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Daily Beast: MAGA Shit Fight May Land Marjorie Taylor Greene in Legal Hot Water
Paul Ryan, vice president of policy and litigation at the campaign finance watchdog group Common Cause, agreed that the outstanding invoice could be considered an unreported debt. But he also offered a more pointed analysis. “Sounds as though Marjorie Taylor Greene has received and failed to report an illegal contribution,” Ryan said. In the campaign finance world, a “contribution” is not just money—it’s anything of value for the purpose of influencing an election. Goods and services, such as legal work, are considered “in-kind contributions,” and campaigns must either report receiving them or pay for them outright. In this case, Ryan observed, it appears neither of those things happened. “This could have gone a different way: A lawyer provides services, invoices the candidate for those services, and then the candidate pays for them,” Ryan said. “But it didn’t go that way here, and what we see is unpaid legal services that amount to an illegal contribution.” Ryan added that the bottom line was that, “if a candidate pays, it’s fine; if not, it’s an in-kind contribution.”
Found in: Common Cause
Arizona Daily Star/InsideSources/Tribune News Service (Op-Ed): The freedom to vote is nonpartisan
It’s time for congressional Republicans to learn from the states, listen to the voters and find their way back to the principle of a government “by the people.” Our generation has a responsibility to add our own chapter to the unfolding story of freedom. It’s beyond time for Senate Republicans to advance the Freedom to Vote Act. If they don’t, Senate Democrats must reform the filibuster to protect our sacred freedom to vote.
Found in: Common Cause
Washington Post: Trump looks to 2024, commanding a fundraising juggernaut, as he skirts social media bans
A group of advocacy organizations led by Common Cause has asked Facebook to revisit its policy of allowing Save America to advertise as long as it doesn’t use Trump’s voice, since it was established by Trump days after the 2020 election. Facebook has not yet made clear whether Trump will be able to operate a campaign under the same rules, possibly permitting him to advertise his 2024 effort on the site. “The response we got was we have no answer for you at the moment,” said Yosef Getachew, the director of Media and Democracy Program at Common Cause, of his conversations with the company. Facebook’s spokeswoman did not comment on the company’s discussions with Common Cause.
Found in: Common Cause
WRAL: Civil rights groups file suit over proposed NC voting maps
“By cynically ignoring the law, legislative leaders are crafting maps that would unconstitutionally deprive Black voters of a voice in choosing their representatives,” added Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause.
Found in: Common Cause
Washington Post: Democrats backed a commission to draw fair House lines in Colorado. Now they worry they gave up their power.
Amanda Gonzalez, executive director of Colorado Common Cause, a group that helped draft the amendments that created the independent commission, also filed a brief opposing the new congressional map on the grounds it reduced Latinos’ electoral influence and doesn’t accurately reflect the state. Still, Gonzalez said she believes the commission is “the most fair and transparent way of creating maps.” “At the end of the day all Coloradans want is a process they can trust, they want to understand what is going on … this independent commission process got us closer to that,” she said.
Found in: Common Cause
Tech Policy Press: Report proposes solutions to election disinformation
“We have also seen and documented the social media companies’ failures in their public commitment to prevent the spread of disinformation about elections – failures echoed by Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen,” said Jesse Littlewood, Common Cause Vice President for Campaigns and one of the authors of the report. “The current state of affairs is nothing short of dangerous and the time is now for comprehensive reforms.”
Found in: Common Cause
Wall Street Journal: White House Nominates Acting FCC Chief Jessica Rosenworcel to Permanent Role
Former FCC Commissioner Michael Copps said Ms. Rosenworcel is noteworthy for the “unprecedented breadth and depth of experience” she brings to the commission. Ms. Rosenworcel worked for Mr. Copps as a staffer and has extensive experience in Congress, which oversees the independent commission.
Found in: Common Cause
Dallas Morning News: Texas’ new redistricting maps are now law after Gov. Greg Abbott signs GOP-backed bills
“With his signature today, Governor Abbott continues the shameful five-decade-long tradition of ramming through extremely gerrymandered maps in an undemocratic process,” Anthony Gutierrez, Common Cause Texas executive director, said in a news release. “These racially and partisan gerrymandered maps deny every voter in Texas from having an equal say in the issues we care about most, like a stronger economy, better schools, and affordable healthcare.”