Washington Post: Sanders, a critic of secret money in politics, declines to call on a group supporting him to disclose its donors
Washington Post: Sanders, a critic of secret money in politics, declines to call on a group supporting him to disclose its donors
This was not a Sanders campaign event. It was a rally staged by Our Revolution, a nonprofit founded by the senator that has caused some awkwardness for him in his second run for president. While the group is supporting his candidacy, it accepts large donations without fully disclosing who made them, a practice at odds with his calls for greater transparency and stated desire to curtail the power of the wealthy in elections.
Sanders was questioned about the group’s practices here Sunday, when he said in a radio interview he would “have no problem” with the group opting to provide more information about its donors. But he suggested he would not call on its leaders to do so while his opponents continue to rely on similar organizations. …
Federal law requires nonprofits to disclose large donations — though not donor names — in tax filings, which Our Revolution does. The group also lists on its website the names of donors who gave more than $250. But it does not provide specific amounts the donors gave, and contributors who wish to remain anonymous are obscured — for example, a donor whose name is listed as “Anonymous Anonymous.”
“Voters don’t get the information they deserve, simply as a result of a group creating its own disclosure regime it imposes on itself,” said Paul S. Ryan, vice president of policy and litigation at Common Cause.