Week of August 6–August 10, 2018

Commission meetings and hearings

On August 7, the Commission met in executive session.

Enforcement

The Commission made public five closed cases, as follows. For more information, see the case documents in the Enforcement Query System.

MURs 7078 and 7084

• COMPLAINANT: Lisa Clarkson
  
• RESPONDENTS: Scott W. Taylor; Scott Taylor for Congress and John G. Selph, in his official capacity as treasurer (the Committee); Scott Taylor for Delegate (State Committee); Stephen Baggs and Systems Technology Forum, Ltd.; Thomas Bates and RK Chevrolet, Buick, Subaru, Inc.; Darek Dabbs and Sera-Brynn LLC; Eric Kimble and Kimble Companies/Penn-Ohio Coal Co.; Ronald Kramer and Kramer Management Enterprises, Inc.; Shawn Kuhle and Turner Strategic Technologies; Tactical Defense Solutions LLC; William W. Lee, Jr. and National Research Group, LLC; Bob Miller and Miller-Stephenson & Associates, P.C.; David H. Mutzabaugh and ThunderCat Technology, LLC; Richard D. Roberts and Norfolk Southern Corporation; Eric Sisco and Virginia International Gateway, Inc. (alleged federal contractors); and Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund, Inc.; and Special Operations OPSEC Political Committee
  
• SUBJECT: The complaints alleged that Taylor and the Committee used non-federal funds to host the Committee’s campaign website, and that they failed to (1) timely file the Committee’s Statement of Organization, (2) include disclaimers, (3) report certain expenditures, and (4) properly attribute a contribution from a limited liability company (LLC). The complaints also alleged that Taylor and the Committee knowingly solicited, and that multiple federal contractors made, impermissible contributions to the Committee, and that the Committee and the State Committee used nonfederal funds to finance federal campaign activity through the State Committee’s hosting of the Committee’s website. Taylor, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, was a 2010 and 2016 candidate for Virginia’s 2^nd Congressional District.
  
• DISPOSITION: The Commission found no reason to believe the contributors identified as federal contractors in the complaint are indeed federal contractors and as a result, it found no reason to believe they violated the prohibition on contributions by federal contractors or that Taylor and the Committee knowingly solicited contributions from federal contractors. The Commission dismissed the allegation that Taylor and the Committee failed to include disclaimers, timely file the Committee’s Statement of Organization, report certain expenditures, and properly attribute an LLC contribution, and it sent a letter of caution to the Committee. The Commission observed that the expenses incurred were de minimis.
  

MUR 7334

• COMPLAINANT: William Cerone
  
• RESPONDENTS: John McCann for Congress and Ralph Contini, in his official capacity as treasurer (the Federal Committee); Mike Strada for Sheriff and Kim Strada in her official capacity as treasurer (the State Committee)
  
• SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that the State Committee made a prohibited in-kind contribution to the Federal Committee, which the complaint alleged accepted it. Specifically, the complaint alleged that a “Meet & Greet” fundraiser hosted and paid for by the State Committee was to benefit the Federal Committee. McCann is a 2018 candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in New Jersey’s 5^th District.
  
• DISPOSITION: Noting the modest amounts at issue and in furtherance of the Commission’s priorities relative to other pending matters, the Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the complaint.
  

MUR 7352

• COMPLAINANT: Deborah Coughlin
  
• RESPONDENTS: Gillibrand for Senate and Keith Lowey in his official capacity as treasurer (the Committee); Senator Kirsten Gillibrand; Hedley May L.P.; and Regina Glocker
  
• SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Hedley May L.P. made a prohibited corporate contribution to the Committee. Specifically, the complaint alleged that Glocker used corporate resources to conduct opposition research for the Committee and that Hedley May L.P. was not reimbursed for the costs of the research.
  
• DISPOSITION: The Commission found no reason to believe a violation occurred because there was insufficient information to suggest that Glocker or Hedley May L.P. had provided opposition research to the Committee.
  

MUR 7363

• COMPLAINANT: Michael Ryan
  
• RESPONDENT: Unknown
  
• SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that an unknown respondent registered a federal candidate’s name as a domain address without the candidate’s permission. Michael Ryan is a 2018 candidate for Texas’s 10^th Congressional District.
  
• DISPOSITION: Noting that the domain address at issue in the matter was not active and in furtherance of the Commission’s priorities relative to other pending matters, the Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the matter.
  

Litigation

• Campaign Legal Center, et al. v. FEC (Case No. 16-0752). On August 6, Plaintiffs filed a Notice of Appeal in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
  
• CREW v. FEC (Case No. 16-0259). On August 3, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a Memorandum Opinion and Order granting the Plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment and denying the Commission’s and defendant-intervenor Crossroads GPS’s cross-motions.
  

Audits

Final Audit Report of the Commission on O’Malley for President. On August 7, the Commission issued the Final Audit Report of the Commission on O’Malley for President. The Commission approved findings related to net outstanding campaign obligations, payments of non-qualified expenses, failure to itemize offsets to expenditures, reporting of debts and obligations, and stale-dated checks.

Press Releases

District Court issues opinion in CREW v. FEC (issued August 7)

Upcoming Commission meetings and hearings

• August 28, 2018. The Commission is scheduled to hold an executive session.
  
• September 6, 2018: The Commission is scheduled to meet in executive session.
  
• September 25, 2018: The Commission is scheduled to meet in executive session.
  
• September 27, 2018: The Commission is scheduled to hold an open meeting.
  

Meeting dates are subject to change. Please contact the Press Office the week of the scheduled meeting for confirmation.

Upcoming reporting due dates

August 20: August Monthly Reports are due. For more information on monthly reporting dates, refer to the 2018 Monthly Reporting page of the Commission website.

Upcoming Educational Outreach

• On September 5, the Commission is scheduled to host a Pre-Election Communications webinar.
  

Additional information is available on the Educational Outreach page of the Commission website.

Additional research materials

Additional research materials about the agency, campaign finance information, and election results are available through the Library section of the Commission website.

Printed copies of the 2018 edition of Title 11 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) are now available. Contact the Commission's Information Division at (202) 694-1100 or (800) 424-9530 (press 6, when prompted) to order printed copies of the CFR at no charge. You may also email the Information Division to place an order at info@fec.gov.

The 2017 Campaign Guide for Corporations and Labor Organizations is available. Other Campaign Guides are available, as well.

The 2018 Congressional Primary Election Dates list is available.

Federal Elections 2016: Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives is available. The data was compiled from the official vote totals published by state election offices. To order a printed copy, please contact the FEC’s Public Records Office at 800/424-9530 (option 2) or 202/694-1120, or send an email to pubrec@fec.gov.

The 2017 edition of the Combined Federal State Disclosure and Election Directory is available. This publication identifies the federal and state agencies responsible for the disclosure of campaign finances, lobbying, personal finances, public financing, candidates on the ballot, election results, spending on state initiatives and other financial filings.

The FEC Record is available as a continuously updated online news source.

Join the FEC on Twitter and YouTube

Follow @FEC on Twitter to receive the latest information on agency updates, news releases, and weekly activity. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, FECTube: FECConnect on Demand, to watch instructional videos that have been designed to help candidates and committees comply with federal campaign finance laws. Note that the FEC is not currently available through other social media platforms at this time. The use of the agency’s logo, name, and likeness on other mediums has not been authorized by the FEC.