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Edwards' campaign spent nearly $900G in 2011 despite FEC complaintPublished February 09, 2012 | FoxNews.com John Edwards' failed presidential campaign racked up close to $900,000 in expenses in 2011, according to newly filed finance reports, dropping thousands of dollars on airfare and hotels despite a ruling from federal election officials that he still owes taxpayers more than $2.1 million. The dozens of pages of filings for the year do not go into detail about where the flights were headed or where the hotels were booked. The purpose of the travel expenses was not clear. But they appeared to criss-cross the...

And only some, but this Friday night news dump serves another purpose. The mainstream media finally had to talk about the bundling Jon Corzine did for Barack Obama this year in the context of the MF Global scandal and the disappearance of $1.2 billion in customer funds: President Barack ObamaÂ’s re-election campaign has returned campaign contributions from Jon S. Corzine, former chairman and chief executive officer of MF Global Holdings Ltd., according to a Democratic official.Obama for America and the Democratic National Committee refunded the money from the former New Jersey governor out of an abundance of caution, said the...

Rep. McGovern introduces Constitutional amendment By Staff reportsMetroWest Daily News Posted Nov 16, 2011 @ 03:39 PM U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern has introduced a Constitutional amendment in the House of Representatives to repeal the recent Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission. The amendment would restore the Founding Fathers’ intent to grant rights to people, not corporations, according to McGovern’s office.The legislation, H.J. Res 88, is intended to “clarify the authority of Congress and the States to regulate corporations, limited liability companies or other corporate entities established by the laws of any state, the United States,...

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has ruled recently that thousands of residences and other structures identified as being built within the hydroelectric project should be removed.

Liberal attack-dog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission Friday over allegations that Prosperity USA, a nonprofit advocacy corporation run by Herman Cain campaign manager Mark Block, paid for iPads and travel related to Cain’s presidential campaign. If true, says CREW, the Cain campaign — and Block personally — would be guilty of violating at least two federal election laws. The allegations were first reported in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on October 30, based on internal financial records the newspaper said it obtained. The Journal Sentinel reported the following day that...

It looks like it is finally going to happen. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has finally gotten their net neutrality regulations through the bureaucratic mess, and now it [IS] only a matter of times before they start to take effect. The National Journal reports: Open Internet regulations, or network-neutrality rules, have cleared the final regulatory hurdle before getting on the books, a Federal Communications Commission spokesman said on Monday. The rules, which limit how cable and phone companies can treat legal Internet traffic, are strongly opposed by Republicans in Congress, who have unsuccessfully attempted to repeal them on several occasions....

The Federal Election Commission ruled Friday that a Guyana-born American citizen could file papers and raise money to run for president of the United States. But the agency also told the prospective candidate, Abdul Hassan, that his campaign may not receive federal matching funds because he was not born in America. The FEC’s unanimous vote allows Hassan — who born in the South American country in 1974 — to be a candidate, solicit funds and requires him to file disclosure reports for a presidential bid. However, the agency’s decision stopped short of addressing the constitutional issue of whether someone born...

The Federal Election Commission is showing signs that it might allow a Guyana-born American citizen to file papers and raise money to run for president of the United States. The agency released two draft advisory opinions Friday that could permit New York lawyer Abdul Hassan to go through the initial steps to run for president. But the FEC’s pending decision won’t be the last word on the constitutional issue of whether someone born outside the United States can be president. Hassan was born in the South American country in 1974, and he asked the FEC in July whether he could...

Today I recieved some news that is just, well vindication that the Truth shall set us free. After being publicly smeared as a campaign finance violator by the Delaware Republican Party simply for supporting Christine O'Donnell over Mike Castle. The FEC had previously reached a split decision on the matter but the investigative committee found no reason to believe that the O'Donnell campaign nor I had done anything wrong. Here is a link to the entire report and here is the excerpt that vindicates me. Finally, the complainant alleges that the O'Donnell Committee's press secretary stated on his Facebook page...

