Think Progress

August 31, 2011

Freshman Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL) faced another testy town hall this week from upset constituents. At an event in Yorkville, Illinois, Hultgren was asked about his position on the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, and if he agreed with the legal doctrine that equates corporations with private individuals. Hultgren dodged the question mostly, and inaccurately claimed that there is “full disclosure” for donors to corporate-financed political spending groups:

CONSTITUENT: With Citizens United, where corporations give unlimited, undisclosed campaign contributions for political causes, political candidates and the Supreme Court ruled that Citizens United more or less said that corporations are considered an individual. And I’m just really concerned that special interest groups and lobbyists are running Washington and have the power to buy people. Its really a bad ruling, I’m really upset with it. […] Do you consider a corporation an individual?

HULTGREN: Uh, that’s a good question. Again with the Supreme Court decision I think, could be wrong, that there’s still full disclosure of who is giving the money–

AUDIENCE: No! […]

HULTGREN: I think the company still has to disclosure, we’ll take a look at it. […] What I have supported is full disclosure.

Watch it:

Hultgren says he supports full disclosure, but he remained quiet when an avalanche of secret corporate money elected him to Congress last year. Two powerful secret money groups, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Future Fund, ran ad campaigns against his opponent, incumbent Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL). Both the Chamber and AFF have refused to reveal their sources of money. The Chamber has acknowledged, following a ThinkProgress investigation, that it solicits foreign money into the same legal entity used to run partisan attack ads. (HT: Progressive Fox)

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