trainor, trey

<div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box"><b>why won't mcconn move on confirm FEC? prefer no quorum, famous for ~ camp  finance</b></span></font></div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box"><b /><div><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box"><b>
</b></span></font></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></b></div>=</span></font><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>rep phil king crook telecomm</b></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>=
</b></font><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>wapo</b></font></div><div><span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf" style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" padding-top="padding-top" px="px" margin-bottom="margin-bottom"> — </span><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">James E. “</span><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold">Trey</span><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">”</span><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"> </span><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" font-weight="font-weight" bold="bold">Trainor</span><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb"> </span><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb">III likened civil demonstrations to “complete anarchy” and a movement away from “Christian moral principles.”</span></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>=
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</b></font></div><div><table class="infobox vcard" style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); border-spacing: 3px; background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); margin: 0.5em 0px 0.5em 1em; padding: 0.2em; clear: right; line-height: 1.5em; width: 22em;"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data" style="vertical-align: top; text-align: center; border-bottom: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;"><b>In office</b></span>
June 18, 2020 – December 31, 2020</font></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">President</font></th><td class="infobox-data" style="vertical-align: top;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump" title="" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Donald Trump</a>
</font></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"><span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Preceded by</font></span></th><td class="infobox-data" style="vertical-align: top;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_C.Hunter" title="Shana M. Broussard" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Caroline C. Hunter</font></a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label" style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"><span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Succeeded by</font></span></th><td class="infobox-data" style="vertical-align: top;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shana_M.Broussard" title="" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Shana M. Broussard</font></a></td></tr></tbody></table><div><div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content mw-content-ltr" lang="en" dir="ltr" style="direction: ltr;"><div class="mw-parser-output" style=""><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>James Edwin "Trey" Trainor III</b> is an American <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party(United_States)" title="Republican Party (United States)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Republican</a> lawyer and government official. He became a member of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Election_Commission" title="" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Federal Election Commission</a> after President <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump" title="Donald Trump" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Donald Trump</a> nominated him and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate" title="United States Senate" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Senate</a> confirmed him. He served as chair of the commission in 2020.</font></p><h2 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); font-weight: normal;" linux="Linux" libertine="Libertine" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" line-height="line-height"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="Career">Career</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: isolate; margin-right: 0px;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_E.Trainor_III&action=edit&section=1&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Career" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></font></h2><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trainor was admitted to the bar in Texas in 2003.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-1" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[1]</a></sup> He practiced election law, campaign finance, and ethics<sup id="cite_ref-Svitek_2-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-Svitek-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[2]</a></sup> as a partner in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akerman_LLP" title="Akerman LLP" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Akerman LLP</a>'s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin,Texas" title="Austin, Texas" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Austin</a> office.<sup id="cite_ref-Gold_3-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-Gold-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[3]</a></sup> He has long supported reduced regulation of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_in_politics" class="mw-redirect" title="Money in politics" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">money in politics</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-Gold_3-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-Gold-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[3]</a></sup> and represented the right-wing advocacy group <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empower_Texans" title="Empower Texans" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Empower Texans</a> in lengthy disputes with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Ethics_Commission" title="Texas Ethics Commission" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Texas Ethics Commission</a> over whether the group was obligated to disclose its donors.<sup id="cite_ref-Gold_3-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-Gold-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[3]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Svitek_2-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-Svitek-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[2]</a></sup></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">During the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Republican_primaries" class="mw-redirect" title="2012 Republican primaries" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">2012 Republican primaries</a>, Trainor was counsel for the presidential campaign of Texas Governor <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Perry" title="Rick Perry" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Rick Perry</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Gold_3-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-Gold-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[3]</a></sup> In the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Republican_primaries" class="mw-redirect" title="2016 Republican primaries" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">2016 Republican primaries</a>, Trainor initially supported <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Cruz" title="Ted Cruz" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Ted Cruz</a>, but later worked for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump" title="Donald Trump" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Donald Trump</a>.</span><sup id="cite_ref-Svitek_2-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-Svitek-2" style="background: none rgb(255, 204, 102); text-decoration-line: none;">[</a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-Svitek-2" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">2]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Gold_3-4" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-Gold-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[3<b>]</b></a></sup><b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> As general counsel to the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Republican_National_Convention" title="2016 Republican National Convention" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">2016 Republican National Convention</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> platform committee, Trainor led the party's efforts to stymie last-ditch </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Trump_movement" title="Never Trump movement" style="background: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Never Trump</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> efforts from anti-Trump Republican convention delegates.</span></b><sup id="cite_ref-Svitek_2-3" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-Svitek-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><b>[</b>2]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Gold_3-5" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-Gold-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[3]</a></sup><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In 2017, Trainor was appointed assistant general counsel to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Republican_Party" class="mw-redirect" title="Texas Republican Party" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Texas Republican Party</a>; newly elected party chairman <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Dickey(Texas_politician)" title="James Dickey (Texas politician)" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">James Dickey</a> named him to the post.<sup id="cite_ref-Svitek_2-4" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-Svitek-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[2]</a></sup> Trainor was also general counsel to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secretary_of_State_of_Texas" title="Secretary of State of Texas" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Secretary of State of Texas</a></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-Gold_3-6" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-Gold-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[3]</a></sup></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>After Trump became president, Trainor joined his administration as special assistant to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_Defense" title="United States Secretary of Defense" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Secretary of Defense</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Mattis" class="mw-redirect" title="James Mattis" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">James Mattis</a>.</b><sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-4" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><b>[</b>4]</a></sup></font></p><h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 1.6;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="FEC_tenure">FEC tenure</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: isolate; margin-right: 0px;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_E.Trainor_III&action=edit&section=2&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: FEC tenure" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></font></h3><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">On September 14, 2017, Trump nominated Trainor to be a member of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Election_Commission" title="Federal Election Commission" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Federal Election Commission</a> for a term expiring April 30, 2023.<sup id="cite_ref-Gold_3-7" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-Gold-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[3]</a></sup> Trainor's nomination languished in the Republican-controlled <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate" title="United States Senate" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Senate</a> for years,<sup id="cite_ref-Bublé_5-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-Bubl%C3%A9-5" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[5]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-6" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[6]</a></sup> with Trump re-nominating him twice (in 2019 and 2020).<sup id="cite_ref-Bublé_5-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-Bubl%C3%A9-5" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[5]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-7" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[7]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-8" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[8]</a></sup> During his FEC confirmation hearings, he refused to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recuse" class="mw-redirect" title="Recuse" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">recuse</a> himself from matters related to the Trump campaign</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-:1_9-0" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-:1-9" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[9]</a></sup></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">On May 19, 2020, the Senate voted to invoke <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloture" title="Cloture" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">cloture</a> on his nomination by a 50–43 vote<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-10" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[10]</a></sup> and later that day confirmed his nomination by a 49–43 vote.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-11" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[11]</a></sup> Trump's nomination of Trainor broke a precedent; traditionally, presidents have made nominations to the FEC in pairs (simultaneously nominating one Republican and one Democrat); Trump's decision to nominate Trainor alone was criticized by Democrats</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-:1_9-1" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-:1-9" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[9]</a></sup></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Trainor's confirmation gave the FEC a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quorum" title="Quorum" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">quorum</a>, with four of the six commission seats filled (two Republicans, one Democrat and an independent who mostly sides with the Democrat).<sup id="cite_ref-:1_9-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-:1-9" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[9]</a></sup> This theoretically allowed the FEC to move forward on a large backlog of enforcement matters that had effectively halted FEC activity for months during a presidential election year.<sup id="cite_ref-:1_9-3" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-:1-9" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[9]</a></sup> However, the FEC was still expected to deadlock frequently (as the commission had done for more than a decade) along party lines, since many actions of the commission require a unanimous vote</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">.</span><sup id="cite_ref-:1_9-4" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-:1-9" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[9]</a></sup></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On June 18, 2020, Trainor was elected as chair for the remainder of 2020, with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_T.Walther" title="Steven T. Walther" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Steven T. Walther</a> selected as vice chair.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-12" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[12]</a></sup></font></span></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">In interviews in September 2020 with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_News_Service" title="Religion News Service" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Religion News Service</a>, as well as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Voris" title="Michael Voris" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Michael Voris</a> of the right-wing Catholic website <i style=""><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Militant(website)" title="Church Militant (website)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">Church Militant</a></i>, Trainor said that churches could endorse political candidates, contrary to common understandings of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_Amendment" title="Johnson Amendment" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Johnson Amendment</a>, which bars tax-exempt nonprofits from endorsing political candidates.<sup id="cite_ref-Jenkins_13-0" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-Jenkins-13" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[13]</a></sup> He justified this by pointing to Trump's 2017 executive order that the amendment should not be enforced.