Posted on 02/17/2018 8:50:58 AM PST by blam
Democrats on the Federal Election Commission (FEC) have taken their fight against media outlets such as Fox and the Drudge Report “underground,” says Lee Goodman, who is leaving the agency Friday after nearly five years on the panel.
“The debate has gone underground, it has not ceased,” said Goodman, who pointed to a campaign by FEC Democrats to remove long-standing media exemptions on fines and criminal charges for not policing whether or not political ads contained the proper disclaimers identifying their source.
In a memo about a recent case, for example, Goodman said that Democrats Ellen Weintraub and Steven Walther wanted to upend a long-standing practice of not holding media outlets responsible when political campaigns and advocates fail to include in ads the required disclaimer stating who paid for the ad.
In that case, two anti-Hillary Clinton ads were run in an Ohio newspaper, the Chesterland News, that did not carry the required disclaimer. FEC lawyers recommended no action against the paper, citing precedent that the person placing ads is responsible. –Washington Examiner
After the FEC lawyers gave the Ohio paper a pass, Weintraub proposed changing the practice – instead clearing the paper through a “discretionary dismissal” according to Goodman.
“Too often colleagues here and throughout the government wish to regulate core First Amendment rights through the exercise of ‘discretion,’ or ‘prosecutorial discretion.’ They rely on vague ‘facts and circumstances tests to decide when to punish and when to let a violation slide. Regulation by human discretion means an inherent risk of bias and unequal treatment.” Goodman told The Examiner.
While the effort to punish the Ohio paper was shot down in a split vote, Goodman says it’s yet one example of FEC Democrats
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at conservativeangle.com ...
Don’t understand why this leftist cabal — these petty tyrants — have not been shut down.
Wow. Does anyone think this Russian collusion narrative might be an attempt to silence opposition speech? Mueller? Mueller?
The Swamp is dark and full of terrors.
Will the FBI have to issue disclaimers on their findings?
The voters must correct what is going on and put the party back on the road to serving Americans.
“In addition, Bush proposed a second term for commissioner David M. Mason and nominated Steven T. Walther, a Nevada lawyer with close ties to Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.).”
Another “gift” from GW BOOSH!
Dear FEC,
GFY!
Trump's pledge (with apologies to Robert Frost):
"The Swamp is ugly, dark, and deep. But I have promises to keep..."
From the wiki, of the current (Dem) Chairman....
....During his legal career Mr. Walther has been active in professional legal and judicial organizations and activities, as well as numerous civic activities. He is a former member of the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association and currently serves as co-chair of the ABA Center for Human Rights. He has been active in ABA initiatives focusing on international relations, human rights and the rule of law. He was appointed by the ABA President to serve as the ABA Representative to the United Nations. He served on the Executive Board of the ABA Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (CEELI), which oversees the ABA’s democracy building programs in over 21 countries–programs which promote development of fair and open election laws. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees and lecturer for the National Judicial College, both in the United States and in Russia.
Mr. Walther has lectured extensively, both domestically and internationally (principally in Russia), on rule of law, human rights, litigation and international law issues. He is a member of the American Law Institute and the International Bar Association.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_T._Walther
More Russia, Russia, Russia....along with Human Rights and UN.
Gee, what could go wrong??
As the late Congressman Billybob emphasized, McConnell vs. FEC was wrongly decided..
- Article 1 Section 9:
- No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States . . .
- Article 1 Section 10:
- No state shall . . . grant any title of nobility.
The First Amendment expression, “the freedom . . . of the press” can therefore not be interpreted honestly as creating a class of people, separate from public, which has a title of nobility. Nor, given the Establishment clause of the First Amendment itself, can it be taken to mean that “the press” is an entitled priesthood. The only coherent understanding of “the freedom . . . of the press” is, therefore, “the right of the people to spend their own money to promote their own opinions.”
Under that understanding, the FEC exists to violate the Constitution. “Campaign Finance Reform” laws are mostly the creatures of journalism; the media wanted the First Amendment to be corrupted by laws which are founded on the premise that wire service journalism is objective. This is a grant of a title of nobility to the Associated Press, its membership, and any other wire service you wish to mention.
T-SHIRT!!!!
“The Swamp is dark and full of terrors.”
T-SHIRT!!!!
Lol
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.