democracy21--2020-01-21--The legacy of ‘Citizens United’ has been destructive. We need campaign finance reform – Wertheimer o

The legacy of ‘Citizens United’ has been destructive. We need campaign finance reform – Wertheimer op-ed in Washington Post

Enclosed for your information is an op-ed by Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer entitled , “ The legacy of ‘ Citizens United ’ has been destructive .
We need campaign finance reform , ” published here in The Washington Post on January 20 , 2020 .
According to the piece : As long as Citizens United stands , political money corruption will continue in Washington unless federal candidates are given a new way to finance their campaigns that frees them from the iron grip of influence-seeking funders .
The court ’ s rulings , and its newly enhanced conservative majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the ills of our current campaign financing system .
But there are ways to mitigate the damage and dramatically improve the flaws of the current system .
Last March , with the support of a coalition of more than 145 organizations , the House passed H.R .
1 , an unprecedented package of democracy reforms .
The reforms included a new , alternative financing system : a small-donor , public-matching funds system for presidential and congressional candidates .
Read the full piece below or here .
The legacy of ‘ Citizens United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign finance reform Fred Wertheimer | January 20 , 2020 | The Washington Post Jan. 21 marks the 10th anniversary of the disastrous Citizens United decision , the most consequential — and destructive — campaign finance decision by the Supreme Court in nearly half a century .
The legacy of Citizens United has been even more damaging than almost anyone understood when the ruling came down .
The decision helped return the most dangerous and corrupting money to our elections .
It provided the wealthiest Americans with a predominant role in campaign financing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to collect multimillion-dollar checks .
It allowed hundreds of millions of dollars in large , secret contributions to be spent to influence federal elections through the use of undisclosed “ dark money ” given to nonprofits .
In short , the destructive impact of Citizens United on our political system has made the Watergate campaign finance scandals , the worst of the last century , look like child ’ s play .
The history of money in American politics is a cyclical story of scandal and reform .
Scandals occur .
Reforms are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of time .
When they are not enforced or updated to address changed circumstances , they eventually break down .
New scandals occur .
New reforms follow .
And the cycle repeats .
The Watergate scandals of the early 1970s were followed by the landmark Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974 .
The new law included three fundamental ideas : full disclosure to eliminate secret money in elections , contribution limits to prevent corrupting political donations and public financing to provide a new way to finance presidential campaigns .
These reforms worked well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the presidential public financing system eventually broke down when the costs of presidential campaigns dramatically increased and Congress failed to modernize the system .
The contribution limits also broke down as federal officeholders and candidates invented a new mechanism , called “ soft money , ” to raise contributions for the political parties .
This money supposedly could not be spent to influence federal elections .
But the Federal Election Commission failed to enforce the law , and the parties spent hundreds of millions of dollars of unlimited soft money contributions to support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scandal was shut down in 2002 by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act , also known as the McCain-Feingold Act , enacted with strong bipartisan support .
Then came Citizens United , decided by a 5-to-4 court .
The result was that the old corruption of soft money was replaced by the new corruption of super PACs .
In the past four elections , super PACs raised nearly $ 5 billion in unlimited contributions to spend in federal elections .
The top 10 individual donors alone contributed $ 1 billion to super PACs during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100 million per donor .
Nonprofit groups spent more than $ 800 million in “ dark money ” to influence federal elections .
As long as Citizens United stands , political money corruption will continue in Washington unless federal candidates are given a new way to finance their campaigns that frees them from the iron grip of influence-seeking funders .
The court ’ s rulings , and its newly enhanced conservative majority , present serious hurdles to addressing many of the ills of our current campaign financing system .
But there are ways @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the flaws of the current system .
Last March , with the support of a coalition of more than 145 organizations , the House passed H.R .
1 , an unprecedented package of democracy reforms .
The reforms included a new , alternative financing system : a small-donor , public-matching funds system for presidential and congressional candidates .
A companion measure to H.R .
1 is sponsored by 47 senators .
This new system would empower ordinary Americans to counter political influence money by matching their contributions up to $ 200 with public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system would allow candidates to run for federal office without being dependent on influence-seeking funders , whose impact would be greatly reduced .
The costs of the new system would be borne not by taxpayers , but by corporate lawbreakers paying a small surcharge on the penalties and fines they pay to the government for violations of law .
Enactment of this system will by no means address all of our campaign finance problems .
But the system would provide candidates with the ability to run for federal office without having to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ influence over government policies in return for their money .
Some people believe this is an impossible battle to win .
But as Nelson Mandela taught us , “ it always seems impossible until it is done.
” I and other supporters of reform will continue the fight for H.R .
1 until that battle is won and a new round of fundamental campaign finance reforms takes effect .

Enclosed for your information is an op-ed by Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer entitled, “The legacy of ‘Citizens United’ has been destructive. We need campaign finance reform,” published here in The Washington Post on January 20, 2020.
According to the piece:
As long as Citizens United stands, political money corruption will continue in Washington unless federal candidates are given a new way to finance their campaigns that frees them from the iron grip of influence-seeking funders. The court’s rulings, and its newly enhanced conservative majority, present serious hurdles to addressing many of the ills of our current campaign financing system. But there are ways to mitigate the damage and dramatically improve the flaws of the current system. Last March, with the support of a coalition of more than 145 organizations, the House passed H.R. 1, an unprecedented package of democracy reforms. The reforms included a new, alternative financing system: a small-donor, public-matching funds system for presidential and congressional candidates.
Read the full piece below or here.
The legacy of ‘Citizens United’ has been destructive. We need campaign finance reform
Fred Wertheimer | January 20, 2020 | The Washington Post
Jan. 21 marks the 10th anniversary of the disastrous Citizens United decision, the most consequential — and destructive — campaign finance decision by the Supreme Court in nearly half a century. The legacy of Citizens United has been even more damaging than almost anyone understood when the ruling came down.
The decision helped return the most dangerous and corrupting money to our elections. It provided the wealthiest Americans with a predominant role in campaign financing by giving birth to super PACs permitted to collect multimillion-dollar checks. It allowed hundreds of millions of dollars in large, secret contributions to be spent to influence federal elections through the use of undisclosed “dark money” given to nonprofits.
In short, the destructive impact of Citizens United on our political system has made the Watergate campaign finance scandals, the worst of the last century, look like child’s play.
The history of money in American politics is a cyclical story of scandal and reform. Scandals occur. Reforms are enacted. They work for some period of time. When they are not enforced or updated to address changed circumstances, they eventually break down. New scandals occur. New reforms follow. And the cycle repeats.
The Watergate scandals of the early 1970s were followed by the landmark Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974. The new law included three fundamental ideas: full disclosure to eliminate secret money in elections, contribution limits to prevent corrupting political donations and public financing to provide a new way to finance presidential campaigns.
These reforms worked well for more than two decades. But the presidential public financing system eventually broke down when the costs of presidential campaigns dramatically increased and Congress failed to modernize the system.
The contribution limits also broke down as federal officeholders and candidates invented a new mechanism, called “soft money,” to raise contributions for the political parties. This money supposedly could not be spent to influence federal elections. But the Federal Election Commission failed to enforce the law, and the parties spent hundreds of millions of dollars of unlimited soft money contributions to support their federal candidates.
The soft money scandal was shut down in 2002 by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, also known as the McCain-Feingold Act, enacted with strong bipartisan support.
Then came Citizens United, decided by a 5-to-4 court.
The result was that the old corruption of soft money was replaced by the new corruption of super PACs. In the past four elections, super PACs raised nearly $5 billion in unlimited contributions to spend in federal elections. The top 10 individual donors alone contributed $1 billion to super PACs during this period, an average of $100 million per donor. Nonprofit groups spent more than $800 million in “dark money” to influence federal elections.
As long as Citizens United stands, political money corruption will continue in Washington unless federal candidates are given a new way to finance their campaigns that frees them from the iron grip of influence-seeking funders. The court’s rulings, and its newly enhanced conservative majority, present serious hurdles to addressing many of the ills of our current campaign financing system. But there are ways to mitigate the damage and dramatically improve the flaws of the current system.
Last March, with the support of a coalition of more than 145 organizations, the House passed H.R. 1, an unprecedented package of democracy reforms. The reforms included a new, alternative financing system: a small-donor, public-matching funds system for presidential and congressional candidates. A companion measure to H.R. 1 is sponsored by 47 senators.
This new system would empower ordinary Americans to counter political influence money by matching their contributions up to $200 with public funds at a 6-to-1 ratio. This system would allow candidates to run for federal office without being dependent on influence-seeking funders, whose impact would be greatly reduced. The costs of the new system would be borne not by taxpayers, but by corporate lawbreakers paying a small surcharge on the penalties and fines they pay to the government for violations of law.
Enactment of this system will by no means address all of our campaign finance problems. But the system would provide candidates with the ability to run for federal office without having to go hat in hand to big-money funders seeking influence over government policies in return for their money.
Some people believe this is an impossible battle to win. But as Nelson Mandela taught us, “it always seems impossible until it is done.” I and other supporters of reform will continue the fight for H.R. 1 until that battle is won and a new round of fundamental campaign finance reforms takes effect.
Fred Wertheimer is president of Democracy 21.
###


History Is Watching

“ History will record the enormous damage done to our democracy and our country by President Trump and by the congressional Republicans who gave license to Trump ’ s past and future attempts to rig the 2020 presidential election.
” The “ meticulous and scathing ” presentation yesterday by House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff of the facts in the impeachment trial established beyond any doubt that President Trump engaged in improper and illegal acts for his personal benefit and at the expense of fair elections and our national security .
It is incontrovertible that Trump attempted to blackmail Ukraine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election by illegally withholding congressionally-approved military assistance to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia .
It is incontrovertible that Trump made clear to Ukraine he was holding the military assistance hostage for a public statement by the Ukraine president that Ukraine would conduct a corruption investigation into a leading Trump political opponent in 2020 , Joe Biden , and his son , Hunter Biden .
In doing so , Trump engaged in illegal , improper , and indefensible actions .
Senate Republicans have adopted the attitude of “ see no evil , hear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reject the House ’ s articles of impeachment .
History , however , will record the enormous damage done to our democracy and our country by President Trump and by the congressional Republicans who gave license to Trump ’ s past and future attempts to rig the 2020 presidential election .
The latest poll released yesterday by the Pew Research Center found that , by 51 percent to 46 percent , the American people believe the Trump should be removed from office .
That poll also found that a substantial majority , 63 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ probably acted illegally as president or as a candidate .
The effort to hold President Trump accountable for his outrageous abuses of office will not end with the Senate ’ s dismissal of the case .
This will become an important part of the national debate that takes place in the coming months over who should become our next President .
Fred Wertheimer is the Founder and President of Democracy 21 , a nonprofit , nonpartisan organization that works to strengthen our democracy and ensure the integrity and fairness of government decisions and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here .