<sup id="cite_ref-Jenkins_13-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-Jenkins-13" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[13]</a></sup> In the same interviews, Trainor called the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_state_in_the_United_States" title="Separation of church and state in the United States" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">separation of church and state</a> a "fallacy" and accused Catholic bishops of "hiding behind" the church's nonprofit status to avoid involvement in the 2020 U.S. elections, which Trainor called a "spiritual war."<sup id="cite_ref-Jenkins_13-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-Jenkins-13" style="text-decoration-line: none; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">[13]</a></sup> FEC Commissioner <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Weintraub" title="Ellen Weintraub" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Ellen Weintraub</a> disagreed with Trainor's statements on the Johnson Amendment (saying that the amendment remains law and "cannot be undone with an executive order") and took issue with his depiction of elections as "spiritual wars."</span><sup id="cite_ref-Jenkins_13-3" class="reference" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_note-Jenkins-13" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">[13]</a></sup></font></p><h2 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); font-weight: normal;" linux="Linux" libertine="Libertine" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" line-height="line-height"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="user-select: none; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; unicode-bidi: isolate; margin-right: 0px;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_E.Trainor_III&action=edit&section=3&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: References" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none; white-space: nowrap;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></font></h2><div class="reflist" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 0.5em; list-style-type: decimal;"><div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns" style="column-width: 30em; margin-top: 0.3em;"><ol class="references" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 3.2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none; counter-reset: mw-ref-extends-parent 0 list-item 0; list-style-type: inherit;"><li id="cite_note-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column; counter-increment: mw-ref-extends-parent 1; counter-reset: mw-ref-extends-child 0;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-1" aria-label="Jump up" title="Jump up" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">^{</a></b></span> }<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.texasbar.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Find_A_Lawyer&template=/Customsource/MemberDirectory/MemberDirectoryDetail.cfm&ContactID=240821" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" resources="resources" common="common" images="images" external-link-ltr-icon.svg="external-link-ltr-icon.svg" e54="e54" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">Mr. James Edwin "Trey" Trainor III</a>, State Bar of Texas.</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-Svitek-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column; counter-increment: mw-ref-extends-parent 1; counter-reset: mw-ref-extends-child 0;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^ <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-Svitek_2-0" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-Svitek_2-1" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-Svitek_2-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-Svitek_2-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-Svitek_2-4" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFSvitek2017" class="citation news cs1" style="font-style: inherit; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Svitek, Patrick (September 12, 2017). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.texastribune.org/2017/09/12/trump-nominates-texas-lawyer-trey-trainor-federal-election-commission/" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" resources="resources" common="common" images="images" external-link-ltr-icon.svg="external-link-ltr-icon.svg" e54="e54" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">"Trump nominates Texas lawyer Trey Trainor for Federal Election Commission"</a>. Texas Tribune<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">1 November</span> 2017</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Trump+nominates+Texas+lawyer+Trey+Trainor+for+Federal+Election+Commission&rft.date=2017-09-12&rft.aulast=Svitek&rft.aufirst=Patrick&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.texastribune.org%2F2017%2F09%2F12%2Ftrump-nominates-texas-lawyer-trey-trainor-federal-election-commission%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AJames+E.+Trainor+III" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li><li id="cite_note-Gold-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column; counter-increment: mw-ref-extends-parent 1; counter-reset: mw-ref-extends-child 0;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^ <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-Gold_3-0" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-Gold_3-1" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-Gold_3-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-Gold_3-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-Gold_3-4" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-Gold_3-5" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>f</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-Gold_3-6" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>g</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-Gold_3-7" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>h</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFGold2017" class="citation news cs1" style="font-style: inherit; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Gold, Matea (September 13, 2017). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/09/13/trump-nominates-conservative-texas-lawyer-to-federal-election-commission/" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" resources="resources" common="common" images="images" external-link-ltr-icon.svg="external-link-ltr-icon.svg" e54="e54" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">"Trump nominates conservative Texas lawyer to Federal Election Commission"</a>. <i>The Washington Post</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">1 November</span> 2017</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Washington+Post&rft.atitle=Trump+nominates+conservative+Texas+lawyer+to+Federal+Election+Commission&rft.date=2017-09-13&rft.aulast=Gold&rft.aufirst=Matea&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fnews%2Fpost-politics%2Fwp%2F2017%2F09%2F13%2Ftrump-nominates-conservative-texas-lawyer-to-federal-election-commission%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AJames+E.+Trainor+III" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li><li id="cite_note-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column; counter-increment: mw-ref-extends-parent 1; counter-reset: mw-ref-extends-child 0;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-4" aria-label="Jump up" title="Jump up" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">^{</a></b></span> }<span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFSvitek2017" class="citation news cs1" style="font-style: inherit; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Svitek, Patrick (January 25, 2017). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.texastribune.org/2017/01/25/austin-lawyer-trey-trainor-joins-trump-administrat/" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" resources="resources" common="common" images="images" external-link-ltr-icon.svg="external-link-ltr-icon.svg" e54="e54" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">"Austin lawyer Trey Trainor joins Trump administration"</a>. Texas Tribune<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">1 November</span> 2017</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Austin+lawyer+Trey+Trainor+joins+Trump+administration&rft.date=2017-01-25&rft.aulast=Svitek&rft.aufirst=Patrick&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.texastribune.org%2F2017%2F01%2F25%2Faustin-lawyer-trey-trainor-joins-trump-administrat%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AJames+E.+Trainor+III" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li><li id="cite_note-Bublé-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column; counter-increment: mw-ref-extends-parent 1; counter-reset: mw-ref-extends-child 0;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^ <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-Bubl%C3%A9_5-0" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-Bubl%C3%A9_5-1" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Courtney Bublé, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.govexec.com/management/2019/08/commissioners-resignation-renders-fec-toothless-2020-elections-heat/159483/" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" resources="resources" common="common" images="images" external-link-ltr-icon.svg="external-link-ltr-icon.svg" e54="e54" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">Commissioner’s Resignation Renders FEC Toothless as 2020 Elections Heat Up</a>, <i>Government Executive</i> (August 27, 2019).</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column; counter-increment: mw-ref-extends-parent 1; counter-reset: mw-ref-extends-child 0;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-6" aria-label="Jump up" title="Jump up" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">^{</a></b></span> }<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/29/opinion/fec-trump.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" resources="resources" common="common" images="images" external-link-ltr-icon.svg="external-link-ltr-icon.svg" e54="e54" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">The Election Watchdog That Can't Bark</a>, <i>New York Times</i> (August 29, 2019).</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column; counter-increment: mw-ref-extends-parent 1; counter-reset: mw-ref-extends-child 0;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-7" aria-label="Jump up" title="Jump up" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">^{</a></b></span> }<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.congress.gov/nomination/116th-congress/197" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" resources="resources" common="common" images="images" external-link-ltr-icon.svg="external-link-ltr-icon.svg" e54="e54" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">PN197 — James E. Trainor III — Federal Election Commission</a>, 116th Congress (2019-2020), Congress.gov.</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-8" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column; counter-increment: mw-ref-extends-parent 1; counter-reset: mw-ref-extends-child 0;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-8" aria-label="Jump up" title="Jump up" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">^{</a></b></span> }<span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.congress.gov/nomination/116th-congress/1600" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" resources="resources" common="common" images="images" external-link-ltr-icon.svg="external-link-ltr-icon.svg" e54="e54" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">PN1600 — James E. Trainor III — Federal Election Commission</a>, 116th Congress (2019-2020), Conress.gov.</span></font></li><li id="cite_note-:1-9" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column; counter-increment: mw-ref-extends-parent 1; counter-reset: mw-ref-extends-child 0;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^ <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-:1_9-0" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-:1_9-1" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-:1_9-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-:1_9-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-:1_9-4" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFRuiz2020" class="citation news cs1" style="font-style: inherit; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Ruiz, Rebecca R. (May 19, 2020). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/19/us/federal-election-commission-.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" resources="resources" common="common" images="images" external-link-ltr-icon.svg="external-link-ltr-icon.svg" e54="e54" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">"Election Watchdog, Dormant for Months, Can Finally Move Into Action"</a>. <i>The New York Times</i>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISSN(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISSN (identifier)" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0362-4331" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" resources="resources" common="common" images="images" external-link-ltr-icon.svg="external-link-ltr-icon.svg" e54="e54" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">0362-4331</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft.atitle=Election+Watchdog%2C+Dormant+for+Months%2C+Can+Finally+Move+Into+Action&rft.date=2020-05-19&rft.issn=0362-4331&rft.aulast=Ruiz&rft.aufirst=Rebecca+R.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2020%2F05%2F19%2Fus%2Ffederal-election-commission-.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AJames+E.+Trainor+III" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li><li id="cite_note-10" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column; counter-increment: mw-ref-extends-parent 1; counter-reset: mw-ref-extends-child 0;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-10" aria-label="Jump up" title="Jump up" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">^{</a></b></span> }<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web cs1" style="font-style: inherit; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=116&session=2&vote=00095" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" resources="resources" common="common" images="images" external-link-ltr-icon.svg="external-link-ltr-icon.svg" e54="e54" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">"U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 116th Congress - 2nd Session"</a>. United States Senate<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2020-05-19</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=U.S.+Senate+Roll+Call+Votes+116th+Congress+-+2nd+Session&rft.pub=United+States+Senate&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.senate.gov%2Flegislative%2FLIS%2Froll_call_lists%2Froll_call_vote_cfm.cfm%3Fcongress%3D116%26session%3D2%26vote%3D00095&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AJames+E.+Trainor+III" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li><li id="cite_note-11" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column; counter-increment: mw-ref-extends-parent 1; counter-reset: mw-ref-extends-child 0;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-11" aria-label="Jump up" title="Jump up" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">^{</a></b></span> }<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web cs1" style="font-style: inherit; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=116&session=2&vote=00096" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" resources="resources" common="common" images="images" external-link-ltr-icon.svg="external-link-ltr-icon.svg" e54="e54" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">"U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 116th Congress - 2nd Session"</a>. United States Senate<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">2020-05-19</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=U.S.+Senate+Roll+Call+Votes+116th+Congress+-+2nd+Session&rft.pub=United+States+Senate&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.senate.gov%2Flegislative%2FLIS%2Froll_call_lists%2Froll_call_vote_cfm.cfm%3Fcongress%3D116%26session%3D2%26vote%3D00096&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AJames+E.+Trainor+III" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li><li id="cite_note-12" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column; counter-increment: mw-ref-extends-parent 1; counter-reset: mw-ref-extends-child 0;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-12" aria-label="Jump up" title="Jump up" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">^{</a></b></span> }<span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation pressrelease cs1" style="font-style: inherit; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.fec.gov/updates/fec-elects-james-e-trainor-chair-steven-t-walther-vice-chair-remainder-2020/" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" resources="resources" common="common" images="images" external-link-ltr-icon.svg="external-link-ltr-icon.svg" e54="e54" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">"FEC elects James E. "Trey" Trainor as Chair, Steven T. Walther as Vice Chair for the remainder of 2020"</a> (Press release). Washington, D.C.: United States Federal Election Commission. June 18, 2020<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">June 29,</span> 2020</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=FEC+elects+James+E.