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The blatant partisan activities  of an employee of the Federal Election Commission  have been detailed by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which is seeking information relating to a former co-worker, Lois Lerner. The loss of emails has hampered discovery.  

The committee released a letter  from chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., to Lee Goodman, the chairman of the Federal Election Commission, asking for records and information about the activities of April Sands. The Inspector General of the Commission reported she could not obtain some of Sands' emails, since the Commission had recycled her computer hard drive. As a result, there was no prosecution.  

The federal agency regulating and monitoring money in federal elections is seeking answers from a pro-Cochran Super PAC regarding what appears to be campaign finance violations.  

The Federal Election Commission  (FEC) has sent a Request For Additional Information  (RFAI) to Mississippi Conservatives , a Super PAC supporting the re-election of Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss.  The committee has until August 1st to respond, or the failure to do so "could result in an audit or enforcement action."  

A new Super PAC related to operatives of Koch Industries has registered  with the Federal Election Commission to make independent expenditures during the 2014 elections.  

Freedom Partners Action Fund  is based in Arlington, Virginia, with Thomas F. Maxwell as treasurer. The group registered as a Super PAC to raise funds in unlimited amounts, not to make contributions directly to federal candidates, but to make independent expenditures for or against candidates.  

A federal agency has closed its investigation of a U.S. Representative for using campaign funds and his leadership PAC funds for his family's trip to Scotland, and his daughters expenses to promote her business and her graduation party.  

The Federal Election Commission's (FEC) closure of Matter Under Review (MUR) #6511 against Rep. Robert Andrews , D-N.J., was disclosed in a letter  to the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), who had filed the original complaint.  

A fundraising effort has started to help pay the legal bills of former Internal Revenue Service official Lois Lerner .  

On May 7th, the House of Representatives approved a contempt citation against Lois G. Lerner, former Director, Exempt Organizations, Internal Revenue Service, for "refusal to comply with a subpoena duly issued by the Committee on Oversight & Government Reform." Lerner handled matters relating to the tax-exempt status of organizations.  

The Federal Election Commission has received five new registrations for political committees that will operate as joint fundraising committees, allowing a donor to easily write one check for a large amount. However, the check may not exceed the combined contribution limit for all the participating candidates/committees.  

Registering at the FEC were Kentucky Republican Leadership Fund , which is a joint fundraising effort by the Republican National Committee and the Republican Party of Kentucky.  

Another federal agency has bought into the use of the bitcoin virtual currency.  

The Federal Election Commission has approved an advisory opinion for a political committee who asked permission to receive virtual bitcoin political contributions capped at $100 per person.  

The Federal Election Commission is making available online updated resources for those involved in the 2014 elections.  

The FEC now has available for download a new edition  of the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 11, Federal Elections , revised as of January 1, 2014. This includes the campaign finance regulations adopted and administered by the Federal Election Commission. This is a 'must have' publication for PACs, party committees, candidates, and reporters. When the FEC sends a letter or notification, it may cite various regulations, such as "Section 104.3." This publication will provide more detail on Section 104.3 dealing with contents of reports, and help people understand the rules.