Campaign Contributions

'Just The Beginning': Flood of 'Super PAC' Money Into Iowa Offers 2012 Preview

Ryan J. Reilly | January 3, 2012, 2:10PM

The ads are everywhere in Iowa: on cable, on network television -- during shows like "Dr. Phil," "Wheel of Fortune" and "The Tonight Show" -- and across the dial on talk radio (where it's gotten to the point that callers on talk radio shows are complaining about the onslaught). They walk, talk and act like campaign ads, but for the most part, they're not coming from candidates.

Welcome to the presidential campaign, post-Citizens United.

Read more »

Josue Larose

Super PAC Man Gobbles Up Regulators' Time, Patience

November 18, 2011, 12:45PM

by Kim Barker ProPublica

In the peculiar post-Citizens United world of political money, Josue Larose has assumed a new alter-ego: Super PAC man.

Since the Supreme Court ruling paved the way for groups to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money on behalf of candidates, 240 so-called Super PACs have registered with the Federal Election Commission. Larose -- purported millionaire, alleged economist and general man of mystery -- has formed 60 of them, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan research group that tracks money in politics.

Read more »

Campaign Finance

Post-Citizens United, SEC Should Force Political Disclosure, Report Argues

Susan Crabtree | September 7, 2011, 6:05AM

With the 2012 political money machine now in full post-Labor Day gear, watchdog groups are trying to turn up the pressure on businesses and unions to disclose every dollar they spend on behalf of candidates, even though that kind of transparency isn't required by law.

This is the first presidential campaign after the Supreme Court's Citizen's United decision, which unlocked the floodgates for unlimited corporate and union donations, and the candidates and their supporters are already pushing fundraising to new limits with the creation of the first Super PACs -- super-sized organizations full of unlimited corporate and union cash that is not required to be disclosed to the Federal Election Commission or anyone else.

Read more »

James Bopp Jr.

FEC: Politicians Can Solicit Donations For 'Super PACs,' But Only Up To $5K

Ryan J. Reilly | June 30, 2011, 4:05PM

RNC Committee Member James Bopp Jr. and the FEC building

As Stephen Colbert did his victory lap outside the Federal Election Commission's headquarters on Thursday, the six commissioners still inside the hearing voted on a measure that will have a much bigger effect on the 2012 election.

Read more »

Citizens United

FEC Chair: 'We Can Be Doing More On Disclosure' After Citizens United

Ryan J. Reilly | June 9, 2011, 3:07PM

Cynthia Bauerly of the FEC (right)

The chair of the Federal Election Commission said Thursday that the agency could and should be doing a better job of regulating the disclosure of money into federal elections.

"From my personal perspective, I think we can be doing more on disclosure and I think we should be," FEC Commissioner Cynthia Bauerly said at an event hosted by the good government group Public Citizen. "I think the commission should consider after Citizens United whether our disclosure rules need updating."

Read more »

Chamber of Commerce

Transparency Efforts By Corporations Undermine Chamber's Anti-Disclosure Stance

Ryan J. Reilly | June 2, 2011, 10:25AM

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce claims that a draft executive order being considered by the Obama administration would be an assault on free speech. The proposed order would require federal contractors to disclose donations to third party groups. But many of the companies affiliated with the Chamber have extolled the values of disclosure and already publicly reveal their donations voluntarily.

Read more »

Citizens United

Judicial Takebacks: Reagan Nominee Overlooked Supreme Court Ruling On Corporate Donations

Ryan J. Reilly | May 31, 2011, 6:50PM

Last week a federal judge nominated by President Ronald Reagan rocked the campaign finance world when he ruled that corporations could give directly to candidates. Now he's signaled he might want a do over.

Read more »

Citizens United

Federal Judge Rules Corporations, Just Like People, Should Be Able To Give To Candidates

Ryan J. Reilly | May 27, 2011, 1:45PM

Last year the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United opened up the coffers of political action groups to corporate funds because the court found that companies -- just like people -- should be able to donate to political causes. Now a federal judge has ruled that based on that logic, corporations should be able to give directly to politicians just like human beings.

Read more »

James Bopp Jr.

Is New Republican 'Super PAC' Legal?

