Michael Toner Discusses Campaign Finance in Q&A with The Washington Post’s Cillizza

Michael E. Toner, co-chair of Wiley Rein’s Election Law & Government Ethics Practice, was featured in a December 12 Q&A with The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza about the effects of a provision in a congressional spending bill that would increase the maximum amount of money individuals could donate to national political parties.

“I think the increased limits will likely be a real shot in the arm for the national political parties and creates the potential for the parties to raise significantly more funds,” said Mr. Toner, a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission (FEC).  “However, the only way to fully correct the imbalance in the campaign finance system that exists now between the political parties and Super PACs and outside groups would be to abolish the contribution limits on the parties altogether.  If that happened, I think Super PACs and other outside groups would diminish in importance, the political parties would be greatly strengthened and reinvigorated, and—because contributions to parties are disclosed to the FEC—there would be greater transparency in the campaign finance system.”

To read the entire Q&A on The Fix blog, click here.