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Campaign Legal Center

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Campaign Legal Center
FoundedJanuary 2002 (2002-01)
FounderTrevor Potter
Type501(c)(3)
Location
  • Washington, D.C.
Area served
United States
Key people
Paul M. Smith, Vice President, Litigation & Strategy
WebsiteCampaignLegal.org

Campaign Legal Center (CLC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) government watchdog group in the United States. CLC supports strong enforcement of United States campaign finance laws.[1] Trevor Potter, former Republican chairman of the Federal Election Commission, is CLC's founding president.

Activities

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2004–10

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In 2004, it was a party to complaints filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against groups like the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and America Coming Together, for trying to directly influence federal elections.[2][3]

In 2006, CLC testified before Congress in support of reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act (VRA).[4]

CLC was critical of former vice-presidential candidate John Edwards's use of charity organizations which he had founded, complaining they were being used chiefly to keep himself in the public eye in preparation for a possible 2008 presidential run.[5]

The group filed an amicus brief in the 2007 landmark Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, unsuccessfully urging the Court not to strike down a provision of McCain-Feingold which prevented unlimited political contributions to organizations not directly affiliated with Federal candidates.[6] The following year it again filed a brief with the Court over a rule in the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act that raised contribution limits when candidates faced a self-funding opponent; the group favored the rule, which was struck down by the Court.[7]

In 2010, CLC joined with another watchdog group, Democracy 21, in asking the Internal Revenue Service to investigate a tax exempt social welfare group run by Karl Rove.[8]

2011–20

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The group filed an amicus brief in 2011 on behalf of eight public interest groups in support of challenged provisions of Arizona's clean election law, the Citizens Clean Elections Act. After the Court struck down the provisions,[9] a spokesperson for the group declared that the decision undermines "the integrity of our elections."[10] Later that year, CLC highlighted concerns before the FEC that Stephen Colbert's satirical Super PAC, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, had serious imitators exploiting the regulations on politicians with television contracts. The organization's President, Trevor Potter, served as Colbert's lawyer in establishing the PAC.[11] In August, it asked the U.S. Justice Department to probe the behavior of W Spann LLC.[12]

The group advocated for more legal restrictions on campaign giving and lobbying during the 2012 presidential primaries.[13][14][15][16][17][18]

CLC attorneys represented[19] Wisconsin voters in the 2017 Supreme Court case Gill v. Whitford. CLC’s Paul Smith argued the case[20] before the Court on October 3, 2017.

On October 30, 2017, the CLC released a fact-check explaining the legality of the Clinton campaign's financing of the Steele dossier and compared it to the illegality of the Trump campaign's acceptance of the offer of help from the Russian government at the 2016 Trump Tower meeting.[21] Philip Bump, columnist for The Washington Post, explained why,[22] because of the legal difference between an "expenditure" by a campaign and a "contribution" to a campaign, the Clinton campaign's action did not run afoul of Federal Election Commission laws (52 U.S. Code § 30121) forbidding foreign nationals from contributing to or aiding political campaigns, and that applies to any form of aid, not just cash donations.[22] The dossier (prepared by a British citizen indirectly hired by the Clinton campaign and DNC) and the 2016 Trump Tower meeting (involving a direct offer of aid by the Russian government to the Trump campaign) are frequently contrasted and conflated in this regard.[22]

In 2018, CLC launched a website for citizens with felony convictions to explain their voting rights in all 50 states.[23] That same year, CLC filed several complaints with the FEC alleging illegal coordination between the Trump campaign and the National Rifle Association.[24][25] CLC’s Potter also appeared on Face the Nation[26] and 60 Minutes[27] in 2018 to discuss President Trump’s potential campaign finance violations related to the hush money paid by Michael Cohen to Stormy Daniels. Prior to the 2018 election, CLC attorneys represented Native American voters in a case challenging North Dakota’s voter ID law.[28]

