Category: Challenging Foreign Influence

FSFP Senior Counsel Courtney Hostetler and Michele Sutter Co-Author New Oped on Bill Seeking to Ban Multinational Corporations From Spending Money in California Elections.

Cal Matters recently published a new op-ed by FSFP Senior Counsel Courtney Hostetler and Money Out Voters In Co-Founder Michele Sutter on a new bill that seeks to ban multinational corporations from spending money in California elections. The following is an excerpt from the new piece: The Citizens United ruling created a loophole to foreign
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Government Watchdogs Sue FEC for Deadlock and Failure to Investigate Complaint About Coordination between the Russian Government and Former President Trump’s 2016 Campaign

The Federal Election Commission’s 3-3 deadlock on a prior complaint from December 2016 effectively shields the Russian government and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign from accountability for violating federal election laws. WASHINGTON, D.C. (Mar. 10, 2022) – Nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations Free Speech For People and Campaign for Accountability today filed a federal lawsuit against the Federal
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In a Split Decision, the FEC Overrules Career Staff and Refuses to Investigate Coordination between the Russian Government and Donald Trump’s 2016 Campaign

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has released records revealing how partisan deadlock blocked its investigation into potential coordination between former President Trump’s 2016 election campaign and the Russian Federation.   The FEC’s nonpartisan professional career staff in its General Counsel’s office recommended that the FEC find “reason to believe” that the Trump campaign
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FSFP Legal Director Ron Fein Testifies Before Hawaii State Legislature and Urges Lawmakers to Lower Thresholds For Defining Foreign-Influenced Corporations.

FSFP Legal Director Ron Fein recently appeared before the Hawaii State Legislature to provide testimony on why the deliberative body must consider expanding the definition of a foreign-influenced corporation as it looks to safeguard state elections. The following is an excerpt from his testimony: For a large multinational corporation, an investor that owns 1% of
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New Bill Seeks to Ban Multinational Corporations From Spending Money in California Elections

Introduced by Assemblymember Alex Lee, the bill would prohibit spending by foreign-influenced corporations to candidates, parties, or committees (including super PACs), closing a loophole created by the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC. SACRAMENTO, CA (February 7, 2022) – California Assemblymember Alex Lee introduced today AB 1819 to bar multinational or foreign-influenced
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REP. JAMIE RASKIN INTRODUCES BILL TO BAN MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS FROM SPENDING MONEY IN U.S. ELECTIONS

The bill would prohibit spending by foreign-influenced corporations to candidates, parties, or committees (including super PACs), closing a loophole created by the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC. WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 14, 2021) – Congressman Jamie Raskin today introduced a bill (HR 6283) to bar multinational corporations like Amazon, Meta (formerly Facebook),
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Government Watchdogs Sue FEC for Failure to Investigate Coordination between the Russian Government and President Trump’s 2016 Campaign

The Federal Election Commission’s failure to act on a prior complaint from December 2016 effectively shields the Russian government and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign from accountability for violating federal election laws.  WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 8, 2021) – Nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations Free Speech For People and Campaign for Accountability today filed a federal lawsuit against the
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FSFP Legal Fellow Ben Horton Discusses Why The January 6th Insurrection Further Highlights The Dangers of Corporate Political Spending.

Truthout recently published an oped by Free Speech For People Legal Fellow Ben Horton on why the January 6 insurrection further highlights the danger that corporate political spending poses to our democracy. The following is an excerpt from the new piece: To save our democracy, we can’t rely on corporations — we need to understand
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VIDEO: The Ongoing Fight To Abolish Super PACs and Prohibit Foreign-Influenced Corporate Spending in State Elections.

In March 2010, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in SpeechNow.org v. FEC opened the door to super PACs by holding that the federal law limiting contributions to political committees to $5,000 per person each year could not be applied to a political committee that promised to make only “independent expenditures.” At the same
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New York State Senate Cracks Down on Multinational Corporations Interfering in State Elections, Passes Democracy Preservation Act

If passed in the Assembly and signed into law, New York would be the first state to ban multinational corporate money in elections. ALBANY, NY (June 3, 2021) – The New York State Senate today passed, with bipartisan support, the Democracy Preservation Act (S1126), a bill designed to end the influence of foreign corporate money
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