Press Releases Archive

Democracy 21 and the Campaign Legal Center Challenge Failure of FEC to Adopt Regulations

  Democracy 21 and the Campaign Legal Center sent a letter today to FEC Commissioners challenging the agency’s failure to adopt regulations to implement the restricted national party accounts enacted in December 2014 and warning about the consequences of this failure. Congress snuck a rider into a session-ending Omnibus Appropriations bill in 2014 that authorized […]

Reform Groups Urge Members to Oppose Campaign Finance Riders to Appropriations Bill

  In a letter sent today, reform groups urged members of Congress to oppose all “poison pill” riders, including all campaign finance riders, to the fiscal year 2017 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations bill.   The groups included the Brennan Center for Justice, the Campaign Legal Center, Common Cause, CREW, Democracy 21, League […]

House Ways and Means Republicans Open Door to Foreign Money Being Illegally Spent in Federal Elections

Today, House Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee opened the door to foreign money being illegally spent in federal elections through nonprofit groups. On a party line vote, the Committee voted to report a bill introduced by Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) that would eliminate the existing requirement for 501(c) nonprofit groups to disclose to […]

Reform Groups Urge Members to Vote Against Bill to Eliminate IRS Contribution Disclosure for Non-profit Groups

  In a letter sent today, reform groups urged members of the House Ways and Means Committee to vote against Rep. Peter Roskam’s bill to eliminate the current requirement for 501(c) groups to make non-public disclosure of their donors to the IRS. The bill is scheduled to be marked up by the committee on Thursday. The […]

Democracy 21 and the Campaign Legal Center Sue the FEC for Failure to Enforce the Law and Protect the Integrity of Our Democracy

The Commission’s Actions, in Dismissing Five Straw Donor Complaints, Were “Arbitrary, Capricious and An Abuse of Discretion and Otherwise Contrary to the Law” Democracy 21 and the Campaign Legal Center filed a lawsuit Friday night in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against the Federal Election Commission for dismissing five complaints that CLC […]

Democracy 21 and Public Citizen File Amicus Brief in SCOTUS Case McDonnell vs USA

Former Virginia Governor Can’t Use First Amendment Cases to Escape Bribery Conviction, Groups Tell Supreme Court Adopting McDonnell’s Arguments Would Substitute Kleptocracy for Democracy, Say Public Citizen and Democracy 21 Former Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell is wrong to use two recent U.S. Supreme Court campaign finance rulings to argue that his conviction on bribery charges […]

Reform Groups File Amicus Brief Defending Soft Money Ban

  Democracy 21, Public Citizen and the Campaign Legal Center joined today in filing an amicus brief defending the constitutionality of the ban on parties using soft money in federal elections. The brief was filed in Republican Party of Louisiana v. Federal Election Commission, a case   pending before a three-judge panel of the U.S. District […]

Reform Groups Call on FEC to Investigate & Sanction “Children of Israel LLC” for Evading Disclosure Laws

  Democracy 21 joined with the Campaign Legal Center in filing a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that called on the agency to investigate contributions to “the ghost corporation” “Children of Israel LLC,” which funneled $400,000 to two super PACs. According to an article by The Washington Post, the mysterious California-based LLC contributed $50,000 to […]

Watchdog Groups Attack IRS Decision to Overrule Proposed Staff Denial of Crossroads GPS’ “Social Welfare” Tax Status

  In a letter sent today to the Internal Revenue Service Commissioner, Democracy 21 joined by the Campaign Legal Center criticized the IRS’ decision made without explanation to grant recognition to Crossroads GPS as a “social welfare” organization under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. The IRS Exempt Organizations staff decided in 2013 to […]

Democracy 21 and Campaign Legal Center Urge FEC to Investigate Use of LLC to Hide Donors to pro-Chris Christie Super PAC

New complaint highlights more and more Super PAC donors are hiding behind LLCs as the FEC fails to enforce the law  Democracy 21 joined the Campaign Legal Center in filing a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), calling on the agency to investigate contributions funneled through “Decor Services LLC” to a pro-Chris Christie Super […]