Minnesota – Revolving Door at Minnesota Capitol Creates Windstorm

Minnesota Reformer – Michelle Griffith | Published: 3/15/2023

State lawmakers becoming lobbyists in Minnesota is not a new phenomenon, but heavy turnover at the Capitol has clients turning to legislators-turned-lobbyists. Sen. Matt Klein said lobbyists who recently left office have an advantage in information and relationships, and questioned the propriety of the arrangement. David Schultz, a political science professor at Hamline University said that special access for clients who can afford to hire a former lawmaker could mean less access for average Minnesotans.

Minnesota – Former House Majority Leader, Key Player in THC Law, to Start THC Beverage Company

Minnesota Reformer – Michelle Griffin | Published: 3/15/2023

Former Minnesota House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler is starting a THC beverage company after playing a key role in the passage of the law that legalized the THC edible industry. Winkler said he had no intentions of starting a company last year when he led the effort to legalize low-dose THC products. He only decided to go into the business after he lost the primary election for Hennepin County attorney last August.

Missouri – ‘It Forces You to Be More Creative’: How lobbyists kept their grip on Missouri politics

MSN – Jonathan Shorman and Kacen Bayless (Kansas City Star) | Published: 3/12/2023

Missouri voters in 2018 approved an amendment to the state constitution that effectively eliminated lobbyist gifts to state legislators, tightened campaign contribution limits, and further restricted the “revolving door” of lawmakers becoming lobbyists. It was a striking achievement for good government advocates, who had voiced outrage for years over the state’s cozy Capitol scene. But as the fifth anniversary of the Clean Missouri vote approaches, a strong lobbying culture remains as Jefferson City has learned to adapt.

New Jersey – Why Is New Jersey the Only State That’s Never Had a State Song?

Philadelphia Inquirer – Alfred Lubano | Published: 3/14/2023

New Jersey is the only state that has never had a state song. It has a state mollusk shell (the knobbed whelk); a state dance (the square dance); and a state microbe (Streptomyces griseus), and a state animal, flower, fruit, bug, reptile, and dinosaur. “It’s a political hot potato,” said Tom Cunningham, host of the “Springsteen on Sunday” radio program. “You’ve got North, Central, and South Jersey – unique areas with their own ideas about music. Hopefully, one day the twain shall meet. But not now.”

New Mexico – Money in Politics Transparency Nears Finish as Legislative Session Winds Down

New Mexico In Depth – Marjorie Childress | Published: 3/14/2023

An effort to close a loophole in New Mexico’s campaign disclosure laws and bar campaign contributions from lobbyists and political committees to lawmakers during legislative sessions has a tailwind heading into the final week of the legislative session. New additions to Senate Bill 42 would require more timely reporting of political contributions so the public has more complete information just before elections and just before the legislative session each year.

New Mexico – Lobbyists Had Safety Plans and Trainings for NM’s 2023 Session, Fearing Misconduct by Lawmakers

Source New Mexico – Megan Gleason | Published: 3/9/2023

This year, the Center for Civic Policy created a safety plan for New Mexico’s 2023 legislative session and shared it with other lobbying organizations around the state. It lays out measures such as staying with colleagues, understanding who to confide in, knowing the surroundings, and taking notes of any incidents that happen. The group also held safety training sessions before and midway through the legislative session with other advocacy organizations. Lan Sena policy director for the Center for Civic Policy, said the Capitol is an unsafe work environment for many people working with advocacy and nonprofit organizations.

New York – NY Troopers PBA Removes Political Director Amid FBI Investigation

Albany Times Union – Brendan Lyons | Published: 3/13/2023

The board of directors for the New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association (PBA) voted to part ways with the union’s longtime political director, Gordon Warnock, amid an ongoing investigation of the organization’s finances and business dealings. The departure comes after it was reported that the investigation includes examining hundreds of thousands of dollars paid through the years to individuals or companies with connections to the union. A lobbying firm operated by Warnock has done extensive work for the union and subcontracted some of its national work to a limited liability company formed by the PBA’s former president.

New York – Former State Sen. Jeff Klein Loses Appeal Seeking to End Ethics Probe

Albany Times Union – Staff | Published: 5/10/2023

A New York appellate court rejected former state Sen. Jeffrey Klein’s efforts to shut down an ethics panel’s investigation into allegations he violated the law when he allegedly forcibly kissed a female staff member outside an Albany bar in 2015. Documents show that the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) found there was a substantial basis to proceed with a case despite a hearing officer’s recommendation it should be dismissed. Klein’s 2020 petition alleged JCOPE exceeded its authority when it rejected the recommendations of hearing officer Richard Rifkin.

