Reform Groups Urge Representatives to Vote No This Week on Latest Attempt by House Republican Leaders to Repeal, Not Fix, Presidential Public Financing System

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In a letter sent today to the House of Representatives, reform groups urged House members to vote no on H.R. 2019, sponsored by Rep. Gregg Harper (R-MS), which purports to provide for a 10-year pediatric research initiative and repeals the presidential public financing system. The reform groups sending the letter include Americans for Campaign Reform, […]

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Statement of Democracy 21, Public Citizen and the Campaign Legal Center on Withdrawal of Lawsuit Calling for New IRS Regulations on 501(c)(4) Groups and their Campaign Activities

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Based on the IRS’s announcement last week that it is undertaking a rulemaking proceeding to address the problems arising from campaign activities by 501(c)(4) groups, U.S. Representative Chris Van Hollen, Democracy 21, Public Citizen and the Campaign Legal Center today dismissed without prejudice the lawsuit they filed in federal court to obtain such a rulemaking […]

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Wertheimer Statement: “Treasury Dept/IRS Inititiate Rulemaking of 501c4s”

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Treasury Department and IRS Open Door to Preventing 501(c)(4) Organizations from Being Misused to Launder Secret Contributions into Federal Elections Key Issues Remain to be Decided in “Guidance” Proceeding Democracy 21 applauds the action taken today by the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service to initiate a rulemaking to address the inadequate rules that […]

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Watchdogs Reiterate to FEC Before Vote that Tea Party Group Does Not Qualify for Disclosure Exemption Originating with NAACP in Jim Crow South

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Today, Democracy 21 joined with the Campaign Legal Center in filing comments on two draft advisory opinions released by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that will be voted on at the FEC’s public meeting tomorrow.  The draft opinions have been issued in response to an advisory opinion request from the Tea Party Leadership Fund (TPLF) […]

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Campaign Legal Center & Democracy 21 Send Letter to Congress on Assault on Disclosure Laws

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In a letter sent today to members of Congress, the Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21 challenged the claims by disclosure opponents that campaign finance disclosure laws are unconstitutional violations of First Amendment free speech rights. The letter documented the fact that since the Citizens United decision in 2010 upholding disclosure laws, courts throughout the […]

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Fred Wertheimer on MSNBC: “Did Citizens United Corrupt Elections?”

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MSNBC Did Citizens United Corrupt Elections? In an interview with Chuck Todd on his show, The Daily Rundown, Wertheimer explains that the McCain-Feingold law prohibiting unlimited contributions to political parties accomplished its purposes and is not part of the problem today. Wertheimer also discusses the Citizens United decision and the very serious problems it has […]

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Fred Wertheimer POLITICO Oped: “Ted Cruz is no Washington Outsider”

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POLITICO Ted Cruz is no Washington outsider On political money, the Texas senator is all hat and no cattle. By: Fred Wertheimer Ted Cruz has made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t care for the ways of Washington. From the moment of his arrival in the nation’s capital, the brash Texas senator has challenged the […]

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Statement by Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer On McCutcheon Case

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The Supreme Court’s decision in the McCutcheon case is profoundly important to the health of our democracy and our citizens’ interests in honest and fair government. The Supreme Court must not open the door to the corruption of our democracy by striking down the contribution limits at issue in this case. The Supreme Court should […]

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The Stakes in the McCutcheon Case to be Argued Tomorrow in Supreme Court

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Statement by Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer At stake in the McCutcheon case to be argued tomorrow before the Supreme Court is the question of whether individual donors will again be allowed to make $1 million contributions to political parties and $2 million contributions to support federal candidates, and whether federal officeholders will again be […]

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Affidavits in McConnell Case Document Need to Limit Large Contributions at Stake in Case Brought by McCutcheon, RNC

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                                                          By Fred Wertheimer, President Democracy 21 On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission. The case was brought by Shaun McCutcheon and the Republican National Committee and it challenges the constitutionality of the overall limits on the total amount an individual donor can contribute to all party […]

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