McCain and Feingold Place Hold on FEC Nominee

Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and John McCain (R-AZ) have placed a hold on the nomination of John Sullivan to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). According to Politico [1] they have indicated they would release the hold only if President Obama announces two additional nominees to fill the other expired seats. This is a particularly interesting development considering recent events at the FEC and that Sullivan was presumed to face an easy confirmation.

A joint statement from Feingold and McCain said, "The FEC is currently mired in anti-enforcement gridlock. [. . .] The president must nominate new commissioners. with a demonstrated commitment to the existence and enforcement of the campaign finance laws. "

The statement from McCain and Feingold references the current state of affairs at the FEC, where partisan 3-3 votes on enforcement matters are common. In light of news that Citizens United will be reargued, the Supreme Court may also notice the consistent inability to enforce campaign finance law. The Court will consider whether or not to overturn restrictions on corporate funding of political campaigns. For more on the Citizens United case, read this article [2] from the latest Watcher.