On this one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s McCutcheon v. FEC decision, I bring you news of a senator being indicted on corruption charges.
A 14-count indictment: “Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) was indicted on federal corruption charges Wednesday, accused of using the influence of his office to advance the business interests of a longtime friend and political supporter in exchange for luxury gifts, lavish vacations and more than $750,000 in campaign donations.” HuffPost, Politico. He will step down as ranking member of the Foreign Relations committee. The full indictment.
WaPo on how Justice Kennedy really nailed the “independent groups can’t be corrupting because they are independent thing” in Citizens United: “The federal bribery case against Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey marks the first time large-scale super PAC donations have figured prominently as evidence of a political corruption scheme, renewing questions about how truly independently such groups operate.”
There really are some crazy things in it: “The litany of travel arranged by Sen.Robert Menendez‘s good friend, Salomon Melgen, reads like the operation of a small airline. The meals and golf outings described by federal prosecutors in a 68-page indictment look like an expense account run amok.” TPM on all Dr. Melgen’s girlfriends Menendez’s office tried to help. Two things in particular that stuck out to me: Melgen’s AmEx points and a Dominican port contract. Vox: “7 Big Allegations.”
“This is not how my career is going to end,” Sen. Menendez said in a press conference last night. “Today contradicts my public service career and my entire life.”
Public Campaign’s Nick Nyhart: “Today’s indictment isn’t about one bad apple, it’s about the whole rotten barrel. It’s time for Democrats and Republicans to come together and work toward solutions that will give average Americans a bigger voice in the political process and reduce the influence of the biggest check-writers.” Other statements from Campaign Legal Center, CREW and Common Cause.
Politico: “While the indictment portrays a criminal arrangement between a powerful senator and a wealthy donor, the case will likely boil down to whether prosecutors can convince a jury that all of the exchanges weren’t part of a normal friendship.”More on this from Bloomberg.
Republicans will use this to go after Democrats (while offering no proactive solutions for how to address the corrupting system that led to such an indictment).
So, what is up with New Jersey politicians and corruption? Jeff Smith and Brian Murphy for Politico, The Daily Beast and WaPo.
More: CPI on his legal fees, his colleagues come to his defense, Sen. Amy Klobuchar is returning related donations, Menendez has launched “I Stand With Bob,” both the Star-Ledger and Asbury Park Press have called for him to resign, other senators charged with crimes.
Campaign Finance/Elections
Reuters: Don’t like ‘dark money’ in your politics? This guy could stop it with a pen –> PFAW’s Michael Keegan on how the president can address dark money political spending: “… With just the stroke of a pen, there’s something President Barack Obama can do today to help fix the problem. He can issue an executive order requiring the political spending of government contractors, which includes many of our country’s biggest corporations, be disclosed.”Another op-ed by Harsha Gowtham and Jonah Minkoff-Zern.
There will be rallies across the country today in support of the executive order. In front of the White House at noon, 500,000 signatures will be delivered in support (and you won’t be able to miss the 15-foot inflatable flashlight).
Sacramento Bee: Broken FEC making mockery of campaign finance laws. Public Citizen’s Craig Holman has this op-ed: “Simply put, when it comes to money in politics, there is no cop on the beat – and the major political players know that almost anything goes.”
WaPo: Candidates who mock the law –> From the editorial page on not-candidates: “A president must have the right stuff — the right judgment and temperament — not only to respond to crises and wars but also to preserve and lead a system based on laws. Thus it is very disturbing to see evidence that four undeclared candidates for the presidency, from both parties, have made questionable judgments about campaign finance laws.”
Activists with 99Rise interrupted Supreme Court proceedings yesterday. Here’s the video. And here are some thoughts from Public Campaign’s Nick Nyhart on such activities. WaPo. Press release.
Politico: DOJ: No contempt charges for former IRS official Lois Lerner –> “The Justice Department will not seek criminal contempt charges against former IRS official Lois Lerner, the central figure in a scandal that erupted over whether the tax agency improperly targeted conservative political groups.” The Hill.
WSJ: Judge: Board could deny Liu funds –> Good: A judge in New York has upheld the NYC Campaign Finance Board’s ability to enforce the law and ensure candidates play by the rules.
Columbus Dispatch: Kasich’s veto removes voting target for out-of-state college students –> Nice: “Earning praise from frequent critics, Ohio Gov. John Kasich vetoed language on Wednesday crafted by fellow Republicans that would have required out-of-state residents who register to vote in Ohio to obtain an Ohio driver’s license and vehicle registration within 30 days.”
