>>> I’M NOT GOING TO LIE, I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE MIKE
BLOOMBERG SPENT $500 MILLION TO
NOT BE PRESIDENT.
I’M ALSO NOT GOING TO BE THE
PRESIDENT, BUT I SPENT NOTHING.
NO, SO IN A WAY I FEEL LIKE I
SAVED $500 MILLION, YOU KNOW?
>> MIKE BLOOMBERG PRICEY WIET
HOUSE RUN WAS THE BUTT OF MANY
JOKES THIS WEEK.
HE’S GOING TO CONTINUE TO SPEND
HIS MONEY IN AN EFFORT TO DEFEAT
DONALD TRUMP.
DONALD TRUMP. CAMPAIGN OFFICIAL TELLING NBC
NEWS BLOOMBERG IS FORMING A
ONE-MAN SUPERPAC TO SUPPORT THE
DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE AND SUPPORT
DOWN BALLOT DEMOCRATS RUNNING IN
NOVEMBER.
NOVEMBER. THE UNPRECEDENTED SPENDING IS
RAISING NEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THE
RULES GOVERNING ELECTION
FINANCING.
FINANCING. JOINING ME NOW IS A COMMISSIONER
ON THE FEDERAL ELECTION
COMMISSIONER, THAT’S ELLEN WINE
TRIBE.
TRIBE. I SAID THE HEAD OF THAT
COMMISSION BEFORE, I DON’T WANT
TO CAUSE ANY FIGHTS THERE.
I SHOULD POINT OUT THERE WERE
FEWER COMMISSIONERS THAN THERE
WERE SUPPOSED TO BE.
YOU’RE OPERATING WITHOUT A
QUORUM.
QUORUM. HOW DOES THAT HAMPER THE WORK OF
THE FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION
GOING INTO THE 2020 GENERAL
ELECTION?
ELECTION? >> THIS IS NOT A GOOD SITUATION,
AND IT HAS BEEN THE CASE FOR
OVER SIX MONTHS NOW.
WE CANNOT LAUNCH ANY
INVESTIGATIONS.
INVESTIGATIONS. WE CAN’T CONCLUDE ANY
INVESTIGATIONS.
INVESTIGATIONS. WE CAN’T PENALIZE ANYBODY FOR
VIOLATING THE LAW, WE CAN’T GIVE
ANY ADVICE AND WE CAN’T DO ANY
RULE MAGKINGS.
RULE MAGKINGS. THIS IS NOT THE WAY THE FEC
OUGHT TO BE FUNCTIONING DURING
AN ELECTION YEAR.
>> YEAH, NOT GIVING ONE MUCH
SOLACE TO HEAR THAT.
LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT WHAT WE’RE
LOOKING AT HERE.
I MENTIONED MIKE BLOOMBERG AND
HIS AMBITIONS.
HIS AMBITIONS. HOW EQUIPPED IS THE SYSTEM TO
DEAL WITH THAT NOVEL INFLUX OF
CASH?
CASH? WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A TON OF
PRIVATE MONEY GOING INTO THE
ELECTION.
ELECTION. >> WELL, FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE
WHAT WE DO IS WE MAKE SURE THAT
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE KNOW WHERE
THE MONEY IS COMING FROM AND
WHERE THE MONEY IS GOING, AND
THAT YOU CAN TRACK THAT ON OUR
WEBSITE AND ON OTHER WEBSITES
THAT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE
INFORMATION THAT WE MAKE PUBLIC.
ALL OF THE CAMPAIGNS, ALL THE
PARTY COMMITTEES, ALL THE SUPER
PACS HAVE TO REPORT THEIR MONEY
TO US, AND WE PUT IT UP ON THE
WEBSITE, AND THAT’S HOW GOOD
JOURNALISTS LIKE YOURSELF CAN
FIND OUT THIS INFORMATION.
WE CAN HANDLE THE INFORMATION.
WE HAVE HANDLED A LOT OF
INFORMATION THAT HAS COME IN,
MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF PAGES
OF TRANSACTIONS, AND INFORMATION
ABOUT DONORS AND SPENDING HABITS
OF THESE CAMPAIGNS.