New York – NYC Mayor Eric Adams Faces Thousands in Fines for Potential Campaign Finance Violations

Gothamist – Gwynne Hogan | Published: 3/15/2023

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is facing tens of thousands of dollars in fines for three alleged violations of campaign finance law based on issues stemming from his 2021 Transition and Inauguration Entity, a fund that recently elected candidates use to cover expenses after they win an election and before they officially take office. The Campaign Finance Board accused Adams of accepting prohibited donations, failing to respond to requests for information and documentation, and failing to close the fund once Adams became mayor in 2022.

New York – Prosecutors Signal Criminal Charges for Trump Are Likely

Seattle Times – William Rashbaum, Ben Protess, and Jonah Bromwich (New York Times) | Published: 3/9/2023

The Manhattan district attorney’s office recently signaled to Donald Trump’s lawyers that he could face criminal charges for his role in the payment of hush money to a porn star, the strongest indication yet prosecutors are nearing an indictment of the former president. The prosecutors offered Trump the chance to testify before the grand jury that has been hearing evidence in the potential case. Such offers almost always indicate an indictment is close; it would be unusual for the district attorney, Alvin Bragg, to notify a potential defendant without ultimately seeking charges against him.

North Carolina – N.C. High Court Mulls Throwing Out Rulings on Redistricting, Voter ID

MSN – Patrick Marley (Washington Post) | Published: 3/14/2023

The North Carolina Supreme Court, now controlled by Republicans following the November midterms, weighed reversing a three-month-old decision aimed at ensuring election maps are drawn fairly. Ahead of oral arguments, critics excoriated the justices for reexamining the redistricting case and a voter ID decision so soon after ruling on them, contending the justices were doing so for partisan reasons instead of legal ones. In December, when Democrats controlled the court, a four-to-three majority issued decisions that went against Republicans on redistricting and threw out the voter ID law.

Ohio – What’s Next in Ohio Corruption Probe After Guilty Verdicts?

ABC News – Julie Carr Smyth (Associated Press) | Published: 3/14/2023

The largest corruption case in Ohio history culminated with guilty verdicts for ex-House Speaker Larry Householder and lobbyist Matt Borges, the former head of the Republican Party. But state Attorney General Dave Yost said it is “only the beginning of accountability” for the now-tainted $1 billion bailout of two aging nuclear power plants. There have been no charges against the FirstEnergy executives who were fired in the wake of the scandal. They include former Chief Executive Officer Chuck Jones and former Vice President for External Affairs Michael Dowling, whose texts, emails, and travel itineraries factored heavily into the case against Householder.

Ohio – Guilty: Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, ex-Ohio GOP chairman Matt Borges convicted in $60M bribery scheme

MSN – Jake Zuckerman (Cleveland Plain Dealer) | Published: 3/9/2023

A jury found former House Speaker Larry Householder and ex-Ohio Republican Party Chairperson Matt Borges guilty in the largest public corruption case in the state’s history. Prosecutors accused Householder and Borges of being part of a scheme to funnel nearly $61 million in “dark money” from First Energy Corp. and its subsidiary to elect Householder as speaker, solidify his power base, secure enough votes to pass a ratepayer-funded bailout of two nuclear plants that benefitted a FirstEnergy subsidiary, and ensure the law survived a ballot campaign to overturn it.

Oklahoma – Okla. Lawmaker Says Bible Endorses Corporal Punishment of Disabled Children

MSN – María Luisa Paúl (Washington Post) | Published: 3/15/2023

Oklahoma Rep. John Talley thought his bill to bar schools from spanking children with disabilities would find little to no opposition in the Legislature. What seemed like a rare bipartisan moment quickly came crashing down as other Republican lawmakers invoked the Bible to argue against Talley’s House Bill 1028, claiming in some instances that “God’s word is higher than all the so-called experts,” as Rep. Jim Olsen said during debate. The bill wound up six votes short of the 51 it needed to pass.

Pennsylvania – ‘Ya Fav Trashman’ Mishandled Campaign Funds and Bilked Staffers. He Says He Wants to Make Things Right.

MSN – Mike Martin (Philadelphia Inquirer) | Published: 3/10/2023

Terrill Haigler, a former city sanitation worker who gained Instagram fame under his alter ego “Ya Fav Trashman,” ended his campaign for Philadelphia City Council, telling his thousands of social media followers he did not get enough signatures to appear on the ballot. But behind the scenes, financial problems plagued his campaign. Haigler has not paid his staffers, used campaign funding for personal expenses in a possible violation of Pennsylvania law, and could face penalties from the city’s Board of Ethics for failing to account for the money.

