California’s campaign watchdog agency has suspended a longstanding policy banning its members from contributing to federal candidates after one commissioner donated to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid. “I absolutely believe that both the U.S. and the State constitutions protect my right to make political campaign contributions,” Commissioner Brian Hatch said in an email to The Times. “The issue that the making of campaign contributions is a form of political speech protected by the [U.S.] Constitution has been settled law for nearly five decades.”Hatch made two campaign contributions totaling $30 to the Sanders campaign in June. He said he did not know Hatch had contributed to the Sanders campaign when the panel voted unanimously to suspend the policy pending the attorney general’s opinion. Gavin Newsom, said Tuesday that he will not make campaign contributions to federal candidates, including while the legal opinion is pending.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 04, 2019 22:05 UTC