February 21, 2017 Via Certified Mail Lynne A. McFarland Inspector General Office of Inspector General Federal Election Commission 999 E Street, NW Room 940 Washington, DC 20463 Designated Agency Ethics Officer Federal Election Commission 999 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20463 Re: Request for Investigation Dear Inspector General McFarland and FEC Designated Agency Ethics Officer, I write on behalf of Cause of Action Institute (“CoA Institute”), a nonprofit strategic oversight group committed to ensuring that government decision-making is open, honest, and fair.1 In carrying out its mission, CoA Institute uses various investigative and legal tools to educate the public about the importance of government transparency and accountability. CoA Institute requests that you open an investigation2 to determine whether Ellen Weintraub, a Commissioner of the Federal Election Commission (“FEC”), violated applicable ethics regulations when she used government property and official time to call on President Trump to provide evidence of his claims of voter fraud in New Hampshire and then continued to promote her statement after it was issued. We also urge you to determine whether it is appropriate for the FEC website to continue to host Commissioner Weintraub’s statement. Factual Background On February 9, 2017, President Trump was reported to have stated that voter fraud in New Hampshire cost him and former Senator Kelly Ayotte electoral victories in that state in 1 See CAUSE OF ACTION INSTITUTE, About, www.causeofaction.org/about/. CoA Institute was unable to determine the identity of the FEC’s designated agency ethics officer; as such, we ask that this request for investigation be forwarded to the appropriate ethics officials. 2 Inspector General McFarland & FEC Designated Agency Ethics Officer February 21, 2017 November 2016.3 In response to that news report, Commissioner Weintraub issued a statement, currently hosted on the FEC website, calling “upon President Trump to immediately share his evidence with the public and with the appropriate law-enforcement authorities so that his allegations may be investigated promptly and thoroughly.”4 Her statement also claimed that the “scheme the President of the United States alleges would constitute thousands of felony criminal offenses under New Hampshire law.”5 Commissioner Weintraub subsequently appeared on CNN6 and NPR7 to discuss her statement. When subsequently asked her about her statement, Commissioner Weintraub answered that “[a]s a commissioner on the Federal Election Commission, I fight every day to build the faith of the American people in our elections. . . . It’s absolutely my right to raise public questions about another public official’s statements about the integrity of our elections.”8 In October 2016, however, Commissioner Weintraub took the exact opposite stance, stating through her Twitter account that matters of voter fraud were beyond FEC jurisdiction.9 Specifically, in response to the question “What is the FEC doing abt [sic] recent reports of voter fraud?” Commissioner Weintraub replied, “That’s outside the @FEC’s jurisdiction. We do campaign finance *only*. The elections themselves are handled by the states.”10 Discussion of the Ethics Violations FEC regulations provide that FEC members and employees are covered by the Office of Government Ethics (“OGE”) rules governing, inter alia, the proper use of government property and official time.11 An “employee” for the purposes of these OGE rules includes “any officer or employee of an agency, including a special Government employee.”12 An “agency” is defined as “an executive agency as defined in 5 U.S.C. § 105.”13 In turn, an executive agency is defined as “an Executive Department, a Government corporation, and an independent establishment.”14 3 See, e.g., Erica Werner, Trump revived voter fraud claims in lunch with senators, ABC NEWS (Feb. 10, 2017), http://abcn.ws/2kXKFBR. 4 Fed. Election Comm’n, Statement of Comm’r Ellen L. Weintraub (Feb. 10, 2017) (Ex. 1), available at http://bit.ly/2lmPnKe. 5 Id. 6 @EllenLWeintraub, Twitter (Feb. 13, 2017, 9:57 PM), http://bit.ly/2kONH8U (“Get the scoop on my request for #voterfraud proof from @POTUS with @ErinBurnett on @OutFrontCNN”) (Ex. 2). 7 Morning Edition, Trump Claims Voter Fraud, FEC Commissioner Wants Administration’s Evidence, NAT’L PUB. RADIO (Feb. 15, 2017), http://n.pr/2lTtBLU (Ex. 3); see also @EllenLWeintraub, Twitter (Feb. 15, 2017, 10:32 AM) (promoting appearance on NPR) (Ex. 5). 8 Joe Schoffstall, Dem FEC Commission Potentially Violated Federal Ethics Laws With Trump Demand, WASH. FREE BEACON (Feb. 15, 2017), http://bit.ly/2kOJsu1. 9 @EllenLWeintraub, Twitter (Oct. 7, 2016, 7:08 AM), http://bit.ly/2kXoUSK (Ex. 4). 