During the 2020 elections, CLC worked on voting issues in states across the U.S. amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It sued the states of Pennsylvania,[29] New York,[30] New Jersey,[31] Rhode Island,[32] and North Dakota[33] over signature match rules that prevented voters with disabilities, racial minority voters, and voters who were non-Native English speakers from having their votes count at disproportionately high rates.[34] Campaign Legal Center is a partner of VoteRiders.[35]

In late July 2020, CLC filed an 81-page complaint with the FEC against the Trump re-election campaign, alleging that it used pass-through entities to conceal almost $170 million of campaign spending from the FEC.[36][37][38]

2021–present

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In 2021, CLC sued the FEC for refusing to launch an investigation into Donald Trump's presidential campaign over allegations that it coordinated with a super PAC.[39] CLC also filed a complaint with the FEC over the manner in which Ted Cruz's staff promoted his book One Vote Away: How a Single Supreme Court Vote Can Change History.[40]

CLC supported the For the People Act.[41][42] It was intended to expand voting rights, change campaign finance laws to reduce the influence of money in politics, ban partisan gerrymandering, and create new ethics rules for federal officeholders.

In October 2022, Trump's Save America PAC transferred $20 million to Trump’s new MAGA Inc. Super PAC.[43] In November 2022, the CLC filed a complaint with the FEC, alleging that the transfer was inappropriate inasmuch as Trump was already a presidential candidate when he made the transfer.[44]

