Wertheimer Political Report, March 26, 2026

DEMOCRACY 21

Excerpts from The New York Times essay by E.J. Dionne Jr. entitled The New Moneyed Interests: crypto and A.I. and linked below:

“Election ballots helpfully inform voters who is a Republican and who is a Democrat. Our campaign finance system is now so corrupt that we may soon have to add ‘Sponsored by A.I.’ or ‘Sponsored by crypto.’
…….
“It’s a strange system that creates a need for heavy-spending billionaire political friends — one in which there is ‘far more money floating around from people with a direct interest in government policy than we’ve ever had before,’ as the veteran reformer Fred Wertheimer, president of the nonprofit group Democracy 21, put it to me.
…….
“‘Where enough money calls the tune, the general public will not be heard,’ former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer wrote in his 2014 dissent in McCutcheon vs. Federal Election Commission, meaning that a free marketplace of political ideas loses its point.
…….
“We’ve been here before, and we’ve acted. After the first Gilded Age, reformers in the Progressive Era took important steps to limit money’s writ. Reform triumphed again in the 1970s after the corruption revealed during Watergate. It’s this generation’s turn at reform, beginning with broad and effective disclosure requirements and matching funds for small contributions to democratize political finance and make clean money an option for those seeking office.”

New York Times: The New Moneyed Interests: crypto and A.I.

TRUMPWATCH 2.0

Trump appeared to have business motive for keeping classified documents, Jack Smith finds
“Special counsel Jack Smith gathered evidence that then-candidate Donald Trump took many top secret documents that related to his worldwide business interests, and investigators considered this a likely motive for Trump concealing them at his Florida club after he left the White House, according to newly released case records.” – MS Now

Murphy on ‘$1.5 BILLION’ stock trade before Trump Iran announcement: ‘Mind blowing corruption’
“Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Monday drew attention to an unusually large oil stock trade that occurred moments before President Trump announced a five-day pause on previously threatened energy infrastructure strikes in Iran, indicating it appeared be a case of insider trading.” – The Hill

Minnesota Kicks Off Legal Battle With Trump Administration to Hold ICE Shooters Accountable
“With the federal government refusing to identify agents or share evidence, the dispute has become a game of constitutional chicken over states’ rights versus federal immunity, with implications for others hoping to hold agents criminally accountable.” – ProPublica

Inside Trump’s daily video montage briefing on the Iran war
“The montage, which typically runs for about two minutes, has raised concerns among some of the president’s allies that he may not be receiving the complete picture of the war.” – NBC News

Roberts defends Supreme Court against Trump attacks. 
“‘It’s got to stop,’ the chief justice said of personal invective aimed at judges.” – Politico

Why John Roberts didn’t write the ‘one little sentence’ Trump wants on tariffs
“The government acknowledged during the tariffs litigation that it would be on the hook for refunds, with interest, if it lost.” – MS Now

Supreme Court Appears Poised to Reject Late-Arriving Mail-In Ballots Law
“A majority of the justices appeared skeptical of Mississippi’s mail-in ballot law in a case that could upend the way that states handle mail-in ballots throughout the country.” – New York Times

DOJ says it erroneously relied on ICE memo to justify immigration courthouse arrests
“The Justice Department said the memo ‘does not and has never applied to civil immigration enforcement actions in or near’ immigration courts.” – NBC News

Kennedy Center renovation hit with lawsuit filed by preservationists
“The lawsuit asks a judge to require the administration to seek approval from Congress and comply with historic preservation laws.” – Washington Post

Judge asked to take Trump name off Kennedy Center
“A Democratic lawmaker has asked a federal judge to stop the Kennedy Center from sticking President Trump’s name on its building and other branding.” – The Hill

MEANWHILE, ON CAPITOL HILL

Republicans launch new party-line bill for ICE, Iran war funding and election laws. With Trump’s support, top Senate Republicans announced they’ll pursue a big new filibuster-proof bill without any Democratic votes — and try to add elements of the SAVE America Act. – NBC News

‘Byrd rule’ poses challenge for voter ID bill in reconciliation. Measure would need to have a budgetary impact that cannot be ‘merely incidental’ – Roll Call

DHS funding negotiations turn to stalemate in Senate. Impasse throws upcoming recess into question – Roll Call

Pete Hegseth’s Pastor Says He Wants James Talarico To Die. “We want him crucified with Christ,” Brooks Potteiger said of the Texas Senate Democratic nominee, after the podcast host said he prays “that God kills him.” – HuffPost

Platner holds commanding lead over Mills in Maine Senate race: Poll. – The Hill

MONEY IN POLITICS, VOTING, ELECTION & OTHER RELATED INFO

Chief Justice Roberts’s vendetta against the Voting Rights Act. He’s been railing against it since the early 1980s – Brennan Center

Gov. Abigail Spanberger faces a national test with Virginia redistricting. Democrats are starting to worry they could lose the April special election, with the GOP seeing strong early voting turnout. – Politico

The Anti-Voter SAVE Act Must Be Stopped. If passed, it would be the most restrictive voting bill ever approved. – Brennan Center