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A NOTE FROM FRED
Last night, nearly 200 candlelight vigils took place in 39 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico to “Confront Corruption and Demand Democracy.”
The unprecedented nationwide vigils were held to demand that Congress enact sweeping democracy reforms to address the corrupt and broken political system facing American citizens today.
The vigils were sponsored by the newly formed Declaration for American Democracy national coalition, which includes  Democracy 21. The coalition is committed to fight for as long as it takes to prevail in a nationwide battle to repair the political system and really drain the swamp in Washington.
The vigils also were designed to drive home that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s attack on our democracy in the 2016 presidential election must be completed without outside interference by President Trump or by his agents in Congress, who are out to defend him at any cost and regardless of where the facts lead the investigation.
The principles of the new Declaration for American Democracy coalition are focused on a democracy that must:
- Ensure The Freedom To Vote And Have That Vote Counted.
- Be Honest.
- Have Meaningful Participation.
- Provide Transparency Into Our Government And Our Elections.
- Be Responsive.
The legislative reform agenda of the coalition includes fundamental campaign finance, voting rights, nonpartisan redistricting, and ethics reforms. The battle for these reforms will begin in the next Congress.
We know that these will be very difficult fights but we also know that the American people are overwhelmingly in favor of fixing our dysfunctional political system.
One of the most important fights ahead involves creating a system to provide public incentives to dramatically increase the role of small contributions in our elections. This is essential in order to dilute the power of big money in American politics and to allow candidates to run for office without becoming indebted to influence-seeking funders. Without such a new system to fund federal elections, we cannot repair the corrupt campaign finance system.
The fight goes on.
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MUST READS
D21 NEWS
In Bid To Impeach Deputy AG Rosenstein, House Republicans Are Abusing Power To Protect Trump
“A bipartisan outcry greeted Trump’s Helsinki betrayals. We should be hearing protests at least as loud and bipartisan in response to this parallel — and equally unmerited — attack on American law enforcement right here at home,” D21 President Fred Wertheimer and former chief White House ethics counsel Norm Eisen write, via USA Today. Read more
D21 Urges House To Oppose Baseless Effort To Impeach Deputy AG Rosenstein
In a letter to Representatives: "The effort to impeach Mr. Rosenstein is unprecedented, completely unwarranted and a gross abuse of the impeachment process.” Read more
“An Unmitigated Disaster”: Treasury Dept Opens Massive Loophole That Makes It Easier To Launder Foreign Money Into Elections
Statement of D21 President Fred Wertheimer. Read more
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“This is the theater of the absurd. By limiting donor disclosure to the IRS, they have limited any ability to prevent Russia and Russian oligarchs to launder unlimited, undisclosed, and illegal contributions through advocacy groups into federal elections.”
-- D21 President Fred Wertheimer
on the Treasury Dept’s announcement limiting disclosure requirements
via USA Today. Read more |
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“TRUMP & FRIENDS”
Trump Sheds All Notions of How a President Should Conduct Himself Abroad, via The New York Times. Read more
From The Start, Trump Has Muddied A Clear Message: Putin Interfered
“The shifting narrative underscores the degree to which Mr. Trump regularly picks and chooses intelligence to suit his political purposes. That has never been more clear than this week,” via The New York Times. Read more
“This Was the Nightmare Scenario”: The West Wing Revolts After Trump Embraces Putin
Chief of Staff John Kelly “called around to Republicans on Capitol Hill and gave them the go-ahead to speak out against Trump,” via Vanity Fair. Read more
Inside John Bolton Super PAC’s Deal With Cambridge Analytica, via The Center for Public Integrity. Read more
Trump’s Migrant Fiasco Diverts More Than $200M From Other Health Programs, via Politico. Read more
Trump Loyalists At VA Shuffling, Purging Employees Before New Sec’y Takes Over
“Current and former employees — and now alarmed Members of Congress — call the reshuffling a loyalty purge that is targeting the alleged political sympathies of civil servants whose jobs are, by definition, nonpartisan,” via The Washington Post. Read more
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FACT OF THE WEEK
Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election has thus far indicted 32 people and three companies. Six have pleaded guilty. The indictments include 187 criminal charges which are active or to which people have already pleaded guilty.
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THE RUSSIAN WEB: “WARNING LIGHTS ARE BLINKING RED”
10 Ways Trump Has Strayed From His Own Intelligence Agencies On Russian Meddling, via CNN. Read more
Let Robert Mueller Do His Job
Former FBI and CIA director William Webster: “In times like these, citizens have a duty — to serve, and to speak up. Robert Mueller is doing his duty. We need to do ours,” via The New York Times. Read more
Russia Indictment 2.0: What To Make Of Mueller’s Hacking Indictment, via LawFare. Read more
How Alleged Russian Agent Maria Butina Gained Access To Elite Conservative Circles
U.S. officials allege that Butina’s “activities show the breadth and sophistication of Russia’s influence operations in the United States,” via The Washington Post. Read more
“Warning Lights Are Blinking Red,” Top Trump Intel Officer Says of Russian Attacks, via The New York Times. Read more
110 DAYS …
More On The Treasury Dep’t Ruling On Dark Money
The Koch Brothers and other conservative groups have been lobbying the Trump White House to make the change, via The New York Times. Read more
Inside The GOP’s Midterm Gamble: Putting Trump Front And Center, via PBS NewsHour. Read more
NSA And Cyber Command To Coordinate Actions To Counter Russian Election Interference Amid Absence Of White House Guidance, via The Washington Post. Read more
Top Voting Machine Vendor Admits It Installed Remote-Access on Systems Sold to States
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR): Installing the remote-access software on election equipment “is the worst decision for security short of leaving ballot boxes on a Moscow street corner,” via Vice. Read more
Musk Among The Millionaires And Billionaires Funding Midterms, via Bloomberg. Read more
RNC Tops $200M In Midterm Fundraising, via CNN. Read more
Dem. House Candidates Dominate Second Qtr Fundraising, via CNN. Read more
Secret Money Funds More Than 40 Percent Of Outside Congressional TV Ads, via USA Today. Read more
AROUND THE BEND …
$88M And Counting: Trump Amasses Huge Head Start For 2020 Campaign, via The New York Times. Read more
Warren Is Preparing For 2020. So Are Biden, Booker, Harris, And Sanders, via The New York Times. Read more
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