petersen, matthew
quit thus deadlock
he was going to move on facebook ads?
==
FEC rejects proposal to consider new rules on foreign spending in US elections
May 25, 2018 | The FEC has considered similar proposals before, but none have passed. Vice Chair Ellen Weintraub, who proposed the motion, expressed concern about the possibility of foreign groups using dark money to influence the 2018 midterms.
Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Thursday rejected a rulemaking to address foreign influence in United States election spending, the third time the commission has shot down similar proposals since reports of Russian interference in the 2016 election began emerging about two years ago.
The motion, which was proposed by Vice Chair Ellen Weintraub, would have begun the process of potentially implementing new FEC rules intended to discourage foreign spending in U.S. elections. Among those possible new rules was a requirement that super PACs and other groups state they did not use money from foreign sources in U.S. elections.
The FEC’s two Republican commissioners voted against the proposal, citing a reluctance to move forward with the motion until more information about foreign election interference is released.
Foreign spending in elections is illegal, but Weintraub expressed concern about the possibility of foreign groups using dark money to tip the scales in the 2018 midterms. She urged the commission to vote for the rulemaking before the November elections.
“We are receiving information from a variety of public and private sources that indicate that we should be seriously concerned about people trying to influence the elections in 2018, and spending serious money to do it,” Weintraub said.
Thursday’s FEC vote came about a week after leaders of the bipartisan Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which is investigating international meddling in the 2016 elections, released a statement acknowledging Russian efforts to help then-candidate Donald Trump. Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), who chairs the committee, said he had “no doubt” Russia tried to influence the 2016 races.
Weintraub said she wanted to propose the rulemaking again because of the Senate committee’s bipartisan agreement that Russia meddled in the 2016 election.
Commissioners deadlocked on the proposal across party lines. Weintraub and Commissioner Steven Walther, both Democrats, voted in favor of the rulemaking, while FEC Chair Caroline Hunter and Commissioner Matthew Petersen, the two Republicans, voted against the motion.
Hunter and Petersen both said they wanted to wait until additional information about foreign election influence is revealed before voting on the proposal. Petersen said he could support the rulemaking in the future, but he would not vote for the proposal before the intelligence committee and other groups finish their investigations.
“There are going to be findings that are going to be issued by the (intelligence committee), and I think that I look forward to seeing what those findings are to see to what extent the efforts to interfere involve matters within our jurisdiction,” Petersen said.
The FEC has already taken some bipartisan steps to curb foreign influence in U.S. elections, Petersen said. He cited a plan passed by the FEC in March to implement stricter disclosure requirements for political ads on internet platforms like Facebook.
The federal government has also indicted foreign individuals and companies alleged to have violated laws prohibiting foreign interference in elections, he added.
After the commission rejected Weintraub’s initial rulemaking, she proposed a narrower motion which was also voted down.
In a statement Thursday afternoon, Weintraub chided the Republican commissioners who rejected the motions, saying the “time for excuses and delays is over.”
“The Director of National Intelligence (Dan Coats) is satisfied that the Russians are targeting the 2018 midterm elections, but my colleagues on the Commission are not? At this point, I frankly don’t think they would be satisfied by anything short of an FEC expenditure report personally signed by Vladimir Putin,” Weintraub said in the statement.
...
===
ref
implemented?
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/03/new-fec-new-rules-for-digital-ads/
Federal Election Commission (FEC) voted on Wednesday to move forward with new:{rules:(style="box-sizing:inherit;max-height:1e+06px"):}: that would bump up disclosure requirements for certain political ads on platforms like Facebook and Google.
The move comes as spending on the 2018 midterms is ramping up and as both lawmakers and digital platforms look to prevent continued foreign influence in American elections.
Any rule change may not be in place for the bulk of this election year as well, and last week FEC Republican Chairwoman Caroline Hunter expressed apprehension about “changing the rules of the game” midway through an election cycle.
At the meeting, commissioners presented two proposals that would require new disclaimers on “express advocacy” ads on digital platforms. “Express advocacy” ads advocate for the election or defeat of a candidate and makeup just a small percentage of online ads.
The commission voted 4-0 to open 60 days for public comments and have scheduled a June 27 public hearing on the matter.
The two proposals vary in their requirements for the size and content of disclaimers, among other differences. One proposal would also define the term “internet communication.” The measures would also only cover a small portion of political advertising on digital platforms and likely not affect the types of ads that allowed for the harnessing of Facebook and other digital platforms by Russian actors in 2016.
However, Democrat Ellen Weintraub, the FEC’s vice chairwoman, called the commission’s vote a “step in the right direction” for transparency of digital advertising, a medium that is expected to be increasingly experimented with since the Trump campaign successfully harnessed it in 2016.
Political spending on digital ads is projected to:{grow by 2,539 percent:(style="box-sizing:inherit;max-height:1e+06px"):}: between 2014 and 2018, according to a recent study.
“I think it will be an improvement,” Weintraub said of the FEC’s proposals. “It will bring greater transparency to political ads. It’s not going to solve all the problems that we saw in the last election.”
Despite butting heads in the process of:{drafting the proposed rules:(style="box-sizing:inherit;max-height:1e+06px"):}:, commissioners noted the urgency to create rules to regulate the growing realm of digital advertising.
“It has taken another event like Watergate to make everyone realize we have to act in a bipartisan [effort] in order to do something,” said Commissioner Steven Walther, an independent.
Republican Commissioner Matthew Petersen said they were “threading the needle,” trying not to overregulate but also working toward greater transparency.
“We have a strong interest in ensuring that we are not impeding the further development of the internet and technology as a means of allowing and facilitating political communication,” Petersen said, “but at the same time ensuring that the disclaimer requirements … are also being met.”
