Federal Case Could Affect Future Campaigns

A few weeks ago, I reported on the indictment of Tom Noe of Ohio for criminal violations of campaign finance laws. Over the weekend, the Washington Post reported on the potential impact of this case on future campaigns.

One impact may be

More rules and regulations may be needed to protect politicians who can't keep tabs on their massive armies of solicitors, said Dan Hoffheimer, a Democratic National Committee member who served as a lawyer for John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign in Ohio.

"Campaigns need to continue to take a more active role in supervising the activities of their people in the field, but the problem is, how do we create a clear set of written rules for doing that?" Hoffheimer said.

The FEC is currently considering new rules for the definition of agent that may help. But in the end, it ins probably going to fall to the campaings to keep a tighter rein on their fundraisers. They should, they are in the best position to police their fundraisers.

Too often, in many cases, the fundraisers like Tom Noe have no training on any aspect of the campaign finance law, i.e. what they can and cannot do when raising money for federal candidates. Campaigns need to make sure their agents both understand and follow the law.