Professor Smith Interviewed Live on MSNBC and Fox News Network

January 10, 2007

Professor Brad Smith, former Federal Election Commission Chairman, was interviewed live on MSNBC with Contessa Brewer on Dec. 29, 2006. He appeared in the 9:00 am segment and again in the 10:30 am segment regarding issues of campaign finance. He also appeared live on the Fox News Network talk show Hannity and Colmes on the same topic on Jan. 5, 2007.

The segments responded to a blog entry penned by Smith on the website Center for Competitive Politics. The entry, entitled “Racing to Absurdity: What would Dale Earnhardt Do?”, discussed the application – or misapplication – of campaign finance policies to cases involving stock car racer Kirk Shelmerdine and filmmaker Michael Moore. In both cases, Shelmerdine and Moore claimed their political statements were made for commercial purposes.

As Federal Election Commissioner, Smith wrote an opinion on this case. It can be viewed as a pdf file here.

Smith is one of the nation’s leading authorities on Election Law and Campaign Finance. Over the course of five years, he served as Commissioner, Vice Chairman, and Chairman of the Federal Election Commission (FEC). His writings have appeared in such academic journals as the Yale Law Journal, Georgetown Law Journal, and Pennsylvania Law Review and in popular publications such as the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and National Review. In 2001, Princeton University Press published his book, Unfree Speech: The Folly of Campaign Finance Reform. Smith’s many media credits include national appearances on ABC, NBC, PBS, Fox, CNBC, MSNBC, C-Span, and Bloomberg Media, including such programs as Hardball with Chris Matthews, and the O’Reilly Factor. He has also appeared on numerous local and national radio programs, and made television appearances in Great Britain, Japan, and Canada.