Ryan J. Reilly | May 18, 2011, 9:10AM

RNC Committee Member James Bopp Jr.

Republican lawyer James Bopp has been chipping away at federal campaign regulations for years. He's the guy affiliated with the Republican National Lawyers Association who was behind the Citizens United case, which allowed for unlimited corporate campaign spending to influence elections. But his latest plan for a "Republican Super PAC," say good government groups, clearly violates federal law, and they're warning GOP members they'd be breaking the rules if they solicit unlimited contributions on behalf of the group.

Read more »

Darrell Issa

Issa Wouldn't Let Witness Testify In Favor Of Disclosure By Government Contractors

Ryan J. Reilly | May 12, 2011, 10:45AM

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)

House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) refused a request Thursday from the ranking Democratic member, Elijah Cummings (D-MD), to allow the head of a government watchdog to testify in support of an executive order which would require government contractors to disclose more information about their political donations.

Read more »

Citizens United

Democrats Following The GOP Into The Anonymous Donor Game

Eric Lach | April 7, 2011, 2:25PM

With 2012 on the horizon, Democrats have begun to open the door to anonymous donors, using the same kinds of organizations they criticized Republicans for relying on in 2010. The Los Angeles Times reports that Democrats are forming independent political organizations set up to accept unlimited and undisclosed contributions, in a sign that they have begun to play by the rules allowed by the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision.

Read more »

Citizens United

One Year Post Citizens United, Deep Divide Remains

Ryan J. Reilly | January 20, 2011, 2:56PM

The U.S. Supreme Court building

One year after the Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United case opened the floodgates to unlimited corporate influence of elections, a deep divide still remains over whether that's a good thing or a bad thing for the county. And both sides think the Founding Fathers would be on their side.

Read more »

Tom DeLay

DeLay Blames Liberal Jury For Conviction (VIDEO)

Rachel Slajda | January 13, 2011, 12:07PM

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and his lawyer, Dick DeGuerin

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), who has long argued that his indictment on money laundering charges was politically motivated, said on the "Today Show" this morning that his conviction was political, too.

"I was tried in the most liberal county in the state of Texas and, indeed, in the United States," he said, referring to Travis County, the home of Austin. DeLay and his lawyers had tried to get his trial moved to a different, more conservative county, to no avail.

"The foreman of the jury was a Greenpeace activist," DeLay went on. "So, I'm not criticizing the jury. The point is this is a political campaign."

Read more »

Citizens United

Citizens United President Enjoys 'Bitching And Moaning' Over Supreme Court Case

Ryan J. Reilly | December 1, 2010, 8:37AM

Citizens United President David Bossie

The "newfound freedoms" granted in the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision will allow the conservative movement to participate on a "level playing field" with groups like MoveOn.org and labor unions, Citizens United President David Bossie said Tuesday.

Bossie also said he enjoys hearing liberals complain about the outcome of the Citizens United case. "Somebody's always bitching and moaning," Bossie said.

He specifically mentioned former Justice John Paul Stevens, who said in an interview aired on 60 Minutes over the weekend that the court made several mistakes in the Citizens United ruling.

Read more »

Republican National Lawyers Association

CU Lawyer Used To Work For RNLA On ACORN, Other Issues

Rachel Slajda | October 18, 2010, 12:27PM

Chris Berg

A lawyer -- who now works for Citizens United and has a blog on Big Government -- last year earned $36,000 from the Republican National Lawyers Association for "research and investigation."

The lawyer, Chris Berg, wrote dozens of blog posts for the RNLA, on ACORN and other issues unrelated to election law, including EFCA and the Patriot Act.

Read more »

Citizens United

Citizens United: The Mama Grizzlies Are Coming For You! (VIDEO)

Megan Carpentier | September 17, 2010, 12:13PM

Sarah Palin at a rally in 2008, from Citizens United new movie "Fire From The Heartland."

Not content to help Newt and Callista Gingrich warn the entire country about the dangers from radical Islam in a movie screened at the Newseum in D.C. last week, Citizens United is preparing to warn liberals of the danger they face from the conservative movement's Mama Grizzlies in a new movie titled "Fire From The Heartland."

