Instruct DOJ to consult all official FEC actions before charging decisions

Not started

Printed page 863 29. Federal Election Commission

“In making prosecution decisions, DOJ should be instructed to consult and consider all official actions by the FEC that interpret the law including prior enforcement actions, regulatory pronouncements, and advisory opinions, just as private practitioners, the public, and political actors must do.”

What has happened

Sep 1, 2026 Not started
No instruction to consult the FEC's enforcement actions, regulations or advisory opinions was issued. The only in-window change to DOJ's campaign-finance charging procedure removes a consultation step rather than adding one: Justice Manual 9-85.210, which required consultation with the Public Integrity Section before opening a campaign-finance matter or seeking a charge, is marked "suspended while revisions are ongoing" ([June 2025]). The Public Integrity Section's standing inter-agency liaison with the FEC predates the window and carries no charging instruction.
- Justice Manual 9-85.210 — Violations of Campaign Financing Laws, Federal Patronage Laws, and Corruption of Elections: consultation requirement suspended, [June 2025]
  Primary Executive branch Jun 1, 2025
- DOJ Public Integrity Section — Election Crimes Branch (guidance is still Federal Prosecution of Election Offenses, 8th ed.)
  Primary Executive branch Jan 14, 2026

Research log

What was searched, and what didn’t count as evidence

Research notes

The Election Crimes Branch page is dated by its own “Updated January 14, 2026” stamp. It lists “Inter-Agency Liaison with the Federal Election Commission” among the Branch’s functions — a pre-window arrangement, and not the charging instruction the Quote asks for.
Cluster negative search with #2220, #2221 and #2223 in docs/research/ch-29.md.

Action: issue
Object: DOJ prosecution decision instructions on FEC enforcement actions, regulations, and advisory opinions
ID: 2222