A full slate of Federal Election Commission members held their first meeting Thursday, promising to roll up their sleeves and quickly address a large list of campaign finance issues that effectively been on hold since January.

The agency in charge of policing campaign finance laws has been paralyzed for the past six months due to a Senate stalemate over commission confirmations that left short of enough members to take any official actions. Read full story >

Republican election lawyer Donald McGahn was named chairman of a newly seated Federal Election Commission Thursday, taking the helm of the regulatory agency on his first day on the job.

The FEC convened for the first time in more than six months, a period of inactivity caused by a confirmation standoff in the Senate.

With four of six commissioners new to their jobs, the FEC faces a backlog of work that has accumulated during an election year marked by a hard-fought and financially record-breaking presidential campaign. Read full story >

After months of dormancy, the FEC is set to tackle several high-profile electoral issues, but quick, decisive action on politically charged questions — such as whether Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., illegally withdrew from the public financing system — is unlikely, experts say.

“The FEC moves at a snail’s pace,” said Richard Hasen, an election law expert a Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. “People think the FEC wakes up in the morning and just starts issuing rules on things it doesn’t like,” Hasen added. “It just doesn’t work like that.” Read full story >

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed five nominees for the Federal Election Commission, breaking a prolonged partisan logjam and allowing the agency to resume functioning.

The nominees were confirmed without dissent after drawn-out talks between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and a last-minute hang-up over a demand from Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., a campaign finance crusader, to meet with all five nominees. Read full story >

Sen. John McCain's wife flew in her company's private jet last year from Phoenix to New York City, where she spent three hours of the two-day trip at a fund-raiser for her husband's presidential campaign. The rest of her visit was devoted to personal matters, according to the campaign.

The campaign didn't reimburse Cindy McCain for the March 7-9, 2007, trip, which included the event near Times Square that brought in an estimated $100,000. Should it have done so?

According to federal campaign finance rules, the answer is yes -- and no, depending on which portion of the code is applied. Read full story >

Senate leaders plan quick action to confirm five Federal Election Commission nominees, giving the panel a full complement for the first time in months, an aide to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky., said.

The aide said the chamber could have one vote on the entire group as early as Wednesday. But an aide to Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., said leaders only were committed to approving the group before the July Fourth recess and it’s unclear how votes will be structured.

Before the group can be brought to the floor, leadership must get consent to discharge the latest FEC nominee, Matthew S. Petersen, from the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, which oversees the commission. Read full story >

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is suing the Federal Election Commission for the second time in five months to force the agency to move on a complaint against Sen. John McCain ’s presidential campaign as soon as possible.

The DNC requested an FEC investigation in February of the Arizona Republican’s decision to withdraw from the federal matching fund system during the primary race. The legality of the McCain move was questioned by FEC Chairman David Mason at the time, but because the agency lacked a quorum no action was taken. Read full story >

The prolonged Senate standoff that has kept the Federal Election Commission dysfunctional since January may finally be drawing to a close. But for the five nominees poised to step in as FEC commissioners, the battle is just beginning. Read full story >

After nearly six months of paralysis, the Federal Election Commission could be back in business this month, thanks to a compromise ending a drawn out standoff in the Senate over nominations to the agency that oversees campaign finance law.

If the Senate acts soon, as expected, to approve five nominations to the FEC, it would mark the first time since its creation in 1975 that so many commissioners have been appointed at once. It also would give the agency its first full slate of six commissioners for the first time since March 2007. But with a backlog of pending regulatory issues that have piled up since January, the new commission will be playing a game of catch-up for the rest of this election season. Read full story >

As early as next week, the Senate may take up a slate of Federal Election Commission nominees that could have the agency back in business within weeks.

A Republican Senate leadership aide told Roll Call on Tuesday that the final piece to the puzzle, Republican nominee Matt Petersen’s background check, could be finalized by Friday and that a vote on the full five-commissioner slate may come as early as next week.

Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) office declined to comment on the FEC commissioners until Petersen’s background check is finalized. Read full story >

A group that supports public financing of campaigns filed a federal complaint against John McCain's presidential campaign Monday, calling for an investigation into two financial transactions involving two top McCain aides.

The Federal Election Commission complaint by Campaign Money Watch, a group that has received financing from Democratic leaning donors, questions payments from former finance chair Tom Loeffler to campaign finance director Susan Nelson. It also questions the reduction of a debt to a Web services firm co-owned by McCain campaign manager Rick Davis. Read full story >

A watchdog group is launching an advertising campaign and filing an FEC complaint questioning the McCain campaign's ties to lobbyists, as Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama spar over each other's ties to special interests.

The TV ad from Campaign Money Watch, set to run on Washington, D.C., broadcast and cable outlets starting Monday, focuses on McCain's role in the awarding of an Air Force contract that would eventually go to the French company Airbus instead of the American company Boeing. Read full story >

It may come as a shock that Donald McGahn, Tom DeLay's former ethics lawyer, and now one of the five nominated FEC commissioners before the Senate, has made some enemies. But that's reportedly the case. Read full story >

Washington, DC – In light of recent reports, detailed on CREW’s FixtheFEC.org website and in today’s BNA, regarding FEC nominee Donald McGahn and his involvement in a lawsuit, which resulted from a CREW FEC complaint, CREW executive director Melanie Sloan released the following statement:

“Before voting on the nomination of Donald McGahn to be a member of the Federal Election Commission, the Senate should require Mr. McGahn to answer questions about his role in a FEC enforcement case against Tom DeLay’s former leadership PAC, Americans for a Republican Majority PAC (ARMPAC). Former ARMPAC treasurer Corwin Teltschik has sued Mr. McGahn for malpractice in federal court for settling the case, which included claims against Mr. Teltschik, without his knowledge or consent. In his complaint, Mr. Teltschik alleges that he may lose his license to practice law in Texas as a result of McGahn’s allegedly improper conduct.

