Justice Department ramps up scrutiny of candidates and independent groups
Holder's parting gift? 
Justice Department ramps up scrutiny of candidates and independent groups
Justice Department officials are stepping up scrutiny of illegal campaign coordination. (Jon Elswick/AP)
By Matea Gold and Colby Itkowitz February 27 at 5:58 PM
The Justice Department is stepping up scrutiny of the increasingly cozy ties between candidates and their outside allies, a move that could jolt the freewheeling campaign-finance atmosphere ahead of the 2016 elections.
A rare conviction of a Virginia campaign operative this month is part of a broader focus on cases in which candidates may be violating a federal ban on sharing strategic information with well-funded independent allies, Justice officials said.
“The opportunity to commit the crime has increased dramatically,” said Justice spokesman Peter Carr. “Illegal coordination is difficult to detect, which is why we strongly encourage party or campaign insiders to come forward.”
The department’s move comes as complaints have stalled before the Federal Election Commission, which has not moved ahead with any coordination investigations since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010 triggered a proliferation of big-money groups.
The newly aggressive stance by the Justice Department is certain to have wide reverberations at a time when candidates are taking more leeway than ever in their relationships with independent allies. Many potential 2016 candidates are working hand-in-glove with super PACs set up to support them.
“It will have a huge impact on the landscape,” said Lawrence Norton, a former FEC general counsel who co-chairs the political law practice at Venable. With independent groups “only growing in influence, that announcement is a signal to everyone involved in the 2016 campaign that government is watching.
“We’re talking about potential criminal enforcement action, not a FEC investigation or a fine,” he said. “The implications are serious.”
more...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/justice-department-ramps-up-scrutiny-of-candidates-and-independent-groups/2015/02/27/f28409d8-be8e-11e4-8668-4e7ba8439ca6_story.html?postshare=2151425140938210
= new reply since forum marked as read
