Disclosure & Transparency

Americans have a right to know who is trying to influence their vote—whether hostile foreign nations like Russia, corporate front groups, or wealthy special interests. Facebook’s announcement this afternoon that it shared evidence of fake Facebook accounts and Russian political ads with Special Counsel Mueller and Congressional investigators was slow in coming but it is a step forward as are the broad brushstroke descriptions of their new policies.

Friday grab bag

Today Common Cause filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that one or more unknown foreign nationals made expenditures, independent expenditures or disbursements in connection with the 2016 presidential election in violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act.

Today’s revelations that fake accounts in Russia bought approximately $150,000 in political ads on Facebook demands a complete and immediate response from the Federal Election Commission. The Commission’s intransigence on the issue of curbing the threat of foreign influence in our elections must stop now as this is likely only the tip of the iceberg.