A Republican lawmaker accused the Obama administration of jeopardizing national security by cooperating with a Hollywood film project on the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Representative Peter King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, demanded an inquiry after learning of the Pentagon's collaboration with Oscar-winning filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow. "I write to express concern regarding ongoing leaks of classified information regarding sensitive military operations," King wrote in a letter to the inspectors general at the Pentagon and CIA.

As I mentioned in the OOTD today, Barack Obama promised a new focus on jobs for about the 15th time in less than three years, shortly after the conclusion of the debt-ceiling deal. As part of that new focus, Obama plans a bus tour — an unusual mode of travel for an American President, but SOP for a presidential candidate working the crowds to bolster support. But when White House reporters quizzed press secretary Jay Carney about whether Obama or taxpayers would foot the bill for this whirlwind tour, Carney responded that “the air of cynicism is quite thick,” as...

<p>John Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign must repay $2.3 million in federal campaign funds, the Federal Election Commission ruled Thursday.</p> <p>The funds had been paid to Edwards' campaign committee by the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, which matches funds privately raised by a campaign. An FEC audit found that the Edwards campaign received more than it should have because of accounting errors.</p>

A few months after Sen. Claire McCaskill was entwined in a scandal over the use of her personal plane for campaign travel, the Missouri Democrat has released amended campaign finance reports dating back to 2006.According to the new filings with the Federal Elections Commission, McCaskill’s campaign committee had failed to account for 143 contributions in the ‘06 cycle, totaling nearly $277,000. The committee also missed about $277,000 in disbursements. During that cycle, McCaskill raised $11.5 million.The discrepancies, her campaign said, could be attributed to the fact that donations were coming in at a furious clip at the end of the...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: July 16, 2011 CREW Complaint Against Christine O'Donnell Dismissed by Delaware U.S. Attorney "I write to inform you that [the U.S. Attorney's Office] has closed its review and does not intend to pursue criminal charges...." - Charles M. Oberly, III, United States Attorney (July 15, 2011) "The justice system should not be used as a political weapon, and we're going to keep fighting back." - Christine O'Donnell via Twitter (July 15, 2011) WILMINGTON, DE - The United States Attorney for Delaware, Charles Oberly, III, late yesterday notified attorneys for Christine O'Donnell and Friends of Christine O'Donnell...

A Guyana-born American citizen with virtually no political background is asking the Federal Election Commission whether he can run for president of the United States. New York lawyer Abdul Hassan was born in the northern South American country in 1974. Hassan, 37, wants to know whether he can start raising funds as a candidate for president. His advisory opinion request puts the FEC in the rare role of deciding a large constitutional issue that has only a few intersections with campaign finance law.

NRO's Jim Geraghty raises the question of whether Barack Obama filmed a video for his reelection campaign in the White House, which may possibly be a violation of federal election laws. In the video, President Obama promotes a "Dinner With Barack" raffle. To participate in the contest you need to donate at least $5 to the president's re-election campaign and your name will be raffled off to enjoy a dinner with the President, airfare and accommodations included. In a new web video, Obama announced Vice President Joe Biden will also be attending the dinner. There is one problem, however. This...

Obama 2012 campaign: President Obama himself makes an unexpected announcement about the upcoming "Dinner with Barack" contest. To participate in the contest you need to donate at least $5 to the campaign and your name will be raffled off to enjoy a dinner with the President, airfare and accommodations included. In a new web video, Obama announced Vice President Joe Biden will also be attending the dinner. There is one problem, however. This campaign ad was most likely recorded in the White House, which may have violated FEC campaign finance laws.