==
wapo
no lnx
GOP appointee resigns from Federal Election Commission, leaving it without a quorum
By
Emily Davies
August 26, 2019 at 6:49 PM EDT
A long-serving Republican appointee to the Federal Election Commission announced his resignation Monday, leaving the polarized panel without a four-person quorum to conduct business for the first time in 11 years.
Matthew Petersen, who has sided with his GOP colleagues in favor of less regulation of the election process, will leave the FEC on Aug. 31. He did not specify a reason for his departure in his resignation letter to President Trump.
“The work of a Commissioner is challenging because it involves taking actions that impact the free speech rights of the American people,” Petersen said in a statement Monday. “For this reason, I take satisfaction in having fulfilled my obligation to safeguard First Amendment interests while faithfully administering and enforcing the federal campaign finance laws.”
:{
}:
Petersen has served as FEC commissioner since President George W. Bush appointed him in 2008, beyond his six-year tenure. After serving as chairman in 2010 and 2016, he almost left the panel when Trump nominated him to the federal judiciary in 2017.
But he withdrew from consideration after struggling to answer questions about legal procedure during his confirmation hearing.before the Senate Judiciary Committee
Without Petersen, the six-member panel is left with just three commissioners — one Republican, one Democrat and one independent — who are all serving expired terms. The seats formerly held by Democratic appointee Ann Ravel and Republican appointee Lee Goodman have remained vacant for years.
Four votes are required to take official action, such as enforcing regulations, issuing advisory opinions or approving audit reports. By law, no more than three of the commissioners can belong to the same political party.
:{
}:
AD
The lack of a quorum will further complicate the ability of the FEC — which has long been ideologically split — to monitor compliance with election law as the 2020 campaign is ramping up.
“It’s never a good time for the commission not to have a functioning body,” said Kenneth Gross, a former associate general counsel for the FEC. “But we are approaching a federal election year and there may be additional matters that are coming up at this time.”
The depleted panel puts pressure on Trump to fill the vacant positions and make good on his campaign promise to address what he called a “rigged” campaign finance system.
The White House did not respond to questions Monday about how it plans to address the empty FEC seats.
:{
}:
According to a senior GOP Senate aide, there are discussions about nominating a slate of six appointees and remaking the panel.
:{
}:
To do that, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Democrats “must replace the two longtime Democratic holdovers,” said the aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk freely about ongoing discussions. “A clean slate of members will go a long way toward fixing some of the perceived dysfunction at the Commission.”
“Congress should address this issue quickly because we need a fully functioning FEC,” a Schumer aide said in an email Monday.
Since taking office, Trump has nominated one person to the FEC: Texas attorney James E. “Trey” Trainor III, who was tapped in September 2017. The Senate has not held a confirmation hearing
==
Commissioner Matthew S. Petersen - FEC
https://www.fec.gov › about › leadership-and-structure › matthew-s-petersen
1.
Matthew S. Petersen was nominated to the Federal Election Commission by ... MUR 6908, National Republican Congressional Committee and Keith Davis, ...
Matthew Petersen to depart Federal Election Commission - FEC
https://www.fec.gov › updates › matthew-petersen-depart-federal-election-...
1.
Aug 26, 2019 - Matthew Petersen, FEC, Commissioner appointments, Petersen resigns ... Administration and then as Republican chief counsel to the Senate ...
GOP appointee Matthew Petersen resigns from Federal ...
https://www.washingtonpost.com › politics › 2019/08/26
Aug 26, 2019 - GOP appointee resigns from Federal Election Commission, leaving it ... Federal Election Commissioner Matthew Petersen was appointed by ...
Resignation of FEC vice chair Matthew Petersen leaves ...
https://www.foxnews.com › politics › fec-vice-chair-matthew-petersen-resign...
Aug 26, 2019 - The vice chairman of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) submitted his ... Matthew Petersen, a Republican who has served as a ...
FEC vice chairman who fought internet regs resigns, leaves ...
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com › washington-secrets › fec-vice-chai...
1.
Aug 26, 2019 - The Republican vice chairman of the Federal Election Commission resigned ... Matthew S. Petersen told Secrets that he submitted his letter of ...
Thank you FEC Commissioner Petersen - Republican ...
https://www.rnla.org › thank_you_fec_commissioner_petersen
1.
Aug 26, 2019 - The Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA) thanks Federal Election Commission (FEC) Commissioner Matthew Petersen for his ...
Utah's Matt Petersen resigns FEC seat, leaving the regulatory ...
https://www.sltrib.com › news › politics › 2019/08/26 › utahs-matt-petersen
1.
Aug 26, 2019 - Washington • Utahn Matt Petersen is resigning his seat on the ... Hunter, the remaining Republican FEC commissioner, acknowledged the lack ...
Matthew S. Petersen - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Matthew_S._Petersen
2.
From 2005 to 2008, he served as Republican chief counsel to the United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. Petersen was nominated to the Federal Election Commission by President George W. Bush on June 12, 2008, and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on June 24, 2008.
Federal Election Commission to effectively shut down. Now ...
https://publicintegrity.org › federal-politics › federal-election-commission-...
1.
Aug 26, 2019 - Federal Election Commission Vice Chairman Matthew Petersen ... said FEC Commissioner Caroline Hunter, a Republican, who described ...
FEC paralyzed by resignations as 2020 approaches - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com › story › 2019/08/26 › 2020-campaign-finance-e...
1.
Aug 26, 2019 - There are normally six FEC commissioners, but Matthew Petersen's ... commissioners often voting on one side and three GOP-aligned ...
==