
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has been a hotbed of partisan bickering and gridlock in recent years, but you wouldn't know it from today's Senate confirmation hearing on President Obama's first FEC nominee. Only three Senators attended today's Rules Committee hearing — Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York, the chairman, and Republicans Robert Bennett of Utah and Georgia’s Saxby Chambliss — and they all had nice things to say about the nominee, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Associate General Counsel John J. Sullivan. Republican Bennett went so far as to call him “eminently well-qualified for this position.” Read more
A few days ago, President Obama made attorney John Sullivan his first nomination to fill one of the three vacant seats on the Federal Election Commission. If confirmed by the Senate, Sullivan would fill the slot of Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, a Democrat. Read more
At midnight Thursday, the terms of Federal Election Commissioner Donald F. McGahn II (a Republican) and FEC Chairman Steven T. Walther (a Democrat) expired. Combined with Democrat Ellen L. Weintraub’s seat — she remains on the commission even though her term expired two years ago — President Obama has the opportunity to make his first three appointments to the six-member commission. Though FEC terms are set for six years, members are free to stay on until replacements are selected by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Read more
After four-and-a-half years of inaction by the Federal Election Commission, two ethics watchdog groups have taken another tack on a campaign finance complaint they filed in September 2004. They’ve asked Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate allegations that the Chamber of Commerce illegally contributed $3 million to a so-called 527 political committee. Read more

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