Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Congress-woman Carol Shea-Porter, and Congress-woman Ann Kuster are all named in an FEC complaint filed against Catalist by the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT).
(WashingtonExaminer) Catalist, the Washington, D.C.-based firm at the heart of the allegations, was accused of “providing candidates and federal party committees data and list-related products and services at below-market rates, constituting excessive, source-prohibited, and unreported in-kind contributions” to the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Fifteen pages of candidate committees are listed in the complaint.
(Washington Free Beacon) Catalist’s clients include members of Congress, Democratic Party organs, and independent expenditure groups that are legally prohibited from coordinating with political campaigns. Citing statements by Catalist clients, FACT argues that the firm has served as a means to coordinate all of their efforts behind the scenes.
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Allegations in the complaint also raise questions about Catalist’s origins. Its founder and president, Harold Ickes, currently sits on the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee, which Ickes said in 2013 is “the most important committee at the DNC because of its role in shaping the nomination process.”“The Commission should investigate the relationship” between Catalist and the DNC to determine if the firm is “financed, maintained, or controlled by the DNC and is, therefore, subject to the soft money ban,” FACT wrote.
I suspect that there are a number of groups from New Hampshire with ties to Catalist or the campaigns listed who are not named in the complaint, unions included.
(Watchdog.org) A “progressive” data and technology vendor based in Washington, D.C., Catalist is backed by the National Education Association, Service Employees International Union and the AFL-CIO and its member unions — because of its ideological goals and its ties to the Democratic Party.
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Although NEA, SEIU and AFL-CIO are not named in the FEC complaint against Catalist, they and other unions have paid the firm $10,473,521 since 2007. Unions also are key donors to DA’s “Committee on States” project.
If you like homework assignments feel free to dig into any part of this and let us know what you uncover, and remember: NH Dem party chair Ray Buckley is a vice chair of the DNC which is named in the complaint and while the Maine and Vermont Democrat Parties are specifically named, New Hampshire’s is not.
H/T Moe Lane
