Fighting Corporate Power In Elections
10/14/2010 UPDATE: COMPLAINT TO DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
I have some exciting updates to our effort to challenge corporate power in U.S. democracy.
We started our efforts to highlight corporate funding of elections before the summer. In recent weeks much of the mainstream media has caught on as have other advocacy groups. Today and tomorrow we escalate our efforts.
Today, along with Public Citizen, Protect Our Elections and American Crossroads Watch, Prosperity Agenda filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission. You can see the complaint here.
The complaint alleges that big business interests are using non-profit front groups to hide their donations in an effort to dominate the elections anonymously. They do not want voters to know they are working for private profit and not for the public good. This is a misuse of the tax law and violates federal elections laws. As you can see there is strong case law on our side as the actions of American Crossroads GPS are way over the legal line.
Prosperity Agenda is a non-partisan organization, personally I am not registered with either the Democratic or Republican parties, but we do recognize that concentrated corporate power is the central issue creating dysfunction in government. Concentrated corporate power prevented a real solution to the health care crisis in America because the insurance, pharmaceutical and for-profit hospitals would not allow real reform – a single payer system that expanded and improved Medicare for All. We recognize that the failure to face up to the financial crisis and put in the kinds of strong reforms that are needed was because Wall Street, the big banks and the Federal Reserve had to approve all the so-called reforms before they were enacted. We see the same thing when it comes to jobs, energy, the environment and militarism – on issue after issue, status quo corporate interests prevent America from facing up to urgent problems.
So, it is important that concentrated corporate power not be able to flout election laws to hide their personal financial interests and pretend to be non-profits working for the public good.
The FEC complaint is the first step. Tomorrow, we will go to the Department of Justice which also has jurisdiction to enforce federal election laws and ask them to immediately begin a criminal investigation of American Crossroads and similar non-profits that are shielding the identity of corporate power in elections. We are seeking criminal investigations of Karl Rove, Ed Gillespie and others who started these front groups, run them and raise money for them. And, we are urging that the donors also be investigated because if they colluded knowing that this was an effort to avoid election law reporting requirements then they are also criminally responsible. Justice should require these groups to preserve all documents so that a criminal investigation is not hindered by destruction of evidence. And, we are asking the Justice Department to immediately stop this democracy crime in progress by seeking to enjoin their operations.
We need your help! Please write your representatives in Congress and the Department of Justice urging a criminal investigation. Click here to take action today.
Second, donate to our efforts. We need financial support to continue our efforts at challenging corporate power in U.S. democracy.
Thank you for taking action. We are making a difference.
– Kevin Zeese, Executive Director
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