Congress/Admin/2016
Sen. Harry Reid had this to say when asked whether he’ll become a lobbyist after he retires: “I’d rather go to Singapore and have them beat me with whips.”
WaPo: Founder of new Bush-aligned group might disclose donors –> We’ll see: “The founder of a new nonprofit organization with ties to Jeb Bush that can collect unlimited amounts of money in secret doesn’t rule out releasing the names of his donors, and insists that he won’t be doing any political advertising on behalf of the presumed GOP presidential candidate.”
CRP: Last Known Coordinates: Shared Vendors May Offer Clues to Planning Between Campaigns, Super PACs. Helpful new resource: “OpenSecrets.org has analyzed the 2014 data and found 92 instances in which a candidate’s campaign and a single-candidate super PAC hired a common vendor. Some of the expenditures were small; others involved payments to the same airline or another unexceptional vendor.”
Politico: Jeb Bush is an early GOP favorite as companies cut PAC checks –> “Four companies’ political action committees and a union have reported that they cut checks this year to the former Florida governor’s Right to Rise leadership PAC, according to Federal Election Commission filings processed by CQ Political Moneyline.”
NYT: Jeb Bush Seems to Shift Tone in His Praise of Indiana Law –> Jeb tells the base one thing about Indiana, donors another: “Mr. Bush’s comments were strikingly different in tone and in scope from what he said on Monday night in an interview with the conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.”
IBTimes: Jeb Bush Pressed Pension Officials On Behalf of Donor’s Firm –> From his released emails: “Jeb Bush received the request from one of his campaign contributors, a man who made his living managing money: Could the then-governor of Florida make an introduction to state pension overseers? The donor was angling to gain some of the state’s investment for his private fund.”
WSJ: Ted Cruz Campaign Points to Hefty Donations, 95 percent in donations of $100 or less –> “Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas raised about $4 million in the eight days after he formally announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination, his campaign staff said, indicating donations are coming at a faster clip than for some GOP candidates in past years.” WaPo.
In other first quarter fundraising –> $2.75M for Sen. Rob Portman, Darin Lahood brings in $210k to replace Aaron Schock,$1.2M for Sen. Ron Johnson.
The Hill: Wounded Scalise opens up about race –> House Majority Whip Steve Scalise talks with The Hill about his dust-up a few months ago but “Not all Republicans believe that Scalise is in the clear. As GOP whip, Scalise is supposed to be one of the top fundraisers for House Republicans. But it’s unlikely that Republicans who represent swing districts would want help from someone with so much political baggage, said one former GOP leadership aide.”
WaPo: Wall St. blasted for paying execs to work for Uncle Sam –> “Wall Street’s practice of rewarding executives who quit to work for the government is coming under scrutiny.”
Politico: Tech bigwigs help launch economic policy group –> The Fourth Way? “Silicon Valley bigwigs Sean Parker and Ron Conway are throwing their weight behind a new organization in Washington that will craft centrist proposals to stimulate the economy and press Congress to enact them, according to plans provided to POLITICO.”
Other/States
Vice: New York Is Giving Millionaire Yacht Owners a Massive Tax Break –> No minimum wage increase and tinkering around the edges on ethics in this year’s New York budget but, “So yeah, the major tax break for rich yacht and private jet owners included in the latest state budget shouldn’t surprise those familiar with New York politics.”
Albany –> RT @mahoneyw: This week’s ethics agreement avoids dealing with issues raised by the Silver arrest: http://t.co/XIgg9XbnJ7
NYT: Loopholes Seen in New Ethics Disclosure Rules for New York Legislators –> “Five good-government groups, which have been pushing for broad changes to the state’s ethics laws, denounced the proposals as ‘incremental reform’ and added that it did not address a loophole in state law that allowed corporations to give large campaign donations as smaller gifts that disguise the source of the money.” Center for Public Integrity.
Progress Illinois Report: Chicago Aldermanic Campaigns See Few Small Donations –> New report from Illinois PIRG on Chicago elections: “Small campaign donations of less than $150 represented only 11 percent of contributions given last year to 2015 Chicago aldermanic candidates.”
AP: Bill would bar lobbyists from giving gifts to lawmakers –> “Nevada lawmakers are reviewing a bill that would bar lawmakers or their family members from accepting gifts from lobbyists.”
Sun-Times: Schock takes staffers out to one last expensive meal –> “Disgraced former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, whose staffers are to go before a federal grand jury this month probing Schock’s office expenses and Instagrammed lifestyle, was spotted taking his state staff out to dinner in a private section of Jim’s Steakhouse in Peoria on Monday night.”
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