Tennessee – Tennessee Governor OKs Bill to Cut Nashville Council in Half

Yahoo News – Jonathan Mattise and Kimberlee Kruesi (Associated Press) | Published: 3/9/2023

Republican lawmakers and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed off on cutting Democratic-leaning Nashville’s metro council in half, a move that follows the council’s rejection of efforts to host the 2024 Republican National Convention. The move drew an immediate outcry and is expected to spark legal challenges. Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s administration and others say the change will throw this year’s council elections into chaos, spurring the need to redraw districts after more than 40 candidates already launched campaigns.

Tennessee – Lt. Gov. Randy McNally Faces Criticism for Comments on Young Man’s Mature Instagram Photo

Yahoo News – Melissa Brown (Tennessean) | Published: 3/9/2023

Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally is facing controversy after reports revealed his Instagram account liked half-nude photos of a gay man whose account he follows despite McNally’s support for anti-LGBTQ legislation. Screenshots show McNally’s official account posting emojis of red hearts, fire, hands clapping, and a smiling face with hearts for eyes. The state Senate, with McNally as its leader, advanced and passed bans this year on gender-affirming care for transgender youth and restrictions on where certain drag shows can take place.

Texas – Legislature Has Little Appetite to Fund Ken Paxton’s Settlement with Whistleblowers

Texas Tribune – James Barragán | Published: 3/13/2023

Texas lawmakers are facing a choice: approve $3.3 million in state funds to end a lawsuit accusing Attorney General Ken Paxton of improperly firing four whistleblowers or reject an out-of-court settlement – potentially adding millions of dollars in costs while leaving the outcome of the lawsuit to fate in a long-shot attempt to make Paxton pay. The settlement would resolve a lawsuit that alleges Paxton fired former high-ranking deputies in retaliation for accusing him of using his office to benefit a friend and political donor. But lawmakers have shown little appetite to use state funds to help Paxton settle the case.

Texas – Ken Paxton’s Campaign Against Election Crimes Ensnared a Texas Justice of the Peace Three Times Before Judges Thwarted the Efforts

Texas Tribune – Alejandro Serrano | Published: 3/15/2023

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office in 2021 pursued criminal election fraud charges Tomas Ramirez III, a justice of the peace in Medina County. An indictment accused Ramirez of illegally possessing absentee ballots of 17 voters during the 2018 GOP primary in which he toppled a Republican incumbent by nearly 100 votes. Ramirez said he never had any voter’s absentee ballots. The indictment did not explain how the alleged scheme worked or the role Ramirez was accused of playing.

Elections Colorado: “Former Trump Lawyer Jenna Ellis Censured by Colorado Judge for False Statements” by Matthew Brown (Washington Post) for MSN Ethics New Mexico: “Lobbyists Had Safety Plans and Trainings for NM’s 2023 Session, Fearing Misconduct by Lawmakers” by Megan Gleason for Source New Mexico New York: “Prosecutors Signal Criminal Charges for Trump Are Likely” by William Rashbaum, Ben Protess, and Jonah Bromwich (New York Times) for Seattle Times Ohio: “Guilty: Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, ex-Ohio GOP chairman Matt Borges convicted in $60M bribery scheme” by Jake Zuckerman (Cleveland Plain Dealer) for MSN Legislative Issues Tennessee: “Tennessee Governor OKs Bill to Cut Nashville Council in Half” by Jonathan Mattise and Kimberlee Kruesi (Associated Press) for Yahoo News Lobbying California: “Ethics Commission Wants More Time to Decide If Nonprofits, Other Groups Will Have to Register as Lobbyists” by Jason Ruiz for Long Beach Post Missouri: “‘It Forces You to Be More Creative’: How lobbyists kept their grip on Missouri politics” by Jonathan Shorman and Kacen Bayless (Kansas City Star) for MSN Redistricting National: “No Rest Between Censuses for Congressional Mapmakers” by Reid Epstein (New York Times) for DNyuz

National/Federal

At the Supreme Court, Ethics Questions Over a Spouse’s Business Ties
Seattle Times – Steve Eder (New York Times) | Published: 1/31/2023

After Chief Justice John Roberts joined the U.S. Supreme Court, his wife, Jane Sullivan Roberts, gave up her career as a law firm partner to become a legal recruiter to alleviate potential conflicts-of-interest. Now, a former colleague of Mrs. Roberts raised concerns that her recruiting work poses potential ethics issues for the chief justice. Seeking an inquiry, the ex-colleague has provided records to the Justice Department and Congress indicating Mrs. Roberts has been paid millions of dollars in commissions for placing lawyers at firm, some of which have business before the Supreme Court.

