Press Releases Archive
Meet a Younger Mitch McConnell as Bold Campaign Finance Reformer By Fred Wertheimer Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is the nation’s leading opponent of campaign finance laws. But it wasn’t always that way. Today McConnell is playing true to form, attacking H.R.1, the historic democracy reform legislation sponsored by Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) and […]
Enclosed for your information is a piece refuting spurious arguments being made by opponents of H.R. 1 to defend secret contributions. According to the piece: Secret, unlimited contributions made to groups which spend money to influence federal elections are a particularly dangerous means for corrupting government decisions. Without disclosure of these unlimited contributions, there is […]
H.R. 1 reflects the fact that our democracy is at a crossroads. We have a broken political system and a corrupt campaign finance system. The American people know it and strongly object to it. An NBC NEWS/Wall Street Journal poll last fall found that 77 percent of registered voters said “reducing the influence […]
Led by newly-elected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Democrats began an historic effort this week to revitalize our democracy. Introduced yesterday as a first order of business in the new Congress, H.R. 1 is an unprecedented, holistic effort to repair our democracy and political system. Sponsored by Representative John Sarbanes (D-MD), chairman of the […]
In a complaint sent today to the Justice Department Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer said that Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker has violated his professional and ethical obligations by rejecting the advice he received from the Department’s designated ethics officials. The officials said that Whitaker should recuse himself from overseeing […]
In a letter sent to Representatives today, sixty-five organizations called on House Members to support the comprehensive package of democracy reforms that House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has committed to bring to the floor as the first order of business in the new Congress. The sixty-five organizations are members of the Declaration for American Democracy […]
Democracy 21 Says In Letter To Acting AG Whitaker That He Must Recuse Himself From Oversight Of Mueller Investigation In a letter sent to Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker today, Democracy 21 called on Whitaker to recuse himself “from any involvement in the investigation being conducted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian interference in […]
29 National Organizations and Ethics Experts Urge Members of Congress to Ensure Whitaker Recusal and Mueller Protection 29 national organizations and ethics experts sent a letter to Senators and Representatives today expressing deep concern about the appointment of Matthew Whitaker as Acting Attorney General. The letter urged Members to help ensure that Whitaker is removed […]
In October 1973, I was in Washington working for Common Cause when President Nixon fired Watergate Special Counsel Archibald Cox for refusing to allow Nixon to block the Watergate investigation. This became known as the Saturday Night Massacre. Today, I am still in Washington, and the organization I head, Democracy 21, is part of the […]
President Trump has appointed Matthew Whitaker to serve as Acting Attorney General. Whitaker has attacked Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation in the past and cannot be allowed to have anything to do with the investigation now. Members of Congress should immediately demand that Whitaker recuse himself from overseeing the investigation or that he make a […]
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