Democratic commissioner has been no-show from public meetings since early December

BY: Joe Schoffstall
February 19, 2017 12:45 pm

A Democratic Federal Election Commission official who pushed to regulate the internet and has been absent from public meetings for months is resigning, according to an announcement.

Ann Ravel, who wanted to regulate political speech on the internet from websites such as the Drudge Report, announced Sunday that she is stepping down from her post.

“It’s been an honor to serve the FEC. I’m committed to transparency – here’s my resignation letter to Donald Trump,” Ravel tweeted on Sunday morning.

Ravel attached her resignation letter to President Donald Trump, which focused on asking Trump to prioritize campaign finance reform.

“I respectfully urge you to prioritize campaign finance reform to remedy the significant problems identified during the last election cycle,” the letter says. “Disclosure laws need to be strengthened; the mistaken jurisprudence of Citizens United reexamined; public financing of candidates ought to be expanded to reduce reliance on the wealthy; and Commissioners who will carry out the mandates of the law should be appointed to expired terms at the FEC. Thank you very much.”

Ravel’s resignation will be effective March 1.

https://freebeacon.com/issues/internet-regulating-fec-commissioner-resign/

file photo Boyd Loving

Secrecy around police surveillance equipment proves a case’s undoing

By Ellen Nakashima February 22 at 3:10 PM

TALLAHASSEE — The case against Tadrae McKenzie looked like an easy win for prosecutors. He and two buddies robbed a small-time pot dealer of $130 worth of weed using BB guns. Under Florida law, that was robbery with a deadly weapon, with a sentence of at least four years in prison.

But before trial, his defense team detected investigators’ use of a secret surveillance tool, one that raises significant privacy concerns. In an unprecedented move, a state judge ordered the police to show the device —a cell-tower simulator sometimes called a StingRay — to the attorneys.

Rather than show the equipment, the state offered McKenzie a plea bargain.

Today, 20-year-old McKenzie is serving six months’ probation after pleading guilty to a second-degree misdemeanor. He got, as one civil liberties advocate said, the deal of the century. (The other two defendants also pleaded guilty and were sentenced to two years’ probation.)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/secrecy-around-police-surveillance-equipment-proves-a-cases-undoing/2015/02/22/ce72308a-b7ac-11e4-aa05-1ce812b3fdd2_story.html?hpid=z1