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | JANUARY 23, 2020
“History will record the enormous damage done to our democracy and our country by President Trump and by the congressional Republicans who gave license to Trump’s past and future attempts to rig the 2020 presidential election.”
The “meticulous and scathing” presentation yesterday by House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff of the facts in the impeachment trial established beyond any doubt that President Trump engaged in improper and illegal acts for his personal benefit and at the expense of fair elections and our national security.
It is incontrovertible that Trump attempted to blackmail Ukraine into improperly interfering in the 2020 presidential election by illegally withholding congressionally-approved military assistance to Ukraine to defend itself against Russia.
It is incontrovertible that Trump made clear to Ukraine he was holding the military assistance hostage for a public statement by the Ukraine president that Ukraine would conduct a corruption investigation into a leading Trump political opponent in 2020, Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden.
In doing so, Trump engaged in illegal, improper, and indefensible actions.
Senate Republicans have adopted the attitude of “see no evil, hear no evil” and are going to reject the House’s articles of impeachment.
History, however, will record the enormous damage done to our democracy and our country by President Trump and by the congressional Republicans who gave license to Trump’s past and future attempts to rig the 2020 presidential election.
The latest poll released yesterday by the Pew Research Center found that, by 51 percent to 46 percent, the American people believe the Trump should be removed from office. That poll also found that a substantial majority, 63 percent, believe President Trump definitely or probably acted illegally as president or as a candidate.
The effort to hold President Trump accountable for his outrageous abuses of office will not end with the Senate’s dismissal of the case.
This will become an important part of the national debate that takes place in the coming months over who should become our next President.
__________
Fred Wertheimer is the Founder and President of Democracy 21, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to strengthen our democracy and ensure the integrity and fairness of government decisions and elections. See previous Notes from Fred here.


democracy21--2020-02-05--Senate Republicans Have Failed the Country

Senate Republicans , with the exception of Senator Mitt Romney , failed the country , the Founders and the institution of the Senate itself .
Senate Republicans said today to President Trump that there are no consequences for his gross abuse of office , for his total obstruction of Congress , for his undermining of our constitutional system of checks and balances , for his breaking the law in soliciting a foreign country to interfere in the 2020 presidential election , for his extorting and blackmailing a foreign country to investigate a political opponent in the presidential election and for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personal political benefit .
Some Senate Republicans have whispered that the President ’ s actions were inappropriate or wrong , but they are unwilling to do anything about Trump ’ s reprehensible conduct .
One Senate Republican however , Senator Mitt Romney , ignored the pressures of partisanship , and voted to remove Trump from office and defend the Constitution and the office of the presidency .
The Founders fought a revolution to get rid of both a king and foreign interference in our country .
They wrote a Constitution with protections against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to prevent our country from having another king or authoritarian ruler .
Senate Republicans apparently believe the Founders got it wrong .
Senate Republicans voted today to give President Trump a green light to solicit and coerce foreign governments to help him try to steal the 2020 presidential election .
They voted to license Trump to ignore Congress as a co-equal branch of government .
In essence , Senate Republicans assented to Trump ’ s absurd claim that he can do whatever he likes under Article II of the Constitution .
Voters may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country and seriously damaging our constitutional system of government .
History certainly will .
Senate McConnell , supposedly a “ leader ” in a co-equal branch of government , bowed down to President Trump and proceeded to serve as his agent and operative .
Amazingly , Senator McConnell announced before the trial started that he would be working “ in total coordination ” with and “ taking my cues ” from the Trump White House in conducting the impeachment trial .
McConnell effectively turned control of the Senate impeachment trial over to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every one of the fifteen previous Senate impeachment trials in our history , witnesses were permitted to testify .
In Trump ’ s trial , 51 Republican Senators prohibited any witnesses from testifying .
This contradicted the very notion of a trial where witnesses are always allowed to testify .
Just what was it that Senate Republicans did not want the American people to hear ?
This rigging of the Senate impeachment trial nullified its legitimacy .
The House impeachment of President Trump stands .
The Senate acquittal of Trump does not ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place in the Hall of Shame is reserved for Senate Majority Leader McConnell , who has done lasting damage to the integrity and credibility of the Senate .
A special place in the Hall of Shame is also reserved for Alan Dershowitz , whose nonsensical and bizarre arguments provided phony cover for Senate Republicans to use to justify their votes to acquit Trump .
A special place in the Hall of Fame is reserved for Senator Romney , who defied all the pressures of partisanship and Republican peers to vote to remove an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ special place in the Hall of Fame is also reserved for Senator Doug Jones who defied all the political pressures of a very difficult re-election fight in red state Alabama to vote to remove an unfit President Trump from office .
The Senate has long been known as the world ’ s greatest deliberative body .
No more .
With Senator McConnell shutting down the Senate as a legislative body in this Congress and with a rigged , no-witness impeachment trial , the Senate has forfeited any right to claim being great or @ @

Senate Republicans Have Failed the Country
Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer
Senate Republicans, with the exception of Senator Mitt Romney, failed the country, the Founders and the institution of the Senate itself.
Senate Republicans said today to President Trump that there are no consequences for his gross abuse of office, for his total obstruction of Congress, for his undermining of our constitutional system of checks and balances, for his breaking the law in soliciting a foreign country to interfere in the 2020 presidential election, for his extorting and blackmailing a foreign country to investigate a political opponent in the presidential election and for his misusing taxpayer dollars for his own personal political benefit.
Some Senate Republicans have whispered that the President’s actions were inappropriate or wrong, but they are unwilling to do anything about Trump’s reprehensible conduct.
One Senate Republican however, Senator Mitt Romney, ignored the pressures of partisanship, and voted to remove Trump from office and defend the Constitution and the office of the presidency.
The Founders fought a revolution to get rid of both a king and foreign interference in our country. They wrote a Constitution with protections against foreign influence and with checks and balances to prevent our country from having another king or authoritarian ruler.
Senate Republicans apparently believe the Founders got it wrong.
Senate Republicans voted today to give President Trump a green light to solicit and coerce foreign governments to help him try to steal the 2020 presidential election. They voted to license Trump to ignore Congress as a co-equal branch of government.
In essence, Senate Republicans assented to Trump’s absurd claim that he can do whatever he likes under Article II of the Constitution.
Voters may hold Senate Republicans accountable for failing the country and seriously damaging our constitutional system of government. History certainly will.
Senate McConnell, supposedly a “leader” in a co-equal branch of government, bowed down to President Trump and proceeded to serve as his agent and operative.
Amazingly, Senator McConnell announced before the trial started that he would be working “in total coordination” with and “taking my cues” from the Trump White House in conducting the impeachment trial. McConnell effectively turned control of the Senate impeachment trial over to the Executive Branch defendant being tried.
Under McConnell’s “leadership,” the Senate conducted a sham trial.
In every one of the fifteen previous Senate impeachment trials in our history, witnesses were permitted to testify. In Trump’s trial, 51 Republican Senators prohibited any witnesses from testifying. This contradicted the very notion of a trial where witnesses are always allowed to testify. Just what was it that Senate Republicans did not want the American people to hear?
This rigging of the Senate impeachment trial nullified its legitimacy. The House impeachment of President Trump stands. The Senate acquittal of Trump does not; it has no credibility.
A special place in the Hall of Shame is reserved for Senate Majority Leader McConnell, who has done lasting damage to the integrity and credibility of the Senate.
A special place in the Hall of Shame is also reserved for Alan Dershowitz, whose nonsensical and bizarre arguments provided phony cover for Senate Republicans to use to justify their votes to acquit Trump.
A special place in the Hall of Fame is reserved for Senator Romney, who defied all the pressures of partisanship and Republican peers to vote to remove an unfit President Trump from office.
A special place in the Hall of Fame is also reserved for Senator Doug Jones who defied all the political pressures of a very difficult re-election fight in red state Alabama to vote to remove an unfit President Trump from office.
The Senate has long been known as the world’s greatest deliberative body. No more.
With Senator McConnell shutting down the Senate as a legislative body in this Congress and with a rigged, no-witness impeachment trial, the Senate has forfeited any right to claim being great or deliberative.
###


