Latest Developments:
- Irvine City Council Re-Adopts Lobbying Rules: Voice of OC reports that the City of Irvine took a new vote to pass City Lobbying Laws after rescinding a prior vote that was alleged to violate open meeting laws. The new regulations were readopted to settle a Brown Act lawsuit, require more registration, but leave an exception for many in-house lobbyists.
- IRS Rolls Back Johnson Amendment: As reported by The Conversation, a consent judgment by the IRS has opened the doors to faith leaders endorsing political candidates from the pulpit. Significantly, the judgment does not change the general prohibition on other 501(c)(3) organizations engaging in political speech. Rather, the IRS stated that political advocacy carried out by “a house of worship to its congregation, in connection with religious services through its customary channels of communication on matters of faith, concerning electoral politics viewed through the lens of religious faith” was not covered by the Johnson Amendment.
- Bribery Sentencing for Lobbyist: The Chicago Sun Times reports that a top former in-house ComEd lobbyist tied to former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan received an 18-month prison sentence for steering no-show jobs and contracts. The large corruption probe has already led to multiple indictments and has been extensively covered in this blog.
- Foreign Lobbying Boom: From The Guardian, Global Witness uncovered that some of the world’s poorest nations — including Somalia, Haiti, Yemen and DRC — paid a combined $17 million to sign deals with Trump-affiliated lobbyists, including Ballard and BGR. The nations sought deals to secure U.S. humanitarian aid and military assistance in exchange for mineral access.
Reminders:
- Multiple report deadlines are drawing near. The FEC expects PACs and parties to file a mid-year report by July 31, 2025. Special elections have reporting deadlines in August, September, and October in the following jurisdictions: Arizona, 7th Congressional District; Texas, 18th Congressional District; and Virginia, 11th Congressional District.
In Case You Missed It:
- NOAA Privatization: The Associated Press reports that Commerce Department appointees —including the Cabinet Secretary— have ties to weather-industry firms, stirring concerns about conflicts of interest in regard to proposals to privatize federal weather forecasting.
- Firings Continue: The Guardian, the Washington Post, and Reuters report waves of firings throughout the Trump administration, particularly in the Justice Department (including ethics chief Joseph Tirrell) and the FBI. In addition, nearly two-thirds of the Department of Justice’s Federal Programs Branch —including supervisors—have resigned.
- Vote.org Founder Raises Internal Fraud Complaint: Politico reports that Debra Cleaver, founder of Vote.org, filed official complaints in several states alleging donor fraud and personal misuse of funds by current leadership. The organization’s counsel has vowed to file defamation claims in response.
- Cuomo Accused of Campaign Finance Violations: Politico reports that Common Cause New York filed a complaint with the NYC Campaign Finance Board alleging that consulting services provided by lobbyist Tusk Strategies to Andrew Cuomo’s mayoral campaign amounted to in-kind contributions and coordination, violating campaign finance laws.
- Public Funds for Others but Not Mayor Adams: While noting that a federal court had upheld its refusal to issue public matching funds to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, the New York City Campaign Finance Board voted to approve paying 40 other candidates a combined $3,334,194 for the November general election.
- Nondisclosure by Homeland Secretary: From the Guardian, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reportedly failed to disclose an $80,000 payment from a “dark money” group. The payment was made while Noem was South Dakota’s governor.
- DC Mayor Hit with Ethics Complaint: The New York Post reports that DC Mayor Muriel Bowser is the subject of a complaint filed with the DC Board of Ethics related to a $62,000 trip funded by Qatar and other travel to the Masters golf tournament and Mar-a-Lago.