References

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  1. ^ Cressman, Derek (2007). The Recall's Broken Promise: How Big Money Still Runs California Politics. The Poplar Institute. p. 231. ISBN 9780978640507.
  2. ^ Schmidt, Steffen W.; Mack C. Shelley; Barbara A. Bardes; Lynne E. Ford (2011). American Government and Politics Today 2011–2012 Edition. Cengage Learning. p. 354.
  3. ^ York, Byron (2006). The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy: The Untold Story of the Democrats' Desperate Fight to Reclaim Power. Random House. p. 92.
  4. ^ "The Voting Rights Amendment Act, S. 1945: Updating the Voting Rights Act in Response to Shelby County v. Holder". www.govinfo.gov. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  5. ^ Wayne, Leslie (June 22, 2007). "In Aiding Poor, Edwards Built Bridge to 2008". New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  6. ^ Roche, Lisa Riley (June 26, 2007). "Justices ease limits on campaign ads". Deseret Morning News. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  7. ^ Gerstein, Josh (April 22, 2008). "9 Will Hear Campaign-Finance Case". New York Sun. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  8. ^ Paulson, Amanda (October 5, 2010). "Karl Rove group spends big in Election 2010, but is it legal? GOP strategist Karl Rove is sending big money to Republicans in close Election 2010 races. But two campaign watchdogs are asking the IRS to investigate his tax-exempt 'social welfare' group". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  9. ^ Arizona Free Enterprise Club’s Freedom Club PAC v. Bennett
  10. ^ Karmasek, Jessica M. (June 27, 2011). "U.S. SC rules against public financing program". Legal Newline. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  11. ^ Geiger, Kim; Melanie Mason (June 30, 2011). "Stephen Colbert makes case before FEC for 'Colbert Super PAC'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  12. ^ Isikoff, Michael (August 5, 2011). "Justice asked to probe mystery donation to pro-Romney group: Reform groups say $1 million from firm that soon dissolved itself could violate law". NBC. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  13. ^ Mooney, Brian C. (January 26, 2012). "In Fla., donations to Gingrich erase Romney's edge". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  14. ^ Palmer, Anna; Dave Levinthal (January 25, 2012). "FEC reform petition lags; sponsor blames W.H." Politico. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  15. ^ Newmyer, Tory (January 25, 2012). "Who's backing the GOP candidates? Super PACs are spending super sums to finance their Republican favorites. Good luck tracking down the source of those funds". Fortune/CNN. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  16. ^ Snyder, Jim (January 25, 2012). "TransCanada Lobbying Tops $1.3 Million as It Pushes Keystone". Bloomberg News. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  17. ^ Negrin, Matt (January 24, 2012). "Newt Gingrich: The Lobbyist Who Wasn't". ABC News. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  18. ^ Evans, Will (January 24, 2012). "Hollywood money flows to Calif. politicians who support anti-piracy bills". Los Angeles News. Archived from the original on August 27, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  19. ^ Bazelon, Emily (August 29, 2017). "The New Front in the Gerrymandering Wars: Democracy vs. Math". The New York Times.
  20. ^ "Gill v. Whitford". SCOTUSblog.com. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  21. ^ "Fact Check: Sarah Sanders Inaccurately States Law Regarding Campaigns' Ability to Finance Opposition Research". Campaign Legal Center. October 30, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  22. ^ a b c Bump, Philip (August 6, 2018). "Why the Trump Tower meeting may have violated the law—and the Steele dossier likely didn't". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  23. ^ Pitner, Barrett Holmes (August 12, 2018). "Millions of Felons Are Getting Their Votes Back. Now They're Learning To Cast Them". The Daily Beast. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  24. ^ Mascia, Jennifer. "Watchdog Groups File FEC Complaint Over NRA Coordination With Trump Campaign". The Trace. The Trace. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  25. ^ Fredreka Schouten (April 24, 2019). "Group sues Federal Election Commission over allegation NRA broke campaign-finance law". CNN. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  26. ^ Margaret, Brennan. "Watch Face The Nation: Face The Nation: Lanny Davis, Trevor Potter, Kelsey Snell – Full show on CBS All Access". CBS. CBS News. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  27. ^ Anderson, Cooper. "Stormy Daniels describes her alleged affair with Donald Trump". CBS. CBS News. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  28. ^ Astor, Maggie (November 1, 2018). "North Dakota Voter ID Law Stands After Last-Ditch Lawsuit". The New York Times. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  29. ^ "Pennsylvania Sued over Signature-Matching Ballot Procedures".
  30. ^ "Deal ensures fewer absentee ballots will get tossed in New York". September 17, 2020.
  31. ^ "New Jersey Sued to Force Overhaul of Mail-In Voting Rules".
  32. ^ "R.I. Voter-rights groups challenge witness requirements for mail ballots".
  33. ^ "Grand Forks woman listed as plaintiff in North Dakota voting lawsuit". May 6, 2020.
  34. ^ "Have a Problem with Your Mail-In Ballot? Advocates Are Pushing States to Let You Correct It".
  35. ^ VoteRiders Partner Organizations
  36. ^ Date, S. V. (July 28, 2020). "Complaint: Trump Making Illegal Secret Payments, Including To His Own Family". HuffPost. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  37. ^ Nam, Rafael (July 28, 2020). "Watchdog alleges Trump campaign illegally concealed $170 million in spending". TheHill. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  38. ^ "Watchdog accuses Trump campaign of illegally masking millions in spending". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  39. ^ Papenfuss, Mary (June 22, 2021). "Watchdog Group Sues FEC For Dropping Trump Campaign Investigation". HuffPost. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  40. ^ Farhi, Paul (April 16, 2021). "The GOP's big bulk book-buying machine is boosting Republicans on the bestseller lists". Washington Post. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  41. ^ Sherman, Amy (June 25, 2021). "PolitiFact – Republicans mislead in welfare attack on Raphael Warnock". @politifact. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  42. ^ Forgey, Quint; Montellaro, Zach (June 17, 2021). "Abrams: I would 'absolutely' back Manchin's voting rights compromise". Politico. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  43. ^ Alex Leary (October 31, 2022). "Trump Transfers $20 Million From Save America PAC to MAGA PAC". The Wall Street Journal.
  44. ^ Perkins, Tom (January 3, 2023). "Trump seems to have a large war chest – but is he struggling to raise money?". The Guardian.
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