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☆ Utah G.O.P.’s Map Carved Up Salt Lake Democrats. Is It a Legal Matter?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Michael Wines | More About Michael Wines | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The 550,000 voters in Salt Lake County, Utah’s most populous, handed Joseph R. Biden Jr. an 11-percentage point victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 contest for president. On Tuesday, the Utah Supreme Court will consider whether to wade into the increasingly pitched nationwide battle over partisan gerrymanders. The justices will decide whether the state’s courts can hear a lawsuit challenging the House map, or whether partisan maps are a political issue beyond their jurisdiction. But voting rights advocates say Utah’s Constitution offers a stronger case than the federal one for reining in political maps. He said other relevant provisions in the State Constitution, but absent from the federal Constitution, include guarantees of free elections and the right to vote.

Persons: Joseph R, Biden, Donald Trump, ”, Mark Gaber Organizations: Republican, Utah Supreme, U.S, Supreme Locations: Salt Lake County, Utah’s, Utah, State, Washington

The exemption is allowed so long as Super PACs stay independent of the campaign they are supporting. This year's record spending by outside groups has been fueled in part by massive transfers by political groups tied to the candidates. "We've never had anything quite like this before in campaign finance," said Saurav Ghosh, a lawyer at the Campaign Legal Center. 'DISASSOCIATED'The Trump and DeSantis campaigns did not respond to requests for comment, but both Super PACs said the transfers were legal. "Campaign Legal Center is a fringe leftist organization that exists to file frivolous complaints," said MAGA Inc spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer.

Persons: Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Trump, DeSantis, MAGA, Stuart McPhail, We've, Saurav Ghosh, Alex Pfeiffer, Trevor Potter, John McCain, McPhail, Jason Lange, Nathan Layne, James Oliphant, Scott Malone, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: Florida, Republican, Inc, Federal, Commission, MAGA Inc, Citizens, MAGA, Republicans, Democrats, Social Security, Trump, DeSantis, Super PAC, Thomson Locations: Florida, Washington, Wilton , Connecticut

☆ Opinion | Republicans Are No Longer Calling This Election Program a ‘Godsend’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Jesse Wegman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Because of our decentralized election system, the responsibility to sort out this mess falls to the states. Federal and state laws require states to maintain accurate voter rolls, but the states have no established way to communicate and coordinate with one another. The existence of searchable voter data itself is relatively new: As recently as 2000, only seven states had computerized statewide voter databases. One early effort, like the Interstate Crosscheck program, failed miserably because of inadequate data analysis and poor security practices. That information — drawn from voter rolls, D.M.V.

Persons: ERIC, “, ”, Danielle Lang, Ron DeSantis Organizations: Federal, District of Columbia Locations: Florida, ”, Ohio

☆ Pro-DeSantis super PAC ad used Trump-era footage of migrants climbing a border fence to target Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A super PAC supporting Ron DeSantis for president appeared to be targeting President Joe Biden in an ad. Ron DeSantis for president used a Trump-era video clip of migrants crossing a border fence in an ad that appeared to be targeting President Joe Biden. A screenshot from a pro-DeSantis super PAC's ad, showing migrants climbing a border fence. Screenshot of an Associated Press video from 2018 used in an ad by a pro-DeSantis super PAC that appears to be targeting Biden. DeSantis' and the super PAC were cited in a new complaint by the nonpartisan watchdog group Campaign Legal Center to the Federal Election Commission.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Joe Biden, Trump, Biden, —, Donald Trump, DeSantis Organizations: Democratic, American, Service, Florida Gov, Associated Press, YouTube, CBP, DeSantis, US Customs, Border Protection, Trump, GOP, Federal, Commission, The Center Locations: Mexico, America, Central America

DeSantis chided Trump for not yet taking a position on the deal that President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy struck to raise the debt ceiling and impose some spending cuts. Collision course: The two GOP hopefuls from South Carolina, Haley and GOP Sen. Tim Scott, are facing an “inevitable collision” in the early primary state, the Post and Courier reports. No thanks: GOP Rep. Warren Davidson has decided not to run for Senate in Ohio, Cleveland.com reports. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Utah Republican Rep. Chris Stewart plans to announce his resignation from Congress as early as Wednesday, a move that, per the Deseret News, could mean the seat remains vacant until next year. Bowing out: Ohio Republican JR Majewski is ending his congressional bid citing his mother’s forthcoming heart procedure, Politico reports.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump, Dasha Burns, Gabe Gutierrez, Abigail Brooks, Bianca Seward, DeSantis, Trump, Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy, ” DeSantis, Sen, Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramswamy, “, Mike Pence, doesn’t, Asa Hutchinson, McCarthy, Matt Dixon, Dixon, Haley, GOP Sen, Chris Christie, LIV, Ramaswamy, Gitcho Goodwin, Warren Davidson, Gloria Johnson, Marsha Blackburn, State Shirley Weber, Barbara Lee’s, Andy Beshear, Chris Stewart, Ohio Republican JR Majewski, Majewski, Marcy Kaptur Organizations: Florida Gov, NBC, Hawkeye State, Trump, U.N, ” Biotech, White, Arkansas Gov, MSNBC, Republican, Facebook, Google, federal, PAC, Federal, GOP, Post, Courier, Former New Jersey Gov, Saudi, LIV Golf, Politico, Chattanooga Times Free Press, State, Democratic Rep, Republican Governors Association, Kentucky Democratic Gov, Salt Lake Tribune, Utah Republican, Deseret, Ohio Republican JR, Democratic Locations: Florida, Iowa, Washington, Arkansas, South Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, California, Kentucky, Salt