http://freedomist.com/2011/06/melanie-sloan-christine-odonnell-attacker-faces-legal-ethics-issues-bar-complaint-filed-by-jonathon-moseley/ Melanie Sloan, Christine O'Donnell attacker, faces Legal Ethics issues- bar complaint filed by Jonathon Moseley The Freedomist is following the political hack attack attempted by Melanie Sloan (CREW uses Christine O'Donnell complaint as fundraiser- how lies, slander, and libel gets Melanie Sloan funded- Freedom News) and her progressive cronies (Man throws nephew under bus to attack Christine O'Donnell- The David Keegan Story) who seem to have some unnatural fear of Christine O'Donnell, the Delaware Tea Party Senate Candidate who upset the progressive Mike Castle in the GOP primary  (O'Donnell WINS!), only to see  the Delaware State GOP turn against...

<p>Former Delaware U.S. Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell says the Federal Election Commission has dismissed a complaint filed against her during last year's campaign by the Delaware Republican Party.</p> <p>The state GOP accused O'Donnell and the Tea Party Express of violating FEC rules that restrict coordination between candidates and outside political organizations.</p>

Former Delaware Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell says the Federal Elections Commission has dropped a campaign finance complaint filed against last year her by the state’s Republican Party. Writing on Twitter early Thursday afternoon, the tea party-backed Republican announced “Breaking News! FEC dismissed the DE GOP Ex-Chair’s complaint against me.” O’Donnell’s Christine PAC did not immediately respond to POLITICO’s request for comment. The complaint against O’Donnell alleged that she and the Tea Party Express had violated campaign finance rules barring coordination between PACs and candidates.

The reach of Citizens United v FEC just got longer, if only temporarily. Relying on the controversial ruling, a federal judge in Virginia threw out part of an indictment against two men accused of secretly reimbursing donors to Hillary Clinton with corporate cash. Judge James Cacheris ruled that Citizens United established that corporations have a right to donate to political campaigns, as well as to spend their own money: A judge has ruled that the campaign finance law banning corporations from making contributions to federal candidates is unconstitutional. …Cacheris says that under last year’s Citizens United Supreme Court case, corporations...

NPR would like to talk with first-generation immigrants who send money to family or friends in their home countries. Tell us in the comments what country you're sending money.

Palo Alto-based social networking giant Facebook is seeking an exemption to rules that would require political advertisements on the site to disclose the source of their funds, according to a letter submitted to federal regulators by company attorneys. The letter, first obtained by Talking Points Memo, argues that limits on the size of Facebook ads makes including required disclosure language impractical. Federal campaign regulations require political advertising to disclose who paid for and authorized it, but the Federal Election Commission has allowed exceptions in certain cases. Facebook is seeking an exemption similar to those that apply to bumper stickers, text...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Democratic congressman filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the Federal Election Commission, widening efforts to expose anonymous campaign donations as the 2012 U.S. election gets under way. Representative Chris van Hollen, the senior Democrat on the House of Representatives' Budget Committee, filed the suit challenging FEC regulations which he said undermined the degree of campaign finance disclosure demanded by U.S. law. "The absence of transparency will enable special interest groups to bankroll campaign initiatives while operating under a veil of anonymity," Van Hollen said in a statement. Democrats claim that attack ads worth millions of dollars...

No one is immune from an audit, including President Barack Obama. The Federal Election Commission has begun an audit of Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, according to Roll Call newspaper. The campaign, a record-breaking fund-raising machine that brought in nearly $750 million for then-candidate Obama, attributed most of its contributions to small-dollar donors. But the size of the haul almost guaranteed an audit would eventually occur.

The Federal Election Commission has launched an audit into President Barack Obama's record-breaking 2008 campaign. Individuals familiar with the campaign told Roll Call Friday that the FEC has been investigating the financial records of Obama's previous campaign. The scope of the probe, which began approximately two years ago, is unknown. Presidential audits typically take years to complete and can cost millions of dollars. The newly formed 2012 Obama campaign did not deny there was an audit, but a spokeswoman called it a "review." "The FEC is conducting a routine review — as is true with the McCain Campaign, the Romney...

