FEC considers advisory opinion request and Audit Division recommendation memorandum

WASHINGTON – The Federal Election Commission today considered an Advisory Opinion Request and instructed agency staff to revise an Audit Division Recommendation Memorandum.

Advisory Opinion Request 2016-23 (Socialist Workers Party). The Commission discussed three drafts in response to an advisory opinion request from the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), but was unable to render an opinion by the required four affirmative votes. As a result, the request for the Commission to extend the partial reporting exemption provided in earlier advisory opinions to SWP was not approved. During today’s discussion, the Commission heard from representatives of and counsel for the requestor.

Audit Division Recommendation Memorandum on the Colorado Republican Committee. The Commission approved a vote to direct Audit Division staff to withdraw the Audit Division Recommendation Memorandum on the Colorado Republican Committee and to submit a revised version to incorporate recently submitted information received from the Committee. The previously circulated Audit Memorandum, covering financial activity between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2012, disclosed findings and recommendations related to the misstatement of financial activity, reporting of apparent independent expenditures, recordkeeping for communications, and failure to itemize debts and obligations.

Recognition of Departing Senior Staff Member

The Commissioners thanked a departing senior staff member for his service to the agency. Adav Noti, Associate General Counsel, is leaving the Commission to take a position as Director of Trial Litigation at the Campaign Legal Center. Noti joined the Commission in 2007 in its Litigation Division, where he served as an attorney from 2007 to 2011. In 2012, he was named Acting Assistant General Counsel in the Litigation Division, and served as Acting Associate General Counsel in the Policy Division from 2013 to 2016, before permanently assuming that role in 2016.