Disclosure & Transparency

On March 5, 2018, Common Cause filed complaints with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging reason to believe that President Trump and his campaign violated numerous federal campaign finance laws by setting up super PAC America First Action (AFA) and dark money group America First Policies (AFP) to raise and spend unlimited "soft money" to influence federal elections, including President Trump's 2020 reelection efforts. The March 2018 complaint also alleges Vice President Pence and his leadership PAC, the Republican National Committee (RNC), and a number of aides violated numerous campaign finance laws by coordinating “soft money” fundraising and spending with AFA and AFP. On March 15, 2019, Common Cause filed supplements with the DOJ and FEC to its 2018 complaints, providing further evidence of campaign finance law violations in the form of the Trump campaign's public endorsement of AFA as the campaign's "approved" outside group and solicitation of funds for the group.

As congressional appropriators work to fashion a mammoth spending bill to keep the federal government running, Republican leaders are again trying to use the “must pass” spending legislation to advance their guerilla war against sensible campaign finance laws.

Today, Common Cause filed complaints with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging reason to believe that American Media, Inc.’s August 2016 payment of $150,000 to former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal, to buy and bury her story of an affair with Donald J. Trump, was for the purpose of influencing the 2016 election and was coordinated with Donald Trump’s attorney and agent Michael Cohen—making it an illegal corporate in-kind contribution to the 2016 Trump campaign. Additionally, the payment was never reported as an in-kind contribution received, and an expenditure made, by the campaign as required by campaign finance law.

The admission by Donald Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen that he made the $130,000 payment of apparent hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election does not make the Trump campaign’s legal problems go away despite Cohen’s assertions.

Facebook,the social media industry leader, continues to run ads that do not provide full disclosure, the online news site ProPublica reports today..