Biden Lawyer: FBI finds no classified docs at beach house
Associated Press News – Eric Tucker, Colleen Long, and Zeke Miller | Published: 2/1/2023

The FBI searched President Joe Biden’s vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, without finding any classified documents, the president’s attorney said. Agents did take some handwritten notes and other materials relating to Biden’s time as vice president for review. The search was the latest discomfiting moment for a president who has sought to contrast his sensitivity to rule-following with that of Donald Trump, who faces a criminal investigation into his handling of classified documents.

Court Blocks DOJ Review of Scott Perry’s Phone in Jan. 6 Probe
MSN – Spencer Hsu, Jacqueline Alemany, and Rachel Weiner (Washington Post) | Published: 1/31/2023

An appeals court put on hold the search of U.S. Rep. Scott Perry’s phone data in the probe of the Capitol insurrection pending appeal. Perry’s appeal sets the stage for a constitutional test over the scope of immunity held by members of Congress from criminal investigation by the Justice Department under the Constitution’s “speech or debate clause,” which protects legislative work from executive branch interference. House leaders from both parties concluded that at least reviewing Perry’s case and weighing in on its impact on Congress’s constitutional independence is in its best interests.

EU Lobby Register Still Riddled with Errors
EU Observer – Nikolaj Nielsen | Published: 1/31/2023

The European Union’s lobby register remains riddled with errors, as pro-transparency campaigners demand better data and mandatory oversight rules. The latest findings come amid a raft of proposals by the European Parliament president to weed out corruption in the wake of a lobbying scandal. Vicky Cann of the Corporate European Observatory identified some 431 suspicious entries, which were then reviewed by the register’s secretariat. The secretariat then reached out to each one and found only three percent of the original entries were correct.

Google’s Ex-CEO Eric Schmidt Tapped for Federal Biotech Commission That Allows Members to Keep Biotech Investments
CNBC – Eamon Javers | Published: 1/31/2023

Leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees announced the selection of former Google Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt and 11 others to serve on a new commission on biotechnology. It is tasked with reviewing the biotech industry and suggesting investments that would benefit national security. But the appointment does not require members to divest their own personal biotech investments. Schmidt holds stakes in several biotech companies, placing him in a position to potentially profit if those companies are the beneficiaries of a new wave of federal spending.

GOP Report Shows Plan to Ramp Up Focus on Disproven Election Fraud Claims
MSN – Amy Gardner and Isaac Arnsdorf (Washington Post) | Published: 1/31/2023

A new internal report prepared by the Republican National Committee proposes creating a permanent infrastructure in every state to ramp up “election integrity” activities in response to perceptions within GOP ranks of widespread fraud and abuse in the way the country selects its leaders. The report suggests building a massive new party organization involving state-level “election integrity officers” and intensive new training models for poll workers and observers, all based on unsubstantiated claims that Democrats have implemented election procedures that allow for rigged votes.

How Barr’s Quest to Find Flaws in the Russia Inquiry Unraveled
DNyuz – Charlie Savage, Adam Goldman, and Katie Benner (New York Times) | Published: 1/26/2023

Then-Attorney General William Barr in 2019 set out to dig into the theory the investigation to Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign ties to Russia likely stemmed from a conspiracy by intelligence or law enforcement agencies. Barr turned to prosecutor John Durham to prove the theory, and later granted him special counsel status. But after almost four years, Durham’s work is coming to an end without uncovering anything like the deep state plot alleged by Trump and suspected by Barr. The New York Times found Durham’s inquiry was marked by some of the very same flaws that Trump allies claim characterized the Russia investigation.

Hunter Biden’s Lawyers, in Newly Aggressive Strategy, Target His Critics
MSN – Matt Viser (Washington Post) | Published: 2/1/2023

Hunter Biden’s lawyers sent a series of letters to state and federal prosecutors urging criminal investigations into those who accessed and disseminated his personal data and sent a separate letter threatening Fox News host Tucker Carlson with a defamation lawsuit. The string of letters, which included criminal referrals and cease-and-desist missives aimed at critics and detractors, marked the start of a new and far more hard-hitting phase for the president’s son just as House Republicans prepare their own investigations into him.

‘Just Off K Street’ Lobbyist Sheds Instagram Alias and Day Job
Bloomberg Law – Jack Fitzpatrick | Published: 1/26/2023

The lobbyist behind the popular Instagram account about Washington’s lobbying culture is stepping away from the daily grind on Capitol Hill, but not before shedding her anonymity. Katie McMichael, manager of government relations at Aurora Innovation, said she will maintain her “Just Off K Street” Instagram presence, but she is taking a reprieve from government affairs to spend more time with her family. Most of her 1,500 posts frequently lament the exhausting absurdity of Congress, told from the perspective of a bedraggled industry association lobbyist just trying to get through the day.

