Institute For Free Speech

FEC: An Agency Tasked with Regulating First Amendment Activity
January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

The Federal Election Commission is the independent agency charged with enforcing federal campaign finance law and enacting campaign finance regulations. The FEC was created after the Nixon Administration’s Justice Department pursued criminal campaign finance charges against the President’s critics. In light of that effort, Congress correctly rejected the idea of letting a future president effectively control a government agency tasked…

Statement of Chairman Bradley A. Smith and President David Keating on FEC Commissioner Weintraub’s “Corporate Political Spending and Foreign Influence” Forum
June 23, 2016   •  By Brad Smith   •  , ,

Today, Commissioner Ellen Weintraub has taken the unprecedented step of using her office to organize what is in essence a private forum, to be ...

Senator Mad Federal Agency Won’t Help him Silence Opponents
June 17, 2016   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  , ,

Those who seek ever more regulation of political speech love to play hopscotch with government agencies. If the FEC won’t take up your cause, ...

Petition for Rulemaking to Strengthen Political Parties
June 15, 2016   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  ,

A new FEC rulemaking petition from Sandler Reiff looks to strengthen political parties. State and local party committees play a critical role in the ...

The FEC, LLCs, and Political Contribution Disclosure
April 16, 2016   •  By Brad Smith   •  , ,

Recently, there’s been a flap at the FEC about whether the Commission should have found certain actors were in violation of the laws governing ...

LLCs and Politics at the FEC
April 12, 2016   •  By Brad Smith   •  , ,

Recently, and to significant commentary, the Federal Election Commission released dueling statements explaining the Commission’s decision not to pursue complaints brought by the Campaign ...

The Story of Stupid Campaign Finance Laws: A Tale of Sanders’ Donors
February 25, 2016   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  ,

On February 11, the Federal Election Commission (FEC) sent a “preliminary review” to Bernie Sanders’ campaign detailing the many ways the campaign had failed ...

Comments to FEC on Notice 2015-10: Rulemaking Petition: Contributions From Corporations and Other Organizations to Political Committees
October 27, 2015   •  By Allen Dickerson   •  , , ,

Make Your Laws attempts to co-opt the established moral disapproval of a certain type of criminal behavior—money laundering—when it speaks of “contribution laundering.” It ...

Comments to FEC on Notice 2015-09 Rulemaking Petition: Independent Spending by Corporations, Labor Organizations, Foreign Nationals, and Certain Political Committees (Citizens United)
October 27, 2015   •  By Allen Dickerson   •  , ,

These comments are submitted on behalf of the Center for Competitive Politics (“the Center”) in response to Notice 2015-09 Rulemaking Petition: Independent Spending by ...

The Brennan Center Backs Off the Ledge
October 14, 2015   •  By Luke Wachob   •  ,

The campaign finance “reform” movement is at a crossroads. Some influential elements are pushing the envelope farther than ever, but others are stepping back ...

Delusions about “Dysfunction”: Understanding the Federal Election Commission
October 5, 2015   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  ,

Supporters of more regulation of political speech increasingly seek to discredit the Federal Election Commission (FEC) – the agency with exclusive civil enforcement of federal ...

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