+%22Trey%22+Trainor+as+Chair%2C+Steven+T.+Walther+as+Vice+Chair+for+the+remainder+of+2020&rft.place=Washington%2C+D.C.&rft.pub=United+States+Federal+Election+Commission&rft.date=2020-06-18&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fec.gov%2Fupdates%2Ffec-elects-james-e-trainor-chair-steven-t-walther-vice-chair-remainder-2020%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AJames+E.+Trainor+III" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li><li id="cite_note-Jenkins-13" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em; break-inside: avoid-column; counter-increment: mw-ref-extends-parent 1; counter-reset: mw-ref-extends-child 0;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="user-select: none;">^ <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-Jenkins_13-0" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up to:</span><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-Jenkins_13-1" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-Jenkins_13-2" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E.Trainor_III#cite_ref-Jenkins_13-3" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;"><sup style="line-height: 1;"><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFJack_Jenkins2020" class="citation news cs1" style="font-style: inherit; overflow-wrap: break-word;">Jack Jenkins (September 18, 2020). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/fec-chair-trainor-religion-catholic/2020/09/18/d34c643c-f9d6-11ea-89e3-4b9efa36dc64_story.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: url(" w="w" skins="skins" vector="Vector" resources="resources" common="common" images="images" external-link-ltr-icon.svg="external-link-ltr-icon.svg" e54="e54" right="right" center="center" no-repeat="no-repeat" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">"FEC chairman, in interviews, says this year's election amounts to a 'spiritual war<span class="cs1-kern-right" style="padding-right: 0.2em;">'</span>"</a>. Religion News Service – via The Washington Post.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=FEC+chairman%2C+in+interviews%2C+says+this+year%27s+election+amounts+to+a+%27spiritual+war%27&rft.date=2020-09-18&rft.au=Jack+Jenkins&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Freligion%2Ffec-chair-trainor-religion-catholic%2F2020%2F09%2F18%2Fd34c643c-f9d6-11ea-89e3-4b9efa36dc64_story.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AJames+E.+Trainor+III" class="Z3988" /></span></font></li></ol></div></div></div></div><div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface" style="border: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250); padding: 5px; margin-top: 1em; clear: both;"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Category" title="Help:Category" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Categories</a>: </font><ul style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><li style="margin: 0.125em 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.25em; border-left: 0px; padding: 0px 0.5em 0px 0.25em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:21st-century_American_lawyers" title="Category:21st-century American lawyers" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">21st-century American lawyers</a></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></li><li style="margin: 0.125em 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.25em; border-left: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0px 0.5em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Living_people" title="Category:Living people" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Living people</a></li><li style="margin: 0.125em 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.25em; border-left: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0px 0.5em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Members_of_the_Federal_Election_Commission" title="Category:Members of the Federal Election Commission" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Members of the Federal Election Commission</a></li><li style="margin: 0.125em 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.25em; border-left: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0px 0.5em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Texas_A%26M_University_alumni" title="Category:Texas A&M University alumni" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Texas A&M University alumni</a></li><li style="margin: 0.125em 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.25em; border-left: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0px 0.5em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Texas_lawyers" title="Category:Texas lawyers" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Texas lawyers</a></li><li style="margin: 0.125em 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.25em; border-left: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0px 0.5em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Texas_Republicans" title="Category:Texas Republicans" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Texas Republicans</a></li><li style="margin: 0.125em 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.25em; border-left: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); padding: 0px 0.5em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Trump_administration_personnel" title="Category:Trump administration personnel" style="text-decoration-line: none; background: none;">Trump administration personnel</a></li></ul></div></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>
</b></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>=</b></font></div><div><div times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/06/facebook-pro-trump-groups/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none;">https://www.alternet.org/2021/06/facebook-pro-trump-groups/</a></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">salon no twt</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Reporting on Friday revealed that Facebook knowingly allowed a digital marketing firm tied to a pro-Trump group to release a series of ads purporting to be from a fake left-wing organization ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, while election officials failed to investigate the group at the time.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">As The Guardian <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jun/11/facebook-ads-turning-point-usa-rally-forge" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">reported</a>, a right-wing marketing firm called Rally Forge ran a $5,000 ad campaign beginning just days before the<b> 2018 election, showing ads promoting Green Party candidates in an effort to split the Democratic vote and help Republicans in several close races</b>. The ads were purported to be placed by a group called America Progress Now and expressed support for democratic socialism.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Facebook launched an investigation into the ads just after the election and quickly determined that America Progress Now's official page on the platform was run by the same three men—Jake Hoffman, Connor Clegg, and Colton Duncan—who were administrators for Turning Point USA, the pro-Trump college organization.</b></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">To the alarm of a number of Facebook employees, The Guardian reported, the company did not find Rally Forge or Turning Point USA to be in violation of any of its policies.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>One product manager at the time <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jun/11/facebook-ads-turning-point-usa-rally-forge" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">said</a> a case could be made for Rally Forge and Turning Point USA having engaged in voter suppression through the ads, and asked, "Can we strengthen our ads transparency policies so that political ads are indeed transparent to the user?"</b></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">After the election, Facebook deactivated several other right-wing accounts run by the administrators, but the move did not stop Rally Forge from establishing a "troll farm" out of Phoenix, Arizona in 2020. Working for <b>Turning Point Action</b>, a group linked to Turning Point USA, the firm hired teenagers to post pro-Trump messages on social media, some of which cast doubt on the integrity of the election system.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Sophie Zhang, a<b> former Facebook employee</b> who participated in the investigation of the fake Green Party ads, wrote on Twitter Friday, "One wonders if [Rally Forge] would have escalated to troll farms, had FB deterred them in 2018." twt]</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"This is egregious," <a href="https://twitter.com/UltraViolet/status/1403339682788921347" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">tweeted</a> the women's rights group UltraViolet on Friday.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Beyond Facebook's decision to allow the firm to remain on Facebook after determining the ads were fraudulent, the ads "appeared to violate federal laws that require independent expenditures to be filed with the [Federal Election Commission] and include proper disclosures on advertisements," The Guardian reported.</b></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"This is an example of why disclosure is so important in elections: swing state voters who saw 'America Progress Now' ads promoting Green party candidates would've had no idea that they were the handiwork of Republican political operatives," Brendan Fischer, director of federal reform at CLC, told The Guardian.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the FEC in 2019 over America Progress Now and the administrators' failure to disclose the true source of the Facebook ads, only to have the case dismissed before the FEC could conduct an investigation.</b></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The election commissioners declined to look further into the complaint after a man named Evan Muhlstein contacted them to take full responsibility to the ads, claiming he alone had failed to file the ad expenditures with the FEC and saying his "inexperience" was to blame.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>"The FEC's job is to enforce the transparency laws</b> and protect voters' right to know who is trying to influence them, but the agency here failed to conduct even a minimal investigation," Fischer said.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jun/11/facebook-ads-turning-point-usa-rally-forge" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">According to</a> former FEC Commissioner Ann Ravel, who served on the commission from 2013 to 2017, Muhlstein's admission to the FEC appeared to amount to "clear fraud," as he never disclosed to the officials that the ads had been the work of Rally Forge.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>At the time, though, Muhlstein's claim was enough to convince at least one FEC commissioner, James "Trey" Trainor, that the CLC had engaged in "wild speculation" by filing a complaint.</b></font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"This case wasn't about a 'fake political group … exploit[ing] Facebook rules … and hid[ing] spending from the FEC,'" Trainor wrote. "In fact, APN was established by an unsophisticated individual trying to show his support for several third-party candidates, but he got tripped by the myriad regulations governing online political speech</span>."</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Zhang <a href="https://twitter.com/szhang_ds/status/1403305268985823239" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">denounced</a> the FEC for failing to contact Facebook regarding Muhlstein's claim to verify that he'd administered the America Progress Now page—a cursory investigation which would have immediately revealed the true owners of the page.</font></p><p style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"It's quite possible that FB would have blown the FEC off," Zhang said. "But many employees were upset over this case, and may have come forward if asked. 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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://yyy.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jun/11/facebook-ads-turning-point-usa-rally-forge</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lnx many</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Revealed: rightwing firm posed as leftist group on Facebook to divide Democrats</font></div><div>
</div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">FEC investigation failed to uncover link to Rally Forge, a firm with close ties to Turning Point USA</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Julia Carrie Wong in San Francisco</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@juliacarriew</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fri 11 Jun 2021 06.00 EDT</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>A digital marketing firm closely linked to the pro-Trump youth group Turning Point USA was responsible for a series of deceptive Facebook ads promoting Green party candidates during the 2018 US midterm elections, the Guardian can reveal.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In an apparent attempt to split the Democratic vote in a number of close races, the ads purported to come from an organization called <b>America Progress Now (APN)</b> and used socialist memes and rhetoric to urge leftwing voters to support Green party candidates.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Facebook was aware of the true identity of the advertiser – the conservative marketing firm Rally Forge – and the deceptive nature of the ads, documents seen by the Guardian show, but the company determined that they did not violate its policies.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"><b>Rally Forge</b> would go on to set up a <b>pro-Trump domestic “troll farm” for Turning Point Action, a “sister” organization of Turning Point USA,</b> in 2020,<b> earning a permanent ban from Facebook.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“There were no policies at Facebook against pretending to be a group that did not exist, an abuse vector that has also been used by the governments of Honduras and Azerbaijan,” said Sophie Zhang, a former Facebook employee and whistleblower who played a small role in the investigation of the Green party ads.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>She added: “The fact that Rally Forge later went on to conduct coordinated inauthentic behavior with troll farms reminiscent of Russia should be taken as an indication that Facebook’s leniency led to more risk-taking behavior.”</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ads show AOC and Drake meme pix]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Some of the Facebook ads from America Progress Now. Composite: Facebook]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Devon Kearns, a spokesperson for Facebook, said: “We removed Rally Forge from our platforms for violating our policy against coordinated inauthentic behavior. Since the 2018 midterms, we have strengthened our policies related to election interference and political ad transparency. We continue working to make political advertising more transparent on our platform and we welcome updated regulations and help from policymakers as we evolve our policies in this space.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The revelation that the ads were linked to a rightwing organization raises questions about the Federal Election Commission’s enforcement of campaign finance laws. </b>APN and its ads appeared to violate federal laws that require independent expenditures to be filed with the FEC and include proper disclosures on advertisements, as ProPublica and Vice News first reported in 2018.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The non-partisan campaign finance watchdog group Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint against APN</b> and subsequently sued the agency in an attempt to force it to investigate the group. But in July 2020, the FEC voted to dismiss allegations that America Progress Now had violated federal law, after an individual, Evan Muhlstein, took responsibility for the ads and attributed the lack of proper disclosures and filings to his “inexperience”.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It is illegal to knowingly make false or fraudulent statements to federal agencies, and the FEC appears to have taken Muhlstein at his word that the ads were a sincere but novice attempt to support Green party candidates.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The former FEC commissioner Ann Ravel, who reviewed the case at the request of the Guardian, said that were she still on the FEC, she would now refer this “stunning” case to the justice department for investigation.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>“It seems as if it’s a clear fraud,”</b> Ravel said, noting that the FEC general counsel’s office appeared to have been “misled” by Muhlstein. “The requirement for the justice department to take on an electoral matter is that it be serious and willful, and clearly in this case it was willful, in my opinion.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Brendan Fischer, director of federal reform at CLC, said: “This is an example of why disclosure is so important in elections: swing state voters who saw ‘America Progress Now’ ads promoting Green party candidates would’ve had no idea that they were the handiwork of Republican political operatives. The FEC’s job is to enforce the transparency laws and protect voters’ right to know who is trying to influence them, but the agency here failed to conduct even a minimal investigation.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">‘A crystal clear example of astroturfing’</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 51);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 51);">On 27 October 2018 – just days before the 6 November election – America Progress Now began running a series of ads that used leftist motifs, such as the red rose emoji and images of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, to rail against the “corporate, two-party oligarchy” and the “corporate, capitalist wage system”<b>. Some of the ads urged voters to choose a third party, but others endorsed Green party candidates by name – triggering FEC rules for independent expenditures.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Following the 5 November publication of a ProPublica/Vice News report on the “mysterious” group behind the ads, Facebook launched a “hi-pri[ority]” escalation to investigate whether they constituted<b> “coordinated inauthentic behavior” (CIB) – the name Facebook gives to the kind of deceptive tactics that a Russian influence operation used during the 2016 election.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The investigation was straightforward since Facebook has access to information that regular users do not: the names of the people who control Facebook Pages. Investigators quickly realized that <b>America Progress Now was administered by three individuals – Jake Hoffman, Connor Clegg and Colton Duncan – who also served as Facebook Page administrators for Turning Point USA</b>, the rightwing college group founded by Charlie Kirk in 2012.<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 51);"> Hoffman and Clegg were also administrators for Kirk’s Facebook Page.</span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, left, with Donald Trump Jr and his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, at a summit in 2019.]</font></div><div>