☆ DeSantis accused of violating campaign finance laws by watchdog group
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

DeSantis and his state PAC are being accused of violating campaign finance laws in a new FEC complaint. The group cites reports that they directed or transfered more than $80 million to a super PAC. Ron DeSantis and his state political action committee allegedly violated federal campaign finance laws by directing or transferring more than $80 million to a federal super PAC, Never Back Down, the nonpartisan watchdog group Campaign Legal Center says in a new complaint. "Soft money undermines federal campaign finance laws because it is, by definition, money raised and spent outside the scope of those laws," Saurav Ghosh, the Center's director of federal campaign finance reform, said in a statement. Never Back Down is a federal super PAC that raises unlimited funds to make independent expenditures.

Persons: DeSantis, —, Ron DeSantis, Saurav Ghosh, Ron DeSantis — Organizations: PAC, Service, Gov, federal, Federal, DeSantis Locations: Florida

☆ Tim Scott's biggest financial backer is Larry Ellison, a tech billionaire who owns the sixth-largest island in Hawaii and has poured $35 million into the senator's super PAC
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ellison has pumped $35 million into Scott's super PAC, and could legally give him millions more. On Monday, Ellison attended Scott's campaign launch in North Charleston, where Scott described him as one of his mentors. Trump's political operation includes the "MAGA, Inc" super PAC, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has enjoyed the support of the "Never Back Down" super PAC. Scott's campaign isn't the first time a Republican presidential candidate has heavily relied on a single megadonor.

☆ DeSantis' undeclared presidential campaign may be allowing him to skirt campaign ethics rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In the meantime, DeSantis has been flying all over for what looks a lot like campaign events. Experts told The New York Times his delay in formally announcing may be a way to avoid campaign finance rules. As he tests the waters for a presidential run, DeSantis has traveled across the country. The Times reported DeSantis has visited several other states, including other key primary states like South Carolina and Nevada. Many of DeSantis' trips have been arranged by a Michigan nonprofit called And To The Republic, which promotes conservative policies.

☆ Ron Johnson insists he won't pocket $8.4 million from donors. But thanks to Ted Cruz, he could legally do exactly that.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

That's due to a Supreme Court case won last year by Ted Cruz, who defended Johnson repaying himself. In October quarterly filings, Johnson's campaign declared that it was reinstating $8.4 million in loans, citing Ted Cruz vs. FEC. Furthermore, the door is now open for other self-funding candidates to demand payback of campaign loans that they had previously forgiven. And prior to Johnson telling Insider that he wouldn't seek a loan repayment, Cruz vociferously defended the hypothetical repayment. "It is perfectly reasonable that Ron Johnson, after 10 years of making an interest-free loan to the American people, can pay back his own money," Cruz added.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at a press conference at the American Police Hall of Fame & Museum in Titusville. The group has raised more than $225 million for DeSantis and currently boasts nearly $86 million in cash on hand. Friends of Ron DeSantis could soon try to transfer a moneybag roughly 800 times the size of Donalds'. The state committee, Friends of Ron DeSantis, appears to be positioning itself for the transfer. Friends of Ron DeSantis is allowed to accept unlimited contributions from donors, and it shows.

Here’s what to know about the significance of the charges and what happens next:Three main buckets of chargesThe indictment lays out three main buckets of alleged criminal activity by Santos. The second set of accusations concern Santos’ allegedly false applications for unemployment benefits, resulting in a theft of public money count and two more wire fraud counts. To establish the alleged unemployment fraud scheme, investigators likely have the attestations Santos allegedly made to participate in the public benefits program. The House disclosure documents that Santos allegedly lied on are publicly available documents. There’s also the potential that, instead of a jury trial, Santos seeks a bench trial – i.e.

