Staff Reports
The FEC agreed to pay the NRA $25,000 to settle its dispute over the agency's refusal to turn over documents related to an election lawsuit. The documents had been withheld from the organization as it faced allegations of election spending irregularities.
The National Rifle Association was determined to obtain the documents that the group was required to turn over in response to a lawsuit filed by the group's critic, Gabby Giffords.
Today, the @FEC agreed to pay @NRA $25,000 in attorney's fees to settle another FOIA lawsuit in which the FEC refused to hand over docs to the NRA about its own enforcement matter—a practice a federal court says violates the law.
The documents never should have been withheld. pic.twitter.com/l3vFStYDHg
— Sean Cooksey (@SeanJCooksey) August 8, 2023
It's scandalous that the FEC kept the case open, even though it was aware of the activities of the National Rifle Association. Moreover, the agency failed to disclose the actions of the organization. In response, the group led by former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords sued the NRA, accusing it of using illegal entities to support the political campaigns of Donald Trump and other Republican senators. This is a desperate attempt to make the organization look bad.
The group believed that the documents would be used as evidence in its defense against the suit filed by Giffords. They said that the agency had essentially voted to not take any action. As a result, Republican commissioner Sean Cooksey criticized the agency for hiding the documents. He then took to social media to share the news about the settlement.
The ongoing controversy has been attributed to partisan politics. Many of the agency's Republican commissioners have been complaining about its failure to close cases and conceal votes, especially on contentious issues. They have been trying to change this practice in order to prevent it from happening, which is a tactic used by Democrats to keep cases open even after they have voted against the agency. It allows them to claim that the enforcement of laws is being impeded.
Fortunately, there are commissioners such as Cooksey who are taking on these kinds of shady tactics. Although the NRA could have avoided this costly legal battle, at least they will receive some measure of recompense for their attorney's fees. This settlement may serve as a resounding condemnation of the FEC and a call to action to clean up its act.
