ALEXANDRIA, Va— Today, Center for Competitive Politics Chairman Brad Smith, a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission, released the following statement reacting to a news conference to announce that there would be campaign finance legislation introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska):
“If the bill looks anything like what was outlined last December, it would strip Americans of vital privacy and associational rights and aims to discourage political speech through onerous regulation. 100% of all spending urging voters to elect or defeat a candidate is already disclosed, but because less than five percent of that doesn’t contain as much personal information on donors as a few incumbent senators would like, the measure tramples over First Amendment rights in order to dig out more personal information on American citizens’ political activities, for reporting to the government.
“A measure like this would be contrary to the plain language of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Buckley v. Valeo limiting such compulsory disclosure of organizations that do not qualify as political committees, and would likely be challenged in court should it become law.
“The bill would not be bipartisan in any serious sense of the term. Like far too many proposals and laws to regulate political speech, it would be a partisan bill aimed at discouraging voices that one side sees as hostile to their interests, and that Senator Murkowski is angry at for opposing her in her defeat in a Republican primary.”
For more information or to interview either Brad or CCP President David Keating, contact CCP Communications Director Sarah Lee at 770.598.7961.
The Center for Competitive Politics promotes and defends the First Amendment’s protection of the political rights of speech, assembly, and petition. It is the nation’s largest organization dedicated solely to protecting First Amendment political rights.
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