Campaign Finance Experts Discuss Upcoming Court Case at Oct. 1 Newsmaker

Two advocates of stronger campaign finance laws told a Club Newsmaker Oct. 1 that an upcoming Supreme Court case is ``about blowing up the contribution limits.''

Former Federal Election Commission Chairman Trevor Potter, founding president of the Campaign Legal Center, and Fred Wertheimer, founder and president of the advocacy group Democracy 21, previewed McCutcheon v. FEC, which the High Court will hear Oct. 8.

Republican donor Shawn McCutcheon, backed by the Republican National Committee, is looking to overturn overall contribution limits, which prevent him from giving any more than $123,200 to all candidates, political parties and political action committees in a single year.

Potter said that presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney set up joint fundraising committees with their political parties that allowed them to ask donors for checks of $70,000 apiece. ``The only thing that prevented those checks for being larger were the federal limits,'' Potter said. The court case ``is about blowing up the contribution limits.''

Wertheimer said that overturning the limits ``will recreate a system of legalized bribery'' since powerful lawmakers will be able to solicit million-dollar contributions for their campaigns and those of their allies.

``This case is about providing a tiny number of the wealthiest individuals new opportunities for corruption'' of federal officials, he said. ``Candidates will seek to raise the maximum amounts they can legally get.''