democracy21--2020-02-06--A Nation of Laws

A Nation of Laws

“ Senate Republicans said yesterday that Trump is above the law and that we are a nation of men and women , not laws.
” The blind loyalty shown by Republican Senators , with the exception of Senator Mitt Romney , in acquitting President Trump yesterday tells us all that Senate Republicans are prepared to let President Trump do whatever he wants to whomever he wants , whenever he wants , with no consequences .
Senate Republicans said yesterday that Trump is above the law and that we are a nation of men and women , not laws .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attacking Democrats as “ very dishonest and corrupt people.
” Of course , Trump ’ s dishonest and corrupt practices were at the heart of the Impeachment case overwhelmingly proven in the House impeachment proceeding and the Senate trial .
As noted in a statement I issued yesterday , “ Under McConnell ’ s ‘ leadership , ’ the Senate conducted a sham trial .
[ … ] This rigging of the Senate impeachment trial nullified its legitimacy .
The House impeachment of President Trump stands .
The Senate acquittal of Trump does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Special recognition for their votes yesterday is due to Republican Senator Romney and Democratic Senators Jones ( AL ) and Manchin ( WV ) .
Romney resisted enormous partisan and peer pressures to vote based on the evidence in the case , not the politics facing him .
Jones voted to convict Trump while facing a very difficult reelection fight in a Trump stronghold state .
Manchin voted to convict Trump in a state that gave Trump in 2016 his largest share of the vote in any state in the country .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight must continue to hold President Trump accountable for his corrupt practices , wrongful acts and reprehensible conduct .
Trump ’ s indefensible actions must be challenged at every step of the way .
House investigations and oversight of Trump must continue and be supported .
The core American principles that this is a nation of laws and nobody is above the law must prevail over a President extraordinarily unfit to serve .
Fred Wertheimer is the Founder and President of Democracy 21 , a nonprofit , nonpartisan organization that works to strengthen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fairness of government decisions and elections .
See previous Notes from Fred here .

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | FEBRUARY 6, 2020
“Senate Republicans said yesterday that Trump is above the law and that we are a nation of men and women, not laws.”
The blind loyalty shown by Republican Senators, with the exception of Senator Mitt Romney, in acquitting President Trump yesterday tells us all that Senate Republicans are prepared to let President Trump do whatever he wants to whomever he wants, whenever he wants, with no consequences.
Senate Republicans said yesterday that Trump is above the law and that we are a nation of men and women, not laws.
This morning, Trump practiced jujitsu politics, attacking Democrats as “very dishonest and corrupt people.” Of course, Trump’s dishonest and corrupt practices were at the heart of the Impeachment case overwhelmingly proven in the House impeachment proceeding and the Senate trial.
As noted in a statement I issued yesterday, “Under McConnell’s ‘leadership,’ the Senate conducted a sham trial. […] This rigging of the Senate impeachment trial nullified its legitimacy. The House impeachment of President Trump stands. The Senate acquittal of Trump does not; it has no credibility.”
Special recognition for their votes yesterday is due to Republican Senator Romney and Democratic Senators Jones (AL) and Manchin (WV).
Romney resisted enormous partisan and peer pressures to vote based on the evidence in the case, not the politics facing him. Jones voted to convict Trump while facing a very difficult reelection fight in a Trump stronghold state. Manchin voted to convict Trump in a state that gave Trump in 2016 his largest share of the vote in any state in the country.
The message going forward is clear. The fight must continue to hold President Trump accountable for his corrupt practices, wrongful acts and reprehensible conduct.
Trump’s indefensible actions must be challenged at every step of the way. House investigations and oversight of Trump must continue and be supported.
The core American principles that this is a nation of laws and nobody is above the law must prevail over a President extraordinarily unfit to serve.
__________
Fred Wertheimer is the Founder and President of Democracy 21, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to strengthen our democracy and ensure the integrity and fairness of government decisions and elections. See previous Notes from Fred here.


democracy21--2020-01-30--Trump’s License to Steal

Trump’s License to Steal

“ We had a revolution to get rid of a king .
The Senate Republicans are about to go on record to say that the Founders got that wrong.
” Donald Trump seemed to be the only person in the United States who believed , “ I have the right to do whatever I want as President.
” Now , apparently , there are two .
Retired Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz , a criminal defense lawyer defending Trump , has made arguments in the impeachment trial that are absurd and far removed from reality .
Dershowitz has argued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congress are not impeachable offenses and that only actual crimes or criminal conduct are impeachable .
Dershowitz is almost alone in this position which is close to universally rejected by constitutional scholars and experts .
Harvard Law School professor and constitutional scholar Larry Tribe has written that “ with virtually no federal criminal law in place when the Constitution was written in 1787 , any such understanding would have been inconceivable.
” Dershowitz yesterday made an argument that is even more absurd .
He took the position that if President Trump “ does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get elected in the public interest , that can not be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment.
” This is a license to steal .
Trump no doubt believes everything he does will help him get elected .
Under the Dershowitz theory , Trump can engage in extortive quid pro quo efforts at will .
Ironically , in this case , the President apparently did engage in criminal conduct , violating the campaign finance laws by illegally soliciting something of value from a foreign country in connection with an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeking “ mere information ” is not a campaign finance violation , but Trump didn ’ t solicit “ mere information , ” he solicited a costly investigation which clearly is something of value .
We had a revolution to get rid of a king .
The Senate Republicans are about to go on record to say that the Founders got that wrong .
Fred Wertheimer is the Founder and President of Democracy 21 , a nonprofit , nonpartisan organization that works to strengthen our democracy and ensure the integrity and fairness of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Notes from Fred here .

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | JANUARY 30, 2020
“We had a revolution to get rid of a king. The Senate Republicans are about to go on record to say that the Founders got that wrong.”
Donald Trump seemed to be the only person in the United States who believed, “I have the right to do whatever I want as President.”
Now, apparently, there are two.
Retired Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz, a criminal defense lawyer defending Trump, has made arguments in the impeachment trial that are absurd and far removed from reality.
Dershowitz has argued that abuse of power and obstruction of Congress are not impeachable offenses and that only actual crimes or criminal conduct are impeachable.
Dershowitz is almost alone in this position which is close to universally rejected by constitutional scholars and experts. Harvard Law School professor and constitutional scholar Larry Tribe has written that “with virtually no federal criminal law in place when the Constitution was written in 1787, any such understanding would have been inconceivable.”
Dershowitz yesterday made an argument that is even more absurd. He took the position that if President Trump “does something that he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment.”
This is a license to steal. Trump no doubt believes everything he does will help him get elected. Under the Dershowitz theory, Trump can engage in extortive quid pro quo efforts at will.
Ironically, in this case, the President apparently did engage in criminal conduct, violating the campaign finance laws by illegally soliciting something of value from a foreign country in connection with an election. A Trump lawyer claimed that seeking “mere information” is not a campaign finance violation, but Trump didn’t solicit “mere information,” he solicited a costly investigation which clearly is something of value.
We had a revolution to get rid of a king. The Senate Republicans are about to go on record to say that the Founders got that wrong.
__________
Fred Wertheimer is the Founder and President of Democracy 21, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to strengthen our democracy and ensure the integrity and fairness of government decisions and elections. See previous Notes from Fred here.


democracy21--2020-02-12--D21 Documents AG Barr’s Repeated Abuses of Office, Calls for House and DOJ Investigations of Barr

Democracy 21 Documents Attorney General Barr ’ s Repeated Abuses of Office , Calls for House and DOJ Investigations of Barr In an apparently unprecedented act , the sentencing recommendation submitted by the office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia to Judge Amy Berman Jackson in the case of Roger Stone was withdrawn and changed by the Justice Department .
According to a report by NBC News , this withdrawal and resubmission occurred after President Trump attacked the original Stone sentencing recommendation and Attorney General William Barr took control of the Stone case .
The report says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of other legal matters of interest to President Trump .
“ Attorney General Barr is politicizing the Justice Department in plain sight .
Barr is dangerously undermining the Department ’ s independence , integrity and credibility by engaging in multiple abuses of office , ” Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer said .
On January 17 , 2020 , Democracy 21 filed a complaint with DOJ ’ s Office of Professional Responsibility ( OPR ) against Attorney General Barr that documented Barr ’ s pattern of biased actions in favor of President Trump and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to comply with Justice Department norms , rules and standards of conduct .
The complaint requested OPR to investigate and take appropriate action regarding Barr ’ s improprieties .
See the Democracy 21 complaint here and a Wertheimer article published by Just Security entitled “ William Barr : A Failed Attorney General Unfit to Serve ” here .
“ The House of Representatives should begin an investigation and hearings promptly into Attorney General Barr ’ s repeated abuses of his office , starting with the reported interventions in the Roger Stone and Michael @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The stated core mission of the Justice Department is “ to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.
” “ Attorney General Barr has repeatedly compromised and publicly undermined the Justice Department ’ s mission .
Barr is misusing the Justice Department to serve President Trump ’ s political interests and personal desires at enormous costs to the Department , to the public servants who work there and to the American people .
Barr is unfit to serve as Attorney General and the sooner Barr leaves office , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Wertheimer said .

