Welcome to this week’s roundup (Mar. 3-10, 2015) of must-read stories in the world of money and politics. Check back on Tuesday afternoons for more on the increasing influence of the super-rich on the American government. We’d love to hear your thoughts on these stories and any we may have missed in the comments section below.
Here’s what people are saying this week:
— Republican fundraiser Rick Hohlt, telling The New York Times why Bush’s fundraising team is reportedly not asking for mega-donations this quarter. Instead, they plan to avoid “the dominance of a few people” by keeping donations under $1 million.
— Scott Walker, who along with other potential GOP candidates, is meticulously avoiding confirming his candidacy. Until they officially start “testing the waters,” presidential hopefuls can avoid campaign donation restrictions.
— Clinton “bundler” J.P. Austin telling Reuters that major Clinton donors seem unconcerned by her use of a personal email account for state business.
— Columbia Law professor Richard Briffault, explaining the subtle line between legal campaign contributions and bribery. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) will likely face corruption charges for allegedly accepting gifts and vacations in exchange for political favors.
— CNN reporting on John Boehner’s fundraising efforts in California last weekend, instead of attending the Selma 50th anniversary march.
— The Huffington Post summing up a new Common Cause report, “Unlimited and Undisclosed: The Religious Right’s Crusade to Deregulate Political Spending.”
— Tim Karr, director of strategy for an Internet consumer rights nonprofit, to the Daily Beast. All but two of the 31 co-sponsors of “The Internet Freedom Act” (a House bill intended to strip Net Neutrality rights) received campaign donations from AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, the National Cable and the Telecommunications Association (their lobby) in 2014, for a total of $800,000.