BUCKLEY v. VALEO Per Curiam were devolved upon an appointee of the executive." Id., at 202. 3. The Commission's Powers Thus, on the assumption that all of the powers granted in the statute may be exercised by an agency whose members have been appointed in accordance with the Appointments Clause,1 the ultimate question is which, if any, of those powers may be exercised by the present voting Commissioners, none of whom was appointed as provided by that Clause. Our previous description of the statutory provisions, see supra, at 109-113, disclosed that the Commission's powers fall generally into three categories: functions relating to the flow of necessary information-receipt, dissemination, and investigation; functions with respect to the Commission's task of fleshing out the statute-rulemaking and advisory opinions; and functions necessary to ensure compliance with the statute and rules-informal procedures, administrative determinations and hearings, and civil suits. Insofar as the powers confided in the Commission are essentially of an investigative and informative nature, falling in the same general category as those powers which Congress might delegate to one of its own committees, there can be no question that the Commission as presently constituted may exercise them. Kilbourn v. Thompson, 103 U. S. 168 (1881); McGrain v. Daugherty, 175 Since in future legislation that may be enacted in response to today's decision Congress might choose not to confer one or more of the powers under discussion to a properly appointed agency, our assumption is arguendo only. Considerations of ripeness prevent us from deciding, for example, whether such an agency could under § 456 disqualify a candidate for federal election consistently with Art. I, § 5, cl. 1. With respect to this and other powers discussed infra, this page and 138-141, we need pass only upon their nature in relation to the Appointments Clause, and not upon their validity vel non.