Gannett: To Lead or To Spend: Wisconsin Lawmakers and Their PACs

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There are few rules governing how leadership committee funds are spent. There is no prohibition on personal use, according to Larry Noble, the former general counsel at the Federal Elections Commission who is now with the non-profit Campaign Legal Center. And they allow members of Congress to take in more money than a traditional campaign account. Donors can give $5,000 per year to a leadership committee, almost double the amount they can give to a campaign.

 

Still, Noble, the former FEC lawyer now working at the Campaign Legal Center, suggested all such shops may need to be reined in. He said they have strayed far beyond their intended purpose.

 

"These were supposed to be for, as the name suggests, leaders in Congress or those wanting to become leaders," Noble said. "But what happened was once they got going, it turned out everybody was a leader in Congress. Who knew?"

 

To read the full story in one of the Gannett papers, click here.