If Donald McGahn committed malpractice in settling a campaign finance matter, clearly he cannot lead the agency charged with enforcing those very same laws. Mr. Teltschik’s case raises questions not only regarding Mr. McGahn’s credentials as a campaign finance lawyer, but also his understanding of legal ethics.” Read full story >

Lawyer Predicts Dismissal of Claims

The disgruntled former treasurer of former Rep. Tom DeLay's (R-Texas) "leadership" political action committee is trying to again involve Donald McGahn in a lawsuit charging that the PAC's attorneys mishandled a Federal Election Commission enforcement case.

McGahn is a veteran Republican election law attorney, who was recently nominated by President Bush for a GOP seat on the FEC. His nomination is awaiting a Senate confirmation vote. Read full story >

What a Full Panel Means for McCain's Campaign Finance Decisions

Throughout this presidential primary season, the Federal Election Commission, which polices spending on campaigns for Congress and the presidency, has been dormant. This has created a dilemma for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the presumed Republican nominee for president. Read full story >

Campaign finance lawyer Don McGahn, recently nominated to the FEC, has been sued over his settlement of the complaint CREW filed with the FEC against ARMPAC by the PAC’s former treasurer, Texas lawyer Corwin Teltschik.

Teltschik claims that he was unaware of the allegations made by CREW at the time the complaint was before the FEC. Read full story >

Campaign finance lawyer Don McGahn, recently nominated to the FEC, has been sued over his settlement of the complaint CREW filed with the FEC against ARMPAC by the PAC’s former treasurer, Texas lawyer Corwin Teltschik.

Teltschik claims that he was unaware of the allegations made by CREW at the time the complaint was before the FEC. Read full story >

Feckless

The Senate needs to work on reviving the dormant Federal Election Commission, which hasn't met all year.

That's because the FEC - which is responsible for enforcing federal election laws - has four vacancies out of six seats. While Senate Republicans and Democrats play partisan games over President Bush's nominees, the FEC can't make a quorum.

In a presidential election year, one good-government group said, it's like playing the World Series without an umpire. Read full story >

With the nominations fight between Senate leaders and the White House growing more tense by the day, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) by summer’s end may find an unlikely guard standing between him and the vault holding his presidential campaign money: Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

McCain’s campaign declined to outline his options should the Federal Election Commission’s lights remain off through the summer, preventing the necessary FEC signature on roughly $85 million in public financing that McCain needs to take on his likely opponent, cash-flush Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). Read full story >

The nation may get the election law overseer it has lacked.

In the midst of a presidential election, the country does not have a functioning body to oversee federal election laws. We don't mean well-functioning -- we mean functioning at all. Since the beginning of the year, the Federal Election Commission, which is supposed to be composed of three Republicans and three Democrats, has been down to two members. Four are needed to take any action, from issuing advisory opinions to launching investigations. Read full story >

The White House on Thursday said it will nominate Matt Petersen for a Republican seat on the Federal Election Commission.

An aide on the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, Peterson would fill a vacancy left by Hans von Spakovsky, the embattled former Justice Department lawyer who withdrew his nomination last week. Peterson’s term would run until 2011.

His nomination also would fill out a five-nominee slate that is likely to revive the FEC. He would join pending Democratic nominees Cynthia Bauerly and Steven Walther and Republican picks Caroline Hunter and Don McGahn. Read full story >

The stalemate over the Federal Election Commission may continue for at least a few more weeks as the White House and the Senate could not agree on a way to handle the remaining FEC nominees.

As a result, the Senate will yet again hold very short, pro-forma sessions during next week's recess in order to prevent President Bush from making any recess appointments while the Senate is on its Memorial Day break.

The FEC shutdown looked like it was on its way to being resolved when controversial Republican nominee Hans Von Spakovsky removed his name from consideration earlier this week. Read full story >

The Federal Election Commission will remain dormant for at least a few more weeks after private negotiations between the White House and Democratic Senate leaders devolved into a political standoff Wednesday.

According to sources familiar with the discussions, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and the Bush administration could not agree to a deal before Memorial Day that would impanel five nominees to the FEC, as well as numerous other appointees to executive branch agencies, commissions and boards. The breakdown means the FEC is likely to sit idling for several more weeks, if not months, becoming a major problem for candidates in a critical presidential election year. Read full story >

The Senate Rules and Administration Committee is holding a hearing today on three pending Federal Election Commission nominations that may soon reconstitute the shuttered elections regulator.

Democratic nominee Cynthia Bauerly, along with Republican picks Caroline Hunter and Don McGahn, will appear before the panel this afternoon in what is expected to be a perfunctory affair. Bauerly is a top lawyer for Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and a largely unknown figure to outside watchdog groups. A former policy director for Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Bauerly would sit on the commission until 2011.

Hunter, whose proposed nomination would expire in 2013, is a seasoned — and fully vetted — GOP insider who has worked in the current Bush White House and as a lawyer at the Republican National Committee. She sits on the Election Assistance Commission.

If any sparks arise, they would be during a potential Democratic grilling of former National Republican Congressional Committee lawyer McGahn, whose nomination was initially criticized by campaign finance reform groups and The New York Times editorial board because of his previous legal stances and close ties to GOP campaign committees. Read full story >