{"id":2291497,"date":"2024-07-09T20:22:59","date_gmt":"2024-07-10T00:22:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/clinton-2016-campaign-and-liberal-super-pac-crossed-spending-lines-court-rules-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-07-09T20:29:56","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T00:29:56","slug":"clinton-2016-campaign-and-liberal-super-pac-crossed-spending-lines-court-rules-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/clinton-2016-campaign-and-liberal-super-pac-crossed-spending-lines-court-rules-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Clinton 2016 campaign and liberal super PAC crossed spending lines, court rules &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fclinton-2016-campaign-and-liberal-super-pac-crossed-spending-lines-court-rules-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2291497&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The summary \u2062is about a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-appeals-court-clears-bidens-covid-vax-mandate-for-federal-employees\/\" title=\"U.S. Appeals Court Clears Biden\u2019s COVID Vax Mandate for Federal Employees\">federal appeals court ruling<\/a> \u200dthat Hillary Clinton&#8217;s 2016 campaign and a \u200bliberal super\u200c PAC violated federal election \u200claws by coordinating in \u200ba <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/batgirl-movie-gets-shelved-by-warner-bros-despite-70m-price-tag\/\" title=\"&quot;Batgirl&quot; Movie Gets &quot;Shelved&quot; By Warner Bros. Despite m Price Tag\">multimillion-dollar effort<\/a> to defend\u200b Clinton against\u200c Donald Trump. The \u2064court said they\u200b improperly used an &#8220;internet exemption&#8221; to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/major-mexico-utah-money-laundering-organization-faces-justice\/\" title=\"Mexico-Utah money laundering ring brought to justice\">evade reporting requirements<\/a>, but neither Clinton nor the super PAC founder will be punished. The case has been sent back to\u2064 the Federal Election \u2063Commission to address the\u200c loophole in the exemption. FEC Chairman Sean Cooksey accepted the court&#8217;s\u200d decision and will fight \u2064for \u2063a &#8220;robust&#8221; \u2062exemption for \u200donline political activities. The \u200bcourt saved the internet\u2062 exemption for\u2062 now, pleasing former FEC Chairman Lee Goodman.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\">\n<div class=\"tdb-search-form-inner\"><input class=\"tdb-head-search-form-input\" placeholder=\" \" type=\"text\" value name=\"s\" autocomplete=\"off\"><button class=\"wpb_button wpb_btn-inverse btn tdb-head-search-form-btn\" title=\"Search\" type=\"submit\"><span>Search<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Clinton 2016 campaign and liberal super PAC crossed spending lines, court rules<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> <a class=\"tdb-author-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/author\/paul-bedard\/\">Paul Bedard<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2024-07-09T19:08:19-04:00\">July 9, 2024 7:08 pm<\/time><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1698804\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A federal appeals court today said Hillary Clinton\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/1654004\/scoop-fec-fines-dnc-and-clinton-for-trump-dossier-hoax\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>2016 campaign<\/a> and a liberal super PAC crossed federal election lines when they flaunted their coordination in a multimillion-dollar effort to defend the Democrat in her losing bid against Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>In the landmark decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said Clinton and the super PAC Correct the Record improperly used an \u201cinternet exemption\u201d to sidestep other restrictions to set up a \u201cBenghazi Hearing War Room\u201d and conduct a witch hunt of critics without reporting it as a campaign expense.<\/p>\n<p>Neither Clinton nor Correct the Record founder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/398352\/john-podesta-thinks-david-brock-is-crazy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>David Brock<\/a> will be punished under the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cadc.uscourts.gov\/internet\/opinions.nsf\/8A979B82BC5A09C085258B5500561738\/%24file\/22-5336-2063669.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>36-page decision<\/a> that instead scolded the Federal Election Commission for not investigating a complaint about the spending. It sent the case to the FEC to fix the exemption.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe hold that the Commission acted contrary to law in dismissing the complaint. Because we conclude that the internet exemption cannot be read to exempt from disclosure those expenditures that are only tangentially related to an eventual internet message or post, the Commission\u2019s reading of the internet exemption stretches it beyond lawful limits,\u201d the court said.<\/p>\n<p>FEC Chairman Sean Cooksey told Secrets that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/twitter-blocked-hunter-laptop-story-after-intelligence-officials-shared-hack-rumors\/\" title=\"Twitter Blocked Hunter Laptop Story After Intelligence Officials Shared Hack \u2018Rumors\u2019\">commission accepted<\/a> the court\u2019s decision and that he will fight for a \u201crobust\u201d exemption for online political activities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFollowing the D.C. Circuit\u2019s decision today, my colleagues and I will carefully review the court\u2019s opinion and consider next steps, including whether to seek review in the Supreme Court. Regardless, I will continue to fight for internet freedom at the FEC and a robust regulatory exemption for political activities online, consistent with the law,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The case dates to the 2016 campaign when Brock set up his group and told the media that he would coordinate with the Clinton campaign. That appeared to <a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/XA6Z-XFRX\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>violate rules<\/a> barring PAC and candidate coordination.