Democracy 21 Documents Attorney General Barr’s Repeated Abuses of Office, Calls for House and DOJ Investigations of Barr
In an apparently unprecedented act, the sentencing recommendation submitted by the office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia to Judge Amy Berman Jackson in the case of Roger Stone was withdrawn and changed by the Justice Department.
According to a report by NBC News, this withdrawal and resubmission occurred after President Trump attacked the original Stone sentencing recommendation and Attorney General William Barr took control of the Stone case. The report says that Barr has also been taking control of other legal matters of interest to President Trump.
“Attorney General Barr is politicizing the Justice Department in plain sight. Barr is dangerously undermining the Department’s independence, integrity and credibility by engaging in multiple abuses of office,” Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer said.
On January 17, 2020, Democracy 21 filed a complaint with DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) against Attorney General Barr that documented Barr’s pattern of biased actions in favor of President Trump and the Attorney General’s repeated failures to comply with Justice Department norms, rules and standards of conduct. The complaint requested OPR to investigate and take appropriate action regarding Barr’s improprieties.
See the Democracy 21 complaint here and a Wertheimer article published by Just Security entitled “William Barr: A Failed Attorney General Unfit to Serve” here.
“The House of Representatives should begin an investigation and hearings promptly into Attorney General Barr’s repeated abuses of his office, starting with the reported interventions in the Roger Stone and Michael Flynn convictions,” according to Wertheimer.
The stated core mission of the Justice Department is “to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.”
“Attorney General Barr has repeatedly compromised and publicly undermined the Justice Department’s mission. Barr is misusing the Justice Department to serve President Trump’s political interests and personal desires at enormous costs to the Department, to the public servants who work there and to the American people. Barr is unfit to serve as Attorney General and the sooner Barr leaves office, the better off our country will be,” Wertheimer said.
###


democracy21--2020-02-13--Trump Tests The Constitution. The Constitution Must And Will Prevail.

Trump Tests The Constitution And Challenges Our Founders .
The Constitution Must And Will Prevail .
President Trump showed again this week that he believes he has dictatorial powers .
In the course of two days , Trump improperly interfered in the Executive and Judicial branches of our government .
This followed his long-running obstruction of Congress , including the impeachment process .
More than 200 years ago , the Founders saw Donald Trump coming .
They wrote a Constitution with a system of checks and balances to protect against the exercise of dictatorial powers .
Trump is testing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must and will prevail .
The mission of the Justice Department is “ to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.
” Trump ran right over that mission when he attacked the sentencing recommendation made by career DOJ prosecutors for his crony Roger Stone .
Meanwhile , in an unprecedented act , Barr had the recommendation withdrawn and replaced .
This was quickly followed by a Trump tweet congratulating Barr for “ taking charge ” of the case .
As Donald Ayer , former deputy attorney general in the George @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ With Bill Barr , on an amazing number of occasions … you can be almost 100 percent certain that there ’ s something improper going on.
” Democracy 21 has filed four complaints against Barr with DOJ ’ s Office of Professional Responsibility challenging Barr ’ s biased actions on behalf of Trump and his repeated abuses of office .
This week , Trump also attacked Judge Amy Berman Jackson who is scheduled to sentence Roger Stone on February 20 .
Trump was clearly attempting to bully and intimidate Judge Jackson into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not only a direct attack on Judge Jackson ’ s judicial independence but also an indirect attack on the independence of the entire judiciary .
Trump is a clear and present danger to our constitutional system of government and to the rule of law .
Democracy 21 will join with concerned citizens and organizations to fight this threat posed by Trump every step of the way .

Trump Tests The Constitution And Challenges Our Founders. The Constitution Must And Will Prevail.
Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer
President Trump showed again this week that he believes he has dictatorial powers.
In the course of two days, Trump improperly interfered in the Executive and Judicial branches of our government. This followed his long-running obstruction of Congress, including the impeachment process.
More than 200 years ago, the Founders saw Donald Trump coming. They wrote a Constitution with a system of checks and balances to protect against the exercise of dictatorial powers.
Trump is testing the Constitution the Founders created. The Constitution must and will prevail.
The mission of the Justice Department is “to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.” Trump ran right over that mission when he attacked the sentencing recommendation made by career DOJ prosecutors for his crony Roger Stone. Meanwhile, in an unprecedented act, Barr had the recommendation withdrawn and replaced. This was quickly followed by a Trump tweet congratulating Barr for “taking charge” of the case.
As Donald Ayer, former deputy attorney general in the George H.W. Bush Administration told Politico, “With Bill Barr, on an amazing number of occasions … you can be almost 100 percent certain that there’s something improper going on.”
Democracy 21 has filed four complaints against Barr with DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility challenging Barr’s biased actions on behalf of Trump and his repeated abuses of office.
This week, Trump also attacked Judge Amy Berman Jackson who is scheduled to sentence Roger Stone on February 20. Trump was clearly attempting to bully and intimidate Judge Jackson into giving Stone a light sentence. This is not only a direct attack on Judge Jackson’s judicial independence but also an indirect attack on the independence of the entire judiciary.
Trump is a clear and present danger to our constitutional system of government and to the rule of law. Democracy 21 will join with concerned citizens and organizations to fight this threat posed by Trump every step of the way.
###


democracy21--2020-02-14--Trump’s $580,600 Per Couple Fundraiser is the Direct Result of McCutcheon v. FEC – Wertheimer piece

Enclosed for your information is a piece by Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer entitled , “ Trump ’ s $ 580,600 Per Couple Fundraiser Tomorrow is the Direct Result of the Supreme Court ’ s Decision in McCutcheon v. FEC that was ‘ Divorced from Reality ' ” which was published on Medium on February 14 , 2020 .
Read the full article here or below .
Trump ’ s $ 580,600 Per Couple Fundraiser Tomorrow is the Direct Result of the Supreme Court ’ s Decision in McCutcheon v. FEC that was “ Divorced from Reality ” By Fred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Medium President Trump is holding a fundraiser tomorrow in Palm Beach , FL , at which contributions of $ 580,600 per couple are being raised for Trump ’ s re-election bid .
The ability of Trump to raise these astronomical amounts of influence money from billionaires and multimillionaires is a direct result of the Supreme Court ’ s utter failure to understand the nation ’ s campaign finance laws or the implications of its decision .
In McCutcheon v. FEC ( 2014 ) , the Supreme Court in a misguided 5 to 4 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the total amount of money an individual could give to all political party committees in a two-year election cycle .
The aggregate limit was enacted in the 1974 Watergate reforms , was upheld by the Supreme Court in Buckley v. Valeo and had been in effect for forty years .
( The Court also struck down the aggregate limit on total contributions by an individual to candidates . )
An amicus brief filed in the McCutcheon case by Democracy 21 , Public Citizen and the law firm WilmerHale ( on behalf of then-Rep. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) warned the Court about what would happen if they struck down the aggregate limit on contributions to parties .
We stated in our brief : Absent aggregate contribution limits , candidates and officeholders would be permitted to solicit massive donations to their parties and fellow candidates , explicitly and directly from their donors .
[ … ] [ C ] andidates and parties often create joint fundraising committees to receive combined contributions from a single donor to be allocated , up to the applicable per-contribution limit for the relevant election cycles , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and local party committees and candidates as possible .
Without aggregate limits , such practices would easily allow candidates and officeholders to solicit and receive contributions that substantially exceed $ 1 million .
The U.S .
Solicitor General made the same arguments in defense of the aggregate limits .
In the majority opinion , however , Chief Justice Roberts snidely wrote about the examples given that “ these scenarios , along with others that have been suggested , are either illegal under current campaign finance laws or divorced from reality.
” I would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Washington Post this morning about the Trump fundraiser , he would understand that it is he who was “ divorced from reality , ” not the defenders of the aggregate limits .
And the Chief Justice would also understand that the fundraising that he thought would be illegal is being legally carried out tomorrow by Trump .
Justice Alito also snidely wrote in a concurring opinion that the examples given were “ wild hypotheticals that are not obviously plausible.
” I would submit that if Justice Alito read The Washington Post this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ examples given were not “ wild hypotheticals , ” but examples of political reality that will play out tomorrow at the Trump fundraiser .
The Roberts Supreme Court has been destroying the nation ’ s campaign finance laws without a clue about the impact of its decisions or the enormous damage it is doing to our political system .
This holds true not just for the McCutcheon decision , but for the Citizens United decision as well .
The Supreme Court has decided that the Court , not Congress , should write the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In remaking the nation ’ s campaign finance laws , the Supreme Court has done grave harm to the American people and to the goal of preventing political money corruption in Washington .

