FEC moves to let candidates pay for increased security

The chairman of the Federal Election Commission is hopeful of speeding up approval of a new rule to let candidates use campaign cash to increase security, the first major political move following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

“Candidate security has been one of my top priorities as chairman of the Federal Election Commission,” Sean Cooksey told Secrets.

“In light of the ongoing threats to public officials and candidates, I expect the commission to expedite its pending rulemaking to allow campaigns greater latitude to spend on security. I hope we will vote on a final rule later this year,” the Republican chairman added.

Fellow Commissioner Trey Trainor told Secrets that he hopes to move a vote on the plan at next week’s commission meeting.

“I’ve asked my fellow commissioners to make this a public agenda item on July 25 so the new rule can go into effect ASAP,” Trainor said.

The attempt on Trump’s life in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday shocked the nation and the Washington political establishment. Little but a call for hearings and studies has happened since.

The FEC’s move would be the first concrete effort to tackle growing reports of threats against candidates.

The commission’s legal team in March proposed changes to FEC rules to allow federal candidates to use campaign donations for security expenses. The counsel’s office cited numerous examples of the commission allowing candidates in the past to use campaign funds for security.

The rule would allow for purchases of security systems, security technology, and guards. However, there are prohibitions on candidates or officeholders using the funds to hire friends and relatives who aren’t in the security business.

The proposed rule says:

The use of campaign funds to pay for the reasonable costs of security measures for a federal candidate or federal officeholder is not personal use, so long as the security measures address ongoing dangers or threats that would not exist irrespective of the individual’s status or duties as a federal candidate or federal officeholder. Disbursements for security measures must be for the usual and normal charge for such goods or services. Usual and normal charge means, in the case of goods, the price of those goods in the market in which they are ordinarily purchased, and, in the case of services, the hourly or piecework charge for the services at a commercially reasonable rate prevailing at the time the services were rendered. Examples of such security measures include, but are not limited to:

— Non-structural security devices, such as security hardware, locks, alarm systems, motion detectors, and security camera systems.

— Structural security devices, such as wiring, lighting, gates, doors, and fencing, so long as such measures are intended solely to provide security and not to improve the property or increase its value.

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— Professional security personnel and services.

— Cybersecurity software, devices, and services.

Cooksey said the change is a needed one. “Like every American, I was horrified at the attempted assassination of former President Trump. Our country must never allow political violence to undermine the democratic process.”