Campaign Legal Center Worried About FEC Recess Appointments; Others React, Accusing CLC of Hypocrisy on Issue

The Campaign Legal Center has issued a press release, on the new FEC nominations. A relevant part:

The apparent intention to push these nominees through as recess appointments, without debate or an up-or-down vote, would deny the public the right to give these nominees serious scrutiny. And the background of the nominees themselves raises serious questions about whether they would firmly enforce campaign finance law, or continue the agency's 'business as usual' tendency to protect powerful political interests, rather than the public interest in clean elections.

Allison Hayward reacts, noting "UPDATE: Apparently making a recess appointment during the complex rulemaking of 2002, necessitated by BCRA, was A-OK. See 'McCain placed hold on all pending nominations' from July 2002. Here's the CLC's account - an article from the Washington Post on their site. How times change." Former FEC chair Brad Smith offers similar thoughts. See also these thoughts on the nomination from the Lonely Centrist.

Posted by Rick Hasen at December 19, 2005 10:46 AM