10 Id. 11 7 C.F.R. § 7.1 (FEC “members and employees . . . are subject to the following regulations . . . 5 CFR part 2635”). 12 5 C.F.R. § 2635.102(h). 13 Id. § 2635.102(a). 14 5 U.S.C. § 105. Inspector General McFarland & FEC Designated Agency Ethics Officer February 21, 2017 The FEC likely qualifies as “an independent establishment”15 and Commissioner Weintraub is an “officer” because of her leadership position and Senate confirmation.16 These definitions notwithstanding, the FEC provides that its “members and employees” are subject to OGE rules.17 OGE regulations regarding the use of government property provide that “[a]n employee has a duty to protect and conserve Government property and shall not use such property, or allow its use, for other than authorized purposes.”18 Such purposes are limited to those “for which Government property is made available to members of the public or those purposes authorized in accordance with law or regulation.”19 Similarly, OGE regulations limit the use of official time to “to perform[ing] official duties.”20 An employee is prohibited from “encourage[ing], direct[ing], coerc[ing], or request[ing] a subordinate to use official time to perform activities other than those required in the performance of official duties or authorized in accordance with law or regulation.”21 Pursuant to these rules, Commissioner Weintraub may only use FEC property and act in her official capacity for purposes that advance the FEC mission as authorized by law. Consistent with Commissioner Weintraub’s October 2016 Twitter statement, FEC jurisdiction is limited to the administration of federal campaign finance law. The FEC’s authorizing authority provides that it “shall administer, seek to obtain compliance with, and formulate policy with respect to, this Act [i.e., the Federal Election Campaign Act, as amended] and chapter 95 and chapter 96 of Title 26. The Commission shall have exclusive jurisdiction with respect to the civil enforcement of such provisions.”22 The cited chapters of Title 26 of the U.S. Code relate to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund and primary matching accounts. In compliance with its authorizing statute, the FEC website describes its jurisdiction as being limited to “the financing of campaigns for the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate, the Presidency and the Vice Presidency. Federal campaign finance law covers three broad subjects . . . : [1] public disclosure of funds raised and spent to influence federal elections; [2] restrictions on contributions and expenditures made to influence federal elections; and [3] the public financing of Presidential campaigns.”23 As evidenced by her tweet in October 2016, Commissioner Weintraub was and is aware of the boundaries of the FEC’s authority.24 See id. § 104(1) (An independent establishment is “an establishment in the executive branch (other than the United States Postal Service or the Postal Regulatory Commission) which is not an Executive department, military department, Government corporation, or part thereof, or part of an independent establishment[.]”). 16 See generally Free Enter. Fund v. Pub. Co. Accounting Oversight Bd., 561 U.S. 477, 510–13 (2010) (discussing principal and inferior officers and collecting cases). 17 7 C.F.R. § 7.1. 18 5 C.F.R. § 2635.704(a). 19 Id. § 2635.704(b)(2). 20 Id. § 2635.705(a). 21 Id. § 2635.705(b). 22 52 U.S.C. § 30106(b)(1). 23 FED. ELECTION. COMM’N, THE FEC AND THE FEDERAL CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAW (updated Feb. 2017), http://bit.ly/2l16P66. 24 See Ex. 4. 15 Inspector General McFarland & FEC Designated Agency Ethics Officer February 21, 2017 Despite her knowledge of the FEC’s limited jurisdiction, the two subjects discussed in Commissioner Weintraub’s February 2017 statement — investigating alleged voter fraud and New Hampshire felony criminal violations — go beyond that jurisdiction. In addition, the statement was issued on FEC letterhead and remains, as of the time of this letter, posted on the FEC website.25 Commissioner Weintraub also used her official time and status to prepare the statement, direct her staff to format and publish the statement, and promote the statement on CNN and NPR. For these reasons, Commissioner Weintraub’s use of government property to issue the statement and the time she took to defend that statement in national media outlets are violations of the ethics regulations to which she is subject. Conclusion The public must have confidence that federal agency employees are acting within their ethical requirements and that taxpayer dollars are being used for the purposes for which they are appropriated by Congress. Commissioner Weintraub’s behavior