Week of February 19 - 22, 2019

Commission meetings and hearings

The executive sessions scheduled for February 20-21 and the open meeting scheduled for February 21 were canceled.

Advisory Opinions

Advisory Opinion Request 2018-12 (Defending Digitial Campaigns, Inc.)

On February 19, the Requestor granted an extension of time through March 31. Defending Digital Campaigns, Inc. has asked whether it or its private sector sponsors and partners may provide candidate and political party committees with certain free resources and training to protect those committees from cyberattack.

Advisory Opinion Request 2018-13 (OsiaNetwork LLC)

On February 20, the Requestor granted an extension of time through March 29. OsiaNetwork LLC has asked has asked whether individuals’ use of the processing power of their internet-enabled devices to mine cryptocurrency for the benefit of political committees is considered a volunteer activity under Commission regulations.

Enforcement

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

MURs 7138 and 7229

• COMPLAINANTS: Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust; Alan Grayson
• RESPONDENTS: Patrick E. Murphy (Rep. Murphy); Thomas P. Murphy (Mr. Murphy); Friends of Patrick Murphy and Brian Foucart, in his official capacity as treasurer (the Committee); Senate Majority PAC and Rebecca Lambe, in her official capacity as treasurer (SMP); Floridians for a Strong Middle Class and Jennifer May, in her official capacity as treasurer (Floridians); and Coastal Construction Group of South Florida, Inc. (Coastal Construction)
• SUBJECT: The complaints alleged that Rep. Murphy and the Committee impermissibly coordinated two television advertisements with SMP and Floridians, which resulted in prohibited in-kind contributions to the Committee. The complaints also alleged that Mr. Murphy (Rep. Murphy’s father) and Coastal Construction, the Murphys’ family business, made large contributions to SMP and Floridians before the commercial aired on television, thereby assisting the campaign in impermissibly coordinating with SMP and Floridians. Rep. Murphy was a candidate for the U.S. Senate from Florida in 2016.
• DISPOSITION: The Commission closed the file.

MURs 7430, 7444, and 7445

• COMPLAINANTS: Veronica Vasquez; Claire Barnett; and Joe D. Gonzalez
• REPSPONDENT: Unknown respondent
• SUBJECT: The three complaints at issue alleged that an unknown foreign national made contributions to candidates running for local and state office in Bexar County, Texas.
• DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the complaints, noting the small amounts at issue and the difficulties posed by a potential investigation in order to identify the unknown respondent.

Litigation

• FEC v. Rivera (Case No. 17-22643) On February 15, the Commission filed a Memorandum in Opposition to Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss Amended Complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Outreach

• On February 21, Chair Ellen L. Weintraub hosted the first session in the 2019 Campaign Finance Speaker Series: “The Most Expensive Midterm Ever: What the Numbers Tell Us About Spending on the 2018 Midterms.” Sheila Krumholz, Executive Director of the Center for Responsive Politics, and Professor Michael Malbin, Director of the Campaign Finance Institute, were the featured speakers. The event is available on the FEC’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mANlH7Ioozw.
• On February 21, Chair Weintraub welcomed the campaign finance community to the FEC for a reception.

Upcoming Commission meetings and hearings

• March 19: The Commission is scheduled to meet in executive session.
• March 26: The Commission is scheduled to meet in executive session.
• March 28: 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

• March 20, 2019: March Monthly reports are due. For more information on monthly reporting dates, refer to the 2019 Monthly Reporting page of the Commission website.

Upcoming educational programs

• On February 27, Commission staff will host a compliance webinar for corporations and their political action committees (PACs).
• On March 13, Commission staff will host Candidate 101: Getting Started, a webinar for first-time candidates and potential candidates, as well as their campaign staff.

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.

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 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 media has not been authorized by the FEC.