Is it insane that the FEC chair needs to inform politicians (read the president) about the law?

[apdst]

Always happy to set you straight.

Your most welcome. No, there's no need to thank me.

They've proposed this law to make information "something of value" because information isn't already..."something of value". :lamo

 

[ocean515]

What law school did you attend? You should demand your tuition back.

Yes, the FEC Rule does encompass foreign supplied "dirt". By its very nature, negative political information does indeed possess intrinsic value.

§30121. Contributions and donations by foreign nationals
(a) Prohibition
It shall be unlawful for-
(1) a foreign national, directly or indirectly, to make-
(A) a contribution or donation of money or other thing of value, or to make an express or implied promise to make a contribution or donation, in connection with a Federal, State, or local election;
(B) a contribution or donation to a committee of a political party; or
(C) an expenditure, independent expenditure, or disbursement for an electioneering communication (within the meaning of section 30104(f)(3) of this title); or
(2) a person to solicit, accept, or receive a contribution or donation described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1) from a foreign national.

In addition, Trump attempted to equate/conflate (a) "opposition research" which most American election campaigns engage in, with (b) soliciting/accepting political information/data from a foreign source.

These two nodes are different and distinct; (a) is lawful while (b) is unlawful (see §30121 above).

What law school did you attend, and where are you licensed to practice?

 

[Parrish]

I didn't say he was. But he was hired strictly because of his close ties with and ability to get information from Russians.

What Steele did was legal. What 45 and his syndicate did wasn't.

 

[Parrish]

So your point is that candidates should hire middlemen to deal with foreign governments and foreign sources.

IN FACT, Steel is BRITISH, not American. His agency is British. It is located in Britain. It doesn't matter if he is still with M16 or any other organization. Your argument is totally irrelevant to anything.

It also means you are being 100% totally and knowingly hypocritical in your messages in that you don't really give a damn about dirt on opponents from foreigners. It is all the endless totally fake, 100% false and 100% hypocritical concocted endless pretend outrage over things that the Democrat doesn't believe him/herself for 1 second.

Why do Democrats think posting totally false messages and totally hypocritical fake outrage persuades anyone? Is there some who-can-be-MORE hypocritical and false to prove partisan loyalty going on? Seems like it.

My post means you have NO idea what you're talking about.

 

[Parrish]

Value means "cash value".

VERB
estimate the monetary worth of (something).
"his estate was valued at $45,000"
synonyms:
evaluate · assess · estimate · appraise · assay · rate · price · [more]
consider (someone or something) to be important or beneficial; have a high opinion of.
"she had come to value her privacy and independence"
synonyms:
cherished · treasured · dear · prized · favorite · precious · [more]

 

[OldFatGuy]

And with the law of course I mean the law that makes it illegal for a US politician to (and I quote from the head of the FEC):

“Let me make something 100% clear to the American public and anyone running for public office: It is illegal for any person to solicit, accept, or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a U.S. election.”

Is it insane that the FEC Chair needs to inform, especially after the words of the president, that it is illegal/against the law to get dirt from a foreign national/government.

It is an interpretation. Sitting judges usually have law clerks to research laws, uses and precedents. Not unusual for anyone in a leadership position of any sort not to have similar needs and assistance.

However, since the law is aimed and has been both used and ignored by many presidents from George Washington (he accepted a sword of victory from the French as a personal gift) onwards, toward objects of wealth, and not information, making it stick to data may not be so simple as you suggest. Abe Lincoln accepted data from the British about blockade runners during the Civil War, as the British hedged their bets, doing business with the Confederacy. JFK accepted, as an inauguration gift a gilded and jeweled antique Japanese chest from the Emperor and living god, he kept on his desk to store pens and pencils, he in turn gifted it to his son John in his will. Caroline now owns that chest, valued today at $2.2 mil.

While Trump's declaration of willingness to accept dirt on opponents from foreign sources may be unacceptable behavior, something which FDR also did and used against some of his political opponents, making it stick as a violation of law may be an entirely different matter. I don't know should have been an available choice in your poll.