</div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“These admins are connected to Turning Point USA,” one staffer from the civic integrity team said, according to internal task management documents seen by the Guardian. “This is very inauthentic. I don’t know what the policy here is but this seems very sketchy.”<b> Another staffer named Rally Forge as being responsible for the ads. APN had spent nearly $5,000 to have the ads shown to users nearly 300,000 times, a third staffer noted.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">A rightwing political marketing firm that ran a $350,000 pro-Trump Super Pac in the 2016 election, Rally Forge was founded and run by Hoffman, an Arizona Republican who was at the time a member of the town council in Queen Creek, Arizona. In November 2020 Hoffman was elected to serve in the Arizona state legislature.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Clegg and Duncan were alumni of Texas State University, where they had been elected student body president and vice-president respectively in 2017. Clegg was <b>impeached</b> and removed from office shortly before his term would have ended in 2018. Duncan resigned from his post in 2017; he appears to have been hired directly by Turning Point USA in 2019.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Since 2017, Rally Forge has been Turning Point USA’s highest-compensated independent contractor, paid more than $1.1m over two years, according to the non-profit’s public filings. Turning Point Action, an affiliated organization also founded by Kirk, paid Rally Forge $700,000 for work supporting Trump and opposing Biden during the 2020 presidential campaign, and an additional $400,000 for work on the US Senate runoff races in Georgia.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for Turning Point USA, said that neither Turning Point USA nor Turning Point Action had “any involvement” with America Progress Now or its Facebook ads.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In addition to America Progress Now and Turning Point USA, Hoffman, Clegg and Duncan all also served as administrators for a number of other rightwing Facebook Pages. The trio each maintained two accounts to administer their Facebook Pages, one using their full names and one using their first and middle initials – a violation of the company’s policy that each user can only have one Facebook account. One of each of the three men’s accounts had been authorized by Facebook to run political ads, a process that required submitting a government ID to Facebook for verification.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>One of Hoffman’s accounts had spent approximately $650,000 to run Facebook ads on behalf of 40 Pages, including the official Page of Donald Trump Jr.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The intention here is clearly to mislead users</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Facebook civic integrity staffer]</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Hoffman declined to answer detailed questions from the Guardian, including about the nature of Rally Forge’s relationship with Muhlstein</b>. “The premise of your questions is either ill-informed or intentionally misleading,” he said in a statement. <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“Rally Forge is a marketing agency, not a compliance company. Furthermore, it is my understanding that the small handful of ads, totaling less than 2,500 dollars, which qualified as independent expenditures, have been fully disclosed by the responsible organization in coordination with the FEC.”</span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Duncan said that he had never heard of America Progress Now before the Guardian’s inquiries and had “zero knowledge or insight into the group”. When asked about the CG Duncan account, which had passed Facebook’s verification process and was an administrator of the APN page, he responded: “I urge you to reach out to JM [Hoffman]. Let me know what you find out, I’m as curious as you are.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Clegg did not respond to multiple attempts to contact him.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Despite possessing clear evidence of inauthenticity, Facebook staffers determined the Green party ads did not violate existing company policies related to political ads or CIB. They decided to deactivate the three men’s extra accounts, but after the election and only after providing them with advance notice.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The episode inspired some disquiet among Facebook staff.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“What I find very problematic is that the intention here is clearly to mislead users,” said the civic integrity staffer. “The users in question clearly created a new FB page to hide their identity, which would be grounds for removal on most surfaces,” she added, referring to Facebook’s rules requiring people to use their real names on their accounts.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One product manager produced an internal postmortem of the incident in which she described it as “<b>a crystal clear example of astroturfing” –</b> deceptive campaign tactics designed to appear as grassroots actions – “… as well as playing both sides … and political ad opacity, since users cannot see who they are. Furthermore, I could see making a case for voter suppression.”</font></div><div>
</div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">‘The users in question clearly created a new FB page to hide their identity,’ said a Facebook civic integrity staffer. Photograph: Olivier Douliery/AFP/Getty Images</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Unfortunately, it turned out there was nothing we could do against these ads,” she added. “We ended up only aiming to remove a few [duplicate] accounts under the fake account policy, but only after proper notice – and I believe we have not removed them yet.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Can we strengthen our ads transparency policies so that political ads are indeed transparent to the user?” she asked.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">A Facebook spokesperson said that the company had indeed removed the duplicate accounts following the midterms, and that Rally Forge’s network of Pages and accounts had gone dormant after November 2018. The company made a number of updates to its policies on political ads before the 2020 elections, including requiring advertisers to provide more information about their organizations before being authorized to run ads. It also introduced a new policy to encourage more transparency regarding who runs networks of Facebook Pages.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Rally Forge reactivated its network of Pages and accounts in June 2020, according to Facebook. It established a domestic “troll farm” in Phoenix, Arizona, that employed teenagers to churn out pro-Trump social media posts, some of which cast doubt on the integrity of the US election system or falsely charged Democrats with attempting to steal the election, the Washington Post revealed.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Facebook said that its automated systems had detected and deleted fake accounts made by Rally Forge, which then created “thinly veiled personas” to carry out deceptive campaigning. In October 2020, the platform permanently banned Rally Forge and Hoffman for violating its policy against CIB, work that Facebook said the firm had undertaken “on behalf of Turning Point USA” and another client.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>A spokesman for Turning Point USA disputed the characterization of the operation as a “troll farm” and noted that it was a project of Turning Point Action, which is a separate entity.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Facebook did not take any enforcement action against Turning Point USA, Turning Point Action or Kirk with regard to the Phoenix operation. Facebook also did not disclose Rally Forge’s connection to America Progress Now and the deceptive Green Party ads.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A forestalled investigation</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>In September 2019, CLC filed a complaint alleging that APN’s failure to register with the FEC violated federal law. The FEC responded by sending a letter to an inaccurate address that America Progress Now had listed on its Facebook Page, but it does not appear to have taken further action, prompting CLC to sue it in February 2020.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“If nothing is done, the FEC will instead be sending a message that anonymous or fake entities like America Progress Now can pop into existence just prior to an election, exploit lax registration and reporting requirements by digital platforms, spend unlimited sums of money, and then disappear into thin air once an election is over,” the group said at the time.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In April 2020, the FEC wrote again, this time to the address listed on an Arizona state business filing for America Progress Now.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>On 15 April 2020, Evan Muhlstein responded to the FEC by email. Muhlstein described the lack of filing as an “error”, </b>writing, “I believe that it is important for the commission to understand that any potential failure on either of those items is based entirely on my inexperience to the process.”<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> He wrote that he had “assumed that Facebook’s ‘political disclaimer/disclosure’ was all that was necessary”, said his expenditures totaled “only $2,467.54”, and expressed surprise that “a spend as small as this would require any type of reporting”.</span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Donald Trump speaks at a Turning Point USA summit in 2019.]</font></div><div>
</div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“I again offer my sincerest apology for any potential errors in failing to disclose,” Muhlstein wrote. “Given the apparent obstacles and unknowns of participating in the election process in this manner (of which I am learning some of now), it is highly unlikely I will ever participate in it again. I feel terrible for having been so ignorant to the process.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Muhlstein also expressed his desire to come into compliance “correctly and quickly”. <b>At no point in the communication did Muhlstein disclose that the advertisements had been handled by a major political marketing firm.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">“Muhlstein’s statement to the FEC is extremely misleading and might warrant a criminal investigation,” said Fischer, of the CLC.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Muhlstein did not respond to multiple attempts to make contact with him. His connection to Rally Forge is not known. He is a resident of Queen Creek, Arizona, the town where Hoffman also lives</b>.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The FEC has the power to issue subpoenas and carry out serious investigations, but only after a vote of four of its five commissioners.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a report dated 4 May, the FEC’s general counsel argued that, while it appeared that Muhlstein had violated federal law, the small amount of money involved and Muhlstein’s statement that he was unlikely to engage in further political spending led it to recommend that the FEC exercise prosecutorial discretion and dismiss the allegations with a warning.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In July, the FEC voted to follow the general counsel’s recommendation and dismiss the case, forestalling any actual investigation.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Commissioner James “Trey” Trainor went further, lambasting the CLC in a statement of reasons.</font><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> “Contrary to CLC’s wild speculation, this case wasn’t about a ‘fake political group … exploit[ing] Facebook rules … and hid[ing] spending from the FEC,’” he wrote. “In fact, APN was established by an unsophisticated individual trying to show his support for several third-party candidates, but he got tripped by the myriad regulations governing online political speech.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trainor asserted that “there was no evidence to contradict” Muhlstein’s statement to the FEC “and no evidence to support CLC’s salacious theories about the ‘unknown person or persons’ behind APN”.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0);">It would not be until 23 December 2020 – six months after the FEC had voted not to pursue the allegations of law violations and more than two years after the election – that <b>Muhlstein would provide the FEC with that evidence, when he finally registered APN with the FEC and disclosed that the independent expenditure had been made through Rally Forge.</b></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The FEC did not respond to questions from the Guardian, citing a policy not to comment on enforcement matters. Trainor did not respond to a request for comment. Fischer said: “It looks like we were right.”</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Daniel Hernandez contributed reporting</font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</div><div style="">Trey Trainor</div><div style="">Commissioner at Federal Election Commission</div><div style="">Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area500+ connections</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Federal Election Commission</div><div style="">Texas A&M University School of Law</div><div style="">Texas A&M University School of Law</div><div style="">Company Website</div><div style="">Company WebsiteExternal link</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">About</div><div style="">Experienced lawyer with a demonstrated history of working in the areas of election law and first amendment litigation. Highly skilled in campaign finance, litigation of constitutional issues, and advising politically involved organizations and individuals. Graduated from Texas A&M University School of Law.</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Experience</div><div style="">Federal Election Commission</div><div style="">Federal Election Commission</div><div style="">1 year 1 month</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Commissioner</div><div style="">Jun 2020 - Present1 year 1 month</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Washington, District of Columbia, United States</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Chairman</div><div style="">Jun 2020 - Dec 20207 months</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Washington, District of Columbia, United States</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Trainor Law Firm, PC Graphic</div><div style="">Managing Partner</div><div style="">Trainor Law Firm, PC</div><div style="">Nov 2018 - Jun 20201 year 8 months</div><div style="">
