Week of August 12 - 16, 2024

Commission meetings and hearings

On August 13, the Commission met in executive session.

The Commission voted to cancel the open meeting scheduled for August 15. Chairman Sean J. Cooksey issued a Statement.

Advisory Opinions

Comments received and extension of time granted

Advisory Opinion Request 2024-06 (American Target Advertising and the Conservative Caucus) On August 9, the Commission made public a comment on the draft advisory opinion. On August 13, the Commission made public a comment from the requestor, and the requestor granted an extension of time until August 30, 2024.

Comment received

Advisory Opinion Request 2024-11 (Caroline Gleich) On August 13, the Commission made public a comment on the request.

Enforcement

The Commission made public six closed cases, as follows. For more information, see the case documents in the Enforcement Search System.

MUR 8149

COMPLAINANT: Carson Taylor
RESPONDENTS: Tim Sheehy for Montana and Katie Wenetta, in her official capacity as treasurer (the Committee) ; and Tim Sheehy
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that Sheehy and the Committee failed to file a 2023 July Quarterly Report. Sheehy is a 2024 candidate for U.S. Senate in Montana.
DISPOSITION: The Commission closed the file. Chairman Cooksey and Commissioner James E. “Trey” Trainor, III and Commissioner Allen J. Dickerson issued Statements of Reasons.

MUR 8164

COMPLAINANT: Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust
RESPONDENTS: GWEN PAC and Brenda Moore, in her official capacity as treasurer; and Gwen Moore
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that (1) Moore’s leadership PAC, GWEN PAC, is a “scam PAC” because it spends the great majority of its funds on operating expenses rather than on supporting candidates and causes, and (2) GWEN PAC paid for personal expenses and thus violated the prohibition on converting campaign funds to personal use. U.S. Representative Gwen Moore represents Wisconsin’s 4th Congressional District.
DISPOSITION: The Commission dismissed the matter.

MUR 8167

COMPLAINANT: Campaign Legal Center
RESPONDENTS: Detroit International Bridge Company, LLC (DIBC); and Never Back Down, Inc. and Cabell Hobbs, in his official capacity as treasurer (the Committee)
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that DIBC, a for-profit, private company, made a $236,800 prohibited contribution to the Committee while DIBC was a federal contractor in 2023.
DISPOSITION: The Commission closed the file. Chairman Cooksey and Commissioners Dickerson and Trainor issued a Statement of Reasons.

MUR 8179

COMPLAINANT: Bill Griffin
RESPONDENTS: Friends of Lucy McBath and Ashton Narzisi, in her official capacity as treasurer (the Committee); and Representative Lucia Kay McBath
SUBJECT: The complaint alleged that McBath and the Committee knowingly accepted an in-kind contribution when McBath’s congressional office paid for a video advertisement about her legislative accomplishments, which appeared on internet platforms such as YouTube and Pluto TV. McBath, who currently is a Member of Congress representing Georgia’s 7th Congressional District, is a 2024 candidate for reelection in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District
DISPOSITION: The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the matter.

MURs 8215 and 8216

COMPLAINANT: Americans for Public Trust; and Campaign Legal Center
RESPONDENT: Last Best Place PAC and David M. Lewis in his official capacity as treasurer
SUBJECT: The complaints alleged that Last Best Place PAC, an independent expenditure-only political committee or “super PAC,” paid for millions of dollars’ worth of ads against U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy without disclosing any payments for independent expenditures.
DISPOSITION: The Commission dismissed the matter. Chairman Cooksey and Commissioners Dickerson, Trainor, and Dara Lindenbaum issued a Statement of Reasons.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

The Commission made public one closed case, as follows. For more information, see the case documents in the Alternative Dispute Resolution Search System.

ADR 1163

COMPLAINANT: FEC-Initiated
RESPONDENT: 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East Federal Political Action Fund (the Committee)
SUBJECT: In the normal course of carrying out its supervisory responsibilities, the Commission initiated proceedings to determine whether there was reason to believe the Committee failed to disclose all financial activity on its 2021 Year-End and 2022 12-Day Pre-General Reports.
DISPOSITION: The Committee agreed to certify that a representative participated in an FEC training and to pay a civil penalty of $16,000.

Litigation

FEC v. Rivera (Case No. 22-11437) On August 15, Appellant filed a Petition for Panel Rehearing and Petition for Rehearing En Banc in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Press releases

Commission cites committees for failure to file 12-Day Pre-Primary Report (issued August 16)

Employment opportunities

The Commission is accepting applications for the position of Associate General Counsel for Litigation through October 4, 2024.

Upcoming Commission meetings and hearings

August 27, 2024: The Commission is scheduled to meet in executive session.

August 29, 2024: The Commission is scheduled to hold an open meeting.

September 17, 2024: The Commission is scheduled to meet in executive session.

September 19, 2024: The Commission is scheduled to hold an open meeting.

Upcoming educational opportunities

September 11, 2024: The Commission is scheduled to host a webinar on Independent Expenditures and Pre-Election Communications.

For more information on upcoming training opportunities, see the Commission’s Trainings page.

Upcoming reporting due dates

August 20: August Monthly Reports are due. For more information, see the 2024 Monthly Reporting schedule.

The Commission has posted the reporting dates for the Texas 18th Congressional District Special Election. For more information, see the Reporting Notice.

Additional research materials

Election Dates. The Commission has posted 2024 Presidential and Congressional Primary Dates, which are subject to change.

Contribution Limits. In addition to the current limits, the Commission has posted an archive of contribution limits that were in effect going back to the 1975-1976 election cycles.

Federal Elections 2020: Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives is available. The data was compiled from the official vote totals published by state election offices.

FEC Notify: Want to be notified by email when campaign finance reports are received by the agency? Sign up here.

The Combined Federal State Disclosure and Election Directory is available. This publication identifies the federal and state agencies responsible for the disclosure of campaign finances, lobbying, personal finances, public financing, candidates on the ballot, election results, spending on state initiatives and other financial filings.

The Presidential Election Campaign Fund Tax Checkoff Chart provides information on balance of the Fund, monthly deposits into the Fund reported by the Department of the Treasury, payments from the Fund as certified by the FEC, and participation rates of taxpayers as reported by the Internal Revenue Service. For more information on the Presidential Public Funding Program, see the Public Funding of Presidential Elections page.

The FEC Record is available as a continuously updated online news source.

Other election-related resources

Videos on protecting U.S. elections. The FBI’s Protected Voices initiative provides videos designed to help political campaigns protect themselves from foreign influence. The 2019 videos offer guidance on ransomware, business email compromise, supply chain, social media literacy, and foreign influence operations. Other videos, released in 2018, include cyber hygiene topics such as social engineering, patching, router hardening, and app and browser safety.

Join the FEC on X and YouTube

Follow @FEC on X to receive the latest information on agency updates, news releases, and weekly activity. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, FECTube: FECConnect on Demand, to watch instructional videos that have been designed to help candidates and committees comply with federal campaign finance laws. Note that the FEC is not currently available through other social media platforms. The use of the agency’s logo, name, and likeness on other media has not been authorized by the FEC.