Policy Fellow Matt Rumsey wrote this post. It’s Friday! This is your last chance for the week to check up... View Article
Continue readingVan Hollen’s alternate fundraising vehicle wakes up
After being dormant for all of 2011, Congressman Chris Van Hollen's joint fundraising committee woke up in the third quarter, with most of the over $180,000 in funds coming after he was tapped for Congress’s powerful deficit-cutting committee in early August.
As a result, Van Hollen, D-Md., one of the most prominent Democrats on Capitol Hill, raised much more in the quarter than was previously reported. His campaign raised a total of about $254,000 in the period, more than tripling his bounty from the previous quarter. And he collected about 50 percent more than he did ...
Continue readingGaddafi’s long history of lobbying comes to an end
Libyan Dictator Moammar Gaddafi was killed today in his hometown of Sirte, a showman to the end, “brandishing a golden pistol.” Lobbying, in many ways, was part of his political arsenal that boosted Gaddafi’s international prowess, helped protect him from additional sanctions and promoted the business interests of the Libyan ruling elite and U.S. business. We’ve covered several of these instances in the past. Here’s a look at a few:
Paul Blumenthal reported, on the Monitor Group, an international firm that contracted with the Libyan dictator, which should have filled under the Foreign Agent Registrant Act ...
Continue readingSenate Homeland Security Committee Votes to Advance Whistleblower Protections
Policy Fellow Matt Rumsey wrote this post. The Senate Homeland Security Committee held a business meeting yesterday morning where they... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 10/20/2011
Policy Fellow Matt Rumsey wrote this post. It’s Thursday, which makes this the week’s penultimate look at transparency-related news items,... View Article
Continue readingInfluence Explored: The political ties behind Zuccotti Park
It’s well known by now that the Occupy Wall Street protesters are occupying Zuccotti park – a park just a... View Article
Continue readingThe Super Committee is Going to Fail
One way or another, the Super Committee is going to fail. If the 7 of the 12 Members of the... View Article
Continue readingThe Case of the Missing DOT Data… Solved?
Yesterday I wrote about my investigation into whether the Department of Transportation had put their data on Data.gov as promised months... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 10/19/2011
Enjoy the week's halfway point with Wednesday's transparency-related news items, congressional committee hearings, transparency-related bills introduced in Congress, and transparency-related events. News Roundup:
- A Kentucky Circuit Court Judge has issued a restraining order against Restoring America, an independent political group, preventing them from running radio and television ads. The Judge ruled that the group failed to properly report the source of contributions funding their ads, in violation of Kentucky law. Opposition groups have claimed that the ruling is a state-level assault on the Citizens United decision and an appeal is expected. (Lobby Comply)
- The Justice Department is investigating Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) for possible campaign finance violations. The investigation stems from an FEC probe into allegations that Buchanan directed his former business partner to reimburse employees for donations they made to his campaign. (Roll Call$)
- FEC filings have revealed that Herman Cain's presidential campaign paid more than $64,000 to his motivational speaking company, T.H.E. New Voice Inc., for copies of his own books, airfare, lodging and more. In the past, the FEC has allowed campaigns to buy copies of their candidate's books, as long as the candidate did not profit from those sales. (Bloomberg News)
- Emails obtained by Judicial Watch suggest that the White House may have had a hand in closing a workshop on FOIA compliance to the press. (Daily Caller/Yahoo)
- The Office of Special Counsel is beginning to swap its hapless reputation for a more positive image. The new special counsel, Carolyn Lerner,is off to a strong start in her efforts to better protect Federal whistleblowers. (Washington Post)
- Federal Inspectors General identified more than $87 billion in potential savings last year, according to an annual report released by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. (iwatch news)
- The House Ethics Committee has resumed its investigation into allegations that Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill) offered to raise money for former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich in exchange for an appointment to President Obama's former Senate seat. The committee had previously stopped their investigation following a request from the Justice Department. (Roll Call $)
- Opinion: Transparency should be measured by outcomes, not just the amount of data government releases. Data needs to be comprehensible and useful to advance transparency and open government goals. (Government Executive)
GAO says Federal Reserve should improve transparency
In the wake of the financial crisis, when members of Congress and others raised questions about conflicts of interest within the Federal Reserve banking system and individual banks, the Federal Reserve should take concrete steps to become more transparent, reports the General Accountability Office (GAO) in a report issued today.
"[W]ithout more complete documentation of the directors’ roles and responsibilities with regard to the supervision and regulation functions, as well as increased public disclosure on governance practices to enhance accountability and transparency, questions about Reserve Bank governance will remain," reads the report.
Today's report is the second part ...
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