Enclosed for your information is a piece by Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer entitled, “Trump’s $580,600 Per Couple Fundraiser Tomorrow is the Direct Result of the Supreme Court’s Decision in McCutcheon v. FEC that was ‘Divorced from Reality'” which was published on Medium on February 14, 2020. Read the full article here or below.
Trump’s $580,600 Per Couple Fundraiser Tomorrow is the Direct Result of the Supreme Court’s Decision in McCutcheon v. FEC that was “Divorced from Reality”
By Fred Wertheimer | February 14, 2020 | Medium
President Trump is holding a fundraiser tomorrow in Palm Beach, FL, at which contributions of $580,600 per couple are being raised for Trump’s re-election bid.
The ability of Trump to raise these astronomical amounts of influence money from billionaires and multimillionaires is a direct result of the Supreme Court’s utter failure to understand the nation’s campaign finance laws or the implications of its decision.
In McCutcheon v. FEC (2014), the Supreme Court in a misguided 5 to 4 decision struck down the aggregate limit on the total amount of money an individual could give to all political party committees in a two-year election cycle. The aggregate limit was enacted in the 1974 Watergate reforms, was upheld by the Supreme Court in Buckley v. Valeo and had been in effect for forty years. (The Court also struck down the aggregate limit on total contributions by an individual to candidates.)
An amicus brief filed in the McCutcheon case by Democracy 21, Public Citizen and the law firm WilmerHale (on behalf of then-Rep. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. David Price) warned the Court about what would happen if they struck down the aggregate limit on contributions to parties. We stated in our brief:
Absent aggregate contribution limits, candidates and officeholders would be permitted to solicit massive donations to their parties and fellow candidates, explicitly and directly from their donors. […] [C]andidates and parties often create joint fundraising committees to receive combined contributions from a single donor to be allocated, up to the applicable per-contribution limit for the relevant election cycles, to as many national, state, and local party committees and candidates as possible. Without aggregate limits, such practices would easily allow candidates and officeholders to solicit and receive contributions that substantially exceed $1 million.
The U.S. Solicitor General made the same arguments in defense of the aggregate limits.
In the majority opinion, however, Chief Justice Roberts snidely wrote about the examples given that “these scenarios, along with others that have been suggested, are either illegal under current campaign finance laws or divorced from reality.”
I would submit that if the Chief Justice read The Washington Post this morning about the Trump fundraiser, he would understand that it is he who was “divorced from reality,” not the defenders of the aggregate limits. And the Chief Justice would also understand that the fundraising that he thought would be illegal is being legally carried out tomorrow by Trump.
Justice Alito also snidely wrote in a concurring opinion that the examples given were “wild hypotheticals that are not obviously plausible.”
I would submit that if Justice Alito read The Washington Post this morning, he would understand that the examples given were not “wild hypotheticals,” but examples of political reality that will play out tomorrow at the Trump fundraiser.
The Roberts Supreme Court has been destroying the nation’s campaign finance laws without a clue about the impact of its decisions or the enormous damage it is doing to our political system. This holds true not just for the McCutcheon decision, but for the Citizens United decision as well.
The Supreme Court has decided that the Court, not Congress, should write the nation’s campaign finance laws. In remaking the nation’s campaign finance laws, the Supreme Court has done grave harm to the American people and to the goal of preventing political money corruption in Washington.
###


democracy21--2020-02-20--Trump’s Vision of the Presidency: Absolute Power, No Accountability

Trump ’ s Vision of the Presidency : Absolute Power , No Accountability House and Senate Republicans , joined by Attorney General William Barr , have paved the way for President Trump to exercise his vision of absolute Presidential power without accountability for his actions .
This is the approach we fought a revolution to end .
Republicans in Congress have told Trump it is perfectly fine to blackmail a foreign country to intervene in our elections to help his reelection campaign .
They have also said it is perfectly fine for the President to stonewall and obstruct Congress .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidency , and also of a presidency superior in our Constitutional system to the Congressional and Judicial Branches , is now playing out with reckless abandon .
Trump declared himself this week to be the “ nation ’ s chief law enforcement officer , ” with no objection raised by Attorney General Barr , who is supposed to be the nation ’ s chief law enforcement officer .
Trump has repeatedly pushed the Justice Department to indict political opponents and perceived enemies .
Trump threw pardons around this week like Mardi Gras beads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ normal Justice Department process , but , according to The New York Times , “ driven instead by friendship , fame , personal empathy , and a shared sense of persecution.
” One pardon went to Paul Pogue , after his family reportedly contributed more than $ 200,000 since last August to support Trump ’ s reelection campaign .
All signs point to future Trump pardons for his political cronies convicted of crimes , starting with convicted felon Roger Stone .
Trump also continued his practice this week of attacking judges , irresponsibly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amy Jackson Berman , who sentenced Stone to over three years in prison today .
It is obvious that Trump sees his presidency and the Justice Department as vehicles for punishing his opponents and rewarding his friends .
This approach by Trump is the hallmark of dictators and authoritarians around the world .
The rule of law is embedded in our constitutional system of government .
So is the concept that we are a nation of laws , not of men and women .
Trump is directly challenging these core principles and they @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Trump’s Vision of the Presidency: Absolute Power, No Accountability
Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer
House and Senate Republicans, joined by Attorney General William Barr, have paved the way for President Trump to exercise his vision of absolute Presidential power without accountability for his actions.
This is the approach we fought a revolution to end.
Republicans in Congress have told Trump it is perfectly fine to blackmail a foreign country to intervene in our elections to help his reelection campaign. They have also said it is perfectly fine for the President to stonewall and obstruct Congress.
Barr’s view of a unitary presidency, and also of a presidency superior in our Constitutional system to the Congressional and Judicial Branches, is now playing out with reckless abandon.
Trump declared himself this week to be the “nation’s chief law enforcement officer,” with no objection raised by Attorney General Barr, who is supposed to be the nation’s chief law enforcement officer. Trump has repeatedly pushed the Justice Department to indict political opponents and perceived enemies.
Trump threw pardons around this week like Mardi Gras beads. They were based not on the normal Justice Department process, but, according to The New York Times, “driven instead by friendship, fame, personal empathy, and a shared sense of persecution.”
One pardon went to Paul Pogue, after his family reportedly contributed more than $200,000 since last August to support Trump’s reelection campaign.
All signs point to future Trump pardons for his political cronies convicted of crimes, starting with convicted felon Roger Stone.
Trump also continued his practice this week of attacking judges, irresponsibly tweeting an attack on U.S. District Judge Amy Jackson Berman, who sentenced Stone to over three years in prison today.
It is obvious that Trump sees his presidency and the Justice Department as vehicles for punishing his opponents and rewarding his friends. This approach by Trump is the hallmark of dictators and authoritarians around the world.
The rule of law is embedded in our constitutional system of government. So is the concept that we are a nation of laws, not of men and women. Trump is directly challenging these core principles and they must be defended at all costs.
###


democracy21--2020-02-27--D21 Files Fifth DOJ Complaint Against AG Barr for Repeated Biased Actions on Behalf of President Tru

D21 Files Fifth DOJ Complaint Against AG Barr for Repeated Biased Actions on Behalf of President Trump

Democracy 21 Files Fifth Justice Department Complaint Against AG Barr for Repeated Biased Actions on Behalf of President Trump Complaint Charges Barr Has Seriously Compromised the Integrity and Credibility Of The Justice Department As An Independent , Nonpartisan Guardian Of The Rights And Protections Of All Americans Democracy 21 filed a today with the Office of Professional Responsibility at the Department of Justice requesting an investigation and appropriate action against Attorney General William Barr for his “ repeated actions demonstrating clear bias on behalf of President Trump ’ s personal political interests.
” The complaint charged Barr with “ utter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ensure the ‘ impartial administration of justice on behalf of all Americans.
” This is the fifth Justice Department complaint filed by Democracy 21 against AG Barr in less than a year .
“ Attorney General Barr has repeatedly acted to accommodate President Trump ’ s efforts to weaponize the Justice Department to protect Trump ’ s friends and punish his perceived enemies , ” according to Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer , who filed the complaint for the group .
“ Justice Department rules , standards and norms exist to safeguard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and to protect it from political interference .
They have been seriously violated by Attorney General Barr in his repeated efforts to protect President Trump and further Trump ’ s personal political interests .
The Office of Professional Responsibility is the only place in the Justice Department with authority to hold Barr accountable for his misdeeds and unprofessional conduct .
It is essential that the Office fulfill its responsibilities , ” Wertheimer said .
According to the Democracy 21 complaint : It is imperative that the Office of Professional Responsibility not stand silent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your Office that impartial administration of justice and responsible professional conduct remain the Justice Department standards for all DOJ lawyers—starting with , and most importantly , the Attorney General .
Your Office is empowered by DOJ rules to hold the Attorney General accountable for his actions .
It is incumbent that your Office act at this critical time for the American people and the Justice Department .
Attorney General Barr ’ s intervention into the Department ’ s handling of the sentencing process for Trump crony Roger Stone is unprecedented .
The facts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the press .
Stone was convicted on seven felony accounts of obstruction of Congress and witness tampering .
Career prosecutors handling the case recommended to the court a seven-to-nine-year sentence for Stone , in accordance with federal sentencing guidelines and normal Department procedures .
Then , according to an account in The New York Times , “ After prosecutors recommended on Monday a seven-to-nine-year sentence for Mr. Stone on seven felony convictions , the president criticized the move .
Senior law enforcement officials overruled the career prosecutors the next day , immediately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the complaint : The complaint said about the IG report on the opening of the Russia investigation and Barr : The IG found with regard to the opening of the investigation that “ under the AG Guidelines and the [ FBI Guidelines ] , the FBI had an authorized purpose when it opened Crossfire Hurricane to obtain information about , or protect against , a national security threat or federal crime , even though the investigation also had the potential to impact constitutionally protected activity.
” IG Rpt .
at iii .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ report by criticizing and challenging the Inspector General ’ s conclusion that there was a legitimate basis to open the 2016 investigation .
The broad picture painted by all of these episodes is that Attorney General Barr continues to enable the weaponization of the Justice Department to advance the personal political interests of President Trump .
This is directly contrary to Barr ’ s principal responsibility as Attorney General to ensure fair and impartial justice and to act in the best interests of all Americans , not to serve the personal political interests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the norms of the Justice Department have been clear : the Attorney General needs to protect the independence of the Department from interference by the President and the White House , particularly in matters relating to the investigative and prosecutorial functions of the Department , and needs to insulate career prosecutors from political pressure .

