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Internet-Regulating FEC Commissioner to Resign

big-brother-is-watching-you-1984-poster

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/

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FEC chief: We can’t stop election abuse

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“People think the FEC is dysfunctional,” she added. “It’s worse than dysfunctional.”

By Mark Hensch

The head of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) said in an article published Sunday that her organization is powerless to safeguard against misconduct in 2016 presidential campaign fundraising and spending.

“The likelihood of the law being enforced is slim,” FEC Chairwoman Ann M. Ravel told The New York Times.

“I never want to give up, but I’m not under any illusions,” Ravel said.

“People think the FEC is dysfunctional,” she added. “It’s worse than dysfunctional.”

Ravel told the newspaper that the commission’s partisan gridlock is its fatal flaw. The agency’s six commissioners often find themselves locked in unbreakable ties along ideological lines, she added.

Ravel, a Democrat, vowed she would “bridge the partisan gap” upon becoming the agency’s leader last December. Five months later, she finds herself embroiled in the exact conflict she hoped to avoid.

“What’s really going on is that the Republican commissioners don’t want to enforce the law, except in the most obvious cases,” she told the Times.

https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/fundraising/240896-fec-chief-we-cant-stop-2016-election-abuse