Thread by @EllenLWeintraub

THREAD: Shout-outs are in order in the wake of the ~$1 million in penalties obtained from Right to Rise & the foreign nationals who gave to the #superPAC illegally. Many players did a terrific job. In order: @FEC, @OpenSecretsDC, @theintercept, @CampaignLegal, & FEC again.

1/10

@FEC @OpenSecretsDC @theintercept @CampaignLegal First up: The @FEC’s excellent website, fec.gov, provides the raw materials that allow journalists, nonprofits, researchers, and the public to follow the money. In this case, data from Right to Rise’s filings was scooped up by…

2/10

fec.gov

@FEC @OpenSecretsDC @theintercept @CampaignLegal …the indispensable @OpenSecretsDC, otherwise known as The Center for Responsive Politics, which slices and dices @FEC data and adds tremendous value.

Here’s CRP exec director @skrmhlz, speaking at the FEC, explaining how they do what they do:

3/10

@FEC @OpenSecretsDC @theintercept @CampaignLegal @skrmhlz A @nytimes op-ed I wrote in March 2016 (nytimes.com/2016/03/30/opi…) about #CitizensUnited caught the eye of Jon @Schwarz of @theintercept, who wrote it up and then got curious about how he might track down foreign dollars flowing into US elections.

theintercept.com/2016/03/31/for…

4/10

@FEC @OpenSecretsDC @theintercept @CampaignLegal @skrmhlz @nytimes @schwarz Schwarz roped in investigative-reporting colleague Lee Fang (@lhfang).

They searched @OpenSecretsDC’s data and found the suspicious contributions to Right to Rise.

5/10

opensecrets.org/outside-spendi…

@FEC @OpenSecretsDC @theintercept @CampaignLegal @skrmhlz @nytimes @schwarz @lhfang Schwarz & Fang worked the story for months, and wrote up what they found in a blockbuster series in August 2016.

Here’s part 1: “The #CitizensUnited Playbook: How a Top GOP Lawyer Guided a Chinese-Owned Company Into U.S. Presidential Politics”

6/10

theintercept.com/2016/08/03/gop…

@FEC @OpenSecretsDC @theintercept @CampaignLegal @skrmhlz @nytimes @schwarz @lhfang @theintercept’s story was, in turn, picked up by @CampaignLegal, which filed a complaint with @FEC a week later.

7/10

campaignlegalcenter.org/sites/default/…

@FEC @OpenSecretsDC @theintercept @CampaignLegal @skrmhlz @nytimes @schwarz @lhfang At this point, the @FEC’s Office of General Counsel took over. They built the case, secured the critical go-ahead votes from the Commission, and negotiated the largest penalties in one matter in the post-#CitizensUnited era.

8/10

@FEC @OpenSecretsDC @theintercept @CampaignLegal @skrmhlz @nytimes @schwarz @lhfang At every step along the way, the system worked. @FEC did its disclosure job, the press did its reporting job, & the #campaignfinance community did its watchdog job, enabling the hardworking professionals in FEC’s Office of General Counsel to bring the case home. Well done.

9/10

@FEC @OpenSecretsDC @theintercept @CampaignLegal @skrmhlz @nytimes @schwarz @lhfang This sort of effort in this sort of matter is vital, because, as I’ve said: Foreign interference in our elections is a direct attack on our democracy. I am deadly serious when it comes to tracking down and punishing foreign spending in our elections.

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