Web Site Blames Sen. McConnell for Quorum-less FEC

28 Apr 2008 // The political gridlock that has left the Federal Election Commission unable to do its job of enforcing campaign finance laws has prompted one outside liberal watchdog group to launch a new Web site protesting the inefficiency.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington today launched FixTheFec.Org, which puts the blame on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for blocking the votes needed to fill the six-member FEC’s four vacant seats.

Congress and the White House have been at odds over the normally mundane appointments because many leading Democrats oppose the nomination of Republican pick Hans Von Spakovsky and are pushing for separate up or down votes on each of the four nominees. The White House and Senate Republican leaders want one vote to approve the four nominees together. The dispute has left the panel without a quorum and unable to make any rulings since December.

(For more on the stand-off, read this Wall Street Journal story.)

In any other year, the consequences of an FEC political stand-off might not be so great, but the complaints are piling up at the commission in a high-stakes election year that is shattering previous campaign finance records.

The Democratic National Committee has filed complaints against Sen. John McCain, accusing the expected Republican nominee of violating campaign laws over public financing.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, House Democrats’ campaign arm, has also filed complaints against their counterparts at the National Republican Congressional Committee over alleged illegal coordination with Freedom’s Watch, an outside group that plans on funneling money into House races to aid Republicans.

Another right-leaning watchdog group, Judicial Watch, filed a complaint against McCain today over a recent London fund-raiser. The group has also filed a complaint against Sen. Hillary Clinton over a recent fund-raiser featuring Elton John.

There are little encouraging signs coming from Capitol Hill that an end to impasse is in sight. Yet both parties may have inadvertently benefited from the stand-off.

As The Wall Street Journal reported last week, the quorum-less FEC has been unable to issue a ruling on a new law requiring lobbyists to disclose when they “bundle” more than $15,000 a year for congressional candidates. Without a formal ruling, neither party has yet to fully comply with the intent of the law.