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Facebook Starts a PAC

Social media firm aiming to buy some friends

(Newser) - Looks like the original social network is shopping for a political network: Facebook has filed paperwork to form a political action committee and it plans to use it to funnel donations to its favored candidates in upcoming elections, reports the New York Times . As debates about privacy and monopoly concerns... More »

FEC: Edwards Owes $2M From 2008 Campaign

Audit concludes he got too much in federal matching funds

(AP) - The bad headlines just keep coming for John Edwards: The Federal Election Commission says his 2008 presidential campaign should repay the US Treasury $2.3 million, mostly because it got federal matching funds it was not entitled to receive. Federal auditors said the campaign understated its cash on hand and... More »

FEC Approves Colbert's PAC

In a move that actually scares some activists

(Newser) - The FEC today approved Stephen Colbert’s request to form a Super PAC that can accept and spend unlimited quantities of money on the 2012 elections. The hearing, alas, was “devoid of anything beyond a gentle chuckle,” with Colbert attorney Trevor Potter doing all the talking, according to... More »

Obama Looks to Crack Down on Secret Donations

Administration actions would replace law Congress fails to pass

(Newser) - The Obama administration has drafted an executive order that would force all companies seeking government contracts to disclose their donations to groups airing political ads, as part of a multi-pronged attack on the kind of anonymous campaign spending Republicans walloped Democrats with last year. The FEC is also moving to... More »

Steele Hid $7M in Debt From FEC: RNC Treasurer

RNC accused of fudging its numbers

(Newser) - The Republican National Committee’s treasurer has found $7 million in debts the committee didn’t report to the FEC, and has accused Michael Steele of intentionally hiding them. The finding, reported to the FEC yesterday, is likely to bring a big fine down on the committee, which now looks... More »

Feds Fine Biden Campaign $219K for Violations

Included is a deeply discounted plane ride

(AP) - Election watchdogs have fined Joe Biden's 2008 presidential campaign more than $219,000 for sloppy bookkeeping and accepting excessive contributions, including a discounted flight on a private jet. The FCC audit says the Biden campaign accepted an illegal corporate contribution in the form of a round-trip flight between New Hampshire... More »

Sotomayor's First Case Could Transform US Politics

New justice in at the deep end with landmark campaign finance case

(Newser) - There aren't any easy cases at the Supreme Court level but the one newbie Sonia Sotomayor and her eight colleagues will tackle  tomorrow is as momentous—and as tricky—as they come, McClatchy reports. Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission will require the court to decide whether the long-standing ban... More »

GOPers Spot End Run Around Election Law

FEC rule lets 1-man corporations pool their resources

(Newser) - A decision by campaign-finance regulators has a pair of GOP strategists hoping to skirt limits set by election law, Politico reports. The Federal Election Commission recently OK’d ad buys made by a solo activist’s one-man corporation. That gave the strategists an idea: Rich individuals could avoid rules against... More »

Palin Shopping Spree OK: Feds

Commission nixes complaint that RNC's $150K in clothing purchases broke law

(Newser) - The Federal Election Commission dismissed today a complaint that the Republican National Committee broke the law when it bought $150,000 in clothes for then-vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, the Anchorage Daily News reports. The FEC said purchases were “coordinated party expenditures” for campaign purposes, and did not violate... More »

Clinton Writes Off $13.2M Campaign Loan

Forgiving loan helps clear way for confirmation at State

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton has formally written off the $13.2 million of her own money she lent to her presidential campaign, Bloomberg reports. The move is a big step toward shutting down her campaign committee and removing a potential stumbling block to her Senate confirmation as secretary of state. Clinton still... More »

Obama Ordered to Return Illegal Donations

Newsweek report prompts GOP to request federal inquiry

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s record-breaking $485-million war chest includes a number of small, illegal donations that federal officials have ordered the campaign to return, reports Newsweek. The GOP has requested a federal investigation into Obama’s campaign finances, the Washington Post writes. Roughly half of Obama's funds have been raised through... More »

Clinton Lends Campaign $1M as Debts Mount

Reticent donors make mountain of liabilities difficult to pay off

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton lent her suspended presidential campaign an additional $1 million at the end of last month, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. The newest self-loan—the New York senator has now lent herself $13.2 million—underscores how much difficulty she is facing in retiring her mountain... More »

Spreadsheets Can't Handle Democrats' Haul

FEC, watchdogs, Excel struggle to keep up with bulging bank accounts

(Newser) - The Democratic presidential candidates have raised so much money that the FEC can’t handle the data, Politico reports. Barack Obama’s January report was so big that industry standard spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel 2003 couldn’t handle it. By March, Hillary Clinton had also broken the Excel barrier—... More »

McCain Ousts Consultant Over Conflict of Interest

He also worked for tax-exempt 527 group

(Newser) - The McCain campaign gave the boot to veteran conservative consultant yesterday after it came to light that he also was a paid consultant for a tax-exempt political group designed to attack Democratic candidates, Politico reports. The campaign says it never coordinated its activities with the so-called 527 group—which would... More »

Dems Sue to Cap McCain Spending

Federal lawsuit charges public financing dodge

(Newser) - The Democratic National Committee yesterday filed a federal lawsuit to limit the amount John McCain can spend on his campaign before the GOP national convention. In apparent violation of federal law, McCain's once-foundering campaign used expected federal matching funds as collateral for a bank loan, but then opted out of... More »

$1M Embezzled From GOP

Former committee treasurer under scrutiny

(Newser) - One of the Republican Party's former top bureaucrats is suspected of embezzling up to $1 million from the party's campaign coffers, reports the Washington Post. The former National Republican Congressional Committee treasurer allegedly diverted money into his personal accounts for four years. The news is a tough hit for congressional... More »

DNC to File Campaign Fund Complaint Against McCain

DNC says McCain broke campaign finance rules

(Newser) - The Democratic National Committee will file an FEC complaint today against John McCain, accusing the likely GOP nominee of violating policy when he obtained campaign loans by promising to repay them with federal funds, the Washington Post reports. The FEC so far hasn't granted McCain's request to now opt out... More »

Feds Taking Closer Look at McCain Loan

Could lock him into matching funds— and $54M limit

(Newser) - Today just isn’t John McCain’s day. The Federal Elections Commission says it may not allow the presumptive Republican nominee to drop out of the federal matching funds program, because he used it as collateral for a $4 million loan he took out to fund his cash-strapped primary campaign... More »

With Polls Open, Elections Monitor Closed

Partisan deadlock has Federal Election Commission toothless

(Newser) - As the 2008 election cycle kicks into high gear, the partisan wrangling over nominations to the Federal Election Commission has shut down the watchdog body, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Four of six seats on the commission are vacant, and nominations are gridlocked in the Senate—leaving the agency with... More »

The Hill Has Recess, But It's No Fun

Seconds-long Senate sessions stave off controversial appointments

(Newser) - Democrats in Congress are keeping a watchful eye on President Bush and preventing him from making any appointments during the monthlong holiday recess. The strategy requires the Senate to be in session every couple of days—even if only for a few seconds. On Friday, the Politico reports, the Senate... More »

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