Featuring a variety of conservative pundits (many of whom are based outside of America's heartland) and elected officials like Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Jean Schmidt (R-OH) and, of course, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, the movie attempts to frame the conservative -- and particularly the tea party -- movement as one fueled by the fire of the women involved.

Read more »

Newt Gingrich

'This Is The Final Struggle:' Newt Gingrich Sells A Movie About The Islamic Threat To America

Rachel Slajda | September 10, 2010, 5:24PM

Citizens United trailer for "America At Risk: The War With No Name"

In a straight-to-DVD movie that will premiere tomorrow night in D.C., Newt Gingrich and Citizens United warn Americans of the impending threat of radical Islam. As one of their talking heads says in the trailer, "This is the end of times. This is the final struggle."

The movie, called "America At Risk," paints the world as a dangerous place filled with radicalized Muslims who want to -- and, importantly, can -- destroy America.

"The war on terror, and the ideology behind it, have only just begun," Gingrich's wife, Callista Gingrich, intones while she and Gingrich stand in front of a green-screened New York skyline.

Read more »

FEC

In The Most Expensive Congressional Election To Date, Corporations And Candidates Have Few Rules

Ryan J. Reilly | September 10, 2010, 12:08PM

As the 2010 congressional campaign shapes up to be the most expensive in history, a Supreme Court decision and unclear campaign finance regulations have thrown some of the rules out the door -- and one campaign finance expert tells TPM this is the least regulated election in recent history.

House and Senate candidates in the 2010 election cycle have raised nearly $1.2 billion, and they're on track to spend more money than candidates did in 2004, 2006 and 2008, according to an Associated Press analysis.

Read more »

Citizens United

DCCC Accuses Americans For Prosperity of Violating Tax Law (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | August 30, 2010, 8:37AM

Democrats are charging that Americans for Prosperity, a 501(c)(3) group with ties to the Tea Party, is violating its tax-exempt status by running ads that are "political in nature" and cross the line into political campaigning.

AFP is the subject of a complaint about ads in Kansas, Missouri and Michigan filed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee with the IRS, the New York Times reported Friday. A copy of the complaint was provided to the Times.

Read more »

Sandra Day O'Connor

Sandra Day O'Connor's New Judgment: Judicial Campaign Reform Is Necessary

Ryan J. Reilly | August 17, 2010, 2:43PM

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was the keynote speaker at the National District Attorneys Association summer conference at Silverado Resort on July 12, 2010.

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has taken up the cause of reforming state judicial campaign and election systems, writing that the "crisis of confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary is real and growing." If left unaddressed, said O'Connor, "the perception that justice is for sale will undermine the rule of law that courts are supposed to uphold."

O'Connor's comments came in her introduction of a new report which concludes that partisan and special interest groups have grown far more organized in their efforts to use judicial elections to tilt the scales of justice. Campaign fundraising for judicial elections more than doubled from $83.3 million in 1990-1999 to $206.9 million in 2000-2009, according to the report.

Read more »

Norm Coleman

Norm Coleman's New Group Plans Ad Blitz To Take Advantage Of Citizens United Ruling

Zachary Roth | April 20, 2010, 11:37AM

Former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), American Action CEO

Less than a year after the conclusion of his marathon Senate contest against Al Franken, Norm Coleman is back. He's teaming up with other GOP heavy-hitters on a new group that will likely take advantage of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision to pour money into congressional races this fall.

Coleman is the CEO of American Action, which launched in February, billing itself as an "action tank" -- thinking without action is for liberals, it seems -- that will act as a center-right version of the Center for American Progress. That's the John-Podesta-run operation that has proven adept both at incubating progressive policies and at shaping the day-to-day political debate. The yearly budget for the new venture has been reported at around $4 million.

Read more »

Campaign Finance

In Wake of Citizens United, Another Campaign-Finance Reg. Bites The Dust

Zachary Roth | March 26, 2010, 2:43PM

There was bad news and good news -- which could turn into bad news -- for backers of efforts to reduce the role of money in politics today.

First, the bad news: In a decision that reflects the broad impact of the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia struck down limits on contributions to political groups that spend money to support or oppose candidates.

Read more »

Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Gearing Up To Spend Like Never Before On Midterms

Zachary Roth | March 17, 2010, 5:40PM

Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Donohue

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce -- already a major force in fighting the Obama administration's big-ticket domestic agenda items -- is set to play an out-sized role in this fall's midterms.