Justice Department Asks FEC to Stand Down as Prosecutors Probe Santos
MSN – Isaac Stanley-Becker and Emma Brown (Washington Post) | Published: 1/27/2023

The Justice Department asked the FEC to hold off on any enforcement action against U.S. Rep. George Santos, who lied about key aspects of his biography as prosecutors conduct a parallel criminal probe.  The request also asked the FEC to provide any relevant documents to the Justice Department. The FEC ordinarily complies with the department’s requests to hold off on enforcement. Those requests arise from a 1977 memorandum of understanding between the agencies that addresses their overlapping law enforcement responsibilities.

National Archives Asks Past Presidents, VPs to Look for Classified Items
MSN – Jacqueline Alemany (Washington Post) | Published: 1/26/2023

The National Archives sent a letter to representatives of living former presidents and vice presidents asking them to review their personal records to verify that no classified materials are outstanding. The request comes after a limited number of records bearing classified markings were found in recent weeks at President Biden’s home and a think tank bearing his name, as well as at the home of former Vice President Mike Pence.

Redistricting Lawsuits Could Shape the 2024 Battle for House Control
MSN – Daniel Altimari (Roll Call) | Published: 1/30/2023

The reconfiguration of political districts after the 2020 census resulted in a flood of legal challenges, some of which remain unresolved. The 15 states with ongoing litigation include New York and Texas – home to 64 seats combined – along with the battleground state of Georgia. After Republicans flipped nine seats in November, Democrats need to win five back to retake the majority, so redrawn maps could be a factor in shaping party control in the 2024 elections.

Rep. George Santos Is Stepping Down from Committees Amid Fabrications About His Biography
MSN – Meryl Kornfield, Leigh Ann Caldwell, and Marianna Sotomayor (Washington Post) | Published: 1/31/2023

Embattled U.S. Rep. George Santos told House Republicans he will step down temporarily from his committee assignments amid multiple investigations into his campaign finances after he lied about key aspects of his biography. The temporary retreat from committees marks Santos’s first major concession after weeks of maintaining a steadfast resistance to any consequences over his fabrications.

Statehouse Efforts to Avoid Partisan Gridlock Hit Obstacles
Yahoo News – Amee LaTour (The Hill) | Published: 1/31/2023

Leaders in state Legislatures across the country have turned to cross-party alliances and power-sharing agreements as they seek to avoid the political deadlock that has hindered lawmakers in Congress, but signs are emerging that some of those efforts might be in vain. It underscores the fact that while these coalitions may enable lawmakers to avoid political paralysis at least temporarily, they are not a cure-all for the hyper-partisanship plaguing the country as a whole.

Trump’s Evolution in Social Media Exile: More QAnon, more extremes
Yahoo News – Ken Bensinger and Maggie Haberman (New York Times) | Published: 1/29/2023

In September, former President Trump went on Truth Social and shared an image of himself wearing a lapel pin in the form of the letter Q, along with a phrase closely associated with the QAnon conspiracy theory movement: “The storm is coming.” In doing so, Trump ensured the message would be hugely amplified, visible to his more than 4 million followers. Even as Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced Trump would be reinstated, there is no sign he has curtailed his behavior or stopped spreading the kinds of messages that got him exiled in the first place.

From the States and Municipalities

Arizona – Arizona Republicans Exempt Lawmakers from the State’s Open-Records Law
MSN – Patrick Marley and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez (Washington Post) | Published: 1/26/2023

Arizona Republicans shielded legislators from the state’s open-records law, a move that comes months after the release of thousands of documents detailing extensive efforts to undermine Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election in the state. Senators will not have to disclose any text messages sent on personal devices, even when dealing with state business. For lawmakers in both the Senate and the House, emails and other documents will be destroyed after 90 days – in many cases, well before members of the public know to ask for them.

Arizona – GOP Leaders Pressure Hobbs to Donate $1.3M in Excess Inaugural Cash
KJZZ – Howard Fischer (Capitol Media Services) | Published: 1/26/2023

The top two Republican lawmakers want Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs to put money left over from the inaugural celebration into a state account, where it cannot be used to elect more Democrats. House Speaker Ben Toma and Senate President Warren Petersen called on her to surrender control of what is left from the more than $1.5 million she collected for the celebration. At the same time, the costs totaled only about $207,000.

