[EL] Fwd: Statement by Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer On Presidential Nominations to FEC Made Today

Fri Jun 21 15:57:29 PDT 2013

For months I've been reading press releases from reform organizations stressing that the FEC cannot function properly without 6 commissioners, and I assume Commissioner McGahn took their advice to heart.

Bradley A. Smith

Josiah H. Blackmore II/Shirley M. Fault

   Professor of Law

Capital University Law School

303 E. Broad St.

Columbus, OH 43215

614.236.6317

http://law.capital.edu/faculty/bios/bsmith.aspx

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From: law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu [law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu] on behalf of Steve Hoersting [hoersting at gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, June 21, 2013 6:50 PM
To: Rick Hasen
Cc: law-election at UCI.edu
Subject: Re: [EL] Fwd: Statement by Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer On Presidential Nominations to FEC Made Today

I'll take a crack at that question: Why not just leave Due Process in the hands of Matt and Caroline? Well, because, four votes needed or not, the FEC is truly one of those places where six eyes are better than four --  and FEC is a place where the punishment is the process (second only to the IRS).

A lawyer like McGahn can halp ensure, for example, that OGC's discovery requests are properly tailored before they go out, and he can pare back any unsupported OGC claims before RTB votes occur. Etc.

On Fri, Jun 21, 2013 at 4:40 PM, Rick Hasen <rhasen at law.uci.edu<mailto:rhasen at law.uci.edu>> wrote:
Serious question Steve: how does McGahn waiting for a replacement help?  If FEC cannot act without 4 commissioners, why can't he simply resign even absent a successor?

On 6/21/13 1:37 PM, Steve Klein wrote:
http://www.fec.gov/members/mcgahn/statements/DFM_Statement_062113.pdf

I like this statement more.

On Fri, Jun 21, 2013 at 2:11 PM, Rick Hasen <rhasen at law.uci.edu<mailto:rhasen at law.uci.edu>> wrote:
fyi

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Statement by Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer On Presidential Nominations to FEC Made Today
Date:   Fri, 21 Jun 2013 16:08:10 -0400
From:   <wertheimer at democracy21.org><mailto:wertheimer at democracy21.org>
Reply-To:       <kbeard at democracy21.org><mailto:kbeard at democracy21.org>
To:     Rick Hasen <rhasen at law.uci.edu><mailto:rhasen at law.uci.edu>

[http://www.democracy21.org/vertical/Sites/%7B3D66FAFE-2697-446F-BB39-85FBBBA57812%7D/uploads/%7B26E04BAB-6DF1-4ECC-8611-43B60E7D98DC%7D.JPG]

_________________________________________________________________

Democracy 21 News Release, June 21, 2013, www.democracy21.org<http://www.democracy21.org/>
_________________________________________________________________

Statement by Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer On Presidential Nominations to FEC Made Today

We are pleased that President Obama has begun the process of nominating FEC Commissioners to fill the one vacant seat and the five expired seats on the Commission.

>From what we know, Ann Ravel, head of the California Fair Political Practices Commission, has been an outstanding leader in the area of campaign finance oversight and enforcement.  Ann Ravel has led an effort in California to shed light on secret money in California elections and has demonstrated a commitment to effective enforcement of campaign finance disclosure laws.  She is an excellent choice for the FEC.

We are not familiar with the record of Lee Goodman, but we hope he will bring a stronger commitment to the effective administration and enforcement of the campaign finance laws than his predecessor, Don McGahn, who has consistently worked to undermine the law and has repeatedly opposed efforts to enforce the campaign finance laws.

We urge President Obama to move promptly to fill the remaining four expired seats on the FEC with Commissioners who are committed to effective enforcement of the law.

The FEC is a failed, broken agency that has been entirely dysfunctional for the last several years. The agency has a long way to go to establish credibility as a real campaign finance enforcement agency and only time will tell whether that is going to happen.

The process of fixing the FEC needs to begin with President Obama nominating and the Senate confirming a full, new complement of six Commissioners. We need six Commissioners who are committed to carrying out the campaign finance laws as enacted by Congress and interpreted by the Courts and who can move beyond the gridlock that has paralyzed the agency.  We hope today’s nominations prove to be an important first step in accomplishing that goal.

#  #  #

Released: June 21, 2013

Contact Kathryn Beard, Democracy 21 at 202-355-9600<tel:202-355-9600> or kbeard at democracy21.org<mailto:kbeard at democracy21.org>

For the latest reform news and to access previous reports, releases, and analysis from Democracy 21, visit www.democracy21.org<http://www.democracy21.org/>.

Follow us on Twitter<http://twitter.com/FredWertheimer>. Like us on Facebook.<http://www.facebook.com/pages/Democracy-21/130092623725675>

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