The business lobby plans to spend at least $50 million in a bid to sway around 10 Senate up to 40 House races on behalf of "pro-business" candidates, primarily Republicans, reports the Washington Post. To do so, it has built a grassroots machine, Friends of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, with a member list of 6 million names. The effort is based in part on the much-praised field operation for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.

Read more »

Virginia Thomas

Clarence Thomas's Wife's New Group Uses Stock Photos Of Minorities

Zachary Roth | March 16, 2010, 10:01AM

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Virginia Thomas

There's nothing wrong with an organization using stock photos in its promotional pictures. After all, that's why they're produced.

Still, it's kind of funny to note that the new Tea-Party-inspired advocacy group launched by Virginia Thomas -- the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas -- uses stock photos to convey the impression of minority support for its conservative goals.

Read more »

Virginia Thomas

Clarence Thomas's Wife Teams With Federalist Society Exec On New Conservative Lobby Group

Zachary Roth | March 15, 2010, 3:28PM

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Virginia Thomas

The new conservative advocacy group launched by Virginia Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has close ties to Washington's powerful conservative legal community.

As the Los Angeles Times reported over the weekend, Virginia Thomas recently created Liberty Central, a new lobbying group that seeks to tap into the grassroots energy unleashed by the Tea Party movement.

Read more »

Lobbyists

Lobby Firm Tells Clients How To Sway Elections While Avoiding 'Public Scrutiny'

Zachary Roth | February 17, 2010, 12:54PM

In the wake of last month's Citizens United ruling, a powerhouse Washington lobbying firm is informing its corporate clients on how they can use middlemen like the Chamber of Commerce to pour unlimited amounts of money into political campaigns, while maintaining "sufficient cover" to avoid "public scrutiny" and negative media coverage.

A "Public Policy and Law Alert" on the impact of the Supreme Court's ruling, prepared by two lawyers for K&LGates and posted on the firm's site last Friday, notes that, thanks to disclosure rules, corporations could alienate their customers by spending on political campaigns -- especially because they could become the target of negative media coverage.

Read more »

James Bopp Jr.

Ad Uses Luntz Framing To Bamboozle Voters On Financial Reform

Zachary Roth | February 11, 2010, 3:41PM

RNC Committee Member James Bopp Jr.

Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) is ripping a stunningly deceitful new ad by a shadowy conservative group that uses Frank Luntz's up-is-down messaging advice to confuse voters about the financial-reform legislation currently in Congress.

Tester told the Billings Gazette that the ad -- which is being run by the "Committee for Truth in Politics" (CTP) and labels the reform effort a "$4 trillion bank bailout" -- is "not true."

Read more »

Mitch McConnell

McConnell Raised Big Bucks From Foreign Defense Contractor Probed For Bribery

Zachary Roth | February 3, 2010, 1:15PM

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

In the wake of the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has been quick to denounce a bid by Democrats to stop foreign corporations from pouring money into U.S. elections, claiming current law already bars such spending. As we've reported before, it's not nearly as simple as that -- but McConnell should know: The GOP Senate leader has raked in campaign cash from a subsidiary of a major foreign defense contractor that's currently being investigated by the Justice Department for bribery.

As we reported yesterday, McConnell, a longtime foe of efforts to get money out of politics, last week took to the Senate floor to pooh-pooh the notion that the court's decision could allow a flood of foreign money to sway our elections, citing an existing law that prevents foreign nationals, including corporations, from spending on U.S. elections. But that ban doesn't cover the U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies, or to foreign-owned corporations that incorporate in the U.S.

Read more »

Campaign Finance

Supreme Court Strikes Down Key Campaign-Finance Provision

Zachary Roth | January 21, 2010, 10:10AM

In a ruling that has major implications for how elections are funded, the Supreme Court has struck down a key campaign-finance restriction that bars corporations and unions from pouring money into political ads.

The long-awaited 5-4 ruling, in the Citizens United v. FEC case, presents advocates of regulation with a major challenge in limiting the flow of corporate money into campaigns, and potentially opens the door for unrestricted amounts of corporate money to flow into American politics.

Read more »