Barack Obama raised a record-shattering $750 million on his way to winning the 2008 presidential election. But that stunning flood of cash has triggered an investigation by the Federal Election Commission, which is taking a detailed look at the campaign's records and transactions. According to Roll Call, the audit of Obama's financial records began two years ago. It was not required by law, since the Obama campaign did not accept federal matching funds and funded itself entirely with private donations. But allegations of improper contributions, coupled with the FEC's suspicions of certain transactions, led to the probe. Obama recently officially...

Republicans who want to participate in the first presidential debate of the 2012 primary cycle will be forced to formally get into the race by the end of this month, Fox News is expected to announce this afternoon. Fox News Channel, a co-sponsor of May 5's debate with the South Carolina GOP, is expected to outline criteria this afternoon that would, most importantly, force candidates to make a decision by the end of the month about whether to get in the race if they want to participate in the debate. Fox is expected to outline six criteria for candidates, which...

A federal grand jury indicted two Virginia men on Wednesday for allegedly trying to illegally reimburse donors who gave to Hillary Clinton’s senate and presidential campaigns. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has accused the two men, William Danielczyk and Eugene Biagi, of paying back $186,600 in contributions to the senate and presidential campaign committees of a candidate for federal office, and obstructing the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the FBI.

The House passed a GOP-sponsored bill to end public financing for presidential campaigns Wednesday. Ten Democrats, most of them Blue Dogs, joined Republicans in the vote. The bill suspends a 35-year-old program that lets taxpayers direct $3 to a general fund in the Treasury when they file their taxes, without reducing their refund. Republicans say ending the option would save $617 million over 10 years without preventing individuals from making personal donations to any candidate or party. “The American people don’t need, or want, the government acting as their campaign finance intermediary to political candidates,” Georgia Rep. Tom Graves said...

Breaking Exclusive: Crew Director uses own Father to levy FEC charges against Christine O’Donnell- Tea Party News Leonard S Togman, Father of Crew Director, Melanie Sloan, files FEC charges to help daughter attack O'Donnelll O’Donnell attacker, Melanie Sloan, uses her own father to file trumped up charges with FEC The Freedomist has been investigating the charges levied against Tea Party champion Christine O’Donnell by the partisan group, CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington- which targets conservative leaders), led by Attorney Melanie Sloan. In the course of that investigation, The Freedomist has learned that the group, CREW, filed a...

Another "slow news day" fake news story about Christine O'Donnell was generated from a non-event on Wednesday, December 30. What do journalists do when there isn't any news? MAKE IT UP! The Associated Press reported that a single person was interviewed in the routine handling of the September 21, 2010 complaint by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). That is exactly what is expected, nothing new, and does not indicate that anything new has happened. In response to a September 2010, complaints by the left-wing Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (C.R.E.W.) and Delaware Republican Chair Tom...

Federal authorities have opened a criminal investigation of Delaware Republican Christine O'Donnell to determine if the former Senate candidate broke the law by using campaign money to pay personal expenses, according to a person with knowledge of the investigation. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to protect the identity of a client who has been questioned as part of the probe. The case, which has been assigned to two federal prosecutors and two FBI agents in Delaware, has not been brought before a grand jury. Matt Moran, O'Donnell's former campaign manager, did not immediately respond...

  Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) has formally opened a legal defense fund in an apparent acknowledgement of our accusation that he illegally used almost $400,000 in PAC funds for his legal defense. According to a statement Rangel made to Politics Daily: The repeated filings of allegations, no matter how unsubstantiated, by the National Legal Policy Committee (sic), a politically-motivated right wing group dedicated to eviscerating civil rights and labor union protections, have led me to this action. On November 29, we filed a Complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging that Rangel violated the Federal Election Campaign Act by...