Democracy 21 Files Fifth Justice Department Complaint Against AG Barr for Repeated Biased Actions on Behalf of President Trump
Complaint Charges Barr Has Seriously Compromised the Integrity and Credibility Of The Justice Department As An Independent, Nonpartisan Guardian Of The Rights And Protections Of All Americans
Democracy 21 filed a complaint today with the Office of Professional Responsibility at the Department of Justice requesting an investigation and appropriate action against Attorney General William Barr for his “repeated actions demonstrating clear bias on behalf of President Trump’s personal political interests.”
The complaint charged Barr with “utter disregard of [his] overriding obligation to ensure the ‘impartial administration of justice on behalf of all Americans.” This is the fifth Justice Department complaint filed by Democracy 21 against AG Barr in less than a year.
“Attorney General Barr has repeatedly acted to accommodate President Trump’s efforts to weaponize the Justice Department to protect Trump’s friends and punish his perceived enemies,” according to Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer, who filed the complaint for the group.
“Justice Department rules, standards and norms exist to safeguard the integrity and credibility of the Department and to protect it from political interference. They have been seriously violated by Attorney General Barr in his repeated efforts to protect President Trump and further Trump’s personal political interests. The Office of Professional Responsibility is the only place in the Justice Department with authority to hold Barr accountable for his misdeeds and unprofessional conduct. It is essential that the Office fulfill its responsibilities,” Wertheimer said.
According to the Democracy 21 complaint:
It is imperative that the Office of Professional Responsibility not stand silent. The country needs to hear from your Office that impartial administration of justice and responsible professional conduct remain the Justice Department standards for all DOJ lawyers—starting with, and most importantly, the Attorney General. Your Office is empowered by DOJ rules to hold the Attorney General accountable for his actions. It is incumbent that your Office act at this critical time for the American people and the Justice Department.
The complaint stated:
This complaint challenges Barr’s unprecedented intervention into the Department’s handling of the sentencing process for Trump crony and political adviser Roger J. Stone, Jr. This intervention led more than 2,600 former federal prosecutors and Justice Department officials, who had served in both Republican and Democratic administrations, to call for the resignation of Attorney General Barr.
The complaint continued:
Attorney General Barr’s intervention into the Department’s handling of the sentencing process for Trump crony Roger Stone is unprecedented. The facts of this matter have been widely reported in the press. Stone was convicted on seven felony accounts of obstruction of Congress and witness tampering. Career prosecutors handling the case recommended to the court a seven-to-nine-year sentence for Stone, in accordance with federal sentencing guidelines and normal Department procedures. Then, according to an account in The New York Times, “After prosecutors recommended on Monday a seven-to-nine-year sentence for Mr. Stone on seven felony convictions, the president criticized the move. Senior law enforcement officials overruled the career prosecutors the next day, immediately prompting accusations of political interference.”
The complaint noted:
Ultimately, Stone received a sentence from the court of 40 months in prison. The fact that this was lower than the sentence recommended by the prosecuting attorneys in accordance with Justice Department policy is irrelevant to the favoritism for Stone that occurred.
According to the complaint:
Attorney General Barr recently has exercised his authority to protect Trump’s personal political interests in other ways as well. He has “assigned an outside prosecutor to scrutinize the criminal case against President Trump’s former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn….,” a review that the Times said “is highly unusual and could trigger more accusations of political interference by top Justice Department officials into the work of career prosecutors.”
The complaint said about the IG report on the opening of the Russia investigation and Barr:
The IG found with regard to the opening of the investigation that “under the AG Guidelines and the [FBI Guidelines], the FBI had an authorized purpose when it opened Crossfire Hurricane to obtain information about, or protect against, a national security threat or federal crime, even though the investigation also had the potential to impact constitutionally protected activity.” IG Rpt. at iii. Attorney General Barr immediately attacked the IG report by criticizing and challenging the Inspector General’s conclusion that there was a legitimate basis to open the 2016 investigation.
The complaint noted:
The broad picture painted by all of these episodes is that Attorney General Barr continues to enable the weaponization of the Justice Department to advance the personal political interests of President Trump. This is directly contrary to Barr’s principal responsibility as Attorney General to ensure fair and impartial justice and to act in the best interests of all Americans, not to serve the personal political interests of the President. Since Watergate, the norms of the Justice Department have been clear: the Attorney General needs to protect the independence of the Department from interference by the President and the White House, particularly in matters relating to the investigative and prosecutorial functions of the Department, and needs to insulate career prosecutors from political pressure.
The complaint concluded:
As head of the Office of Professional Responsibility, it is your responsibility to hold Attorney General Barr accountable for his unprofessional and damaging conduct. It is your responsibility to protect the integrity and credibility of the Department and its employees, even when the matter involves the Attorney General. Democracy 21 calls on you to investigate the unprofessional conduct and inappropriate actions by Attorney General Barr in the matters described in this complaint and the previous complaints filed by Democracy 21. We urge you to take appropriate action concerning Attorney General Barr to ensure that the accelerating deterioration of the independence, integrity and credibility of the Justice Department is stopped before irreparable damage is done to the Department.
Read the full complaint here .
###


democracy21--2020-02-27--Trump Attacks The Judiciary

Trump Attacks The Judiciary

“ Speak up , Chief Justice Roberts , and defend your fellow Justices , the judiciary and our constitutional system of checks and balances .
The Founders saw a Trump coming .
They and their system need defending against our authoritarian President.
” Apparently , it just isn ’ t enough for President Trump to attack Congress , the Justice Department , the FBI , the intelligence community , the military justice system , diplomats , government officials , Congressional leaders , immigrants , foreigners , and prosecutors – to name a few .
It just isn ’ t enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the first constitutional branch of government , in ways never done before , and purge and denigrate government servants in the second constitutional branch in ways that make Nixon ’ s enemies list look like child ’ s play .
Trump is now attacking the third constitutional branch of government , the Judiciary .
In an unprecedented attack , Trump has gone after Justices Ginsburg and Sotomayor in a feeble attempt to intimidate the Justices .
The only thing he accomplished was to show the wisdom of the Founders in establishing life @ @ @ @ @ @ @ didn ’ t intimidate the Justices .
Fox News host Laura Ingraham , a Trump minion of the highest order , completely misrepresented Justice Sotomayor ’ s dissenting opinion in a recent case , no doubt knowing that Trump doesn ’ t fact-check anything and uses whatever he gets from Fox to attack someone , anyone .
Trump acolytes learned a long time ago that they could play Trump like a violin .
In this case , Trump absurdly called on the two Justices to recuse themselves from any cases dealing with Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s ludicrous attack is not just aimed at the two Justices .
He is shooting at the judicial system and anything that gets in his way .
Trump recently attacked the district judge handling the Roger Stone case and even attacked a juror in the case .
This is testing time for Chief Justice Roberts .
Speak up , Chief Justice Roberts , and defend your fellow Justices , the judiciary and our constitutional system of checks and balances .
The Founders saw a Trump coming .
They and their system need @ @ @ @ @ @

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | FEBRUARY 27, 2020
“Speak up, Chief Justice Roberts, and defend your fellow Justices, the judiciary and our constitutional system of checks and balances. The Founders saw a Trump coming. They and their system need defending against our authoritarian President.”
Apparently, it just isn’t enough for President Trump to attack Congress, the Justice Department, the FBI, the intelligence community, the military justice system, diplomats, government officials, Congressional leaders, immigrants, foreigners, and prosecutors – to name a few.
It just isn’t enough for Trump to obstruct and stonewall Congress, the first constitutional branch of government, in ways never done before, and purge and denigrate government servants in the second constitutional branch in ways that make Nixon’s enemies list look like child’s play.
Trump is now attacking the third constitutional branch of government, the Judiciary.
In an unprecedented attack, Trump has gone after Justices Ginsburg and Sotomayor in a feeble attempt to intimidate the Justices. The only thing he accomplished was to show the wisdom of the Founders in establishing life tenure for federal judges. He certainly didn’t intimidate the Justices.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham, a Trump minion of the highest order, completely misrepresented Justice Sotomayor’s dissenting opinion in a recent case, no doubt knowing that Trump doesn’t fact-check anything and uses whatever he gets from Fox to attack someone, anyone.
Trump acolytes learned a long time ago that they could play Trump like a violin.
In this case, Trump absurdly called on the two Justices to recuse themselves from any cases dealing with Trump or Trump-related. Not happening.
Trump’s ludicrous attack is not just aimed at the two Justices. He is shooting at the judicial system and anything that gets in his way. Trump recently attacked the district judge handling the Roger Stone case and even attacked a juror in the case.
This is testing time for Chief Justice Roberts.
Speak up, Chief Justice Roberts, and defend your fellow Justices, the judiciary and our constitutional system of checks and balances. The Founders saw a Trump coming. They and their system need defending against our authoritarian President.
###


democracy21--2020-03-04--Senate Republicans Make Partisan Move to Add A Republican Commissioner to Currently-Defunct FEC, Ign

Since last September , the Federal Election Commission has had only three Commissioners .
It has therefore been unable to take any oversight and enforcement actions , as four Commissioners are necessary to constitute a quorum , which is required to act .
The agency is supposed to have six Commissioners , with no more than three from one party .
President Trump and Senate Majority Leader McConnell have intentionally deactivated the FEC for more than six months by refusing to add the three Commissioners necessary to restore the enforcement agency to full membership .
The failure of President Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to full six-member strength has left the country without any enforcement of the campaign finance laws during a period when the 2020 presidential campaign has been underway for many months .
Now , instead of making the FEC fully operational with a full complement of Commissioners , Senate Republicans have announced they will consider only one nominee , Republican Trey Trainor , which would give the Commission a quorum .
By taking this approach but leaving two seats empty , President Trump and McConnell are not only keeping the FEC shorthanded but also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which Trump and McConnell have purposefully kept vacant for 1,100 days .
Trump has been sitting on a Democratic nominee who was proposed to the White House by Senate Democratic Leader Schumer last summer , essentially burying the nomination and keeping the Democratic seat empty .
Senator McConnell has made a career of undermining the FEC and impeding its ability to enforce the campaign finance laws , which he adamantly opposes .
Senator McConnell and President Trump clearly see the FEC as an instrument of the Republican party and not as an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anticorruption campaign finance laws .

