Media Center

Today, members of 19 national organizations delivered the signatures of more than 4 million people to members of Congress urging a full investigation into President Trump’s campaign ties to Russia. The press conference and petition delivery specifically called on members of Congress to support a discharge petition sponsored by Rep. Eric Swalwell and Rep. Elijah Cummings to create an independent commission to investigate the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia.

Today, Common Cause urged Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) to enforce House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes’ recusal from the committee’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Nunes recused himself from the investigation after he was accused of disclosing classified information in an attempt to justify false claims by Donald Trump that the Obama Administration had “wiretapped” Trump Tower. But last week Chairman Nunes ignored his recusal and used his power as committee chair to subpoena intelligence service materials related to the “unmasking” of Trump campaign officials for their contacts with Russian government officials and intermediaries.

Today at the Ohio Statehouse, the Fair Congressional Districts for Ohio Campaign Committee announced an official kickoff to the signature collection drive to put the issue on the ballot.

Today, Common Cause and Public Citizen co-hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington – Trump’s Conflicts of Interest and the Americans Who Are Impacted By White House Ethics – with Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) serving as honorary co-host. The videotaped event focused on everyday Americans adversely impacted by the Trump Administration’s unprecedented conflicts of interest. President Trump’s conflicts of interest and excessive secrecy come at a cost and that cost is borne by the American People.

Politicians and party committees have repeatedly challenged the McCain-Feingold law’s soft money ban and the Supreme Court has repeatedly rejected these challenges. Again today, the Court recognized the potential for corruption from unlimited contributions to party committees and affirmed a lower court decision in Republican Party of Louisiana v. FEC upholding the soft money ban as applied to state political party committees. It is however troubling to see the newest Supreme Court Justice, Neil Gorsuch, join with Justice Thomas in unsuccessfully urging their colleagues to schedule the soft money challenge for oral argument.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled that North Carolina lawmakers unconstitutionally gerrymandered two of the state's congressional districts along racial lines. The decision affirms a lower court ruling in 2015 that ordered the districts to be redrawn.