Commissioner Matthew Petersen defends the FEC
"First, this criticism is based on the false and offensive premise that I and my colleagues cynically ignore what the law requires to reach results that accord with our ideological preferences. As commissioners, we take very seriously the responsibility to faithfully interpret and enforce the law, which includes grappling not only with relevant statutes and regulations but also the court decisions interpreting them. Our critics’ real gripe is not that we refuse to enforce the law but that we disagree with their view of what the law is.
And we have strong reasons for that disagreement. In recent years, several of our critics’ speech-restrictive policies and interpretations have fared poorly with the Supreme Court and other lower courts, which have nullified significant portions of campaign finance law for violating the First Amendment. Though our critics may wish to minimize these opinions, we cannot. After all, the courts, not the “reformers,” are the final word on the law’s meaning. In enforcing the law, our actions have been firmly grounded on those cases. "
Well said, Matt.
