News Clips

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.

We cannot afford to preserve the filibuster if it costs us our democracy. Congress must pass the For the People Act and move quickly to restore and advance the Voting Rights Act, so that our country can finally realize its greatest promise of government for the people and by the people. 

“This is an indication of wanting, basically, to have a man inside who can undermine,” said Sylvia Albert, the director of voting and elections at Common Cause, a government watchdog group. “Clearly these are not people who believe in the rule of law. And people who run our government need to follow the rule of law. So it is concerning that they are running.”

“The choice to push this legislation forward in the dark, despite overwhelming opposition from the people of Texas, is about the politicians in power doing everything they can to manipulate the outcome of future elections to keep themselves in power,” said Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas.

The For the People Act would break the gridlock by reducing the number of commissioners from an even six to five, with checks and balances in place to ensure that no more than two commissioners are from the same political party. These safeguards against ties would align the commission with almost all other agencies charged with administering the law.