[EL] Serious Question About Romney Overseas Trip

[Peter Overby]

Romney was at a London fundraiser in July 2011, and he'll be at a third one in Jerusalem Sunday night. In '07, Rudy Giuliani, Michelle Obama, and Bill Clinton (for Hillary Clinton's cmpn) all hit London. There were other primary candidates too, but not Obama himself.

Raising money from American citizens overseas is not new. But there's much more interest recently in tapping them for cash, and organizing them to vote.

I've yet to hear of a candidate attending a fundraiser anyplace other than London or Jerusalem. But their campaigns have a steady if small flow of money from overseas - mostly the UK, APO or FPO addresses, and US territories.

A couple stories if you want to delve further... this week --

http://www.npr.org/2012/07/25/157381528/part-of-romneys-foreign-itinerary-raising-money

and 2007 --

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14537555



________________________________
From: law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu [mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu] On Behalf Of John Tanner
Sent: Friday, July 27, 2012 9:51 AM
To: Samuel Bagenstos
Cc: law-election at uci.edu
Subject: Re: [EL] Serious Question About Romney Overseas Trip

My general recollection is that foreign trips - a European swing and a trip to Israel - have been routine for non-incumbent candidates for President and some local (mayoral) candidates for decades.  They return with pictures of themselves talking to world leaders and they get to eat in Paris.

I have read that Obama/the First Lady have held fundraisers abroad this year -- or actually I have seen headlines but have not read the articles.  It seems odd  - actually kinda tacky - to me but I can't imagine how it would be constitutional to restrict it.
On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 9:40 AM, Samuel Bagenstos <sbagen at gmail.com<mailto:sbagen at gmail.com>> wrote:
Given the recent track record of this list, I hesitate even to ask this question.  But I do think the answer is within the collective knowledge of listmembers, and I am genuinely curious.  I thought it was unusual when Barack Obama travelled abroad for a campaign swing as a nonincumbent presidential candidate in 2008.  Was there any precedent for that trip?  Is this something that presidential candidates have always or often done?  Similarly, it seems to me interesting that Mitt Romney is using his trip abroad to host fundraisers in other countries.  Is that something that Barack Obama or other presidential candidates have done?  I assume there is no legal restriction on holding a fundraiser on foreign soil.  Is that right?  Do my fellow listmembers believe such a restriction would be unconstitutional?  (Not a restriction on expats giving money to US elections, which I think would be clearly unconstitutional, but a restriction on holding fundraising events on foreign soil.)  These are serious questions, and I am honestly interested in the factual and legal answers.

Thanks.


Samuel R. Bagenstos
Professor of Law
University of Michigan Law School
625 S. State St.
Ann Arbor, MI  48109
sambagen at umich.edu<mailto:sambagen at umich.edu>
http://web.law.umich.edu/_FacultyBioPage/facultybiopagenew.asp?ID=411
http://disabilitylaw.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @sbagen






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