Obama Nominee Helped Dem Group Skirt Massive IRS Fine

Former Media Matters CEO prevented donor disclosure, $5 million IRS penalty for Democracy Alliance-backed political group

President Barack Obama’s nominee to a federal panel that oversees elections previously helped a top Democratic political group avoid a $5 million IRS penalty and worked to prevent the disclosure of the group’s donors.

Matthew Butler, who Obama tapped for a seat on the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) in November, has made a career at highly partisan left-wing advocacy groups, including a stint as the chief executive of Media Matters for America, a pro-Hillary Clinton opposition research blog.

Critics of Obama’s pick on the left and right say that Butler lacks any actual experience in monitoring or administering elections and will increase partisan divisions at the EAC.

“Choosing someone who has worked for Media Matters and who apparently has no election administration experience to speak of is (deliberately?) provocative of the Republican side,” wrote University of California, Irvine, law professor Rick Hasen, an expert in political and campaign law.

Congress established the Commission in 2002 to provide resources and guidance to states regarding voting equipment, procedures, and guidelines.

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