Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer Raising Concerns about New 501(c)(4) Tax-Exempt Group Formed by Former Obama White House Officials

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Bill Burton, former White House deputy press secretary to President Obama and Sean Sweeney a former top aide of previous White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel have announced the creation of two new groups, Priorities USA, a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt group and Priorities USA Action, a section 527 political organization. The two groups clearly have […]

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Democracy 21 President Challenges Absurd Attacks by Chamber of Commerce Lobbyist on Campaign Finance Disclosure as an “Alice-in Wonderland” Approach to Transparency

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In a New York Times article today, Chamber of Commerce lobbyist R. Bruce Josten is quoted as saying that an Executive Order being considered by the White House to require government contractors to disclose their campaign finance activities "is meant to have a chilling effect." According to the article, "Mr. Josten said that the order […]

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Van Hollen Lawsuit Challenges FEC Regulations as Contrary to Law and Responsible for Eviscerating Donor Disclosure

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Successful Court Challenge by Representative Van Hollen Would Provide Disclosure in Future Elections of Secret Contributions Funding Electioneering CommunicationsBy Non-profit Groups and Others Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) filed a lawsuit today against the Federal Election Commission challenging as contrary to law an FEC regulation that has improperly allowed nonprofit 501(c)(4) advocacy groups, 501(c)(6) business […]

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Washington Post: Adapting to campaign-finance rulings, Democrats build big-spending network

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By Dan Eggen The first sign that the ground had shifted in political fundraising came last year, when conservative groups quickly took advantage of new court rulings to dramatically outspend their liberal rivals. Now comes the next tremor, as Democratic activists finalize plans for an entirely new political infrastructure in 2012. A network of liberal […]

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