It isn't every day that the federal campaign watchdogs actually bite.
Continue readingCampaign finance enters the age of Bitcoin
The FEC unanimously voted Thursday to allow limited Bitcoin donations to political committees.
Continue readingSupreme Court to review limits on campaign contributions
A case that the Supreme Court has agreed to hear next fall challenges campaign spending limits that have been in place since the Watergate scandal that toppled President Richard Nixon.
Continue readingCrusading lawyer takes aim at contribution limits
The attorney who has been pushing the FEC to ease a host of campaign finance rules is at it again.
Dan Backer's latest target: the ceiling on how much money a person can give candidates for federal office in one election cycle, which currently stands at $46,200. In an advisory opinion request to the Federal Election Commission posted today, Backer, of DB Capitol Strategies, and two other attorneys argue the limit "has the effect of punishing the wealthy contributor" and is unconstitutional for many reasons, not the least of which is the Supreme Court's game-changing Citzens United ...
Continue readingFEC deadlocks on supersizing corporate and union PACs
A lawyer who has already successfully fought to loosen campaign finance regulations says he'll probably go back to court to continue his crusade after the Federal Election Commission today deadlocked over allowing corporations, unions and other organizations with political action committees to create super PACs within them.
The six commissioners divided along party lines over attorney Dan Backer's proposal to allow corporations, unions and other associations to create segregated "independent expenditure" accounts within their traditional political action committees, using the same name and brand they currently employ. Backer, of DB Capitol Strategies, was the winning attorney in Carey ...
Continue readingNew Super PAC seeks expansion of role for corporate, connected PACs
Dan Backer, the attorney behind the hybrid super PAC rule that allows political action committees contributing to members of Congress and other candidates to also accept unlimited contributions to make independent expenditures, is trying to extend the favor to political action committees tied to corporate entities.
In a new Advisory Opinion Request filed with the Federal Election Commission, Backer asks the commission to allow Stop This Insanity Employee Leadership Fund, a new independent expenditure-only committee attached to the nonprofit Stop This Insanity organization, to be permitted to have separate accounts to contribute to candidates and make independent expenditures.
MORE: See ...
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