[h=1]FEC Drafts Opinions for Guyana-Born Man About Presidential Run[/h]
The Federal Election Commission is showing signs that it might allow a Guyana-born American citizen to file papers and raise money to run for president of the United States.
The agency released two draft advisory opinions Friday that could permit New York lawyer Abdul Hassan to go through the initial steps to run for president. But the FEC’s pending decision won’t be the last word on the constitutional issue of whether someone born outside the United States can be president.
Hassan was born in the South American country in 1974, and he asked the FEC in July whether he could raise funds as a candidate for president.
The request put the FEC in the rare role of deciding a large constitutional issue that has only a few intersections with campaign finance law.
The agency quickly signaled that it would decide the technicalities of filing requirements while leaving the broader issue of who can run for president to the judicial branch. In an email to Hassan on July 18, the FEC stated that he understood “that although the Commission can respond to the questions asked in [his] advisory opinion, the Commission cannot make any determination as to whether [Hassan] can, as a naturalized citizen, serve as President.”
Both advisory opinions answer three of Hassan’s four questions in a similar way. They state that Hassan could be a candidate, may solicit funds and would be required to file disclosure reports. But the two opinions differ on whether he may receive federal matching funds.
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