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Tomorrow at 10:00 am EST the Senate Rules Committee--chaired by @RoyBlunt--will vote on Trump's nominees to the Federal Election Commission--the agency responsible for enforcing campaign finance law.
But 2 of the nominees have worked to dismantle those very laws.
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But 2 of the nominees have worked to dismantle those very laws.
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Before getting too deep in this, you should know that the FEC is an independent agency consisting of 6 members--3 Republicans + 3 Democrats.
But for it to do any business--investigations, cases, decisions, opinion writing--it needs a quorum of 4 members.
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But for it to do any business--investigations, cases, decisions, opinion writing--it needs a quorum of 4 members.
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But the FEC has lacked a quorum since August 2019.
There are more than 380 pending cases that the FEC has not been able to address because the Trump Administration wanted to make certain the top elections watchdog was dismantled for the 2020 cycle.
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There are more than 380 pending cases that the FEC has not been able to address because the Trump Administration wanted to make certain the top elections watchdog was dismantled for the 2020 cycle.
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Now that the election is over, and Trump is on his way out of office, he's working to fill those Republican seats with operatives committed to undermining campaign finance laws.
And the man at the center of it--the Chairman of that committee--is none other than Roy Blunt.
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And the man at the center of it--the Chairman of that committee--is none other than Roy Blunt.
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There are three FEC nominees the committee will consider tomorrow.
The first is Democrat Shanna Broussard who is the current counsel to FEC Commissioner Steven Walther. She's immensely qualified and would be the first black FEC Commissioner in history.
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The first is Democrat Shanna Broussard who is the current counsel to FEC Commissioner Steven Walther. She's immensely qualified and would be the first black FEC Commissioner in history.
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The second nominee is Sean Cooksey--Josh Hawley's general counsel + previously Ted Cruz's deputy general counsel.
He has helped them both undermine campaign finance laws. He refused to give an opening statement--opting instead to thank Trump, Cruz, Hawley + his family.
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He has helped them both undermine campaign finance laws. He refused to give an opening statement--opting instead to thank Trump, Cruz, Hawley + his family.
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The third nominee is Allen Dickerson, the director for the Institute for Free Speech--an organization funded by the Koch family to help independent groups have free reign over our elections.
He has fought against every major campaign finance proposal presented.
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He has fought against every major campaign finance proposal presented.
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Both @StopBigMoney and @letamericavote have spoken out against the nominations, insisting that a lame duck President should not appoint half of the FEC commission.
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Broussard worked with the FEC for 12 years. She is uniquely prepared for this job.
Cooksey lacks the legal experience to become a partner at a big law firm--let alone a commissioner of the FEC.
Dickerson's undermining of democracy as a Koch lobbyist is disqualifying.
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Cooksey lacks the legal experience to become a partner at a big law firm--let alone a commissioner of the FEC.
Dickerson's undermining of democracy as a Koch lobbyist is disqualifying.
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Trump is installing those he needs to stage a comeback.
Hawley is his faithful servant and he's mentored his mini-me Cooksey to do that damage in the FEC--backed up by a top lobbyist in Dickerson for giving corporations a louder voice in democracy than America's people.
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Hawley is his faithful servant and he's mentored his mini-me Cooksey to do that damage in the FEC--backed up by a top lobbyist in Dickerson for giving corporations a louder voice in democracy than America's people.
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You cannot run an agency focused on the enforcement of campaign finance law when the watchdog doesn't believe those laws are constitutional.
During the hearing, both Cooksey + Dickerson flatly said they'd interpret rules first by adhering to their view of the Constitution.
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During the hearing, both Cooksey + Dickerson flatly said they'd interpret rules first by adhering to their view of the Constitution.
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This is significant because they do not believe the Constitution permits statutes like HR1 from coming into effect.
And thus, they will be disinclined from enforcing a law that Congress has told them, as an agency, to enforce.
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And thus, they will be disinclined from enforcing a law that Congress has told them, as an agency, to enforce.
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They are not part of the judicial branch, but they are going to try and treat it as such.
This will be their justification for obstructing any progressive campaign finance reform legislation that Congress passes.
