News

AG Sessions Must Recuse Himself from Investigation into Russia’s 2016 Campaign Intervention and Flynn’s Activities

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  Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer Attorney General Jeff Sessions must recuse himself from the investigation being conducted by the FBI and intelligence agencies into Russia’s intervention into our 2016 presidential campaign and into the activities of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Sessions has no justifiable basis to participate in these investigations […]

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Fred Wertheimer for Huffington Post: “Flynn Scandal is First of Many Trump Presidency Will Have”

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  The unfolding scandal involving National Security Adviser Michael Flynn is just the first of many scandals we can expect from the Trump presidency. President Trump’s stubborn refusal to follow the lead of his predecessors for the past four decades and dispose of the ownership of his global business enterprises has created intolerable conflicts of […]

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Reform Groups File Amicus Brief Defending Law Limiting Corrupt ‘Soft-Money’ Contributions to State and Local Parties

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  Democracy 21 joined with Public Citizen and the Campaign Legal Center in filing an amicus curiae brief in the U.S. Supreme Court defending the constitutionality of contribution limits to state and local parties used for federal electioneering purposes, established by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA). Before BCRA’s enactment, state parties could use unlimited […]

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Reform Groups Oppose Efforts by House Admin Committee to Terminate Presidential Public Financing & EAC

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In a letter sent today to members of the House Administration Committee, a group of 43 organizations and individuals with expertise in governance issues strongly opposed bills being considered tomorrow by the committee to terminate the Presidential Election Campaign Fund and the Election Assistance Commission (EAC).  (See below for a full list of the signers of […]

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Reform Groups and Individuals with Governance Expertise Challenge Priebus’ “Highly Inappropriate” Attempt to Intimidate OGE Director

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  In a letter sent today to Reince Priebus, incoming White House chief of staff, a group of nineteen organizations and individuals with governance expertise challenged Priebus’ comments as “highly inappropriate and an obvious effort to intimidate” the director of the Office of Government Ethics, Walter Shaub. The signers of the letter included Richard Painter, […]

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Fred Wertheimer – House Republicans Again Try to Shoot the Ethics Messenger

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  Ethics and conflict of interest rules exist to protect the American people from corruption, the misuse of public office for personal financial gain and other abuses of public office. However, House Republicans have shown very little interest in ethics and conflict of interest rules – except when anyone tries to make them work. At […]

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Fred Wertheimer – Trump Today Sets Very Dangerous Path for Himself and for the Country

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  President-elect Trump today has set a very dangerous path for himself and for the country. President-elect Trump’s press conference today establishes that he will maintain ultimate ownership of his business empire. This approach is bound to result in serious conflicts of interest and appearances of conflicts for his presidency. Conflicts of interest, furthermore, can […]

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POLITICO: “5 Ways You’ll Know if Trump Is Playing by the Rules”

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According to Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer: The five questions posed in this op-ed provide the basis for determining whether President-elect Trump effectively addresses his conflicts of interest and Emoluments Clause problems, or whether dangerous problems lie ahead for Trump’s presidency and the country. According to a new Quinnipiac Poll, “roughly two-thirds, 66 percent, say […]

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Republican Opposition Research Group Makes Unwarranted, Meritless, Smokescreen Attack on OGE and its Director

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  “America Rising, a Republican opposition research group, apparently has decided that the best way to deflect attention away from the ethics and conflicts of interest issues facing President-elect Trump and some of his proposed cabinet nominees is to attack the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) and its Director, Walter Shaub,” according to Democracy 21 […]

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The Huffington Post — What’s in a Name? A Whole Lot of Money if the Name is President Donald Trump

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  The Huffington Post    What’s in a Name? A Whole Lot of Money if the Name is President Donald Trump  By Fred Wertheimer, Democracy 21 President Donald Trump is not just a name; it’s a business brand worth a lot of money. And when that name becomes President Donald Trump, the name and the […]

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