Campaign Legal Center's report documents digital transparency gaps in the 2020 elections. CLC's research found that over a dozen super PACs or dark money groups reported tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in digital independent expenditures to the FEC, but none or only a fraction of the FEC-reported ads could be identified in the Facebook, Google, Snapchat, or Reddit archives.

Today, CLC submitted public comments to the Vermont State Ethics Commission regarding a proposed statutory ethics code. CLC’s comments support Vermont’s effort to promulgate a statute with meaningful safeguards to maintain Vermonters’ trust in their state government. 

Specifically, CLC’s comments recommend changes to the proposed code’s gift rules, misuse of position provision, and outside and post-government employment restrictions. CLC also recommends that the Vermont State Ethics Commission house all financial disclosure documents and ethics disclosures required to be filed by state public servants in a searchable, sortable, and downloadable format on the ethics commission’s website. 

CLC filed a complaint with the FEC alleging that FL-19 Congressional candidate Byron Donalds violated federal law by “transfer[ring]” nonfederal funds from a candidate-controlled state political committee, Friends of Byron Donalds, to a federal super PAC in connection with Donalds’s federal election, and that Conservatives for Effective Government and Friends of Byron Donalds made a contribution to the super PAC in violation of federal law’s straw donor ban.

CLC filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that the authorized campaign committee of MN-05 congressional candidate Antone Melton-Meaux violated campaign finance law's reporting requirements by routing over 77% of its spending through three recently created LLCs. 

On November 15, 2019, the district court granted the motion to intervene filed by Correct the Record and Hillary for America, allowing the groups to participate in the case as intervenor-defendants notwithstanding the FEC’s absence.

On July 24, 2020, plaintiffs filed a motion for summary judgment and supporting brief arguing that the dismissal of CLC’s administrative complaint against Correct the Record and the Clinton campaign was contrary to law and should be set aside.

On February 4, 2020, intervenor-defendants Correct the Record and Hillary for America moved to dismiss the amended complaint, arguing that plaintiffs lack standing and fail to state a claim on which relief can be granted.

On March 27, 2020, intervenor-defendants Correct the Record and Hillary for America filed a reply in further support of their motion to dismiss.

On June 4, 2020, the district court denied the motion to dismiss filed by intervenor-defendants Correct the Record and Hillary for America, ruling that plaintiffs have established their standing and state a claim upon which relief can be granted.

On March 5, 2020, CLC filed a memorandum in opposition to the intervenor-defendants’ motion to dismiss the amended complaint.