GOP loves their dark money

Washington, DC – US Senate Republicans have blocked a bill that aimed to combat “dark money” in United States elections by making it mandatory for political organisations to disclose big donors.

The so-called Disclose Act, which was endorsed by President Joe Biden earlier this week, failed to get the support of any Republicans in a procedural vote on Thursday.

  alJazeera

Well, what a fucking surprise.

The darkest of dark money in Missouri

This is quite the thread.  And you'll recognize some of the names if you're in Missouri.  Read the whole thing here.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Leaked Joe Manchin meeting with billionaire donors

I don't know what the fallout of this leak will be, but no doubt there will be fallout.

I'm not even going to excerpt or summarize the article, because I think it's all important. And if you don't want to read the article, maybe you can listen to the accompanying podcast (link is embedded at the beginning of the article).

Okay, I'll add this one excerpt:

Regarding [Missouri GOP Senator Roy] Blunt, Manchin appears to be suggesting — without, perhaps, quite explicitly saying so — that the wealthy executives on the call could dangle future financial opportunities in front of the outgoing senator while lobbying him to change his vote. Senate ethics rules forbid future job negotiations if they create a conflict of interest or present even the appearance of a conflict of interest. Manchin, notably, doesn’t suggest that the donors discuss a job, but rather says that people who Blunt may later be working with would be likely to have significant influence, reflective of the way future job prospects can shape the legislative process even when unspoken.

  The Intercept

I have a feeling I'll be updating this post with reactions, so you might want to check back.

UPDATE:

Senator Whitehouse did his homework for the Barrett sham

The actual 'real elites' speak

Or at least they're pouring enough money into it that they assume will take care of it.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Missouri voters are typical of Republican citizens

And the insane part is that we voted in the midterms to curb this problem in the passage of an amendment to curtail dark money and remedy gerrymandering, and then elected a compromised Republican governor who will no doubt steer efforts to stymie that choice.  Republican voters did similar things in other states, too.  They just don't get it.

The case against dark money got a boost today

The Supreme Court on Tuesday insisted that many donations to predominantly conservative political nonprofit groups — what's often called dark money — be disclosed, seven weeks ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.

The ruling closes, at least for now, a loophole that has allowed wealthy donors to finance aggressive ads while staying anonymous. Crafted by the Federal Election Commission nearly 40 years ago, the loophole flourished after the 2010 Citizens United ruling.

The court set aside an order issued by Chief Justice John Roberts on Saturday. [...] Crossroads GPS [founded by Karl Rove], a defendant in the lawsuit, had fought to stall disclosure while it prepares to appeal. It failed in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals and then appealed to the Supreme Court.

The disclosure requirement is expected to apply to explicitly political ads by nonprofit groups for the remaining weeks of the campaign season.

  NPR

I was surprised - and appalled - that Chief Justice Roberts had the power to issue an order without consulting the rest of the bench, which he did on Saturday - and now he looks like a right idiot.

I'm sure we haven't heard the last of this case.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

In the courts, a little good news

A U.S. District Court judge on Friday issued a ruling invalidating a Federal Election Commission regulation that has allowed donors to so-called dark-money groups to remain anonymous, the latest development in a years-long legal battle that could have major implications for campaign finance.

Judge Beryl A. Howell ruled the FEC's current regulation of such groups, including 501(c) 4 non-profits, fails to uphold the standard Congress intended when it required the disclosure of politically related spending.

  Politico

A D.C.-based federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to restart in full the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

[...]

The restart won’t be immediate. U.S. District Judge John Bates said Friday that the order would be delayed until Aug. 23 to allow the government to appeal, but he denied a Justice Department motion to reconsider his earlier decision, saying there were still deficiencies in the administration's rationale for rescinding DACA.
  Politico

In the months since President Donald Trump announced his candidacy for re-election, ten White House officials appear to have violated the Hatch Act by using their official government Twitter accounts for political activity, according to complaints filed today by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) with the Office of Special Counsel (OSC). These officials include Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney and White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

[...]

The ten Trump Administration officials named in the complaints are: Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Deputy Director of Communications Jessica Ditto, Executive Assistant to the President Madeleine Westerhout, Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah, Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley, Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters, Director of Media Affairs Helen Aguirre Ferré, Press Secretary for Vice President Mike Pence Alyssa Farah, and OMB Deputy Communications Director Jacob Wood.

[...]

The Hatch Act prohibits any executive branch employee from “us[ing] his official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election.” OSC guidance on applying the Hatch Act prohibitions to social media, including Twitter, specifically advises that an employee may not “use a Facebook or Twitter account in his official capacity to engage in political activity” and requires that “any social media account created in a federal employee’s official capacity should be limited to official business and remain politically neutral.”

  CREW