Dan Backer
Dan Backer is the founding attorney of political.law PLLC (formerly DB Capitol Strategies PLLC), a campaign finance and political law firm in Alexandria, Virginia.[1][2] Backer was born in Russia and emigrated with his family to the U.S. in 1978.[3][4] Backer is the general counsel for the pro-Donald Trump Great America PAC, Committee to Defend the President PAC, and Great America Alliance 501(c)(4) organization.[5][6][7] He is a staunch advocate of free speech and associational rights.[8][9][10]
Education
In 1999, Backer received a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.[1][2] He received a law degree from George Mason University (now Antonin Scalia Law School) in 2009.[1] In 2011, Backer completed a master’s certification in PAC management at George Washington University.[1]
Early career
In 2010, Backer founded DB Capitol Strategies PLLC, a law firm specializing in campaign finance and political law.[1][7] In 2017, the firm changed its name to political.law.[11]
Representing Shaun McCutcheon, Backer was counsel to the U.S. Supreme Court case McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission.[12][13][14] The plaintiffs challenged biennial aggregate campaign limits established in 1974.[12][13] In 2014, the Supreme Court ruled in their favor, “[striking] down the aggregate limits on the amount an individual may contribute during a two-year period to all federal candidates, parties, and political action committees combined.”[12][13] As a result of the McCutcheon decision, individuals may now contribute to as many federal candidates, political parties, or PACs as they want, as long as contributions do not exceed $2,700 (or the otherwise applicable “base limit") in each case.[15][16][17]
Backer was plaintiff's counsel in the 2011 case Carey v. FEC, which allowed PACs not connected to corporations, unions, and trade associations to create super PACs within their structure, or hybrid PACs.[18] Backer argued prior laws governing campaign contributions "prohibit[ed] a nonconnected political committee from soliciting and accepting unlimited contributions to one bank account designated for independent expenditures, while maintaining a second, separate bank account designated for source- and amount-limited contributions to candidates and their authorized political committees."[19] He claimed fewer spending restrictions give "policy-oriented PACs new electoral-oriented muscle."[20]
Political activity
In 2013, Backer helped establish the Stop Hillary PAC in order “to ensure Hillary Clinton never becomes President of the United States.”[21][22] The PAC, which was critical of Clinton’s handling of the Benghazi attacks, renamed itself after the November 2016 election as the Committee to Defend the President.[23] Backer serves as the PAC's treasurer and counsel.[24]
He has published numerous op-ed columns promoting free speech and less restrictive campaign finance rules.[25][26][27] Backer also criticizes what he perceives as anti-speech activism and biased news coverage.[28] [29]
Personal life
Backer lives in Vienna, Virginia with his wife and three children.[30]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Dan Backer". theaapc.org. Retrieved 2017-07-31.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "UMass Amherst Magazine, Fall 2015". issuu. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
- ↑ Backer, Dan (2018-06-21). "I was a childhood immigrant to the US -- Trump is acting wisely and compassionately on illegal immigration". Fox News. Retrieved 2018-06-24.
- ↑ "Activist lawyer aims to drop campaign restrictions". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
- ↑ "Pro-Trump super PACs have already spent $1 million on Election 2020". Center for Public Integrity. 2017-05-05. Retrieved 2017-07-31.
- ↑ Parti, Craig Silverman, Tarini. "This Hyperpartisan Conservative Site Is Connected To Several Pro-Trump PACs". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2017-07-31.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "This pro-Trump group is smearing James Comey as he testifies". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2017-07-31.
- ↑ "The Filibuster Must Die". The Daily Caller. Retrieved 2017-07-31.
- ↑ "Liberals Launch Their Latest War On Free Speech". The Daily Caller. Retrieved 2017-07-31.
- ↑ "What's Next For Fundraisers After $50 Million Scam PAC Bust?". Retrieved 2018-06-29.
- ↑ "dbcs". dbcs. Retrieved 2017-07-31.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Meet The Lawyer Who Helped An Alabama Engineer Win A Historic Supreme Court Case". Business Insider. Retrieved 2017-07-31.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "After a Supreme Court Victory, a New Challenge to Campaign-Finance Limits". Bloomberg.com. 2014-04-16. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
- ↑ "Activist lawyer aims to drop campaign restrictions". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
- ↑ "McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission - SCOTUSblog". SCOTUSblog. Retrieved 2017-07-31.
- ↑ "Breaking Down the McCutcheon Decision | The Government Affairs Institute". gai.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2017-07-31.
- ↑ "The 'McCutcheon' decision explained — more money to pour into political process". Center for Public Integrity. 2014-04-22. Retrieved 2017-07-31.
- ↑ "Group pushes new super PAC breed". POLITICO. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
- ↑ "Home - FEC.gov". FEC.gov. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
- ↑ "Group pushes new super PAC breed". POLITICO. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
- ↑ "Are Dems at the FEC Trying to Stop the 'Stop Hillary' PAC?". The Fiscal Times. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
- ↑ Rosin, Hanna. "Among the Hillary Haters". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2017-07-31.
- ↑ Integrity, Dave Levinthal / Center for Public. "Meet the Surprising Group Behind That Ad Defending Trump". Time. Retrieved 2017-07-31.
- ↑ "Pro-Trump super PACs have already spent $1 million on Election 2020". Public Radio International. Retrieved 2017-07-31.
- ↑ Daily, Investor's Business (2017-09-15). "Even Speech We Hate Is Protected Speech". Investor's Business Daily. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
- ↑ "The Establishment — on Both Sides — Weaponizes 'Fake News' – InsideSources". InsideSources. 2017-08-04. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
- ↑ "OP ED: Liberal Group Targets Money in Politics, Spends Big Money". eHeadlines.com. 2017-08-26. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
- ↑ "Liberals Launch Their Latest War On Free Speech". The Daily Caller. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
- ↑ Backer, Dan. "My Turn: Dan Backer: The media's unrelenting anti-Trump bias". providencejournal.com. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
- ↑ "The Campaign-Finance Activist Who Thinks We Need More Money in Politics, Not Less". Daily Intelligencer. Retrieved 2017-07-31.
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