WASHINGTON (TNND) — An ethics agency in California has removed the “conflicts of interest” tab from its donation portal, according to a report.
Since the “conflicts of interest” tab is no longer on the portal, voters who use the data base won’t be able to see if donors had business with the government before they gave donations, according to an exclusive report from The Center Square.
The information is collected by the California Fair Political Practices Commission.
According to The Center Square, the omission of the “conflicts of interest” tab matters because California caps campaign checks.
If a donor is limited to giving a certain amount of money, they could potentially give millions of dollars to a nonprofit or public project outside cause.
“It’s another way of trying to influence government,” Richard Briffault, a Columbia University law professor and campaign finance expert. “It’s another deposit in the favor bank. That doesn’t necessarily mean there will be a quid pro quo… Occasionally, there might be a real connection. Then that can be criminal. But usually? If they’re buying anything, they’re buying goodwill. They’re buying a favorable disposition.”
The FPPC’s only shows payments involving state officials, but cities and countries have to manage their own data.