Senate Republicans Make Partisan Move to Add A Republican Commissioner to Currently-Defunct FEC, Ignore Democratic Vacancy
Statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer
Since last September, the Federal Election Commission has had only three Commissioners. It has therefore been unable to take any oversight and enforcement actions, as four Commissioners are necessary to constitute a quorum, which is required to act.
The agency is supposed to have six Commissioners, with no more than three from one party. President Trump and Senate Majority Leader McConnell have intentionally deactivated the FEC for more than six months by refusing to add the three Commissioners necessary to restore the enforcement agency to full membership.
The failure of President Trump and Senator McConnell to restore the Commission to full six-member strength has left the country without any enforcement of the campaign finance laws during a period when the 2020 presidential campaign has been underway for many months.
Now, instead of making the FEC fully operational with a full complement of Commissioners, Senate Republicans have announced they will consider only one nominee, Republican Trey Trainor, which would give the Commission a quorum.
By taking this approach but leaving two seats empty, President Trump and McConnell are not only keeping the FEC shorthanded but also refusing to fill a Democratic FEC seat, which Trump and McConnell have purposefully kept vacant for 1,100 days.
Trump has been sitting on a Democratic nominee who was proposed to the White House by Senate Democratic Leader Schumer last summer, essentially burying the nomination and keeping the Democratic seat empty.
Senator McConnell has made a career of undermining the FEC and impeding its ability to enforce the campaign finance laws, which he adamantly opposes.
Senator McConnell and President Trump clearly see the FEC as an instrument of the Republican party and not as an agency to enforce the nation’s anticorruption campaign finance laws.
###


democracy21--2020-04-17--Biden Announces A First Priority for a Biden Administration Will Be Comprehensive Reforms, as Reflec

Biden Announces A First Priority for a Biden Administration Will Be Comprehensive Reforms , as Reflected in H.R .
1 Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced in a press release yesterday that “ A first priority of a Biden Administration will be to lead on a comprehensive set of reforms like those reflected in the For the People Act ( H.R .
1 ) to end special interest control of Washington and protect the voice and vote of every American.
” With this announcement , former Vice President Joe Biden , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that H.R .
1 is a first or top priority for them .
Furthermore , every House Democrat has supported H.R .
1 , which passed the House on March 8 , 2018 , and every Senate Democrat and two Senate independents , or 47 Senators , have sponsored its Senate companion measure , S. 949 .
“ We are within striking distance of enacting historic democracy reform legislation that would repair our broken political system and our corrupt campaign finance system , ” according to Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including political money corruption in Washington , voter suppression and discrimination , partisan gerrymandering , government ethics abuses and foreign interference in our elections , ” according to Wertheimer .
According to the Biden press release , which also announced an endorsement of Joe Biden by End Citizens United and Let America Vote , a Biden administration is committed to : • Ending the dominance of big money in politics by bringing dark money into the light , empowering small donors in our elections through a small dollar public financing program for federal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entirely eliminate private dollars from our federal elections , and strengthening rules and enforcement of our campaign finance laws .
• Making sure every vote is counted and protected by ending discrimination at the ballot box , making it safer and easier to vote , ending gerrymandering , and giving states and localities the funding they need to maintain the integrity of our elections particularly during the current health pandemic .
• Ensuring accountability in Washington by strengthening ethics rules for federal officials , reducing the power of lobbyists , and giving ethics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Declaration for American Democracy coalition ( DFAD ) , which includes Democracy 21 , has led the outside campaign for the passage of H.R .
1 and its unprecedented democracy reforms .
DFAD , formed in 2018 , is a coalition of 150 organizations that includes groups from the labor , racial justice , faith , women ’ s rights , environmental , good government , and many other important communities .
The following is a list of the 150 groups that make up the DFAD coalition .
All On the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington ( CREW ) Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of The Good Shepherd , US Provinces The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies New Mexicans for Money out of Politics People for the American Way Publish What You Pay – US

Biden Announces A First Priority for a Biden Administration Will Be Comprehensive Reforms, as Reflected in H.R. 1
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden announced yesterday “A first priority of a Biden Administration will be to lead on a comprehensive set of reforms like those reflected in the For the People Act (H.R. 1) to end special interest control of Washington and protect the voice and vote of every American.”With this announcement, former Vice President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer are now all on record that H.R. 1 is a first or top priority for them.
Furthermore, every House Democrat has supported H.R. 1, which passed the House on March 8, 2018, and every Senate Democrat and two Senate independents, or 47 Senators, have sponsored its Senate companion measure, S. 949.
“We are within striking distance of enacting historic democracy reform legislation that would repair our broken political system and our corrupt campaign finance system,” according to Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer.
“H.R. 1 addresses fundamental governance problems including political money corruption in Washington, voter suppression and discrimination, partisan gerrymandering, government ethics abuses and foreign interference in our elections,” according to Wertheimer.
Biden also announced that a Biden administration is committed to:
Ending the dominance of big money in politics by bringing dark money into the light, empowering small donors in our elections through a small dollar public financing program for federal elections and introducing a constitutional amendment to entirely eliminate private dollars from our federal elections, and strengthening rules and enforcement of our campaign finance laws.
Making sure every vote is counted and protected by ending discrimination at the ballot box, making it safer and easier to vote, ending gerrymandering, and giving states and localities the funding they need to maintain the integrity of our elections particularly during the current health pandemic.
Ensuring accountability in Washington by strengthening ethics rules for federal officials, reducing the power of lobbyists, and giving ethics watchdogs more power to hold violators accountable.
The Declaration for American Democracy coalition (DFAD), which includes Democracy 21, has led the outside campaign for the passage of H.R. 1 and its unprecedented democracy reforms.
DFAD, formed in 2018, is a coalition of 150 organizations that includes groups from the labor, racial justice, faith, women’s rights, environmental, good government, and many other important communities.
The following is a list of the 150 groups that make up the DFAD coalition.
20/20 Vision
Alaska Public Interest Research Group
Alliance of Youth Action
All On the Line
American Federation of Teachers
American Oversight
American Promise
Arab American Institute
Bend the Arc Jewish Action
Blue Future
Blue Jean Nation
Brady United Against Gun Violence
Brave New Films
Brennan Center for Justice
Business Initiative for Health Policy
Campaign for Accountability
Campaign to Unload
Center for American Progress
Center for Common Ground
Center for Community Change Action Fund
Center for Emergent Diplomacy
Center for Media for Democracy
Center for Popular Democracy
Union of Concerned Scientists
Church Women United in New York State
Citizen Works
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
Clean Elections Texas
Clean Water Action
Coalition to Preserve, Protect and Defend
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
CODEPINK
Color of Change
Common Cause
Communications Workers of America
Concerned Citizens For Change
Conference of Major Superiors of Men
Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of The Good Shepherd, US Provinces
Conscious Elders Network
Corporate Accountability
Courage Campaign
CREDO
CT Citizen Action Group
Daily Kos
Defend Democracy
Demand Progress Action
Democracy 21
Democracy for America
Democracy Initiative
Democracy Matters
Democracy Spring
Demos
End Citizens United
Equal Citizens
Every Voice
Fair Vote Action
Fix Democracy First
Food and Water Watch
Franciscan Action Network
Free Speech for People
Friends of the Earth
Generation Progress
Global Witness
Greenpeace
Herd on the Hill
Illinois Democratic Women
Indivisible
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
International Corporate Accountability Roundtable
Lawyers for Good Government
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights
League of Conservation Voters
Left Action
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
The League of Women Voters
The Somist Institute
Main Street Alliance
MapLight
March For Our Lives
March for Truth
MAYDAY America
Mi Familia Vota
Minnesota Citizen for Clean Elections
Missouri Jobs With Justice Voter Action
MomsRising
MoveOn
NAACP
NARAL Pro-Choice America
National Action Network
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Association of Social Workers
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Center for Transgender Equality
National Council of Jewish Women
National Immigrant Justice Center
National LGBTQ Task Force
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies
National Redistricting Action Fund
National Security Action
New Mexicans for Money out of Politics
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
New Progressive Alliance
New American Leaders Action Fund
Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance
Northwest Side Housing Center
Open Democracy
Open the Government
Organizing for Action
Participatory Politics Foundation
Pay 2 Play
Peace Action
People Demanding Action
People for the American Way
People’s Action
Planned Parenthood Action Fund
Platform
Polygon Education Fund
Power Shift Network
Presbyterian Church USA
Pride at Work
Progressive Change Campaign Committee
Progressive Democrats of America
Progressive Turnout Project
ProgressNow Colorado
Project On Government Oversight
Public Citizen
Publish What You Pay – US
Reclaim Our Democracy
Rethink Media
Revolving Door Project
Rock the Vote
RootsAction.org
Stamp Stampede
Stand Up America
State Innovation Exchange
State Voices
SEIU
Sierra Club
Southern Poverty Law Center
Student Debt Crisis
Sunlight Foundation
Take on Wall Street
The Workmen’s Circle
Tikkun’s Network of Spiritual Progressives
Truman National Security
Unitarian Universalist Association
United to Amend
UnKoch my Campus
URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity
Voices for Progress
VoteVets
We The People Massachusetts
Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
Wolf PAC
Women Donors Network
Working Families Party
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democracy21--2020-04-16--Mitch McConnell vs. Fair Elections