Florida – Hide Your Books to Avoid Felony Charges, Fla. Schools Tell Teachers
MSN – Hannah Natanson (Washington Post) | Published: 1/31/2023

School officials in at least two Florida counties, Manatee and Duval, have directed teachers to remove or wrap up their classroom libraries. The removals come after the State Board of Education ruled a state law restricting the books a district may possess applies not only to schoolwide libraries but to teachers’ classroom collections, too. The law mandates that schools’ books be age-appropriate, free from pornography, and “suited to student needs.” Breaking the law is a third-degree felony, meaning a teacher could face up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine for displaying or giving students a disallowed book.

Florida – Penalty Decided for Manatee Commissioner Baugh Who Violated Ethics in Vaccine Rollout
MSN – Ryan Callihan (Bradenton Herald) | Published: 1/27/2023

The Florida Ethics Commission on Ethics accepted Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh’s proposed settlement over scheduling herself an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine site she helped organize. Baugh was ordered to pay $8,000 and accept a public reprimand. Baugh sent an email to county staff with personal information for herself, a developer, and two former neighbors. Staff members said they understood the list to be a clear directive to ensure those people received a COVID-19 vaccine. At the time, more than 100,000 people were in the county’s vaccine waiting pool.

Illinois – Ethics Board Warns Candidates: Don’t use uniformed cops in your ads
WTTW – Heather Cherone | Published: 2/1/2023

The Board of Ethics warned candidates running for mayor, city council, and Police District Council to not use images of uniformed Chicago police officers, firefighters, or city personnel in campaign advertisements. U.S. Rep. Jesús García edited his first television advertisement in the race for mayor to remove images of the candidate talking to two uniformed officers while promising to get tough on crime. Representatives of the police department confirmed the two officers were under investigation.

Illinois – Jury Finds Son of Former State Rep. Edward Acevedo Guilty of Tax Evasion Charges with Ties to ComEd Bribery Probe
MSN – Jason Meisner (Chicago Tribune) | Published: 1/30/2023

The son of former state Rep. Edward Acevedo was found guilty of tax evasion charges that were an offshoot of the investigation into Commonwealth Edison’s (ComEd) alleged attempts to influence then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Alex Acevedo was convicted for underreporting his lobbying income by about $70,000 in 2016 and 2018, resulting in a total tax loss of about $20,000. Though relatively minor in scope, the indictment against Alex Acevedo, along with separate charges filed against his younger brother and their father, received widespread attention due to the connection to the ComEd probe.

Iowa – State Agency Can’t Enforce Iowa’s Campaign Finance Laws; Asks Lawmakers for Changes
KCRG – Ethan Stein | Published: 1/27/2023

According to data from the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, thousands of politicians and advocacy groups have received fines for submitting campaign finance reports late. An investigation found hundreds of fines have not been paid because state law does not set a deadline for when the penalty is paid. It also found the agency’s data is inaccurate and campaigns, along with advocacy groups, were not notified about penalties.

Kansas – Kansas Republicans Tried to Oust Ethics Head Amid Subpoenas. Will They Try Again?
Yahoo News – Andrew Bahl (Topeka Capital-Journal) | Published: 1/26/2023

Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson wants to reopen discussions about the scope and management of the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission as the office pursues an investigation into campaign finance violations involving Republican officials. Masterson did not provide details on what action would be pursued but he said that under previous directors, lawmakers looked to the commission for guidance and cannot anymore. Although the ethics agency is an independent body that has jurisdiction to investigate lawmakers, Masterson said legislative efforts to change the commission were appropriate.

Massachusetts – Mass. Republican Party Elects New Leader, Rejecting Chairman Jim Lyons’ Bid for Third Term
MSN – Emma Platoff (Boston Globe) | Published: 1/31/2023

After years of dismal election results and weak fundraising, the Massachusetts Republican Party picked a new leader, narrowly rejecting the embattled chairperson, Jim Lyons. in favor of Amy Carnevale, a lobbyist for K&L Gates who promised to steady the party and reverse its electoral decline. Documents obtained by the Globe showed Lyons used party funds to investigate two fellow Republicans. He also appears to have communicated directly with an outside PAC about digging up dirt on Gov. Maura Healey during last year’s election.

Missouri – Former St. Louis County Official Sentenced to Prison for COVID Relief Kickback Scheme
St. Louis Post-Dispatch – Katie Kull | Published: 1/26/2023

A former St. Louis County jail official who was long involved with politics and government was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for engaging in a pandemic relief kickback scheme. While still working for the county, Tony Weaver filled out fraudulent applications and sought kickbacks from a small businessperson who applied for multiple grants during the COVID-19 pandemic, a scheme Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith said revealed Weaver’s “unbridled arrogance.”