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This will be their justification for obstructing any progressive campaign finance reform legislation that Congress passes.
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As much as people want the For The People Act passed--if the enforcement agency responsible for carrying out the law refuses to do so--the law's effectiveness will be reduced.
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And this isn't new. @SenatorTomUdall noted during the hearing that the GOP members have repeated voted as a block.
And by voting as an ideological block, they have obstructed progress and prevented the closure of campaign finance loopholes used by corporations.
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And by voting as an ideological block, they have obstructed progress and prevented the closure of campaign finance loopholes used by corporations.
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During the hearing Sen Udall asked both Cooksey and Dickerson if there's been widespread voter fraud.
Cooskey said there hadn't been any to his knowledge, but mentioned ongoing litigation he didn't pay attn to.
Dickerson evaded the question. Said it wasn't the FEC's job.
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Cooskey said there hadn't been any to his knowledge, but mentioned ongoing litigation he didn't pay attn to.
Dickerson evaded the question. Said it wasn't the FEC's job.
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This is deeply troubling because--if you were a nominee for the FEC wouldn't you pay attention to the election?
You'd be expected to know what's happening with the election. It's literally the job they're being interviewed for.
So they're either unprepared or lying.
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You'd be expected to know what's happening with the election. It's literally the job they're being interviewed for.
So they're either unprepared or lying.
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During the hearing @SenatorLeahy asked the nominees whether Joe Biden was the President-Elect.
Broussard gave a definitive, "Yes."
Cooskey gave an eye-rolling response of, "I'm aware that most media organization have projected that Biden has won the election."
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Broussard gave a definitive, "Yes."
Cooskey gave an eye-rolling response of, "I'm aware that most media organization have projected that Biden has won the election."
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Dickerson then stated he agreed, "subject to the outcome of litigation." Literally, opening the door to undermining the election during his interview for a job protecting American elections.
These responses from Cooksey and Dickerson are disqualifying.
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These responses from Cooksey and Dickerson are disqualifying.
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Few Missourians know this is going on--or that we, as Blunt's constituents, have the power to protest his actions.
After all, we are rightly distracted by the refrigeration units rented from meatpackers that now sit in local funeral home parking lots, holding our dead.
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After all, we are rightly distracted by the refrigeration units rented from meatpackers that now sit in local funeral home parking lots, holding our dead.
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Frankly, that's what they're counting on. It's why the GOP politics of Missouri are so dangerous.
Things are so bad we barely notice when the Missouri brand of autocratic cancer spreads nationwide.
But there it is.
Brought to you by the joint efforts of Blunt + Hawley.
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Things are so bad we barely notice when the Missouri brand of autocratic cancer spreads nationwide.
But there it is.
Brought to you by the joint efforts of Blunt + Hawley.
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These are serious times, we cannot entrust them to silly men for the next six years.
We cannot have Hawley's own man on the inside of the FEC as he tries to rise to power in 2024.
We cannot have a Koch puppet pulling stacking the deck against Americans.
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We cannot have Hawley's own man on the inside of the FEC as he tries to rise to power in 2024.
We cannot have a Koch puppet pulling stacking the deck against Americans.
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Here are the Senators who will cast a vote tomorrow. If you are a Missourian--I urge you to call Senator Roy Blunt's office: (202) 224-5721).
For others, if your Senator is on the committee, ask them to vote "No" on Cooksey and Dickerson.
For everyone else, y'all call too.
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For others, if your Senator is on the committee, ask them to vote "No" on Cooksey and Dickerson.
For everyone else, y'all call too.
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This will likely go to a full Senate vote.
And we must neither be so exhausted nor so distracted that we fail to stop the promotion of those complicit in the rise of the one-party state to the commission responsible for election integrity.
The work continues.
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And we must neither be so exhausted nor so distracted that we fail to stop the promotion of those complicit in the rise of the one-party state to the commission responsible for election integrity.
The work continues.
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Link to the November 18th hearing: https://www.rules.senate.gov/hearings/nomination-hearing-for-members-of-the-federal-election-commission