Mitch McConnell vs. Fair Elections

President Trump has been a dangerous threat to our democratic values , our constitutional system of government , and now , with his incompetent and narcissistic pandemic performance , to the very lives of untold numbers of Americans .
That ’ s why the November presidential election is considered by many to be the most important election in our lifetimes .
Voting by mail has become far more important in this election than ever before , with voters worried about showing up at their precincts to vote during the ongoing health crisis , which may well still be with us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ steps are required to ensure that those voters who do vote in person can do so safely .
The states need substantial additional funding to run their elections in November under the changed circumstances created by the coronavirus pandemic .
States will face far greater costs than they have before to pay for the increased volume of voting by mail that will occur , as well as for implementing early voting , conducting in-person voting , and making adjustments in their voting procedures .
There is bipartisan support from state election officials on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funds to run their elections .
However , it has become a partisan issue in Congress with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocking essential , substantial funds , with no apparent basis for doing so , except an attempt to gain partisan advantage in November by having fewer Americans vote .
Democracy 21 has joined with more than 150 organizations to make an all-out effort to have Congress provide at least $ 4 billion in the next major stimulus relief bill to run safe , secure , and honest elections in November .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ down to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer versus Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell .
It is a battle that must be won .

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | April 16, 2020
President Trump has been a dangerous threat to our democratic values, our constitutional system of government, and now, with his incompetent and narcissistic pandemic performance, to the very lives of untold numbers of Americans.
That’s why the November presidential election is considered by many to be the most important election in our lifetimes.
Voting by mail has become far more important in this election than ever before, with voters worried about showing up at their precincts to vote during the ongoing health crisis, which may well still be with us in the fall. Also, additional steps are required to ensure that those voters who do vote in person can do so safely.
The states need substantial additional funding to run their elections in November under the changed circumstances created by the coronavirus pandemic.
States will face far greater costs than they have before to pay for the increased volume of voting by mail that will occur, as well as for implementing early voting, conducting in-person voting, and making adjustments in their voting procedures.
There is bipartisan support from state election officials on the urgent need for substantial additional federal funds to run their elections.
However, it has become a partisan issue in Congress with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocking essential, substantial funds, with no apparent basis for doing so, except an attempt to gain partisan advantage in November by having fewer Americans vote.
Democracy 21 has joined with more than 150 organizations to make an all-out effort to have Congress provide at least $4 billion in the next major stimulus relief bill to run safe, secure, and honest elections in November.
This is a battle that will come down to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer versus Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
It is a battle that must be won.
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democracy21--2020-04-23--Protecting the Vote in a Pandemic

Protecting the Vote in a Pandemic

“ The battle to ensure that every eligible voter gets to vote is at the heart of the fundamental role played by the right to vote in our constitutional system of representative government.
” The battle lines are now drawn on the critical issue of whether Congress will provide substantial funds for the states to run safe , secure , and fair elections in November .
The funding is needed for states to effectively conduct voting by mail and to implement safe in-person voting .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made clear that the House will take the lead on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relief for the country in the face of the coronavirus pandemic .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has made clear he will stall the legislation for as long as he can .
Pelosi has said that federal financial support for state and local governments will be a priority in the bill .
McConnell has arrogantly and cynically said states should seek bankruptcy protections rather than federal support , which his office called “ blue state bailouts.
” In fact , many Republican-led states need federal financial support .
Pelosi also has indicated that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provisions , will include as much as $ 4 billion in essential federal funding for the states to run their elections under the dramatically changed circumstances caused by the coronavirus .
Many states already provide for voting by mail , but the requirements for obtaining and submitting ballots vary .
For example , in a number of battleground states , including Florida , Michigan , Wisconsin , Pennsylvania , Arizona , and North Carolina , there is “ no excuse ” voting by mail .
But , significant funding is still needed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be able to effectively run the greatly expanded voting by mail expected in November .
In addition , funding is needed in order to run safe in-person voting , which is essential to maintain for substantial number of voters .
There is bipartisan support at the local level for additional federal election funding for the states .
Strong resistance , however , has come from congressional Republicans , led by McConnell , who believes that the fewer number of people who vote , the better the outcome for Republicans , regardless of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ battle to ensure that every eligible voter gets to vote is at the heart of the fundamental role played by the right to vote in our constitutional system of representative government .
McConnell , who is up for re-election in November , must not be allowed to prevail in his efforts to suppress the vote for partisan and self-serving purposes .

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | April 23, 2020
“The battle to ensure that every eligible voter gets to vote is at the heart of the fundamental role played by the right to vote in our constitutional system of representative government.”
The battle lines are now drawn on the critical issue of whether Congress will provide substantial funds for the states to run safe, secure, and fair elections in November. The funding is needed for states to effectively conduct voting by mail and to implement safe in-person voting.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made clear that the House will take the lead on the next major bill to deliver federal relief for the country in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has made clear he will stall the legislation for as long as he can.
Pelosi has said that federal financial support for state and local governments will be a priority in the bill. McConnell has arrogantly and cynically said states should seek bankruptcy protections rather than federal support, which his office called “blue state bailouts.” In fact, many Republican-led states need federal financial support.
Pelosi also has indicated that the next bill, among other important provisions, will include as much as $4 billion in essential federal funding for the states to run their elections under the dramatically changed circumstances caused by the coronavirus.
Many states already provide for voting by mail, but the requirements for obtaining and submitting ballots vary.
For example, in a number of battleground states, including Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and North Carolina, there is “no excuse” voting by mail. But, significant funding is still needed by local election officials in these states to be able to effectively run the greatly expanded voting by mail expected in November.
In addition, funding is needed in order to run safe in-person voting, which is essential to maintain for substantial number of voters.
There is bipartisan support at the local level for additional federal election funding for the states.
Strong resistance, however, has come from congressional Republicans, led by McConnell, who believes that the fewer number of people who vote, the better the outcome for Republicans, regardless of the impact on our democratic values.
The battle to ensure that every eligible voter gets to vote is at the heart of the fundamental role played by the right to vote in our constitutional system of representative government.
McConnell, who is up for re-election in November, must not be allowed to prevail in his efforts to suppress the vote for partisan and self-serving purposes.
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democracy21--2020-04-30--The Election Funding Battle We Must Win

The Election Funding Battle We Must Win

“ It is essential to win this fight now , as time is running out for the states to be able to use the funding effectively in advance of the November election.
” The fight over providing money for the states to run their November elections is now underway in Congress as Democratic and Republican leaders begin laying out their priorities for the next big relief package .
It is essential to win this fight now , as time is running out for the states to be able to use the funding effectively in advance of the November election .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leader Chuck Schumer have indicated that their top priority in this bill is substantial support for state and local governments , who have had to absorb enormous costs to fight the coronavirus pandemic .
Pelosi and Schumer have also indicated that they are committed to getting the $ 3.6 to $ 4 billion necessary for the states to run safe , secure , and honest elections in November , in the face of the pandemic .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that his “ red line ” requirement in the coming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to provide liability immunity for businesses .
McConnell normally does not show his cards like this and the immunity provision appears to be his bottom line in return for providing states and local governments with the funding they desperately need .
Many oppose liability immunity for businesses .
But if that is a deal that is made , Democracy 21 and other voting advocates must ensure that adequate funds are included in that deal for the states to conduct fair and honest elections .
If the voting money decision is left to later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be gone , and McConnell , who strongly opposes any additional election funding for partisan reasons , will have the upper hand in withholding or minimizing the funds .
Time is of the essence .
We can not let McConnell win this battle .
At stake is the ability to ensure that every eligible voter is able to vote and have their vote fairly counted .

FRED WERTHEIMER’S WEEKLY NOTE | April 30, 2020
“It is essential to win this fight now, as time is running out for the states to be able to use the funding effectively in advance of the November election.”
The fight over providing money for the states to run their November elections is now underway in Congress as Democratic and Republican leaders begin laying out their priorities for the next big relief package.
It is essential to win this fight now, as time is running out for the states to be able to use the funding effectively in advance of the November election.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer have indicated that their top priority in this bill is substantial support for state and local governments, who have had to absorb enormous costs to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
Pelosi and Schumer have also indicated that they are committed to getting the $3.6 to $4 billion necessary for the states to run safe, secure, and honest elections in November, in the face of the pandemic.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that his “red line” requirement in the coming negotiations and for passing the bill is to provide liability immunity for businesses. McConnell normally does not show his cards like this and the immunity provision appears to be his bottom line in return for providing states and local governments with the funding they desperately need.
Many oppose liability immunity for businesses. But if that is a deal that is made, Democracy 21 and other voting advocates must ensure that adequate funds are included in that deal for the states to conduct fair and honest elections.
If the voting money decision is left to later negotiations over the bill, our leverage will be gone, and McConnell, who strongly opposes any additional election funding for partisan reasons, will have the upper hand in withholding or minimizing the funds.
Time is of the essence.
We cannot let McConnell win this battle. At stake is the ability to ensure that every eligible voter is able to vote and have their vote fairly counted.
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