threatens the public’s faith in both of these important principals. CoA Institute therefore requests that you open an investigation to determine whether and to what extent she has violated her ethical obligations in this matter. We further urge you to remove the offending statement from the FEC website. If you have any questions about this request for investigation, please contact me at (202) 499-4232 or james.valvo@causeofaction.org. Thank you for your attention to this matter. _______________________________ R. JAMES VALVO, III COUNSEL & SENIOR POLICY ADVISOR 25 See Ex. 1. EXHIBIT 1 http://www.fec.gov/members/weintraub/statements/ELW-POTUS-voter-fraud-statement.pdf FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20463 Statement of Commissioner Ellen L. Weintraub Regarding Allegations by the President of the United States of Widespread Voter Fraud in New Hampshire February 10, 2017 According to widespread news reports circulating today,1 President Trump has alleged an astonishing voter-fraud scheme that he claims denied him and former Sen. Kelly Ayotte victory in the state of New Hampshire in the 2016 elections. The scheme the President of the United States alleges would constitute thousands of felony criminal offenses under New Hampshire law.2 As a Commissioner on the Federal Election Commission, I am acutely aware that our democracy rests on the faith of the American people in the integrity of their elections. The President has issued an extraordinarily serious and specific charge. Allegations of this magnitude cannot be ignored. I therefore call upon President Trump to immediately share his evidence with the public and with the appropriate law-enforcement authorities so that his allegations may be investigated promptly and thoroughly. 1 See, e.g., “The Latest: Trump revives claims of voter fraud,” THE WASHINGTON POST (found at https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/whitehouse/the-latest-trump-tells-xi-hell-honor-one-chinapolicy/2017/02/09/fa1172ac-ef48-11e6-a100-fdaaf400369a_story.html); “Trump brings up vote fraud again, this time in meeting with senators,” POLITICO (found at http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/trumpvoter-fraud-senators-meeting-234909); “Trump: Ayotte would have won Senate reelection if not for voter fraud,” THE HILL (found at http://thehill.com/homenews/news/318986-trump-ayotte-would-have-wonreelection-if-not-for-voter-fraud). 2 RSA 659:34(I)(e) and 659:34(II). EXHIBIT 2   Home  Moments Notifications Ellen L Weintraub @EllenLWeintraub    Follow Get the scoop on my request for #voterfraud  proof from @POTUS  with @ErinBurnett on  @OutFrontCNN  CNN © 2017 Twitter Ellen L Weintraub About  Help Center Terms Privacy policy Cookies  Ads info @EllenLWeintraub   fec.gov/members/weintr… 0:03 / 3:32 Video   Joined April 2010 See more at cnn.com RETWEETS LIKES 20 27 9:57 PM ­ 13 Feb 2017     4     20   27   FEC Commissioner, 2­time Chair, ethics/election lawyer, mom, wife, dog lover, movie & mystery buff, still a New Yorker at heart  EXHIBIT 3 ǾŇ ǺİŘ ŇǾẄ ẄǺMŲ 88.5 ňpřpǿŀįțįčș PǾĿİŤİČȘ Țřųmp Čŀǻįmș Vǿțěř Fřǻųđ, FĚČ Čǿmmįșșįǿňěř Ẅǻňțș Ǻđmįňįșțřǻțįǿň'ș Ěvįđěňčě Ŀįșțěň · 3:43 Qųěųě Đǿẅňŀǿǻđ Țřǻňșčřįpț Fěbřųǻřỳ 15, 2017 · 4:59 ǺM ĚȚ Ħěǻřđ ǿň Mǿřňįňģ Ěđįțįǿň NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Ellen Weintraub — commissioner of the Federal Election Commission — about the Trump administration's claims of voter fraud. STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Let's hear a challenge to the Trump administration's latest false claims about voter fraud. POLITICO reported that last week President Trump in a closed door Senate meeting said that illegal votes cost Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte her seat in the Senate and prevented him from carrying the state during the election. Last weekend, White House adviser Stephen Miller claimed that thousands of people were bussed from Massachusetts to vote illegally in New Hampshire although he had no evidence. Here's Miller with George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week." (SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THIS WEEK") GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: I'm asking you as the White House senior policy adviser. The president made a statement saying he was the victim of voter fraud, people being bussed... STEPHEN MILLER: And the president was. STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you have any evidence? MILLER: And if this is an issue ­ the reality is is that we know for a fact you have massive numbers of non­citizens registered to vote in this country. Nobody disputes that. INSKEEP: Actually, many people dispute that including Ellen Weintraub, who spoke with