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A dubious anniversary for the Federal Election Commission
Retweeted by Walter Shaub: https://twitter.com/waltshaub
As of yesterday, "the @FEC's current four commissioners have been on the commission for a total of 32 years longer than they should have been." Two commissioner positions remain vacant. H/T @Publici
Link to tweet
Federal Politics
A dubious anniversary for the Federal Election Commission
Commissioners’ terms expired long ago, but Trump and Congress won’t replace them
By Dave Levinthal 2:30 pm, April 30, 2018 Updated: 1 hour, 17 minutes ago
Anniversaries are often festive. ... Not today at the Federal Election Commission. ... As of April 30, the FEC's current four commissioners have been on the commission for a total of 32 years longer than they should have been.
Vice Chairwoman Ellen Weintraub’s six-year term expired 11 years ago, when George W. Bush occupied the White House, the “Great Recession” had yet to occur and the most momentous campaign finance decision of the century, Citizens United v. FEC, was still two-and-a-half years hence.
Commissioner Steve Walther (nine years), Commissioner Matthew Petersen (seven years) and Chairwoman Caroline Hunter (five years) have also stayed aboard long after they should have been out of a job. Beyond the holdovers, there are two vacant spots on the commission.
In separate interviews Thursday with the Center for Public Integrity, each of the four “holdover” commissioners — who may continue to serve until President Donald Trump and the U.S. Senate replace them — confirmed that they have no immediate plans to step down.
....
Versions of this article were co-published by TIME, NBC News and Public Radio International.
A dubious anniversary for the Federal Election Commission
Commissioners’ terms expired long ago, but Trump and Congress won’t replace them
By Dave Levinthal 2:30 pm, April 30, 2018 Updated: 1 hour, 17 minutes ago
Anniversaries are often festive. ... Not today at the Federal Election Commission. ... As of April 30, the FEC's current four commissioners have been on the commission for a total of 32 years longer than they should have been.
Vice Chairwoman Ellen Weintraub’s six-year term expired 11 years ago, when George W. Bush occupied the White House, the “Great Recession” had yet to occur and the most momentous campaign finance decision of the century, Citizens United v. FEC, was still two-and-a-half years hence.
Commissioner Steve Walther (nine years), Commissioner Matthew Petersen (seven years) and Chairwoman Caroline Hunter (five years) have also stayed aboard long after they should have been out of a job. Beyond the holdovers, there are two vacant spots on the commission.
In separate interviews Thursday with the Center for Public Integrity, each of the four “holdover” commissioners — who may continue to serve until President Donald Trump and the U.S. Senate replace them — confirmed that they have no immediate plans to step down.
....
Versions of this article were co-published by TIME, NBC News and Public Radio International.