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</div><div style="">Election law litigation and campaign finance advisor.</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Akerman LLP Graphic</div><div style="">Partner</div><div style="">Akerman LLP</div><div style="">Mar 2017 - Nov 20181 year 9 months</div><div style="">
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</div><div style="">Akerman LLP Graphic</div><div style="">Partner</div><div style="">Akerman LLP</div><div style="">Jul 2016 - Jan 20177 months</div><div style="">
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</div><div style="">Beirne, Maynard & Parsons, L.L.P. Graphic</div><div style="">Partner</div><div style="">Beirne, Maynard & Parsons, L.L.P.</div><div style="">Feb 2010 - Jul 20166 years 6 months</div><div style="">
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</div><div style="">Trainor Law Firm, P.C. Graphic</div><div style="">Election Law and Government Relations</div><div style="">Trainor Law Firm, P.C.</div><div style="">May 2008 - Feb 20101 year 10 months</div><div style="">
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</div><div style="">Texas House of Representatives</div><div style="">Texas House of Representatives</div><div style="">9 years 6 months</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">General Counsel & Chief Clerk - Committee on Regulated Industries</div><div style="">Jan 2003 - May 20085 years 5 months</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Austin, Texas Area</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Chief of Staff - State Representative Phil King</div><div style="">Dec 1998 - Jul 20056 years 8 months</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Austin, Texas Area</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Texas Office of the Secretary of State Graphic</div><div style="">General Counsel</div><div style="">Texas Office of the Secretary of State</div><div style="">Jul 2005 - Jul 20061 year 1 month</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Austin, Texas Area</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Education</div><div style="">Texas A&M University School of LawTexas A&M University School of Law Graphic</div><div style="">Texas A&M University School of Law</div><div style="">J.D.</div><div style="">1999 - 2002</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Texas A&M UniversityTexas A&M University Graphic</div><div style="">Texas A&M University</div><div style="">BS</div><div style="">1992 - 1997</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Volunteer Experience</div><div style="">2016 Republican National Convention Graphic</div><div style="">General Counsel - Platform Committee</div><div style="">2016 Republican National Convention</div><div style="">Jul 2016</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Politics</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Assistant General CounselRepublican Party of Texas Graphic</div><div style="">Assistant General Counsel</div><div style="">Republican Party of Texas</div><div style="">Jul 2017 - Apr 20202 years 10 months</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Politics</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">Licenses & Certifications</div><div style="">District of Columbia Bar Graphic</div><div style="">District of Columbia Bar</div><div style="">District of Columbia Court of Appeals</div><div style="">Issued Sep 2010</div><div style="">State Bar of Texas Graphic</div><div style="">State Bar of Texas</div><div style="">Texas Supreme Court</div><div style="">Issued Nov 2003</div><div style="">Credential ID 24042052</div><div style="">Languages</div><div style="">English</div><div style="">-</div><div style="">Recommendations received</div><div style="">“</div><div style="">As the Senior Legal Advisor among the initial wave of Trump Administration political officials to enter the Pentagon after the inauguration, Trey was invaluable to the implementation of the President’s agenda within the national security sphere. Trey oversaw the implementation of the President’s regulatory freeze, supervised specialized legal training for key Administration personnel, and coordinated with the Department of the Army, the Department of Justice and the Executive Office of the President on litigation implicating important constitutional concerns among his myriad other responsibilities. Trey quickly established himself as the go-to lawyer for complex and politically sensitive legal matters both because of his keen legal insights and because of his unmatched access to and familiarity with the key decisionmakers within the new Administration.</div><div style="">“</div><div style="">Trey is not only a great lawyer but a great friend. I recommend him in legal matters without hesitation.</div><div style="">5 people have recommended Trey</div><div style="">Sign in to view</div><div style="">
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</div><div style="">Trey Trainor placeholder image</div><div style="">Trey Trainor</div><div style="">Commissioner at Federal Election Commission</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">company image for Federal Election Commission</div><div style="">Commissioner at Federal Election Commission</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">school image for Texas A&M University School of Law</div><div style="">Texas A&M University School of Law</div><div style="">
</div><div style="">View profile</div><div style="">View profile badges</div><div style="">LinkedIn</div><div style="">© 2021</div><div style="">About</div><div style="">Accessibility</div><div style="">User Agreement</div><div style="">Privacy Policy</div><div style="">Cookie Policy</div><div style="">Copyright Policy</div><div style="">Brand Policy</div><div style="">Guest Controls</div><div style="">Community Guidelines</div><div><div><font face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman">that gubmint red tape sooooo confusing!</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2021/06/facebook-pro-trump-groups/">https://www.alternet.org/2021/06/facebook-pro-trump-groups/</a></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman">salon no twt</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><p><font face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Reporting on Friday revealed that Facebook knowingly allowed a digital marketing firm tied to a pro-Trump group to release a series of ads purporting to be from a fake left-wing organization ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, while election officials failed to investigate the group at the time.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">As The Guardian <span style="transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">reported</span>, GUK a right-wing marketing firm called Rally Forge ran a $5,000 ad campaign beginning just days before the<b> 2018 election, showing ads promoting Green Party candidates in an effort to split the Democratic vote and help Republicans in several close races</b>. The ads were purported to be placed by a group called America Progress Now and expressed support for democratic socialism.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><b>Facebook launched an investigation into the ads just after the election and quickly determined that America Progress Now's official page on the platform was run by the same three men—Jake Hoffman, Connor Clegg, and Colton Duncan—who were administrators for Turning Point USA, the pro-Trump college organization.</b></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">To the alarm of a number of Facebook employees, The Guardian reported, the company did not find Rally Forge or Turning Point USA to be in violation of any of its policies.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><b>One product manager at the time <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jun/11/facebook-ads-turning-point-usa-rally-forge" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">said</a> a case could be made for Rally Forge and Turning Point USA having engaged in voter suppression through the ads, and asked, "Can we strengthen our ads transparency policies so that political ads are indeed transparent to the user?"</b></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">After the election, Facebook deactivated several other right-wing accounts run by the administrators, but the move did not stop Rally Forge from establishing a "troll farm" out of Phoenix, Arizona in 2020. Working for <b>Turning Point Action</b>, a group linked to Turning Point USA, the firm hired teenagers to post pro-Trump messages on social media, some of which cast doubt on the integrity of the election system.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Sophie Zhang, a<b> former Facebook employee</b> who participated in the investigation of the fake Green Party ads, wrote on Twitter Friday, "One wonders if [Rally Forge] would have escalated to troll farms, had FB deterred them in 2018." twt]</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman">"This is egregious," <a href="https://twitter.com/UltraViolet/status/1403339682788921347" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">tweeted</a> the women's rights group UltraViolet on Friday.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><b>Beyond Facebook's decision to allow the firm to remain on Facebook after determining the ads were fraudulent, the ads "appeared to violate federal laws that require independent expenditures to be filed with the [Federal Election Commission] and include proper disclosures on advertisements," The Guardian reported.</b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman">"This is an example of why disclosure is so important in elections: swing state voters who saw 'America Progress Now' ads promoting Green party candidates would've had no idea that they were the handiwork of Republican political operatives," Brendan Fischer, director of federal reform at CLC, told The Guardian.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><b>The Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the FEC in 2019 over America Progress Now and the administrators' failure to disclose the true source of the Facebook ads, only to have the case dismissed before the FEC could conduct an investigation.</b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman">The election commissioners declined to look further into the complaint after a man named Evan Muhlstein contacted them to take full responsibility to the ads, claiming he alone had failed to file the ad expenditures with the FEC and saying his "inexperience" was to blame.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><b>"The FEC's job is to enforce the transparency laws</b> and protect voters' right to know who is trying to influence them, but the agency here failed to conduct even a minimal investigation," Fischer said.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/jun/11/facebook-ads-turning-point-usa-rally-forge" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">According to</a> former FEC Commissioner Ann Ravel, who served on the commission from 2013 to 2017, Muhlstein's admission to the FEC appeared to amount to "clear fraud," as he never disclosed to the officials that the ads had been the work of Rally Forge.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman"><b>At the time, though, Muhlstein's claim was enough to convince at least one FEC commissioner, James "Trey" Trainor, that the CLC had engaged in "wild speculation" by filing a complaint.</b></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"This case wasn't about a 'fake political group … exploit[ing] Facebook rules … and hid[ing] spending from the FEC,'" Trainor wrote. "In fact, APN was established by an unsophisticated individual trying to show his support for several third-party candidates, but he got tripped by the myriad regulations governing online political speech</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">."</span></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman">Zhang <a href="https://twitter.com/szhang_ds/status/1403305268985823239" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s;">denounced</a> the FEC for failing to contact Facebook regarding Muhlstein's claim to verify that he'd administered the America Progress Now page—a cursory investigation which would have immediately revealed the true owners of the page.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman">"It's quite possible that FB would have blown the FEC off," Zhang said. "But many employees were upset over this case, and may have come forward if asked. I would likely have if I'd known."</font></p><div class="around-the-web" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="from-your-siteheadline" style="font-weight: 700; text-transform: uppercase;"><font face="Times New Roman">FROM YOUR SITE ARTICLES</font></div><ul class="around-the-weblist" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline-block; width: 589.446px; list-style: none;"><font face="Times New Roman" /><li class="from-your-siteitem"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.alternet.org/2018/08/clarence-thomas-wife-ginni-posts-far-right-meme-mocking-radicalized-parkland/" class="from-your-sitelink" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; font-weight: lighter; line-height: normal; display: inline-block; margin-top: 10px;">Clarence Thomas' Wife Ginni Posts Far-Right Meme Mocking ... ›</a></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></li><li class="from-your-siteitem"><a href="http://admin.alternet.org/story/150463/what_is_alec_dragging_the_secretive_conservative_organization_out_of_the_shadows" class="from-your-sitelink" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; opacity: 1; transition: color 0.25s ease 0s, background 0.25s ease 0s, opacity 0.25s ease 0s; font-weight: lighter; line-height: normal; display: inline-block; margin-top: 10px;">What Is ALEC? 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</b></span></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box"><b>The Trump administration has repeatedly returned to Texas to find nominees who’ve been exceptionally friendly to business interests.</b> Last year, Trump </span><a href="https://www.texasobserver.org/texan-kathleen-hartnett-white-too-extreme-for-trump-administration/" style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none">nominated</a><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box"> Kathleen Hartnett White, an aggressively pro-industry former chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to lead the U.S. Council on Environmental Quality. (Her nomination was ultimately pulled after it became clear she wouldn’t be confirmed). The administration also tapped former Texas Comptroller Susan Combs, a </span><a href="https://www.texasobserver.org/endangered-science/" style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none">critic</a><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box"> of the Endangered Species Act, for a </span><a href="https://www.texasobserver.org/trump-taps-texan-susan-combs-fierce-critic-of-endangered-species-act/" style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none">top position</a><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box"> at the U.S. Department of the Interior. Trey Trainor, a Texas attorney who tried to shred the state’s already-weak ethics laws, was </span><a href="https://www.texasobserver.org/trump-trey-trainor-fec-nominee/" style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none">nominated last year</a><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box"> to a post on the Federal Election Commission. In April, Trump </span><a href="https://www.texasobserver.org/trump-nominates-austin-attorney-who-stymied-investigation-into-trump-university/" style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" text-decoration-line="text-decoration-line" none="none">nominated</a><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box"> to the federal bench a former deputy attorney general who stymied the Texas investigation into Trump University.</span></font><div><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box"><font face="Times New Roman">---</font></span></div><div><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box"><font face="Times New Roman">
