News

FEC Urged to Reject Senator Lee’s Attempt to Create a “Super Leadership PAC” in Comments Filed by Campaign Legal Center & Democracy 21

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Today the Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21, filed comments with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), urging the Commission to reject an advisory opinion request  submitted by the Constitutional Conservatives Fund PAC (“CCF”), Senator Michael Shumway Lee’s (R-UT) Leadership PAC seeking to fundraise in a manner clearly prohibited by existing law. Senator Lee’s Leadership PAC asks the Commission […]

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Statement by Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer on the Dysfunctional Federal Election Commission and the Failure of President Obama to Nominate New Commissioners at Press Conference Held by Reform Groups

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The Federal Election Commission is itself a national campaign finance scandal.     It is widely recognized that the FEC is a dysfunctional agency that consistently refuses to enforce the federal campaign finance laws – laws enacted to prevent the corruption of federal officeholders and government decisions. A New York Times editorial this year (April 18, […]

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Reform Groups Call on President Obama to Address Dysfunctional FEC

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Reform groups held a press conference today to highlight the repeated failure of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to properly interpret and enforce the campaign finance laws and to call on President Barack Obama to nominate five new commissioners to fill the vacancies on the six-member FEC. Enclosed below is a letter from the groups sent to […]

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New York Times Editorial: Having the Watchdogs to Tea

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Congress rarely remembers that it is responsible for overseeing the Federal Election Commission — the party-hack-ridden agency that enables campaign abuses. The House elections subcommittee has now summoned commission members to a rare hearing on Thursday about its work. Rather than a severe grilling, it’s more likely to be a meet-and-greet smile among professional backslappers. The need for a vigilant F.E.C. […]

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Americans Elect Press Conference Today: Democracy 21 President Challenges Americans Elect to Comply with Tax Laws and Campaign Finance Disclosure Laws

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Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer Americans Elect – holding a press conference today at the National Press Club – is an organization whose stated goal is “to nominate a presidential ticket that answers directly to voters—not the political system.” To accomplish this goal, Americans Elect already has qualified on a number of state […]

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Pre-FEC Oversight Hearing Press Conference Thursday: Good Government Groups to Urge Obama to Fix the Federal Election Commission

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With Major Election Year Approaching, Agency Is Needed to Enforce Campaign Finance Laws   WHAT:          Press conference by good government groups to highlight the failures of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and call on President Barack Obama to fill the vacancies on the FEC so the agency can adequately enforce campaign finance laws. This […]

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POLITICO Interview with Democracy 21 President: Outside Cash in 2012

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Arena ChatOctober 30, 2011 David Mark: POLITICO over the past week examined the role of money in politics. Video series guests included former DCCC Chairman Martin Frost, former FEC Chairmen Michael Toner and Brad Smith, and Trevor Potter, lead lawyer for the McCain ’08 campaign. To round out the discussion I chatted with Democracy 21 President and […]

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Center for Public Integrity: Fine line between politics and issues spending by secretive 501(c)(4) groups

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By Peter H. Stone  The conservative American Action Network, a leading independent player in last year’s election, poured $26 million — out of some $30 million in spending — from secret donors into political ads and activities to help Republican candidates. Set up in 2009, the network enjoys a prized tax status from the Internal Revenue […]

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Campaign Legal Center & Democracy 21 File Brief in Appeal of Decision Overturning Century-Old Law Banning Corporate Contributions to Candidates & Parties

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Today, the Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21, filed an amici brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in U.S. v Danielczyk, an appeal of a controversial district court decision overturning the century-old federal restriction on corporate contributions to candidates and political parties.  The corporate contribution restriction overturned in the case […]

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Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer on Illegality of Leadership “Super PAC” Proposed by Senator Mike Lee

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Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has filed an Advisory Opinion Request with the Federal Election Commission asking whether his Leadership PAC can raise unlimited contributions to spend on independent expenditures. The answer to this question is open and shut: the federal campaign finance laws clearly and unequivocally prohibit the Leadership PAC of a Member of Congress […]

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