WE CAN TAKE ALL THAT IN.
OUR ANALYSTS WILL REVIEW IT.
WE’LL GET IT UP ON THE WEB, SO
WE CAN HANDLE THE AMOUNT OF
INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. I DON’T THINK PEOPLE NEED TO
WORRY ABOUT THAT.
>> A FOCUS OF CAMPAIGNS AND
OUTSIDE GROUPS IS ON VOTING
RIGHTS, ON MANY SIDES OF THAT
ISSUE, AND THERE WAS A PIECE IN
"THE WASHINGTON POST" INDICATING
THAT THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN IS GOING
TO SPEND $10 MILLION TO FIGHT
VOTING RIGHTS.
VOTING RIGHTS. WE’RE GOING TO SEE A LOT OF
LITIGATION IN THE NEXT COMING
YEAR.
YEAR. HOW NOVEL IS THAT?
HOW UNPRECEDENTED IS THAT, AND
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF
THAT KIND OF LITIGATION?
>> WE’VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN THE
AMOUNT OF LITIGATION THAT GOES
ON AROUND ELECTIONS OVER THE
LAST NUMBER OF YEARS.
IT’S NOT REALLY SURPRISING THAT
PEOPLE ARE LITIGATING OVER THE
RULES BECAUSE IF YOU CAN CONTROL
THE RULES, SOMETIMES YOU CAN
CONTROL THE OUTCOME.
WHEN IT COMES TO VOTING RIGHTS,
MY CONCERN IS THAT AS MANY
PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE WHO ARE
LEGALLY ABLE TO VOTE SHOULD BE
VOTING.
VOTING. VOTING.
VOTING. NS LAST ELECTION IN 2018, WE HAD
TURNOUT THAT EVERYONE WAS
CELEBRATING.
CELEBRATING. THEY SAID IT WAS THE HIGHEST
TURNOUT IN 100 YEARS, AND WASN’T
THAT TERRIFIC?
THAT TERRIFIC? IT WAS STILL UNDER 50% OF THE
VOTING ELIGIBLE POPULATION WHO
ACTUALLY VOTED IN THAT ELECTION.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE EVERYBODY
VOTING.
VOTING. I THINK WE OUGHT TO MAKE IT EASY
FOR PEOPLE TO VOTE, AND I
SUPPORT ANYTHING THAT WILL HELP
US TO GET TO THAT RESULT.
>> LAST QUESTION HERE, YOU
DETAILED ALL THAT THE COMMISSION
CAN’T DO AT THIS POINT, BUT
THERE IS, OF COURSE, A LOT OF
CONCERN ABOUT THE INTEGRITY OF
THIS ELECTION AMONG MOST
AMERICANS.
AMERICANS. SHOULD BE ALL AMERICANS, BUT
AMONG MOST AMERICANS.
HOW WORRIED SHOULD WE BE HERE
GOING INTO 2020 ABOUT THE
INTEGRITY OF THE ELECTION BEING
PRESERVED?
PRESERVED? >> WELL, I GUESS THAT’S A BROAD
QUESTION ABOUT THE INTEGRITY OF
THE ELECTION.
THE ELECTION. OUR PARTICULAR PORTFOLIO IS
MAKING SURE THAT THE ELECTION IS
FAIR AND TRANSPARENT AND PEOPLE
CAN FOLLOW THE MONEY.
BUT I THINK THAT THE -- THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
AND ALL OF THE STATE AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS WHO ARE INVOLVED IN
ADMINISTERING THE ELECTIONS HAVE
BEEN WORKING HARD TO MAKE SURE
THAT THEY ARE SHORING UP THEIR
SYSTEMS, AND THAT THEY CAN
PROTECT THEM FROM CYBER ATTACKS
AND I’M HOPING THAT THE AGENCIES
THAT ARE IN CHARGE OF GETTING
VOTING MACHINERY ARE GETTING
ENOUGH MACHINES SO THAT THERE
WON’T BE LONG LINES.
THERE WERE PROBLEMS ON SUPER
TUESDAY.
TUESDAY. THERE WERE A LOT OF LONG LINES,