☆ George Santos Pushed Campaign Finance Abuse Past the Usual Line - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( David Firestone | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

has been hobbled by Congress from investigating them and the Federal Election Commission, which also regulates their expenditures, is regularly deadlocked. Many 501(c)(4) groups claim a large amount of “overhead” in their spending; crucially, it’s rarely itemized and therefore escapes close scrutiny, according to Saurav Ghosh, the director of federal campaign finance reform at the nonprofit Campaign Legal Center. Mr. Santos might have gotten away with a lot of dubious spending in that category without anyone knowing. But Mr. Santos didn’t structure his fraud the usual way, according to the indictment. That company, which The New York Times says appears to be RedStone Strategies, had nothing to do with supporting Mr. Santos’s campaign but everything to do with supporting his bank account.

☆ Palestinians Demand Israel Hand Over Body of Prominent Prisoner
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Raja Abdulrahim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Since his death on Tuesday, Israel has not returned his body to his family and the government won’t say whether it intends to do so. “It’s collective punishment,” said Hassan Jabareen, the director of Adalah, a Palestinian human rights organization and legal center. Many other Palestinians along with international human rights groups have echoed this criticism, saying the withholding of bodies punishes the families of the dead collectively and could violate international law. Since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, Israeli authorities have retained the bodies of hundreds of Palestinians who either died in prison or were killed during security incidents. They keep some in freezers for years at the National Center of Forensic Medicine, or bury them in graves with no headstones in what Palestinians call “the cemetery of numbers,” according to the Jerusalem Legal Aid & Human Rights Center.

So far this year, super PACs have spent more than $12 million, about three times as much as four years earlier, according to public disclosures. The outlays suggest an aggressive cycle ahead for spending by super PACs, who helped drive about $1 billion in independent spending in the 2020 presidential contest. TRANSFERS QUESTIONEDRegistered as a super PAC, MAGA Inc is allowed to raise and spend unlimited sums supporting candidates as long as it doesn't coordinate spending with their campaigns. Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesman, dismissed the Campaign Legal Center's arguments, calling the organization "a Democrat group." Campaign finance law specialists say they fear DeSantis could emulate Trump by transferring some of those funds into a federally registered super PAC to support his expected presidential campaign.

☆ Ted Cruz defends three-times-a-week podcasting side-hustle, says it's a 'critical part of the job'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ted Cruz's highest-profile 2024 Democratic challenger says the Texas senator is podcasting too much. But Cruz argues that hosting a thrice-weekly podcast is "critical" to being effective as a senator. "That is not somehow peripheral to doing the job," said Cruz. The Texas senator began the project over three years ago, during former President Donald Trump's first impeachment trial. Though some other lawmakers also host podcasts, Cruz is well ahead of the pack in terms of the sheer volume of podcasting he does.

☆ The attorney featured in the painting that shows Clarence Thomas at one of the undisclosed vacations just published an article arguing that the Supreme Court justice did not have to report the trips
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Earlier this month, ProPublica reported on Justice Clarence Thomas's undisclosed luxury trips. Mark Paoletta, a partner at Schaeer Jaffe and close friend of Thomas, wrote in the right-leaning National Review article published Thursday arguing that Thomas had "acted properly and consistent with the rules" of financial disclosures for Supreme Court Justices. But the attorney is also featured in a painting that was commissioned by Crow and depicts Thomas vacationing at the luxury resort that is central to the renewed scrutiny of Thomas' financial disclosure forms. Sharif Tarabay, the artist of the painting, told ProPublica that the piece depicts a moment at Topridge from about five years ago. But that is immaterial to the conclusion that Justice Thomas had no obligation to disclose these innocuous trips," Paoletta wrote.

☆ For DeSantis, Overflowing War Chest Obscures the Challenges Ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Rebecca Davis O Brien | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

He is prohibited by law from transferring that “soft” money — dollars raised without federally imposed limits — into a presidential campaign. “Can he take that money, which was raised through his state PAC, and use it to advance his presidential campaign directly or through a federal super PAC supporting him?” said Saurav Ghosh, a former F.E.C. enforcement lawyer who is now the director of federal campaign finance reform at the Campaign Legal Center, a watchdog group. Representatives of Mr. DeSantis did not respond to requests for comment. Should he decide to run for president, he will be a grass-roots-fueled force to be reckoned with.”

Just 14% say they have a great deal or "quite a lot" of confidence in the criminal justice system, half the level of a decade ago. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case is the first of several involving Trump as the country braces for a 2024 presidential election in which Trump is the leading Republican candidate. Trump himself has over the years complained that law enforcement was targeting him for political purposes, and his rhetoric has heightened since the New York case surfaced. On Wednesday, Trump called on his fellow Republicans in Congress to slash funding for the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI. "It's obvious the criminal legal system can punch down - it's proven that, and oppressively so," Ali said.