</font></span></div><div><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box"><font face="Times New Roman" /><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px; line-height: 34px;"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">In yet another case of the cosmic satire in which we live hitting its mark a little too hard on the nose, the Trump administration last week nominated Texas lawyer Trey Trainor to a seat on the Federal Election Commission, an agency that’s supposed to enforce and interpret campaign finance laws. Trainor is notable mainly for his general opposition to campaign finance laws, so his nomination makes sense, in that most of Trump’s appointees so far either hate or </span><a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/07/department-of-energy-risks-michael-lewis" target="blank" title="Opens in a new window" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">are ignorant of</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> the thing they’re expected to oversee.</span></span></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px; line-height: 34px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">But Trainor’s nomination also provided an opportunity to make note, once again, of the similarities between Texas’ screwed-up politics and the nation’s increasingly screwed-up politics. If you haven’t heard of Trainor, you’re not alone — he’s well-known around the Capitol, but he’s a behind-the-scenes guy. His name rarely pops up in news stories.</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Who then, for our out-of-state friends, is Trainor? Well, on social media, he’s a fairly typical right-winger — the kind of guy who<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> got really mad about the </span></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Black_Panther_Party_voter_intimidation_case" target="blank" title="Opens in a new window" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">New Black Panther Party pseudo-scandal</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">, who approvingly tweets out articles characterizing Obama as a “race hustler,” Protestantism as “</span><a href="http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/trump-trainor-fec-nomination" target="blank" title="Opens in a new window" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">poison</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">” and Islam as a “phony religion” manufactured by the “murderous Mohammed.”</span></span></p><figure id="attachment_59471" aria-labelledby="figcaption_attachment_59471" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; min-width: 150px; width: 530px;"><figcaption id="figcaption_attachment_59471" class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 23px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">[img] Trainor’s Twitter feed<span class="image-credit" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 8px; text-align: right; font-style: italic; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 20px; text-transform: uppercase;">  SCREENSHOT</span></figcaption></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px; line-height: 34px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">He shares the kind of videos </span><a href="https://www.chicksontheright.com/2017/01/22/wretched-old-hag-harasses-trump-supporter-on-a-flight-and-totally-gets-whats-coming-to-her/" target="blank" title="Opens in a new window" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">in which, say,</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> a “Wretched old hag harasses Trump supporter on a flight and TOTALLY GETS WHAT’S COMING TO HER!” Perhaps not a great public profile for someone who’s supposed to play a juridical role in ensuring the fairness of American elections. But that’s not why Trainor’s important.</span></p><figure id="attachment_59470" aria-labelledby="figcaption_attachment_59470" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; min-width: 150px; width: 572px;"><figcaption id="figcaption_attachment_59470" class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 23px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">[img] Trainor’s Twitter feed<span class="image-credit" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 8px; text-align: right; font-style: italic; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 20px; text-transform: uppercase;">  SCREENSHOT</span></figcaption></figure><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px; line-height: 34px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The civil war within the Texas Republican Party — billionaires, enormous egos, blood grudges, subterfuge, religion, debauchery — is one of the best and most under-told stories in American politics, but it also has a Tolkien-length backstory. The simplified version is this: A decade ago, as the Bush administration started melting down, the Texas GOP began to split into two. One faction aligned with a more genteel and traditional form of business conservatism; the ideology of the other was nativism, Christianism and a nihilistic approach to government.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px; line-height: 34px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>The second faction eventually won. But at the beginning, all they had were a few ideologically aligned millionaire and billionaire donors — Tim Dunn, Jeff Sandefer, the Wilks brothers — who wanted to buy legislators, a long-standing trade in Texas.</b> <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The state’s weak ethics laws inhibited, albeit very modestly, their ability to do so. So they went guerrilla. They set up a constellation of organizations to quietly funnel their money into legislative races, and they used the threat of that money to put enormous pressure on elected officials. It was very effective: They didn’t always win elections, but they changed the way politics is done in Austin.</span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px; line-height: 34px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></p><section class="clearfix" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><aside class="pull-quote center" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 25px -62px 60px; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Nation</span>al publications have described Trainor as an “opponent” or “critic” of campaign finance regulation, but that’s significantly underselling it.</aside></section><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px; line-height: 34px;" /><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px; line-height: 34px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>As the legal counsel for Empower Texans, the mothership shadow-money group, Trainor was the faction’s chief legal mind.</b> He was Tom Hagen to leader Michael Quinn Sullivan’s Michael Corleone, but substantially less cool. National publications have described Trainor as an “opponent” or “critic” of campaign finance regulation, but that’s significantly underselling it.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px; line-height: 34px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Trainor wasn’t just a fan of lighter regulation; he wanted to dismantle the whole system.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px; line-height: 34px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Texas ethics laws aren’t very good. For example, there are no limits on campaign contributions from PACs and individuals to non-judicial candidates. But two core principles that </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">do</span></i><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> exist here are financial disclosure and the public registration of lobbyists. Trainor wanted to gut both.</span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px; line-height: 34px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>In 2014, when the Texas Ethics Commission charged that Empower Texans’ Sullivan had been acting as a lobbyist without registering — an infraction for which he would then have to pay a small fine — the group went to war with the commission.</b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> In a truly bizarre episode, Sullivan moved, or possibly pretended to move, to Denton County, in a temporarily successful bid for </span></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2015/11/05/appeals-court-sides-ethics-commission-over-activis/" target="blank" title="Opens in a new window" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">a change of venue</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> and a more friendly court. Meanwhile, Trainor’s friends repeatedly called for the commission to be </span><a href="https://twitter.com/davelevinthal/status/907956825131245568" target="blank" title="Opens in a new window" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">defunded or eliminated</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> outright. The remnants of the investigation into Trainor’s organization were gradually whittled down to </span><a href="http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/politics/texas_legislature/article/Ethics-agency-ends-lawsuit-seeking-dark-money-9207891.php" target="blank" title="Opens in a new window" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">near-nothingness</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> by Attorney General <b>Ken Paxton</b>, whose job was to represent the commission in court, and, <b>coincidentally, whose 2016 campaign benefited from a $1 million loan guaranteed by Empower Texans.</b></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px; line-height: 34px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Last year, Trainor took a job with the Trump campaign. </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In a back office at the Republican convention in Cleveland, he was instrumental in <b>helping Trump save face by quashing a last-minute rebellion by Ted Cruz delegates, who wanted a roll call vote. For his service, Trainor was given a job at the Pentagon</b>, until he got this better reward</span>.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px; line-height: 34px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">The early stages of the Ethics Commission fight were some of the first events I covered when I started writing about Texas politics, and in hindsight they were a useful introduction to a particular feature of Texas government. The institutions of government are all there, and their leaders say the right things, but within each agency is a sort of shadow-agency, self-negating. As a result, the institutions are often not just bad at their mission, they do the opposite of the thing they’re supposed to do.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Texas Education Agency </span><a href="http://www.houstonchronicle.com/denied/" target="blank" title="Opens in a new window" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">inhibits access</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> to education and Health and Human Services puts health care providers </span><a href="http://www.mystatesman.com/news/therapists-parents-urge-state-officials-restore-medicaid-money/yv9JcYSGzBJPykEalJiqbN/" target="blank" title="Opens in a new window" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">out of business</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">. The same politicians who keep Child Protective Services weak and underfunded pile on the agency when another 4-year-old in state care gets beaten to death. Trainor and his friends helped nullify the Ethics Commission by definitively proving its powers were ceremonial at best. They’re the people who bring the shadow.</span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px; line-height: 34px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>So it makes perfect sense that Trainor was nominated to the Federal Election Commission, which is also a broken institution.</b> Created after Watergate to help restore the public’s faith in the electoral process, the commission is supposed to have three Democrats and three Republicans, with four votes needed to pass any kind of ruling. That was supposed to foster consensus, but in the last decade the FEC has frequently deadlocked 3-3, which nullifies the purpose of the thing.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px; line-height: 34px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">That’s when the commission is fully staffed. There </span><a href="https://www.publicintegrity.org/2017/09/08/21164/will-donald-trump-let-federal-election-commission-rot" target="blank" title="Opens in a new window" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">may only be</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> four commissioners by the time Trainor is confirmed. There’s only one Democrat left, whose term technically ended in 2007 and hangs around, one would guess, out of a general sense of obligation. Trump could appoint more Democrats, or, as seems more likely, he could leave the commission in its weakened state. The FEC has become a very Texan thing — a fake, or self-nullifying, institution.</span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px; line-height: 34px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">There’s something quaint, almost sweet, about the idea that a panel composed equally of the two parties was ever able to come an agreement. It’s an artifact of a bygone era. And maybe it never worked well — it’s a bit like having two foxes guard the same henhouse. But it’s obviously impossible when one of the parties doesn’t believe in the purpose of the thing at all.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px; line-height: 34px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">While the appointment makes sense, it’s hard for me to understand why someone would accept it.<b> Trainor’s signing on for at least a six-year term to be a nullifying vote on a non-functioning commission in an unfortunate city where nothing ever gets done. </b>To which I suppose we should say: Congratulations!</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 35px; padding: 0px; line-height: 34px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><a href="https://www.texasobserver.org/trump-trey-trainor-fec-nominee/">https://www.texasobserver.org/trump-trey-trainor-fec-nominee/</a></span></p></span></div><div><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box"><font face="Times New Roman">=</font></span></div></div></div><div><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box"><font face="Times New Roman">
</font></span></div><div><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box"><font face="Times New Roman">=</font></span></div><div><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box"><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; width: 600px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 30px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div data-hveid="CAMQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFSgAMAJ6BAgDEAA"><div class="tF2Cxc" style="position: relative;"><div class="yuRUbf" style="line-height: 1.58;"><a href="https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/james-e-trainor-iii/" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjACegQIAxAD" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/james-e-trainor-iii/&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjACegQIAxAD" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;" /><h3 class="LC20lb DKV0Md" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.3;"><a href="https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/james-e-trainor-iii/" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjACegQIAxAD" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/james-e-trainor-iii/&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjACegQIAxAD" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/james-e-trainor-iii/" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjACegQIAxAD" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/james-e-trainor-iii/&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjACegQIAxAD" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/james-e-trainor-iii/" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjACegQIAxAD" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/james-e-trainor-iii/&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjACegQIAxAD" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/james-e-trainor-iii/" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjACegQIAxAD" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/james-e-trainor-iii/&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjACegQIAxAD" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/james-e-trainor-iii/" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjACegQIAxAD" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/james-e-trainor-iii/&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjACegQIAxAD" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/james-e-trainor-iii/" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjACegQIAxAD" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/james-e-trainor-iii/&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjACegQIAxAD" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/james-e-trainor-iii/" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjACegQIAxAD" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.fec.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/james-e-trainor-iii/&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjACegQIAxAD" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">James E. "Trey" Trainor III - Federal Election Commission</a></h3><div class="TbwUpd NJjxre" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px;"><cite class="iUh30 Zu0yb qLRx3b tjvcx" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;">https://www.fec.gov<span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" style=""> › about › leadership-and-structure</span></cite></div><div class="B6fmyf" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; height: 0px; visibility: hidden; white-space: nowrap;"><div class="TbwUpd" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none;"><cite class="iUh30 Zu0yb qLRx3b tjvcx" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;"><span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" style="" /></cite></div><div class="eFM0qc" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; padding-left: 2px; visibility: visible;"><div class="csDOgf" style="display: inline; visibility: visible; position: absolute;"><div jscontroller="exgaYe" jsaction="KyPa0e:WZTn;wjOG7e:edHC5b;" jsdata="l7Bhpb;;BHobt4" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQ2esEMAJ6BAgDEAY"><g-popup jsname="Y3ZMZd" jsshadow="" jscontroller="NZI0Db" jsaction="A05xBd:IYtByb;EOZ57e:WFrRFb;" jsdata="mVjAjf;;BHobt8"><div jsname="oYxtQd"><div jsslot=""><div aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" role="button" tabindex="0" jsaction="Ndrj7;keydown:tXc2mb" jsname="I3kE2c" class="iTPLzd TqCBb" aria-label="About this Result" style="cursor: pointer; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 28px; z-index: 1; padding-bottom: 12px; line-height: 16px; outline: 0px; padding-left: 12px; padding-right: 12px; position: absolute;"><span jsname="czHhOd" class="D6lY4c" style="height: 22px; width: 22px; position: absolute; border-radius: 11px; top: -1px;"><span jsname="Bil8Ae" class="xTFaxe z1asCe SaPW2b" style="display: inline-block; fill: rgb(112, 117, 122); height: 18px; line-height: 18px; position: relative; width: 18px; top: 2px; margin-left: 2px;"><svg focusable="false" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M12 8c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2s-.9-2-2-2-2 .9-2 2 .9 2 2 2zm0 2c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2zm0 6c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2z" /></svg></span></span></div></div></div></g-popup></div></div></div></div><div class="IsZvec" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 1.58;"><div class="VwiC3b yXK7lf MUxGbd yDYNvb lyLwlc" style="padding-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Commissioner <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trainor</span>, of Driftwood, Texas, has practiced law for two decades, particularly in the areas of election law, campaign finance law and ethics. He has ...</div></div></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; width: 600px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 30px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div data-hveid="CAIQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFSgAMAN6BAgCEAA"><div class="tF2Cxc" style="position: relative;"><div class="yuRUbf" style="line-height: 1.58;"><a href="https://thefulcrum.us/campaign-finance/trey-trainor-fec" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjADegQIAhAE" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://thefulcrum.us/campaign-finance/trey-trainor-fec&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjADegQIAhAE" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">
