By Kenneth P. Vogel If anyone had doubts about the role that anonymous and untraceable money will play in the 2012 campaign ad wars, a flurry of recent reports and voluntary disclosures should put them to rest. The full extent of the anonymous giving is by definition impossible to know. But the recent disclosures as […]
By Susan Crabtree House Republican leaders won’t say whether they will scrap an ethics office if they regain the majority this fall.The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), established by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in 2008, has attracted criticism from Republicans and Democrats during the last couple of years. Most GOP lawmakers voted against the creation […]
PoliticoWall Street invested heavily in ObamaBy Kenneth P. VogelJanuary 20, 2009 Barack Obama boasted on the campaign trail that his administration would not be beholden to special interests, because his presidential bid was funded by small donations from regular folks. But a Politico analysis of career contributions to the inner circle of the incoming White […]
CQ PoliticsRestrictions Put Dent In Congressional TravelBy Alex KnottSeptember 14, 2009 Lawmaker trips sponsored by outside groups have decreased by 56 percent since the ethics and lobbying overhaul law was enacted two years ago, according to a CQ MoneyLine study of congressional travel. Since then, more than 2,300 former sponsors of lawmaker trips, including many […]
The HillDeParle’s industry ties a non-issue By Jeffrey Young March 5, 2009 White House Office of Health Reform Director Nancy-Ann DeParle’s professional ties to healthcare companies may have prompted questions from the media, but government ethics watchdogs say they don’t see a problem. DeParle brings stellar credentials to her new job, having served in several high-level […]
The HillLawmakers skip taxes on family travelBy Mike SoraghanFebruary 9, 2009 Many members of Congress may have a Tom Daschle problem. A week after the former senator withdrew his nomination for Health and Human Services secretary because of reports he didn’t pay taxes on a car and driver, lawmakers are facing their own tax questions. […]
Three House members got word the other day that investigators have recommended that the ethics committee delve into their fund-raising from Wall Street donors — lucrative labors that happened to coincide precisely with some big votes on reforming Wall Street. Five other members were cleared in the same inquiry, raising the question of exactly what […]
An editorial appeared today in The Washington Post entitled, "Campaign Finance Success." The editorial begins, ”The McCain-Feingold campaign finance law was supposed to be — or so its critics warned — a body blow to political parties. Starved of the six- and seven-figure ‘soft money’ checks to which they had become addicted, opponents said, the […]
An article appeared today in Roll Call entitled "New Ethics Plan Already Under Fire." The article begins, ”More than six months past their deadline, leaders of a special task force established to overhaul the House ethics process remain coy about the group’s work, even as reform advocates consider attacking a forthcoming proposal as too weak.” […]
Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer The three Republican Commissioners of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) once again have failed to discharge their duty to faithfully administer the campaign finance laws. By voting in the EMILY’s List case to block the recommendation of the FEC General Counsel to appeal the decision by a three-judge […]
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