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NEW YORK, NY -- This evening, a jury in Manhattan found former President Trump guilty on 34 counts. In response, Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause/NY issued the following statement: "This case was always about hiding key information from voters, and now a jury of the former president's peers have confirmed that he lied to the public by falsifying business records in order to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. This is a felony punishable with jail time or probation, and just like anyone else convicted of the same crime, we expect him to be sentenced accordingly. We thank the jury – whom Mr. Trump and his lawyers helped to select – for doing their civic duty, and trust that the public will accept their decision as well as their right to privacy. Respect for the rule of law is the foundation of our democracy, but so is public trust in the process. That's why Common Cause/NY fought to make the trial transcripts free and accessible, and we invite anyone to review them on the court website. We now hope that the courts will reach a decision in the other trials awaiting Mr. Trump before the 2024 election since voters should have all the information before they cast their ballots."

Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it will begin a rulemaking to require disclosure for Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated content in political advertising on the nation’s airwaves.

With 2024 congressional races in full swing, Common Cause is again tracking the positions of every Member of Congress on issues vital to the health of our democracy. For the fifth cycle in a row, Members of the House and Senate have received letters from Common Cause asking them to co-sponsor and support up to ten democracy reform bills. The letters inform Members that their voting and co-sponsorship record will be published in Common Cause’s “Democracy Scorecard,” which will be distributed to the organization’s 1.5 million members, as well as to state and national media, during the lead-up to Election Day.

Today, a New York judge rejected Donald Trump’s attempt to have criminal charges against him thrown out for hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels to keep their affair secret on the eve of the 2016 presidential election. The trial will begin six years after Common Cause filed complaints related to the payments with the Justice Department and the Federal Election Commission. Jury selection is scheduled to begin on March 25.

In response to breaking news that the House Ethics Committee released a 56-page report that concludes Representative George Santos violated federal law, Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause/NY said: “Today’s fact finding bi-partisan report from the House Ethics Committee makes it crystal clear that Mr. Santos is unfit for public office. Recognizing the seriousness of the remedy of expulsion, Common Cause/NY has waited for the process to play out appropriately. Now we and the House of Representatives are left with only one option: Congress must expel Mr. Santos.

Today, Common Cause and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights filed comments with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in support of a petition for rulemaking filed by Public Citizen to amend its regulation on “fraudulent misrepresentation” to include “deliberately false Artificial Intelligence-generated content in campaign ads or other communications.”