Caroline Critchfield Hunter (born c. 1971) is a former Republican member of the United States Federal Election Commission. She was appointed in June 2008, and served as chair in 2012, 2018, and 2020. On June 26, 2020, she resigned from the FEC, effective July 3, 2020, leaving the FEC without a quorum.[1][2][3]

Caroline Hunter
Chair of the Federal Election Commission
In office
January 1, 2020 – June 18, 2020
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byEllen Weintraub
Succeeded byJames E. Trainor III
In office
January 1, 2018 – December 31, 2018
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded bySteven T. Walther
Succeeded byEllen Weintraub
In office
January 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byCynthia L. Bauerly
Succeeded byEllen Weintraub
Member of the Federal Election Commission
In office
June 24, 2008 – July 3, 2020
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Barack Obama
Donald Trump
Preceded byMichael E. Toner
Succeeded byAllen Dickerson
Personal details
Bornc. 1971 (age 52–53)
Boca Raton, Florida, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseJustin Hunter
Children2
EducationPennsylvania State University (BA)
University of Memphis (JD)

Education

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Hunter graduated cum laude from the University of Memphis School of Law and received her bachelor of arts degree from The Pennsylvania State University.[4]

Career

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From 2001 to 2005 she was associate counsel and then deputy counsel at the Republican National Committee where she provided guidance on Election Law and the implementation of the Help America Vote Act of 2002[citation needed]. From 2005 to 2006, she was Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Hunter also served as deputy director of the White House Office of Public Liaison from January to October 2006. Hunter was nominated to the Election Assistance Commission in 2006 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 15, 2007. She served as the vice chair of the EAC. She was nominated to the Federal Election Commission by President George W. Bush on May 6, 2008. Her appointment was approved by the United States Senate on June 24, 2008.

As President Donald Trump was being investigated by Congress for allegedly soliciting dirt on a political opponent from a foreign country in exchange for military aid, the then-Chair of the FEC, Ellen Weintraub, published a "Draft Interpretive Rule Concerning Prohibited Activities Involving Foreign Nationals"[5] on the FEC website. According to Weintraub, Hunter objected to the inclusion of the draft in the FEC's public weekly digest of its actions, and blocked the publication of the weekly digest as a result, a move that Weintraub described as "altogether unprecedented".[6][7]

Personal life

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She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and two daughters.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Lejeune, Tristan (June 26, 2020). "FEC commissioner resigns, leaving agency without a quorum again". The Hill.
  2. ^ "FEC losing quorum again after Caroline Hunter resigns". Politico. 26 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Caroline C. Hunter to depart Federal Election Commission". FEC.gov. 2020-06-26. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
  4. ^ a b "Caroline C. Hunter Official Biography". Federal Election Commission. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
  5. ^ "Draft Interpretive Rule Concerning Prohibited Activities Involving Foreign Nationals" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  6. ^ "Elections chief says a GOP colleague blocked wide release of her foreign activity memo". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  7. ^ "FEC Chair Ellen Weintraub's "Funny Story"". Archived from the original on 2019-09-28. Retrieved 2019-09-28.