July 30, 2012

LINKS: FEC Says It Will Enforce New Disclosure Rules For Nonprofits

Huff Post: ‘Dark Money’ Hits $172 Million in 2012 Election, Half of Independent Group Spending
Through July 26, politically involved groups that do not disclose their donors have spent at least $172 million on campaigns that include television, radio and Internet advertising, according to a Huffington Post review of FEC reports, advertising buys, press releases and news stories. Total spending by these groups is likely far greater, since they are required to report only a fraction of their spending to the FEC. Politically involved independent groups that publicly disclose their donors, including super PACs, have spent $174 million so far this election cycle.

New York Times: Romney Courts Campaign Donors in Israel
But if Mr. Romney was the official guest of honor, speaking for nearly 20 minutes in a conference room at the King David Hotel here, the unofficial man of the hour was sitting just to Mr. Romney’s left: Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino magnate who has donated tens of millions of dollars to Republican causes.

Washington Post: FEC Says It Will Enforce Nonprofit Disclosure Rules
The Federal Election Commission told political advocacy groups Friday that it would enforce new disclosure rules for some nonprofits under a recent court ruling, but many key groups have taken steps to evade the requirements.

The Hill: Conservative group challenges red line dividing candidates, super PACs
Paul Ryan from the Campaign Legal Center said the request for increased coordination with outside groups could be a “game changer” for campaign finance rules, which he argues have been “chipped away” by recent FEC decisions.

Huff Post: What SuperPAC Donors Really Want is a Return on Their Investment
Heed their names for they are the country’s new power brokers: Sheldon Adelson, David and Charles Koch, Harold Simmons, and Bob Perry, among others. Along with similarly wealthy individuals and groups, they’re pouring unprecedented sums into the 2012 election — tens, perhaps even hundreds, of millions of dollars.

New York Times: Behind Big Political Donations, a Mysterious Donor
According to documents at the New York Department of State, Mr. Williams has formed at least 25 companies, most of them based at his apartment on 170th Street in Jamaica [Queens]. But there is little evidence of their existing beyond incorporation papers, and most are now inactive. Records also show he described himself as a lawyer, though the school he says he attended — Indiana University — has no record of it. The law firm he indicated he worked for says it never employed him.