All better now.

The Federal Election Commission has fined the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign for lying about the funding of the infamous, and discredited, Russian “dossier” used in a smear attempt against Donald Trump weeks before he shocked the world with his 2016 presidential victory.

The election agency said that Clinton and the DNC violated strict rules on describing expenditures of payments funneled to the opposition research firm Fusion GPS through their law firm.

The FEC, in a memo to the Coolidge Reagan Foundation, which filed its complaint over three years ago, said it fined Clinton’s treasurer $8,000 and the DNC’s treasurer $105,000.

The full memo at the Coolidge Reagan Foundation notes that “after conducting an investigation in this matter, the Commission found probable cause to believe that the DNC Services Corp./Democratic National Committee and Virginia McGregor in her official capacity as treasurer (the “DNC”) violated 52 U.S.C. § 30104(b)(5)(A) and (b)(6)(B)(v) and 11 C.F.R. § 104.3(b)(3)(i).  The Commission further found probable cause to believe that Hillary for America and Elizabeth Jones in her official capacity as treasurer (“HFA”) violated 52 U.S.C. § 30104(b)(5)(A) and 11 C.F.R. § 104.3(b)(4)(i). 

“On February 17, 2022, signed conciliation agreements with the DNC and HFA were accepted by the Commission.  In addition, the Commission dismissed the allegation that Christopher Steele violated 52 U.S.C. § 30121 and 11 C.F.R. § 110.20(b), (f) (g), and (i).  The Commission also dismissed the allegation that Marc Elias and Perkins Coie LLP and Hillary for America and Elizabeth Jones in her official capacity as treasurer violated 52 U.S.C. § 30121 and 11 C.F.R. § 110.20(b) and (h)(1).  Lastly, the Commission dismissed the allegation that Fusion GPS violated 52 U.S.C. § 30121 and 11 C.F.R. § 110.20.”

To make sense of all of those numbers, the foundation had presented “COUNT IV – Solicitation of Donations (or Contributions) from Foreign Nationals  in violation of 52 U.S.C. § 30121(a)(2) and 11 C.F.R. § 110.20(g) (against Respondents Christopher Steele)” and “COUNT V – Substantially Assisting Solicitation of Donations from Foreign Nationals in violation of 11 C.F.R. § 110.20(h)(1) (against Respondents Marc Elias and HFA)”

Those would have been explosive. Instead the FEC, predictably, offered a slap on the wrist.