Subcommittee on Elections Chairman Calls on Federal Election Commission to Release Secret Enforcement Standards; Says Resistance to Procedural Transparency Contradicts Agency's Core Mission

WASHINGTON – Today, Subcommittee on Elections Chairman Gregg Harper, R-Miss., issued the following statement after an oversight hearing on the Federal Election Commission (FEC) highlighted the agency's refusal to disclose its enforcement policies:

"Contrary to its core mission and to public disclosure practices at other federal enforcement agencies, the FEC has refused time and time again to release their ‘secret' standards used to enforce federal campaign finance law. Americans subject to federal investigations and penalties must know the standards and thresholds they will be held to.

"The FEC's unwillingness to make these standards public flies in the face of transparency and contradicts their sole purpose. How can we trust an agency to enforce disclosure when it lacks it?

"The Commission's resistance to transparency is unacceptable and must end. Americans should be encouraged to participate in the political process, not stifled or intimidated by concealed enforcement."