</a><h3 class="LC20lb DKV0Md" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.3;"><a href="https://thefulcrum.us/campaign-finance/trey-trainor-fec" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjADegQIAhAE" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://thefulcrum.us/campaign-finance/trey-trainor-fec&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjADegQIAhAE" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">5 things to know about FEC nominee Trey Trainor - The Fulcrum</a></h3><div class="TbwUpd NJjxre" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px;"><cite class="iUh30 Zu0yb qLRx3b tjvcx" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;">https://thefulcrum.us<span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" style=""> › campaign-finance › trey-trainor-...</span></cite></div><div class="B6fmyf" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; height: 0px; visibility: hidden; white-space: nowrap;"><div class="TbwUpd" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none;"><cite class="iUh30 Zu0yb qLRx3b tjvcx" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;"><span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" style="" /></cite></div><div class="eFM0qc" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; padding-left: 2px; visibility: visible;"><div class="csDOgf" style="display: inline; visibility: visible; position: absolute;"><div jscontroller="exgaYe" jsaction="KyPa0e:WZTn;wjOG7e:edHC5b;" jsdata="l7Bhpb;;BHobt0" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQ2esEMAN6BAgCEAc"><g-popup jsname="Y3ZMZd" jsshadow="" jscontroller="NZI0Db" jsaction="A05xBd:IYtByb;EOZ57e:WFrRFb;" jsdata="mVjAjf;;BHobt8"><div jsname="oYxtQd"><div jsslot=""><div aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" role="button" tabindex="0" jsaction="Ndrj7;keydown:tXc2mb" jsname="I3kE2c" class="iTPLzd TqCBb" aria-label="About this Result" style="cursor: pointer; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 28px; z-index: 1; padding-bottom: 12px; line-height: 16px; outline: 0px; padding-left: 12px; padding-right: 12px; position: absolute;"><span jsname="czHhOd" class="D6lY4c" style="height: 22px; width: 22px; position: absolute; border-radius: 11px; top: -1px;"><span jsname="Bil8Ae" class="xTFaxe z1asCe SaPW2b" style="display: inline-block; fill: rgb(112, 117, 122); height: 18px; line-height: 18px; position: relative; width: 18px; top: 2px; margin-left: 2px;"><svg focusable="false" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M12 8c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2s-.9-2-2-2-2 .9-2 2 .9 2 2 2zm0 2c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2zm0 6c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2z" /></svg></span></span></div></div></div></g-popup></div></div></div></div><div class="IsZvec" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 1.58;"><div class="VwiC3b yXK7lf MUxGbd yDYNvb lyLwlc" style="padding-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf" style="padding-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Mar 9, 2020 — </span>Senate Republicans have decided to reopen the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Federal Election Commission</span>, but only for the most routine business. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trey Trainor</span> reports ...</div></div></div></div></div><span class="oUAcPd" id="fld_23" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; width: 600px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 30px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div data-hveid="CAkQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFSgAMAR6BAgJEAA"><div class="tF2Cxc" style="position: relative;"><div class="yuRUbf" style="line-height: 1.58;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/trey-trainor-6397847" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAEegQICRAE" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/trey-trainor-6397847&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAEegQICRAE" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">
</a><h3 class="LC20lb DKV0Md" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.3;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/trey-trainor-6397847" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAEegQICRAE" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/trey-trainor-6397847&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAEegQICRAE" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">Trey Trainor - Commissioner - Federal Election Commission ...</a></h3><div class="TbwUpd NJjxre" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px;"><cite class="iUh30 Zu0yb qLRx3b tjvcx" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;">https://www.linkedin.com<span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" style=""> › trey-trainor-6397847</span></cite></div><div class="B6fmyf" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; height: 0px; visibility: hidden; white-space: nowrap;"><div class="TbwUpd" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none;"><cite class="iUh30 Zu0yb qLRx3b tjvcx" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;"><span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" style="" /></cite></div><div class="eFM0qc" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; padding-left: 2px; visibility: visible;"><div class="csDOgf" style="display: inline; visibility: visible; position: absolute;"><div jscontroller="exgaYe" jsaction="KyPa0e:WZTn;wjOG7e:edHC5b;" jsdata="l7Bhpb;;BHobuQ" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQ2esEMAR6BAgJEAc"><g-popup jsname="Y3ZMZd" jsshadow="" jscontroller="NZI0Db" jsaction="A05xBd:IYtByb;EOZ57e:WFrRFb;" jsdata="mVjAjf;;BHobt8"><div jsname="oYxtQd"><div jsslot=""><div aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" role="button" tabindex="0" jsaction="Ndrj7;keydown:tXc2mb" jsname="I3kE2c" class="iTPLzd TqCBb" aria-label="About this Result" style="cursor: pointer; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 28px; z-index: 1; padding-bottom: 12px; line-height: 16px; outline: 0px; padding-left: 12px; padding-right: 12px; position: absolute;"><span jsname="czHhOd" class="D6lY4c" style="height: 22px; width: 22px; position: absolute; border-radius: 11px; top: -1px;"><span jsname="Bil8Ae" class="xTFaxe z1asCe SaPW2b" style="display: inline-block; fill: rgb(112, 117, 122); height: 18px; line-height: 18px; position: relative; width: 18px; top: 2px; margin-left: 2px;"><svg focusable="false" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M12 8c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2s-.9-2-2-2-2 .9-2 2 .9 2 2 2zm0 2c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2zm0 6c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2z" /></svg></span></span></div></div></div></g-popup></div></div></div></div><div class="IsZvec" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 1.58;"><div class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf" style="padding-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area<span aria-hidden="true"> · </span>Commissioner<span aria-hidden="true"> · </span>Federal Election Commission</div><div class="VwiC3b yXK7lf MUxGbd yDYNvb lyLwlc" style="padding-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Experienced lawyer with a demonstrated history of working in the areas of election law and first amendment litigation. Highly skilled in campaign finance, litigation ...</div></div></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; width: 600px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 30px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div data-hveid="CA0QAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFSgAMAV6BAgNEAA"><div class="tF2Cxc" style="position: relative;"><div class="yuRUbf" style="line-height: 1.58;"><a href="https://projects.propublica.org/trump-town/staffers/james-e-trainor-iii" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAFegQIDRAE" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://projects.propublica.org/trump-town/staffers/james-e-trainor-iii&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAFegQIDRAE" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">
</a><h3 class="LC20lb DKV0Md" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.3;"><a href="https://projects.propublica.org/trump-town/staffers/james-e-trainor-iii" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAFegQIDRAE" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://projects.propublica.org/trump-town/staffers/james-e-trainor-iii&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAFegQIDRAE" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">James E. Trainor III | Trump Town | ProPublica</a></h3><div class="TbwUpd NJjxre" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px;"><cite class="iUh30 Zu0yb qLRx3b tjvcx" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;">https://projects.propublica.org<span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" style=""> › trump-town › staffers</span></cite></div><div class="B6fmyf" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; height: 0px; visibility: hidden; white-space: nowrap;"><div class="TbwUpd" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none;"><cite class="iUh30 Zu0yb qLRx3b tjvcx" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;"><span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" style="" /></cite></div><div class="eFM0qc" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; padding-left: 2px; visibility: visible;"><div class="csDOgf" style="display: inline; visibility: visible; position: absolute;"><div jscontroller="exgaYe" jsaction="KyPa0e:WZTn;wjOG7e:edHC5b;" jsdata="l7Bhpb;;BHobuk" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQ2esEMAV6BAgNEAc"><g-popup jsname="Y3ZMZd" jsshadow="" jscontroller="NZI0Db" jsaction="A05xBd:IYtByb;EOZ57e:WFrRFb;" jsdata="mVjAjf;;BHobt8"><div jsname="oYxtQd"><div jsslot=""><div aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" role="button" tabindex="0" jsaction="Ndrj7;keydown:tXc2mb" jsname="I3kE2c" class="iTPLzd TqCBb" aria-label="About this Result" style="cursor: pointer; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 28px; z-index: 1; padding-bottom: 12px; line-height: 16px; outline: 0px; padding-left: 12px; padding-right: 12px; position: absolute;"><span jsname="czHhOd" class="D6lY4c" style="height: 22px; width: 22px; position: absolute; border-radius: 11px; top: -1px;"><span jsname="Bil8Ae" class="xTFaxe z1asCe SaPW2b" style="display: inline-block; fill: rgb(112, 117, 122); height: 18px; line-height: 18px; position: relative; width: 18px; top: 2px; margin-left: 2px;"><svg focusable="false" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M12 8c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2s-.9-2-2-2-2 .9-2 2 .9 2 2 2zm0 2c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2zm0 6c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2z" /></svg></span></span></div></div></div></g-popup></div></div></div></div><div class="IsZvec" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 1.58;"><div class="VwiC3b yXK7lf MUxGbd yDYNvb lyLwlc" style="padding-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Trey Trainor</span> represents corporations, interest groups, political figures, and other entities with respect to election law, campaign finance, and ethics. Trey served ...</div></div></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; width: 600px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 30px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div data-hveid="CAgQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFSgAMAZ6BAgIEAA"><div class="tF2Cxc" style="position: relative;"><div class="yuRUbf" style="line-height: 1.58;"><a href="https://www.rollcall.com/2020/03/10/democratic-senators-grill-fec-nominee-who-represented-trump-campaign/" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAGegQICBAE" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.rollcall.com/2020/03/10/democratic-senators-grill-fec-nominee-who-represented-trump-campaign/&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAGegQICBAE" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">
</a><h3 class="LC20lb DKV0Md" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.3;"><a href="https://www.rollcall.com/2020/03/10/democratic-senators-grill-fec-nominee-who-represented-trump-campaign/" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAGegQICBAE" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.rollcall.com/2020/03/10/democratic-senators-grill-fec-nominee-who-represented-trump-campaign/&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAGegQICBAE" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">Democratic senators grill FEC nominee, who represented ...</a></h3><div class="TbwUpd NJjxre" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px;"><cite class="iUh30 Zu0yb qLRx3b tjvcx" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;">https://www.rollcall.com<span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" style=""> › 2020/03/10 › democratic-se...</span></cite></div><div class="B6fmyf" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; height: 0px; visibility: hidden; white-space: nowrap;"><div class="TbwUpd" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none;"><cite class="iUh30 Zu0yb qLRx3b tjvcx" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;"><span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" style="" /></cite></div><div class="eFM0qc" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; padding-left: 2px; visibility: visible;"><div class="csDOgf" style="display: inline; visibility: visible; position: absolute;"><div jscontroller="exgaYe" jsaction="KyPa0e:WZTn;wjOG7e:edHC5b;" jsdata="l7Bhpb;;BHobuU" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQ2esEMAZ6BAgIEAc"><g-popup jsname="Y3ZMZd" jsshadow="" jscontroller="NZI0Db" jsaction="A05xBd:IYtByb;EOZ57e:WFrRFb;" jsdata="mVjAjf;;BHobt8"><div jsname="oYxtQd"><div jsslot=""><div aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" role="button" tabindex="0" jsaction="Ndrj7;keydown:tXc2mb" jsname="I3kE2c" class="iTPLzd TqCBb" aria-label="About this Result" style="cursor: pointer; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 28px; z-index: 1; padding-bottom: 12px; line-height: 16px; outline: 0px; padding-left: 12px; padding-right: 12px; position: absolute;"><span jsname="czHhOd" class="D6lY4c" style="height: 22px; width: 22px; position: absolute; border-radius: 11px; top: -1px;"><span jsname="Bil8Ae" class="xTFaxe z1asCe SaPW2b" style="display: inline-block; fill: rgb(112, 117, 122); height: 18px; line-height: 18px; position: relative; width: 18px; top: 2px; margin-left: 2px;"><svg focusable="false" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M12 8c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2s-.9-2-2-2-2 .9-2 2 .9 2 2 2zm0 2c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2zm0 6c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2z" /></svg></span></span></div></div></div></g-popup></div></div></div></div><div class="IsZvec" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 1.58;"><div class="VwiC3b yXK7lf MUxGbd yDYNvb lyLwlc" style="padding-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf" style="padding-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Mar 10, 2020 — </span>If <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trainor</span> were confirmed, the <span style="font-weight: bold;">FEC</span> would have two Republicans and two Democrats, enough commissioners for a quorum. Right now it can't ...</div></div></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; width: 600px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 30px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div data-hveid="CAoQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFSgAMAd6BAgKEAA"><div class="tF2Cxc" style="position: relative;"><div class="yuRUbf" style="line-height: 1.58;"><a href="https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/379600/James_E_Trainor_III.html" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAHegQIChAE" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/379600/James_E_Trainor_III.html&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAHegQIChAE" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">
