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California Common Cause and its 155,000 members applaud Gov. Brown for putting the people first by signing the California DISCLOSE Act (AB 249 - Mullin) yesterday.

Americans deserve to know more about the Russian attack to sway the 2016 presidential race and Congress owes them some answers. Without undermining the investigation or any intelligence assets, Congress needs to share more of its findings with the American people. To date most of what citizens know about the attacks comes from media reports.

At a time when too many Americans do not think they have a meaningful voice in their democracy, when confidence in our institutions is at historic lows, and cynicism at record highs, this democracy reform package is needed more than ever. These reforms are working at the state level, empowering citizens and breaking down barriers to participation for all Americans, irrespective of political party.

Today, ten organizations urged Senators to carefully weigh the highly controversial record of James E. “Trey” Trainor III, President Donald Trump’s nominee to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). In a letter to the full Senate, the groups emphasized that Trainor, a Texas campaign finance attorney who served as counsel to the president’s campaign committee, has taken a number of hostile stances against existing campaign finance laws.

Today Common Cause filed complaints with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that Michael Waddell, the host of the hunting show “Bone Collector”, and a Wisconsin businessman made illegal undisclosed independent expenditures in connection with the 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns of Donald Trump. Additionally, Waddell appears to have made excessive in-kind contributions during the 2016 presidential campaign.

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.