☆ Rep. George Santos files 2024 statement of candidacy — but it doesn't mean he's running for reelection
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Embattled Republican Rep. George Santos of New York took a step Tuesday toward a possible bid for a second term in the House, where he is currently under investigation. Santos' campaign filed a statement of candidacy for the 2024 election cycle with the Federal Election Commission, a move that could signal the freshman lawmaker's intent to run for reelection. After winning his seat, the New York Times reported that Santos appeared to have fabricated key details of his background. Joseph Murray, a lawyer for Santos' campaign, could not confirm whether the congressman was indeed seeking reelection. Santos was sworn into Congress under a cloud of scandal earlier this year, after the bombshell New York Times report questioned key details about his personal and professional life.

The disclosure by the Friends of DeSantis group, which was formed to back DeSantis' campaigns in Florida's 2018 and 2022 gubernatorial elections, points to it having about $80 million in the bank at the end of last month. read moreFriends of DeSantis' bank account puts DeSantis on a similar financial footing as Trump, who unlike DeSantis has formally launched a 2024 presidential campaign. Trump and an allied Super PAC he has financed reported having close to $80 million across several fundraising accounts at the end of 2022. The Friends of DeSantis group, which is registered in Florida to support DeSantis' gubernatorial campaigns, would also be unable to legally finance a presidential run by DeSantis. Friends of DeSantis said in its disclosure that it has raised $222 million since its founding, including $9.9 million in February, and has spent $140 million.

☆ Rupert Murdoch could face FEC fines if he tipped off Jared Kushner about Biden's presidential ads before they aired
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Madison Hall | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Dominion claims Rupert Murdoch shared info about Biden ads with Trump's campaign in 2020. "During Trump's campaign, Rupert provided Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, with Fox confidential information about Biden's ads, along with debate strategy (providing Kushner a preview of Biden's ads before they were public)," Dominion's lawyers alleged in the filing. "If the allegations are true, this is precisely what Murdoch provided to the Trump campaign," he said. After Trump lost, Murdoch shifted attention to two runoff elections in Georgia for US Senate seats. "My friend Jared Kushner called me saying, 'This is terrible,' Murdoch wrote.

☆ FEC tells George Santos to name campaign treasurer or face ban on fundraising and spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

It added that campaigns are required to appoint a new treasurer within 10 days of the previous treasurer's resignation. That same day, the campaign filed an amended form listing Thomas Datwyler as its new treasurer. In a year-end report filed Jan. 31, the Santos campaign listed as its treasurer a person named Andrew Olson. Currently, the FEC lists Santos as his campaign's own treasurer. The FEC's latest notice adds to the pile of questions surrounding Santos' campaign conduct — including whether he plans to seek reelection.

☆ The House Ethics Committee may not go after 'loyal soldier' George Santos, ethics experts warn
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The House Ethics Committee could investigate George Santos over his alleged malfeasance. But ethics experts warn that the evenly-divided committee — composed of five Republicans and five Democrats — is unlikely to move swiftly or even take significant action on Santos. That's where the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) — a separate investigative entity run by a non-partisan staff — could step in. And the Department of Justice could simply ask both the Ethics Committee and OCE to stand down, as they've already reportedly done with the Federal Election Commission. The office frequently makes preliminary investigations of complaints against members of Congress, making a referral to the House Ethics Committee if they determine the offense to warrant further inquiry.

☆ Trump's fundraising for presidential bid gets off to modest start
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Jason Lange | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Tuesday's filings with the Federal Election Commission suggest that Trump's fundraising was also sluggish, leaving him with a far smaller war chest than the more than $100 million Save America had on hand through early 2022. But the Save America group that served as his main fundraising arm was registered to fund other campaigns, not Trump's own. Last year Save America transferred some $60 million to a pro-Trump Super PAC group which is expected to support his presidential run. He also faces a series of legal risks, including a possible investigation into hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign. Most of that money was raised through another Trump fundraising group called the Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee, which reported having an additional $3.8 million in the bank at the end of the year.

☆ Trump seeks to shift his idling White House campaign back into gear
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Gram Slattery | Steve Holland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Florence Regional Airport in Florence, South Carolina, U.S., March 12, 2022. Key South Carolina allies U.S. They include two with possible White House ambitions of their own, former Governor Nikki Haley and U.S. But I think it’ll be dominated by DeSantis and Trump for a while,” said Rob Jesmer, a campaign strategist and former executive director of the Republicans’ Senate campaign arm. Among other prominent elected South Carolina Republicans, a spokesperson for U.S. Representative Ralph Norman said he would not attend due to a pre-existing conflict, while representatives of three other House Republicans from South Carolina did not respond.

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