Posted on 06/12/2018 7:17:35 AM PDT by LiveFreeOrDie2001
A federal judge has blown the whistle on a secret Federal Election Commission scheme to punish some Republican groups and their donors, the latest sign of an anti-GOP bias at the elections watchdog.
In a newly released decision, Trump-appointed District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden shined a spotlight on the FEC’s general counsel who recommended action against four Republican groups but dismissal of similar charges against supporters of a Democratic group, “Black Men Vote.”
In the case, the Washington-based Campaign Legal Center charged that the FEC wrongly voted to drop charges against three of the Republican super PACS accused of taking “straw donations” through corporations. The Trump White House in review: Week 72 Watch Full Screen to Skip Ads
In a February 2016 3-3 vote, the FEC's Republicans voted to dismiss action in all five cases, noting that the conduct of the donors was the same in each, including the Black Men Vote complaint. FEC Democrats sought to investigate the four Republican and one Democratic groups.
In a sixth enforcement case, the FEC's Democratic chairman switched his position and refused to investigate a real estate developer allegedly using shell companies to funnel Chinese money to support a Florida Democrat.
In the federal court case, McFadden considered only three Republican cases involving straw donors from limited liability corporations, but since the FEC combined all five confidential recommendations, he considered them all too and made a point to note how the FEC counsel’s enforcement recommendations were biased against Republicans.
The decision follows an amazing admission by a former Democratic FEC chairwoman and frequent critic of Republicans and President Trump that the agency is biased against the GOP.
Asked if the cases before the FEC are biased, Ann Ravel said, “Absolutely. The cases have come primarily from watchdog groups, and most of those groups are on the liberal side.”
The judge’s decision won support from a former Democratic FEC chairman who said it was a major victory for the election commission. “A resounding victory for the FEC at the USDC for DC. The agency wins deference for its decision (three Commissioners voted not to investigate three ‘dark money cases) and quite a ‘tip of the hat to the First Amendment's role in agency decisions,” tweeted Bob Lenhard.
I don’t see a difference between the Russki communists meddling with our elections and the DNC communists meddling with our elections. When is little Bobby Mueller going to start “indicting” democrats?
IMHO, too many of us are surprised at the next Big Rat Shenanigan.
The Hussein Heads KNOW they are at war with America and all for which we stand.
MEMO TO WHITE HOUSE: Get over there to the FEC and get strong true balance in the directors. They are weighted to hostile partisanship. Balance will be CRITICAL in the weeks and months ahead.
Hussien “weaponized” everything he could against the People.
It’s all coming out now. The illegal, unqualified, ineligible, commie, muzzie POS belongs in GITMO...locked up as an enemy combatant.
What is also becoming clear is that the Left has been at this far longer - Brennan.
The FEC is a joke, and always has been.....................
I am a stock broker.
In the last election we were told we could not donate any money to Trump/Pence. We could make unlimited donations to Hillary’s foundation...
My profession is 80 percent conservatives, and it’s very obvious to me that the regulatory bodies have unfairly targeted my occupation.
Why hasn’t the Fec lawyers been replaced ?
They need to be removed .
We won so clean house .
What is the Constitutional basis for ANY Federal involvement, never mind a “Federal Elections Commission”, in the methods by which State Legislatures appoint the Electors for President and Vice President of the United States?
Has the FEC even looked at very illegal collusion between the DNC, Hillary campaign and at least one PAC? Or is it “what difference does that make now?”
If only Nixon had known about those six magical words....
Well, there is an answer to that question. There is a difference - whether you are outside the bars looking in or inside the bars looking out.
All that we citizens have EVER asked for is a fair system. Publish the rules, in clear language, and then enforce them equally against EVERYONE.
Failure to do that breeds revolution. Unfair treatment REALLY pisses people off. Heck, it even pisses off a damned monkey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meiU6TxysCg
Thank God for Trump and his judicial appointments - maybe we can get things into better alignment related to fairness in this country.
If HRC had been elected, how much of this would have never seen the light of day? Third term of Obama and all that!
You should be party to this case.
This discovery informs me that Obama’s shadow government is alive and well.
The DNC meddling is far more egregious and illegal. The Russians had a few blog posts on facebook, hardly a threat, unless you consider their influence on Hillary in exchange for the store.
Maybe the turtle will put all of this together and figure out why everyone is screaming for him to get his azz in gear and get Trumps judges appointed.
Where in the hell do you work?
I listened to NEA bullchit every election for 25 years but I NEVER had anyone forbid me doing something like that.
I know how I'd have handled those directions.
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