In the heart of the presidential debate season, the Federal Election Commission is ignoring press rights under the First Amendment by regulating the media's involvement in the debates and maybe even political coverage and TV programming, according to a key Republican on the commission.

Lee E. Goodman, who has led a campaign to scare off Democratic moves to regulate internet media outlets, especially those with a conservative bent like the Drudge Report, warned that "some desire to impose greater restrictions upon press organizations in order to advance certain social and political values."

He added: "For too long, the commission has ignored the congressional and constitutional mandates to unconditionally protect the free press rights of media entities."

In a 15-page statement, Goodman made the case for an air-tight exemption for the media, especially those sponsoring presidential debates like Saturday night's Democratic clash backed by CBS, from rules governing private groups and how they are funded.

His memo came on the heels of an FEC decision to stiff-arm a demand from an outside group seeking to require media outlets to include third-party candidates in debate. But in shrugging off the demand, the FEC also maintained a 1979 ruling that tells the media how to run debates.

Goodman has been warning for two years of Democratic efforts on the evenly-split FEC to regulate websites and press outlets, especially conservative ones like Drudge. His efforts so far have kept the regulations in the closet.

Goodman, formerly a Virginia Republican Party counsel, wrote, "Our shared Democracy thrives only when the government respects the media's freedom and independence to inform the public about public affairs. But 35 years ago, the commission made a regulatory error that has encroached upon that autonomy ever since."

Read his full memo here.

Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com.