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“In campaign finance, you want disclosure. You need backup information,” Rotman said. “I know (cryptocurrency) is sexy and signals to people that you’re a hip new candidate, but there has to be a better way to do it than compromise the other parts of the campaign finance system.”

"All the other actors have been held accountable, but still no accountability for former president Trump," the government watchdog group Common Cause — which had filed a complaint against AMI, the publisher of the National Enquirer — said in a statement last year.

"That specific provision was a significant improvement," said Dick Williams, state chair of Common Cause Tennessee. "I was very supportive of that overall bill."

Many Washington, D.C., lobbying firms have a minimum monthly retainer of $10,000 or $15,000, but some firms charge $50,000 a month, or occasionally more, said Beth Rotman, director of money in politics and ethics at Common Cause, a good-government organization. She likened Garcetti’s parents to a couple that shells out to get their child into a top school. “It’s a bit like when the parents hire the most expensive coach they can find to get them into the most expensive university,” Rotman said. ... “Lobbyists know how to move the wheels,” said Common Cause’s Rotman. Lobbyists have relationships with specific lawmakers and may represent multiple interests or help raise funds for the lawmaker, making sure that their clients donate, she said.

“Ted Cruz is perhaps the most cynical member of the Senate when it comes to this issue, perhaps only bested by Mitch McConnell,” Steve Spaulding, senior counsel at good government group Common Cause, said. He recalled an interaction with Cruz at a 2015 Senate hearing about dark money in elections. “Cruz came down afterwards, and actually tried to pitch me on his idea of eliminating super PACs by allowing unlimited contributions directly to candidates. He was giving that argument with a straight face,” Spaulding said. “The guy is so blatantly cynical and dangerous, but all of this really just shows you where he comes from on these issues.”

Aaron Scherb, senior director of legislative affairs for Common Cause, said this means big donors can funnel huge amounts of cash directly to newly elected officials. "This decision is yet another example of the Supreme Court allowing more big money in politics and further opening the door to corruption and big moneyed interests calling the shots," Scherb contended. ... Scherb emphasized he hopes it will drum up more support for the DISCLOSE Act, which would require campaigns and groups spending money to influence politics to report more about their funding, but he is not optimistic. "We're not holding our breaths that 10 Senate Republicans would vote for something like this," Scherb acknowledged. "But if more big money is going to be spent in politics, it absolutely has to be disclosed. The public deserves to see who's trying to influence their voices and their votes."