Mexico’s President-elect, Enrique Peña Nieto, who takes office December 1, has hired lobbying firm Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter & Associates to represent him in Washington. According to documents filed with the Department of Justice (DOJ), the contract focuses on U.S. outreach and “monitoring of news and policy developments related to Mexico-U.S. interests.”
So far, six lobbyists with the firm have filed paperwork confirming they will work as part of the Peña Nieto account.
The question is whether Peña Nieto, seen at right, should have filed sooner. This may not even be the first U.S. media ...
Continue readingThe black hole of political disclosure
Our Sunlight Foundation colleague, Lee Drutman, has written elsewhere about the amount of dark money -- political donations that come without donors attached -- flowing into this year's campaign. But what about the conduits? As the Senate debates the DISCLOSE Act this week, a measure that would take modest steps towards adding a little transparency back into the campaign finance system, it's worth taking a look at the entities that are taking advantage of the loopholes that allow them to avoid disclosing -- sometimes just donors, sometimes just about everything.
The groups run the gamut from long established organizations with a ...
Continue readingMcCain campaigns for Romney, transparency or not
Political irony: That's probably the best definition for what happened Monday when when Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., probably the only GOP lawmaker to express interest in the Disclose Act, rallied Michigan on behalf of GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, who has turned his back on requests to be more open with his campaign finance. 
McCain is the father of modern campaign finance reform. He was the coauthor of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, popularly known as the McCain-Feingold Act. And he hasn't been shy about criticizing this year's conduits for big money, even if it ...
Continue readingAdelsons give $5 million to YG Action Fund
Billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, gave a combined $5 million to the "YG Action Fund", a super PAC with ties to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., according to Federal Election Commission filings made Sunday night.
The contributions, dated April 30th but first revealed in the group's second quarter filings, dwarf the super PAC's fundraising to date; all other donations together come to just $394,150.
This is the second big donation to come from Miriam and Sheldon Adelson in the second quarter; filings made last week showed Sheldon Adelson gave $1 million to ...
Continue readingRomney surging, but Obama well ahead in campaign cash
For Mitt Romney, the magic number is $158 million. That's how much he'll have to outraise President Barack Obama over the last four months of the campaign to surpass the president, the record holder for campaign fundraising.
Obama's advantage has been lost in media reports highighting the Republican nominee's $106 million June haul. Even Obama's campaign, including the president himself, has downplayed its financial advantage when it warns of being outspent by Romney and the Republican National Committee. For that to happen, Romney would have to best Obama by $39.5 million a month for ...
Continue readingSheldon Adelson writes another million dollar check for new super PAC
Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, the most prolific campaign contributor this election, has written another million dollar check--this time, to a little-known super PAC called "Freedom PAC" that first popped-up last month. The contribution was disclosed in the group's quarterly filing, submitted to the Federal Election Commission on Monday.
According to it's website, the PAC--which lists a New York address--is devoted to "supporting strong conservative candidates in Florida," in particular Rep. Connie Mack, who's running for senate.
Besides Adelson's contribution, the PAC took in $91,000, including $5,000 from Contran CEO Harold Simmons, who's also ...
Broadcasters petition FCC to stay online posting of political ad files
The nation's broadcasters are trying another method to stop the Federal Communications Commission from putting information about political ads online.
On Tuesday, the same day that the FCC put TV stations in the nation's top 50 markets on notice to begin posting the ad information by Aug. 2, the National Association of Broadcasters filed a petition asking that the order be delayed until the trade association can try to have it countermanded in federal court. That likely would push resolution of the dispute well past this fall's election.
In its petition to the FCC, the broadcasters' association ...
Continue readingFreedom (or not?) of information: FOIA at 46
There probably are more reasons to sound the alarm than to bang a celebratory drum on the 46th birthday of the Freedom of Information Act.
Continue readingRep. Blake Farenthold deletes tweets from Slovakia
Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, deleted tweets he sent over the weekend detailing various stops in Slovakia, and his office is refusing to say why he's there or whether he's on official travel or vacation.
Continue readingFireworks light up the political landscape
In the spirit of Independence Day, we decided to explore the lobbying and legislature surrounding the fireworks industry. Wading through the myriad regulations that govern the use of pyrotechnics from state to state, we identified several major fireworks companies and followed their purse strings. Turns out everything's political, even the bangs and zooms with which we celebrate our nation's birthday.
Currently pending in Congress: A measure introduced by two lawmakers from Michigan -- a rust-belt state whose representatives are more often outspoken avocates of domestic manufacturers -- that would temporarily suspend duties for imported consumer and commercial fireworks. Translation: it ...
Continue reading
59063