<\/p>\n<p>But the group said since it was going to do its business on the internet, it would tap into a 2006 FEC \u201cinternet exemption\u201d to get around that rule.<\/p>\n<p>The appeals court said Brock went too far and that Clinton\u2019s campaign should have acknowledged the spending as a donation.<\/p>\n<p>The court said that Brock\u2019s group spent $5.95 million and hid its spending behind the internet exception that was created to protect freewheeling online political commentary and low-dollar support for candidates.<\/p>\n<p>The court also said the FEC went too far in its \u201ccapacious construction\u201d of its interpretation of the internet exception to include spending on polls, staff, and rent of Correct the Record.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe internet exception was never intended as a [Federal Election Campaign Act]-swallowing loophole enabling political committees to launder all their coordinated expenditures via unpaid internet postings,\u201d the court said.<\/p>\n<p>The spending and coordination was challenged by the Washington-based Campaign Legal Center when the FEC deadlocked on investigating the case. At the time, the six-member commission was down two commissioners.<\/p>\n<p>In sending the issue back to the FEC, the court saved the internet exemption for now.<\/p>\n<p>That pleased former FEC Chairman Lee Goodman, who has long championed the exemption to protect online political discussion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt did appear that the Clinton campaign and Correct the Record tried to place too much weight, and force too many far-flung political activities, onto the internet exemption,\u201d he told Secrets. \u201cThe entire internet exemption was at risk under that kind of weight, but the court preserved the internet exemption. So the most important result of this court decision is that the internet exemption remains intact for organizations to speak freely on the internet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SEE THE LATEST POLITICAL NEWS AND BUZZ FROM WASHINGTON SECRETS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Goodman also said setting limits on how much internet-related spending was a good idea so that well-funded super PACs don\u2019t try to hide coordinated attacks behind it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe court sent the matter back to the commission to clarify which input costs are directly related to the production and dissemination of free internet communications, like staff time and production costs, versus costs that are only tangentially related to internet communications. I\u2019m confident the commission can draw reasonable distinctions and provide clear guidance to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/im-launching-an-investigation-into-big-tech-censorship-heres-why\/\" title=\"I\u2019m Launching An Investigation Into Big Tech Censorship. Here\u2019s Why.\">protect free speech<\/a> on the internet,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1698804\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1698804\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><a class=\"tdb-logo-a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" title=\"Washington Examiner\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-img-wrap\"><\/span><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-logo-text-title\">Washington Examiner<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<p><\/body><\/html><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A federal appeals court ruled that Hillary Clinton&#8217;s 2016 campaign and a liberal super PAC violated federal election laws by coordinating their spending efforts in a multimillion-dollar campaign to defend Clinton against Donald Trump. The court criticized the Federal Election Commission for not investigating the complaint and sent the case back to the FEC to address the issue. The court upheld the internet exemption for online political activities but emphasized the need for clearer guidelines to prevent abuse of the exemption. Former FEC Chairman Lee Goodman supported the court&#8217;s decision to set limits on internet-related spending to protect free speech online<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2647,"featured_media":2291498,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Clinton-Hearing-Benghazi-scaled-1024x761.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[34450,34451,34452],"class_list":["post-2291497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-clinton-2016-campaign","tag-liberal-super-pac","tag-spending-lines"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Clinton-Hearing-Benghazi-scaled-1024x761.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2291497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2647"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2291497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2291497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2291498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2291497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2291497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2291497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}