Fred Wertheimer Statement on Groundbreaking Criminal Prosecution for Illegal Coordination Announced Today by Justice Department

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The Justice Department today issued a release announcing a criminal conviction for violating the federal rules prohibiting coordination between federal candidates and their campaigns, and Super PACs and other outside spending groups.

According to Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer:

This is an extremely important development and sends a warning signal to all federal candidates in the 2016 elections that they can no longer ignore the nation’s coordination laws with impunity.

Presidential and congressional candidates have been blatantly ignoring the laws prohibiting coordination between candidates and outside spending groups with full knowledge that the Federal Election Commission is paralyzed and will not enforce the campaign finance laws.

With today’s groundbreaking criminal prosecution, the Justice Department has sent a clear and compelling warning that presidential and congressional candidates who engage in illegal coordination activities are no longer risk free and can face criminal prosecution for their campaign finance violations.

In 2012, Democracy 21 sent a series of letters to the Justice Department asking for criminal investigations of potential illegal coordination between a number of presidential campaigns and the individual candidate Super PACs supporting them. Democracy 21 will carefully monitor the 2016 presidential and congressional campaigns and we are prepared to again ask for criminal investigations of potential illegal coordination activities and in particular illegal coordination between presidential and other federal candidates and the individual candidate Super PACs supporting them.

As the Justice Department noted today, this case represents the first criminal conviction for violation of the federal laws prohibiting coordination between candidates and outside spending groups.

Democracy 21 strongly applauds the statement made by Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell that, “The Department of Justice is fully committed to addressing the threat posed to the integrity of federal primary and general elections by coordinated campaign contributions, and will aggressively pursue coordination offenses at every appropriate opportunity.”