Disclosure & Transparency

Paul S. Ryan, Common Cause’s vice president for policy and litigation, hailed the news as “a win for democracy.” But he argued that the FEC’s “failure to hold former-President Trump and his campaign accountable for this violation lays bare the dysfunction at the FEC.” He noted that the decision comes on the heels of a similar decision by the agency to drop an inquiry into whether Trump violated campaign finance laws when Cohen paid adult-film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 in the days leading up to the 2016 election. “The agency has again shown itself incapable of fully enforcing the campaign finance laws passed by Congress,” Ryan said in a statement.

Paul S. Ryan, Common Cause’s vice president of policy and litigation, said he had mixed feelings about the outcome. While he felt “vindicated” by the fine, he said, he was frustrated that Mr. Trump, whom he called “the mastermind of the illegal scheme,” had not been held accountable.  Mr. Cohen, who has served time in prison in part for his involvement in the payments, said during his trial that the transaction had been part of an effort to cover up Mr. Trump’s “dirty deeds.” Mr. Pecker had agreed to an immunity deal with federal prosecutors to provide information related to the payments as part of Mr. Cohen’s trial. “He’s the only one not to be held accountable,” Mr. Ryan said of Mr. Trump. The F.E.C. has not yet formally announced the results in this case or revealed all of its internal findings; as the person who filed the original complaint, Mr. Ryan was notified on Tuesday of its outcome.

The FEC investigation of American Media stemmed from a 2018 complaint filed by Common Cause, a Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group. The complaint also alleged violations by Mr. Trump and his campaign, but the FEC has taken no action against the former president. Paul S. Ryan, vice president of policy and litigation at Common Cause, expressed frustration that Mr. Trump has faced no repercussions for the hush money paid on his behalf. “The mastermind of this illegal operation has not been punished, has not been held accountable,” he said.

Sylvia Albert, Common Cause Director of Voting & Elections, discusses The For the People Act on ABC News Live the day before the bill was scheduled for markup in the Senate Rules Committee.

In a statement after the decision, the progressive group Common Cause described it as “an endless cycle of uncertainty,” and it’s hard to disagree. The process could easily stretch through the 2024 election, and given the political interests involved, it’s not clear how it could ever fully resolve.

Jay Riestenberg with Common Cause, which advocates for more accessible voting, is particularly concerned about conservative “secret donors” funding the push for more restrictive laws.  “Well, the truth is, we’ll never really know because a lot of these groups do not disclose their spending or where their funding comes from,” Riestenberg said. “But I think we’re well in the area of over $100 million on both sides.”