A former official with the Federal Election Commission, Hans von Spakovsky, blasted the Reid campaign, saying they are clearly engaging in coercion and illegal coordination under federal campaign finance rules. “I’ve never seen anything this blatant,” he told The Examiner. “Most corporations stay far away from this because they know they can get in big trouble if they tell their employees to go out and vote for a particular candidate. That’s a big no-no.” “There are two issues. The first is illegal coordination. The Reid campaign is specifically asking a corporation with the help of a union to get voters

Top Overall Donors Breakdown to display: Dem vs. Repub Source of Funds Rank   Contributor   Total Contribs   To Dems   To Repubs   Contributions Tilt   1   ActBlue $18,497,333 100% 0% Solidly Democratic 2   Honeywell International $3,364,660 54% 46% On the fence 3   AT&T Inc $3,340,925 47% 52% On the fence 4   Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers $2,968,218 98% 2% Solidly Democratic 5   Comcast Corp $2,922,278 66% 33% Leans Democratic 6   National Assn of Realtors $2,906,374 57% 42% Leans Democratic 7   National Beer Wholesalers Assn $2,729,941 56% 43% Leans Democratic 8   American Assn for Justice...

The Federal Election Commission is unlikely to conduct a potentially embarrassing audit of how Barack Obama raised and spent his presidential campaign’s record-shattering windfall, despite allegations of questionable donations and accounting that had the McCain campaign crying foul. Adding insult to injury for Republicans: The FEC is obligated to complete a rigorous audit of McCain’s campaign coffers, which will take months, if not years, and cost McCain millions of dollars to defend. Obama is expected to escape that level of scrutiny mostly because he declined an $84 million public grant for his campaign that automatically triggers an audit and because...

WASHINGTON - A Minnesota campaign law requiring disclosure of corporate donations is fast becoming a national model in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows corporations to spend unlimited amounts in elections. Finding their elections awash in secret donations, other states are looking for a way to replicate Minnesota's law, which requires disclosure of funding sources for groups that spend on political advertising for or against a candidate.

DICKSON CITY, Pa. (AP) -- Vice President Joe Biden is criticizing a Republican fundraising effort that he says has poured vast sums of unaccounted-for money into GOP campaign coffers. Biden on Monday challenged former Bush administration political operative Karl Rove to reveal the names of donors to his advocacy group, which has given millions of dollars to Republican candidates this year.

Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign is allowing donors to use largely untraceable prepaid credit cards that could potentially be used to evade limits on how much an individual is legally allowed to give or to mask a contributor's identity, campaign officials confirmed. Faced with a huge influx of donations over the Internet, the campaign has also chosen not to use basic security measures to prevent potentially illegal or anonymous contributions from flowing into its accounts, aides acknowledged. Instead, the campaign is scrutinizing its books for improper donations after the money has been deposited. ... The problem with such [prepaid] cards,...

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) asked the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Wednesday to investigate the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's funding for its political activities. Franken wrote FEC Chairman Matthew Petersen to ask for a probe into whether the Chamber is indirectly using money from foreign corporations to finance its political operations, which have largely targeted Democrats, this cycle. "I am writing to ask that you investigate these claims, enforce existing laws and regulations prohibiting foreign spending in American elections, and strengthen those very last through new regulations and policy guidance," Franken wrote.

When Barack Obama was elected president on the back of an army of small donors in 2008, the commonly held wisdom in Washington was that a new model had emerged in how elections would be funded in the future. Mr Obama’s supporters, giving donations of $25 each over the internet, coupled with substantial support from traditional big Democratic givers, gave him a distinct advantage over rival John McCain. Republicans, unmotivated and lacking the Obama campaign’s organisation, lost the money war. But 34 days before the congressional elections, the table has turned on Democrats. An influx of cash from a relatively...

