The Advocate: Washington Watch: PACs Packed with Plenty of Loopholes

The Harber case was “low-hanging fruit,” said Paul S. Ryan, of the watchdog Campaign Legal Center in Washington. Nonetheless, Ryan said, “It’s a good sign that the Department of Justice prosecuted this obvious violation of the coordination rules.”

What’s troubling to Ryan is that some apparently obvious examples of coordination aren’t violations at all. Candidates aren’t supposed to ask super PAC donors to give more than the $5,000 limit that applies to other PACs — but it’s perfectly OK for a candidate to make his pitch at a fundraiser and then turn the microphone over to an operative who asks for bigger checks.

To read the full story in The Advocate, click here.