excalibur
Diamond Member
- Mar 19, 2015
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Biden has now weaponized the FEC, a heretofore independent agency, by aligning it with his DOJ.
The Federal Election Commission has been “weaponized” to target political foes of the Biden administration, sometimes allowing weak charges to spark long and costly investigations, the second-longest serving member of the panel charged on Wednesday.
“The problem is stark,” said Commissioner James “Trey” Trainor, appointed in 2020 by former President Donald Trump. “It's the growing weaponization of the government to harass and hinder the political participation of our citizenry in the democratic process. The Federal Election Commission has become a weapon,” he told a House oversight committee.
Breaking from the general opening statements of the other five commission members, Trainor raised a red flag about federal agencies becoming “weaponized” against the administration’s opponents.
While he did not cite the indictments against former President Donald Trump or his allies, he did point to prosecutions of “current” politicians and a past investigation of a pro-Trump Facebook page operator.
“Make no mistake, the current headlines about the criminal prosecution of political actors reflects a trend that is going to continue for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, the commission has become part of that problem,” said Trainor, a Texas election lawyer who advised Trump's 2016 campaign.
What apparently sparked his concern was a decision by the independent FEC to enter into an agreement with the Biden Justice Department on investigations. Trainor said that it allows the DOJ to interfere in FEC campaign spending investigations and “secretly” share information.
That agreement, he said, “brings the commission squarely into the fold of executive agencies that routinely share information amongst themselves. Most disturbingly, members of the public are not given notice that their interactions with the FEC are memorialized by bureaucrats and could form the basis of criminal investigations.”
What’s more, he said, “This is not just a hypothetical situation, requests by the Department of Justice for us to stand aside so they can pursue a target are on the rise.”
Trainor also said that there has been an explosion in partisan demands for investigations.
...
www.washingtonexaminer.com
The Federal Election Commission has been “weaponized” to target political foes of the Biden administration, sometimes allowing weak charges to spark long and costly investigations, the second-longest serving member of the panel charged on Wednesday.
“The problem is stark,” said Commissioner James “Trey” Trainor, appointed in 2020 by former President Donald Trump. “It's the growing weaponization of the government to harass and hinder the political participation of our citizenry in the democratic process. The Federal Election Commission has become a weapon,” he told a House oversight committee.
Breaking from the general opening statements of the other five commission members, Trainor raised a red flag about federal agencies becoming “weaponized” against the administration’s opponents.
While he did not cite the indictments against former President Donald Trump or his allies, he did point to prosecutions of “current” politicians and a past investigation of a pro-Trump Facebook page operator.
“Make no mistake, the current headlines about the criminal prosecution of political actors reflects a trend that is going to continue for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, the commission has become part of that problem,” said Trainor, a Texas election lawyer who advised Trump's 2016 campaign.
What apparently sparked his concern was a decision by the independent FEC to enter into an agreement with the Biden Justice Department on investigations. Trainor said that it allows the DOJ to interfere in FEC campaign spending investigations and “secretly” share information.
That agreement, he said, “brings the commission squarely into the fold of executive agencies that routinely share information amongst themselves. Most disturbingly, members of the public are not given notice that their interactions with the FEC are memorialized by bureaucrats and could form the basis of criminal investigations.”
What’s more, he said, “This is not just a hypothetical situation, requests by the Department of Justice for us to stand aside so they can pursue a target are on the rise.”
Trainor also said that there has been an explosion in partisan demands for investigations.
...
FEC commissioner says agency ‘weaponized’ against GOP - Washington Examiner
The Federal Election Commission has been “weaponized” to target political foes of the Biden administration, sometimes allowing weak charges to spark long and costly investigations, the second-longest serving member of the panel charged on Wednesday.“The problem is stark,” said Commissioner James...
www.washingtonexaminer.com