As the Federal Election Commission (FEC) scans the political landscape scrutinizing tea party activist and most every other citizen who participates in this year’s federal elections, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) got a ''a get out of jail free card'' to ignore and flout campaign finance regulations. At the FEC, the foxes are apparently already in the henhouse even before President Obama’s politically charged SEIU lawyer John Sullivan (Obama FEC nominee who was involved in Clinton-Teamsters-DNC campaign scandal) arrives to serve as one of six FEC commissioners.

Up until this point, the Internet has been the Wild West of political communication, especially in California. No rules. No regulation. No disclosure. By and large, that's been a good thing. The use of the Internet for political activity has enriched democracy, inspired creativity and fostered robust debate, allowing campaigns to reach voters in new ways and drawing voters into the political process like never before. This is particularly true with younger voters, who spend hours each day gazing at their computer screens. The presidential campaigns of both Howard Dean and Barack Obama have ushered the way into this new...

Democrat Bill White's campaign is encouraging Texas' arts crowd to focus on Republican Gov. Rick Perry. A supporter of the former Houston mayor is organizing independent filmmakers to show the short films they are making on behalf of his campaign, White spokesman Katy Bacon said Thursday. The films will premiere at an as-yet unscheduled White campaign event in Austin. The initiative came into the spotlight after Perry's campaign noted that a filmmaker advertised on an actors' website for a look-alike for Perry, the state's longest-serving governor who is known for his thick mane of hair. The impersonator would be cast...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/documents/MAL10274.pdf Before the August recess, the Senate is likely to hold a vote on the First Amendment-shredding DISCLOSE Act (a.k.a. - the Establishment Protection Act). This legislation, S. 3628, targets non-profits such as Campaign for Liberty and seeks to muzzle them during the election season. The House struggled and barely passed H.R. 5175 before the July 4 recess, and with your help, we can make sure it is defeated in the Senate. Incumbent politicians have always sought to separate their actions during the legislative season from the electoral season, and this bill gives them the opportunity to do so. Drawn...

Political watchdogs at the Federal Election Commission fined Vice President Joe Biden for his acceptance of what they termed "excessive campaign donations" during his run for the Democrat nomination for President of the United States. According to an FEC report, Biden also accepted a discounted price for his flight on a corporate jet. The audit revealed that Biden and his campaign flew on GEH Air Transportation round-trip from New Hampshire and Iowa. The standard price for that flight, according to the FEC, was about $30,000. Biden and his campaign paid only about $8,000 for trip. Vice President Joe Biden was...

Chalk it up to things you haven't seen on CBS or any of the dino media. Vice President and famous Phillies fan Joe Biden, that union-lovin' regular guy of the people, has been fined by the Federal Election Commission for accepting donations above the legal limit for his failed 2008 presidential run. These illegal donations included a deeply discounted flight on a private jet owned by Clinton Group , a New York hedge fund that manages $1.1 billion for domestic and offshore clients and $5 billion collateralized debt obligations, which includes things like, well, mortgage-backed securities.

Brian Tumulty of Gannett reports that former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) put his wife on his campaign payroll after he resigned from Congress and after he ceased to be a candidate for re-election. According to Massa’s quarterly report to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Beverly Massa received $34,214 for April through June for serving as campaign treasurer, even though she was not paid for previously serving in the position. Tumulty also reports that Massa paid for airfare, hotels, and meals at restaurants like Morton’s out of the campaign fund. Massa’s continued looting of leftover campaign funds is baffling given the...

A group of lifelong Democrats recently produced a compelling documentary allleging rampant voter fraud by the Obama campaign during the 2008 election. Doug Ross reported: Referring to the controversial 2008 Democrat presidential primary, Carolyn Tackett asks, “Was Barack Obama selected rather than elected?.” Fox & Friends had an explosive interview with Gigi Gaston, a writer/director who has made a documentary outlining the rampant voter fraud perpetrated by the Obama campaign during the 2008 primaries against Hillary Clinton. Gaston is a lifelong Democrat whose grandfather was a Democratic governor of Massachusetts… Gaston is not some partisan hack but someone who cares...