</a><h3 class="LC20lb DKV0Md" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.3;"><a href="https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/379600/James_E_Trainor_III.html" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAHegQIChAE" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.legistorm.com/person/bio/379600/James_E_Trainor_III.html&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAHegQIChAE" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">Trey Trainor - U.S. Federal Election Commission (July 2020 ...</a></h3><div class="TbwUpd NJjxre" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px;"><cite class="iUh30 Zu0yb qLRx3b tjvcx" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;">https://www.legistorm.com<span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" style=""> › bio › James_E_Trainor_III</span></cite></div><div class="B6fmyf" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; height: 0px; visibility: hidden; white-space: nowrap;"><div class="TbwUpd" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none;"><cite class="iUh30 Zu0yb qLRx3b tjvcx" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;"><span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" style="" /></cite></div><div class="eFM0qc" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; padding-left: 2px; visibility: visible;"><div class="csDOgf" style="display: inline; visibility: visible; position: absolute;"><div jscontroller="exgaYe" jsaction="KyPa0e:WZTn;wjOG7e:edHC5b;" jsdata="l7Bhpb;;BHobuY" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQ2esEMAd6BAgKEAc"><g-popup jsname="Y3ZMZd" jsshadow="" jscontroller="NZI0Db" jsaction="A05xBd:IYtByb;EOZ57e:WFrRFb;" jsdata="mVjAjf;;BHobt8"><div jsname="oYxtQd"><div jsslot=""><div aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" role="button" tabindex="0" jsaction="Ndrj7;keydown:tXc2mb" jsname="I3kE2c" class="iTPLzd TqCBb" aria-label="About this Result" style="cursor: pointer; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 28px; z-index: 1; padding-bottom: 12px; line-height: 16px; outline: 0px; padding-left: 12px; padding-right: 12px; position: absolute;"><span jsname="czHhOd" class="D6lY4c" style="height: 22px; width: 22px; position: absolute; border-radius: 11px; top: -1px;"><span jsname="Bil8Ae" class="xTFaxe z1asCe SaPW2b" style="display: inline-block; fill: rgb(112, 117, 122); height: 18px; line-height: 18px; position: relative; width: 18px; top: 2px; margin-left: 2px;"><svg focusable="false" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M12 8c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2s-.9-2-2-2-2 .9-2 2 .9 2 2 2zm0 2c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2zm0 6c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2z" /></svg></span></span></div></div></div></g-popup></div></div></div></div><div class="IsZvec" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 1.58;"><div class="VwiC3b yXK7lf MUxGbd yDYNvb lyLwlc" style="padding-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">See more about <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trey Trainor</span> including contact information, employment history and other biographical information.</div></div></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; width: 600px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 30px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div data-hveid="CAwQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFSgAMAh6BAgMEAA"><div class="tF2Cxc" style="position: relative;"><div class="yuRUbf" style="line-height: 1.58;"><a href="https://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/2020/11/26/trey-trainor-chairman-federal-election-commission/" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAIegQIDBAE" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/2020/11/26/trey-trainor-chairman-federal-election-commission/&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAIegQIDBAE" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">
</a><h3 class="LC20lb DKV0Md" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.3;"><a href="https://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/2020/11/26/trey-trainor-chairman-federal-election-commission/" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAIegQIDBAE" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/2020/11/26/trey-trainor-chairman-federal-election-commission/&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAIegQIDBAE" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">Trey Trainor, Chairman, Federal Election Commission | The ...</a></h3><div class="TbwUpd NJjxre" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px;"><cite class="iUh30 Zu0yb qLRx3b tjvcx" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;">https://www.presidentialprayerteam.org<span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" style=""> › 2020/11/26</span></cite></div><div class="B6fmyf" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; height: 0px; visibility: hidden; white-space: nowrap;"><div class="TbwUpd" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none;"><cite class="iUh30 Zu0yb qLRx3b tjvcx" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;"><span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" style="" /></cite></div><div class="eFM0qc" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; padding-left: 2px; visibility: visible;"><div class="csDOgf" style="display: inline; visibility: visible; position: absolute;"><div jscontroller="exgaYe" jsaction="KyPa0e:WZTn;wjOG7e:edHC5b;" jsdata="l7Bhpb;;BHobuc" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQ2esEMAh6BAgMEAc"><g-popup jsname="Y3ZMZd" jsshadow="" jscontroller="NZI0Db" jsaction="A05xBd:IYtByb;EOZ57e:WFrRFb;" jsdata="mVjAjf;;BHobt8"><div jsname="oYxtQd"><div jsslot=""><div aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" role="button" tabindex="0" jsaction="Ndrj7;keydown:tXc2mb" jsname="I3kE2c" class="iTPLzd TqCBb" aria-label="About this Result" style="cursor: pointer; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 28px; z-index: 1; padding-bottom: 12px; line-height: 16px; outline: 0px; padding-left: 12px; padding-right: 12px; position: absolute;"><span jsname="czHhOd" class="D6lY4c" style="height: 22px; width: 22px; position: absolute; border-radius: 11px; top: -1px;"><span jsname="Bil8Ae" class="xTFaxe z1asCe SaPW2b" style="display: inline-block; fill: rgb(112, 117, 122); height: 18px; line-height: 18px; position: relative; width: 18px; top: 2px; margin-left: 2px;"><svg focusable="false" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M12 8c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2s-.9-2-2-2-2 .9-2 2 .9 2 2 2zm0 2c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2zm0 6c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2z" /></svg></span></span></div></div></div></g-popup></div></div></div></div><div class="IsZvec" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 1.58;"><div class="VwiC3b yXK7lf MUxGbd yDYNvb lyLwlc" style="padding-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf" style="padding-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">Nov 26, 2020 — </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Trey Trainor Federal Election Commission</span> James Edwin "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Trey</span>" <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trainor</span> III was <span style="font-weight: bold;">born</span> in Texas. He earned an undergraduate degree from Texas ...</div></div></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; width: 600px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 30px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div data-hveid="CAcQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFSgAMAl6BAgHEAA"><div class="tF2Cxc" style="position: relative;"><div class="yuRUbf" style="line-height: 1.58; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.rules.senate.gov/download/testimony-of-trey-trainor" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAJegQIBxAE" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.rules.senate.gov/download/testimony-of-trey-trainor&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAJegQIBxAE" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">
</a><h3 class="LC20lb DKV0Md" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.3;"><a href="https://www.rules.senate.gov/download/testimony-of-trey-trainor" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAJegQIBxAE" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.rules.senate.gov/download/testimony-of-trey-trainor&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAJegQIBxAE" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">“Trey” Trainor, III Nominee for Commissioner of the Federal ...</a></h3><div class="TbwUpd NJjxre" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px;"><cite class="iUh30 Zu0yb qLRx3b tjvcx" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;">https://www.rules.senate.gov<span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" style=""> › download › testim...</span></cite></div><div class="B6fmyf" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; height: 0px; visibility: hidden;"><div class="TbwUpd" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none;"><cite class="iUh30 Zu0yb qLRx3b tjvcx" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;"><span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" style="" /></cite></div><div class="eFM0qc" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; padding-left: 2px; visibility: visible;"><span class="ZGwO7 C0kchf NaCKVc" style="margin: 0px 2px 3px; cursor: auto; border: 1px solid rgb(235, 235, 235); border-radius: 2px; padding: 0px 4px; display: inline-block; height: 14px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; letter-spacing: 0.75px; vertical-align: middle;">PDF</span></div><div class="csDOgf" style="display: inline; visibility: visible; position: absolute;"><div jscontroller="exgaYe" jsaction="KyPa0e:WZTn;wjOG7e:edHC5b;" jsdata="l7Bhpb;;BHobuM" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQ2esEMAl6BAgHEAg"><g-popup jsname="Y3ZMZd" jsshadow="" jscontroller="NZI0Db" jsaction="A05xBd:IYtByb;EOZ57e:WFrRFb;" jsdata="mVjAjf;;BHobt8"><div jsname="oYxtQd"><div jsslot=""><div aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" role="button" tabindex="0" jsaction="Ndrj7;keydown:tXc2mb" jsname="I3kE2c" class="iTPLzd TqCBb" aria-label="About this Result" style="cursor: pointer; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 28px; z-index: 1; padding-bottom: 12px; line-height: 16px; outline: 0px; padding-left: 12px; padding-right: 12px; position: absolute;"><span jsname="czHhOd" class="D6lY4c" style="height: 22px; width: 22px; position: absolute; border-radius: 11px; top: -1px;"><span jsname="Bil8Ae" class="xTFaxe z1asCe SaPW2b" style="display: inline-block; fill: rgb(112, 117, 122); height: 18px; line-height: 18px; position: relative; width: 18px; top: 2px; margin-left: 2px;"><svg focusable="false" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M12 8c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2s-.9-2-2-2-2 .9-2 2 .9 2 2 2zm0 2c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2zm0 6c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2z" /></svg></span></span></div></div></div></g-popup></div></div></div></div><div class="IsZvec" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 1.58;"><div class="VwiC3b yXK7lf MUxGbd yDYNvb lyLwlc" style="padding-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">It is an honor to appear before you as President Trump's nominee for the position of. Commissioner on the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Federal Election Commission</span> (<span style="font-weight: bold;">FEC</span>). Before I begin, I ...</div></div></div></div></div><div class="hlcw0c" style="margin-bottom: 44px;"><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; width: 600px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 30px;"><div data-hveid="CAsQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFSgAMAp6BAgLEAA" style=""><div class="tF2Cxc" style="position: relative;"><div class="yuRUbf" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.58;"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/fec-chair-trainor-religion-catholic/2020/09/18/d34c643c-f9d6-11ea-89e3-4b9efa36dc64_story.html" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAKegQICxAD" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/fec-chair-trainor-religion-catholic/2020/09/18/d34c643c-f9d6-11ea-89e3-4b9efa36dc64_story.html&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAKegQICxAD" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">
</a><h3 class="LC20lb DKV0Md" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.3;"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/fec-chair-trainor-religion-catholic/2020/09/18/d34c643c-f9d6-11ea-89e3-4b9efa36dc64_story.html" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAKegQICxAD" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/fec-chair-trainor-religion-catholic/2020/09/18/d34c643c-f9d6-11ea-89e3-4b9efa36dc64_story.html&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQFjAKegQICxAD" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">FEC chairman James Trainor says this year?s election ...</a></h3><div class="TbwUpd NJjxre" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px;"><cite class="iUh30 Zu0yb qLRx3b tjvcx" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;">https://www.washingtonpost.com<span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" style=""> › religion › 2020/09/18</span></cite></div><div class="B6fmyf" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; height: 0px; visibility: hidden; white-space: nowrap;"><div class="TbwUpd" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none;"><cite class="iUh30 Zu0yb qLRx3b tjvcx" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;"><span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" style="" /></cite></div><div class="eFM0qc" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; padding-left: 2px; visibility: visible;"><div class="csDOgf" style="display: inline; visibility: visible; position: absolute;"><div jscontroller="exgaYe" jsaction="KyPa0e:WZTn;wjOG7e:edHC5b;" jsdata="l7Bhpb;;BHobug" data-ved="2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQ2esEMAp6BAgLEAY"><g-popup jsname="Y3ZMZd" jsshadow="" jscontroller="NZI0Db" jsaction="A05xBd:IYtByb;EOZ57e:WFrRFb;" jsdata="mVjAjf;_;BHobt8"><div jsname="oYxtQd"><div jsslot=""><div aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" role="button" tabindex="0" jsaction="Ndrj7;keydown:tXc2mb" jsname="I3kE2c" class="iTPLzd TqCBb" aria-label="About this Result" style="cursor: pointer; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 28px; z-index: 1; padding-bottom: 12px; line-height: 16px; outline: 0px; padding-left: 12px; padding-right: 12px; position: absolute;"><span jsname="czHhOd" class="D6lY4c" style="height: 22px; width: 22px; position: absolute; border-radius: 11px; top: -1px;"><span jsname="Bil8Ae" class="xTFaxe z1asCe SaPW2b" style="display: inline-block; fill: rgb(112, 117, 122); height: 18px; line-height: 18px; position: relative; width: 18px; top: 2px; margin-left: 2px;"><svg focusable="false" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M12 8c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2s-.9-2-2-2-2 .9-2 2 .9 2 2 2zm0 2c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2zm0 6c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2z" /></svg></span></span></div></div></div></g-popup></div></div></div></div><div class="IsZvec" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 1.58;"><div class="VwiC3b yXK7lf MUxGbd yDYNvb lyLwlc" style="padding-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf" style="padding-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Sep 18, 2020</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> — </span></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">James E. “<span style="font-weight: bold;">Trey</span>” <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trainor</span> III likened civil demonstrations to “complete anarchy” and a movement away from “Christian moral principles.”</span></div><div class="TXwUJf" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Missing: <s>bio</s> ‎| Must include: <a class="fl" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=fec+trey+trainor+%22bio%22&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjM7rul6ZLxAhWwQTABHdB4DAYQ5t4CMAp6BAgLEBI" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">bio</a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box"><font face="Times New Roman">===</font></span></div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>