Caroline Hunter testifies during a hearing before the Elections Subcommittee of House Committee on House Administration November 3, 2011. Credit: Alex Wong/Getty

After 10 months, the Federal Elections Commission in May regained a quorum with the confirmation of Republican appointee Trey Trainor—and promptly lost it just over five weeks later on Friday when commissioner Caroline Hunter resigned to join the Koch-funded group Stand Together, leaving the regulatory body again essentially powerless as the November general election draws closer.

“The FEC’s brief period of functioning appears to be over,” tweeted Public Integrity reporter Carrie Levine.

Hunter’s last day is July 3.

“Republican FEC commissioner leaving to joining the Koch network’s dark money fundraising apparatus,” tweeted Dig Left researcher Andrew Perez. “Says a lot!”

In a statement reacting to the resignation, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), the chair of the Committee on House Administration, said the news “makes abundantly clear the shortsightedness of the Senate Majority’s naked partisanship in abandoning a longstanding tradition of confirming bipartisan pairs of Commissioners.”

“The FEC just emerged from a nine-month period without a quorum—the longest running period of the commission’s history—during which it was hamstrung from […]

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