New Mexico – New Mexico Bill to Restrict Lobbyist ‘Revolving Door’ Advances
Albuquerque Journal – Dan McKay | Published: 1/30/2023

A proposal moving through the New Mexico Senate would prohibit former legislators and executive branch appointees from returning immediately to the Capitol as paid lobbyists. The legislation was sharply expanded in committee. The change adds employees who serve at will under the governor to the two-year lobbying ban. At least 20 former legislators and state officials are among the hundreds of people registered to lobby this session, though many of them served several years ago.

New Mexico – New Mexico Considers Roasted Chile as Official State Aroma
MSN – Susan Montoya Bryan (Associated Press) | Published: 2/1/2023

The smell of green chile roasting on an open flame permeates New Mexico every fall, wafting from roadside stands and grocery store parking lots. Now one state lawmaker says it is time for everyone to wake up and smell the chile. Sen. Bill Soules’ visit with fifth grade students in his district sparked a conversation about the hot peppers and the potential for New Mexico to become the first state to have an official state aroma, a proposal now being considered by lawmakers.

New York – Hochul’s Vow to Boost Ethics and Sexual Harassment Training Falls Flat
DNyuz – Jay Root (New York Times) | Published: 1/29/2023

On her first day as governor of New York, Kathy Hochul vowed to overhaul policies on ethics and sexual harassment in the government workplace. Her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, had just resigned amid a sexual harassment scandal. Hochul said she would strengthen the training, requiring state workers to participate in live classes and seminars. No longer would employees “click their way through a class,” Hochul said. Nearly a year and a half later, there is still no universal live training in either subject for the state’s work force.

New York – Inside George Santos’s District Office: Nothing to see here
Buffalo News – Dana Rubinstein (New York Times) | Published: 1/30/2023

The storefront in the Tudor Revival building in the Douglaston neighborhood of Queens has lived many lives: It was a flower shop; the satellite office of former U.S. Rep. Thomas Suozzi, whose name still adorns the green awning. Now it is home to perhaps its most notorious tenant: U.S. Rep. George Santos. With the northern half of Long Island’s Nassau County falling into Santos’s district, County Executive Bruce Blakeman has said he will direct all federal constituent calls to Anthony D’Esposito, another Long Island representative. “My office will have no interaction with George Santos or his staff until he resigns,” said Blakeman, a Republican.

New York – Lobbying on LaSalle Nomination Shows Apparent Gap in Reporting Requirements
Albany Times Union – Joshua Solomon | Published: 1/30/2023

Citizens for Judicial Fairness spent between $75,000 to $100,000 on its brief efforts trying to influence the vote of state senators on the Judiciary Committee as they considered New York Gov. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s nomination of Hector LaSalle for chief judge of the Court of Appeals. State law is silent on the issue of nominations and appointments to public office, according to a spokesperson for the state’s ethics commission. It leads to a near-impossible dynamic for observers who want to follow either the money or those seeking to influence the nominations.

New York – Manhattan Prosecutors Present Trump Case to Grand Jury
Buffalo News – William Rashbaum, Ben Protess, Jonah Bromwich, and Hurubie Meko (New York Times) | Published: 1/30/2023

The Manhattan district attorney’s office began presenting evidence to a grand jury about Donald Trump’s role in paying hush money to a porn star during his 2016 presidential campaign, laying the groundwork for potential criminal charges against the former president in the coming months. The grand jury was recently impaneled, and the beginning of witness testimony represents a clear signal that the district attorney, Alvin Bragg, is nearing a decision about whether to charge Trump.

North Dakota – North Dakota Senate Cuts Back Ethics Panel’s Bill to Expand Authority
Bismarck Tribune – Jack Dura | Published: 1/31/2023

North Dakota’s ethics panel might not get everything it sought in a bill for tweaks to state laws. The Senate approved legislation advanced by the Ethics Commission for several requested changes, including a proposed but deleted expansion to include nearly 9,000 more state employees under its authority. Changes also include extending the time frame to notify an accused person of an ethics complaint, and adding criteria for who can make complaints.

Ohio – Corporate Jets, Bribes and Dark Money: Householder trial spotlights weaknesses in Ohio ethics laws
MSN – Andrew Tobias (Cleveland Plain Dealer) | Published: 1/29/2023

Aspects of Larry Householder’s corruption prosecution show grey areas or even loopholes in Ohio ethics laws that either enabled his activities or, perhaps, made them legal. But lawmakers have taken no substantive action to address any of the ethical issues underlined in the case, with several bills stalling despite at times getting bipartisan support. On the eve of the trial’s start, a group of House Republicans announced a proposed set of ethics reforms they said would address some of the issues exposed by the scandal. But the bill, which has yet to be introduced, has an uncertain future.

