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Nominee to FEC pits lawyers vs. senators
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Race
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| Contributor | Craverguy |
| Last Edited | Craverguy Jul 14, 2009 04:27am |
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| Category | Analysis |
| Author | Reid Wilson |
| News Date | Tuesday, July 14, 2009 12:30:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | President Obama’s first nominee to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) has pitted the Washington legal community against senators bent on building new support for increased campaign finance regulations.
The fight, which features veteran election lawyers from both sides of aisle against reformist Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), comes as the FEC moves to streamline its enforcement process.
The election lawyers say that initiative will offer new measures of fairness. Those who favor more regulation worry the initiative will undermine campaign finance law at a key juncture, when the commission has frequently deadlocked in important decisions.
John Sullivan, the associate general counsel of the Service Employees International Union and Obama’s nominee to replace outgoing Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, has become the focal point in the battle between the two sides.
If he is confirmed, Sullivan would fill a void among the commission’s three Democrats.
Unlike the other two Democrats, Sullivan has practiced election law.
The only other election lawyer on the commission is Republican attorney Donald McGahn, whose term expired in April (though he remains on the job until his replacement is named).
“The commission would benefit from having more actual practitioners serve,” said Rob Kelner, a veteran Republican election attorney at Covington & Burling. “It’s difficult for a non-election lawyer to parachute in and figure things out quickly.”
Despite support from both Republicans and Democrats at prominent law firms, McCain and Feingold said late last month that they would not allow Sullivan’s nomination to go through under unanimous consent until Obama names commissioners to replace McGahn and Democratic Chairman Steven Walther, whose term also expires in April. |
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