Bloomberg News admitting it wont investigate new 2020 contender Michael Bloomberg—the companys owner—raises concerns around campaign finance law, according to a former member of the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
John Micklethwait told employees at Bloomberg that the company would “continue our tradition of not investigating Mike (and his family and foundation.)”
“We will extend the same policy to his rivals in the Democratic primaries. We cannot treat Mikes democratic competitors differently from him,” Micklethwait wrote.
Republican President Donald Trump, however, would continue to be investigated, he said.
Former FEC Commissioner Hans von Spakovsky told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the policy “raises concerns under federal campaign finance law.”
“The problem with what Bloomberg has announced is that they are not going to be giving equal coverage to all opposing candidates,” Spakovsky said.
“Theyre only going to be covering one opposing candidate, and thats Donald Trump… if theyre not willing to do any negative stories that might come up about Mike, whereas they are about Trump, then theyre directly helping his campaign.”
“I think if a complaint were to be filed with the FEC, where I served for two years, there would be serious questions raised whether this policy violates this particular provision of the FEC,” Spakovsky said.
Stories from news outlets owned by a party, political committee, or candidate must be “part of a general pattern of campaign-related news accounts that gives reasonably equal coverage to all opposing candidates in the listening area,” according to FEC electioneering communication rules.
Micklethwait, the Bloomberg editor in chief, said in the memo to staff that the companys investigative team would continue to investigate the Trump administration.
“If Mike is chosen as the Democratic presidential candidate (and Donald Trump emerges as the Republican one), we will reassess how we do that,” he wrote, adding that if “credible journalistic institutions” release investigative reports about Bloomberg or other Democratic contenders, Bloomberg NewRead More – Source