Oregon – Oregon Elections Director Who Worked for Democratic Party Will Not Recuse Herself from Investigation into Party’s Crypto Donor
Portland Oregonian – Hillary Borrud | Published: 2/1/2023

Oregon’s new elections director, Molly Woon, will not recuse herself from the investigation into a $500,000 donation the state Democratic Party received from an FTX executive last year even though she previously worked as a top employee of the party. In October, the Democratic Party accepted the contribution the party claimed was from a Las Vegas cryptocurrency company Prime Trust. But Prime Trust was not the actual donor. Under state law, it is a felony to make a campaign contribution under a “false name” and elections employees are deciding whether the case should be forwarded to the state attorney general for prosecution.

Pennsylvania – Lobbyist Says She Was Harassed by Current Pa. Lawmaker, Wants Legislature to Change Misconduct Rules
Spotlight PA – Stephen Caruso | Published: 1/27/2023

A lobbyist for one of Pennsylvania’s most influential unions says a sitting state lawmaker sexually harassed her, and she is urging the Legislature to expand internal rules that govern who can bring misconduct complaints. Andi Perez, who advocates on behalf of Service Employees International Union, made the allegation during a listening session organized by new Speaker Mark Rozzi. He has scheduled a series of public meetings to solicit feedback about the House’s operating procedures Amid a partisan deadlock over which party controls the chamber.

Rhode Island – AG’s Office Nixes $40,000 in Funding as NAACP President Faces Campaign-Finance Charges
Yahoo News – Mark Reynolds and Amy Russo (Providence Journal) | Published: 1/27/2023

Gerard Catala, the newly elected president of the Providence NAACP and a former city council candidate, faces criminal prosecution for failing to report on the finances of his 2022 campaign as required by state law. Because of the charges against Catala, the state attorney general’s office will withhold the $40,000 it had planned to give the branch over the course of four years. The funds were part of a large grant from the U.S. Department of Justice meant to support “hate-crime prevention and education.”

South Dakota – House Kills Bill That Would Have Increased Campaign Donation Limits
KEVN – Austin Glass | Published: 1/31/2023

The South Dakota House defeated a bill that would have increased the campaign contribution limits for individuals and entities. Proponents said the increase would be good in light of inflation. But opponents said the current system works well and increasing the caps would allow wealthy donors to have more influence.

Texas – Ex-Legislator Tests Lobbying Revolving Door Law by Repping Big Energy Companies
MSN – Lauren McGaughy (Dallas Morning News) | Published: 1/27/2023

A former Texas representative is testing a state law meant to crack down on the “revolving door” between the Legislature and lobbying firms. Chris Paddie chaired a powerful House’s committee that held hearings to demand answers from energy firms after 2021’s deadly winter storm. Now, he has registered to lobby for a handful of the same power companies he was previously tasked with scrutinizing. His activities come despite a law that bans state legislators from becoming lobbyists within two years of using their own campaign cash to donate to other politicians.

Virginia – GOP-Led Panel Again Defeats Campaign Finance Reform
MSN – Sarah Rankin (Associated Press) | Published: 2/1/2023

A Virginia House panel voted down legislation that would prohibit lawmakers from using campaign funds for personal expenses such as a vacation, mortgage, or country club membership. Virginia’s elected officials are currently outliers in the nation for their ability to spend money donated to their campaigns on virtually anything. Similar legislation is still alive in the Senate, but the vote signals it is likely to meet a similar fate should it cross to the House.

Washington – As Capital Gains Tax Goes to WA Supreme Court, a Push to ‘Microtarget’ Justices
Seattle Times – David Gutman | Published: 1/26/2023

As the Washington Supreme Court prepares to decide the fate of the state’s new capital gains tax, a conservative think tank, whose leadership sued to stop the tax, is “microtargeting” the state’s nine justices with an ad campaign. The Washington Policy Center wrote to donors recently outlining its advertising strategy as the justices prepare to hear challenges to the tax. The campaign focused on areas “where justices spend the bulk of their time (work and home) as well as secondary places our research found that may be relevant,” the think tank wrote to supporters.

Washington – Prominent Lobbyist Barred from WA Capitol After Ruling He Stalked State Representative
Seattle Times – Jim Brunner | Published: 1/31/2023

A prominent lobbyist was barred from the Capitol campus after a judge ruled that he had stalked a state representative, leading her to flee her home for months. Rep. Lauren Davis last year obtained a domestic violence protective order against lobbyist Cody Arledge, citing what she said was an escalating pattern of obsessive and threatening behavior after she broke off their romantic relationship. Their dispute is now before the state Court of Appeals, where Arledge is challenging the restrictions on him as an “Orwellian” violation of his constitutional right to privacy and ability to work. Davis’s attorneys are defending the restrictions as necessary to protect her.