our colleague Rachel Martin. Weintraub is a commissioner with the Federal Election Commission. She was appointed by President George W. Bush. And she is asking the administration to turn over its evidence. ELLEN WEINTRAUB: I've heard from thousands of people. And there are office holders, including Republican office holders in the state of New Hampshire, who's have already come out and said that there was no such fraud in that election. RACHEL MARTIN, BYLINE: How do they know? WEINTRAUB: Nobody has complained about it. Nobody's come forward with any evidence so far. And people have looked into it. There have been massive numbers of studies about voter fraud in the last number of years. The Southern Poverty Law Center has looked into it. Courts have looked into it. The National Association of Secretaries of States have looked into it. And nobody can find any evidence of this, which is why it would be so alarming if this was going on and there was evidence out there that nobody else had uncovered. The concern is on the part of a lot of these people that allegations of voter fraud that may or may not have backup will be used to enact more stringent voter restrictions that will interfere with bonafide legitimate American citizens exercising their right to vote. And that is the voter fraud that we ought to be alarmed about. MARTIN: It's my understanding the FEC doesn't actually investigate voter fraud, right? WEINTRAUB: That is true. MARTIN: So how would you like to see this unfold? WEINTRAUB: I think first of all let's get the facts straight. And if we don't have a shared set of facts that everyone can agree to, then we are not going to be able to find common ground on what policies to adopt going forward. So let's start with the allegations that have been made and see if there's any backup for them. If there isn't, then I think a lot of people ­ I've heard from people in New Hampshire who say they want an apology. If there have been allegations that there was massive fraud in their election and there weren't, then they're offended by that. MARTIN: Stephen Miller, the White House aide who we heard that clip from at the top, was not the first in this administration to claim widespread voter fraud, but this is the first time you have chosen to speak out. What was it about those comments? I mean, why now? WEINTRAUB: Well, it's fairly early in the administration. There were comments made before the administration actually took office. And I would never speak out during the candidate phase. But I think when the president of the United States speaks out on an issue that goes to the very integrity of our elections, that really caught my attention, and I felt compelled to speak out as somebody who's spent my entire career trying to ensure government integrity and accountability. And American citizens continue to have faith in our democracy and in our electoral integrity. If there are facts underlying this, then we need to get to the bottom of those facts. But if there aren't, then we should not be making policy decisions based on facts that don't really exist. MARTIN: Ellen Weintraub is a commissioner with the Federal Election Commission. She talked to us in our studios in Washington. Thanks for coming in. WEINTRAUB: Thank you so much. INSKEEP: And she was talking with our colleague Rachel Martin. Copyright © 2017 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Correction Feb. 15, 2017 Ellen Weintraub, commissioner of the Federal Election Commission, spoke to NPR on her own behalf. A headline on an earlier Web version of this story incorrectly said she was speaking for the FEC. Șųbșčřįbě țǿ țħě ŇPŘ Pǿŀįțįčș Pǿđčǻșț İŤŲŇĚȘ ĢǾǾĢĿĚ PĿǺỲ MŲȘİČ ȘŤİŤČĦĚŘ ŘȘȘ Mǿřě Șțǿřįěș Fřǿm ŇPŘ EXHIBIT 4 1ii'uia-married THRUST @High_n_Rig ht DEI @edhenni This has EDT to be some right?What is the FEC deing abt recent reperts (at ureter fraudAJLH - ?u - I-I- . 'lu-u-u Inn-1' "Ml hl?-I lulu-Ind Im ['uI-uIl-u? H-I?ull. Il- rMmt?lnlI-rl? ll'?ll' Fair. - I-J I- -. ul? WO- uiunuI-l?aq - ?h-hrI-I. 11 1 in reelsr ta @High_n_Right Ellen LWeintraub @EllenLWeintraub . @High_n_Right That's outside the @FEC'sjurisdictian. We do campaign finance *enly*. The elections themselves are handled by the states. YHJE AM - I EDIE: 4 1 LIKE 41 1?3 F3 EXHIBIT 5 Ellen L Weintraub   Follow @EllenLWeintraub   Today’s @MorningEdition: ‘Trump Claims  #VoterFraud, @FEC Commissioner Wants  Administration’s Evidence’ n.pr/2kp2laV @NPR Trump Claims Voter Fraud, FEC Commissioner Wants Adm… NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Ellen Weintraub — commissioner of the Federal Election Commission — about the Trump administration's claims of voter fraud. npr.org RETWEETS LIKES 9 18 PATRICE B 10:32 AM ­ 15 Feb 2017   10   9   18