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A NOTE FROM FRED
Yesterday, Representative Chris Collins (R-NY) was indicted for violating insider trading rules. A very powerful case was spelled out against him in the indictment.
This week also saw a detailed article in Forbes about Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross that alleged he wrongly siphoned or outright stole more than $120 million from partners and investors. The article also said that Ross signed a sworn statement that he had divested all the assets he committed to sell to avoid conflicts of interest as Secretary, and that that statement was not true.
Does corruption in Washington matter to voters? Do citizens care when they cast their votes for President, Representative, and Senator? Some believe that voters see all politicians in Washington in the same light when it comes to corruption, and thus do not make their voting choices based on it.
One politician who strongly disagreed with this is now the President of the United States. In 2016, Donald Trump campaigned heavily on the corruption issue and the message of “draining the swamp” in Washington.
Since he became President, however, Trump has presided over the most corrupt and unethical administration in modern memory.
History shows that when major scandals occur in Washington, corruption becomes a potent voting issue.
The 1974 midterms following the Watergate scandals resulted in 91 new members elected to the House and the 2006 elections following the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandals resulted in Democrats regaining control of the House after 12 years of Republican control.
House candidates in 1974 and 2006 campaigned heavily on the corruption issue. House Democrats are preparing to do the same in 2018 and have adopted a comprehensive democracy reform agenda as a priority for early House action in 2019 if they win control in November.
History also shows that major reform opportunities follow major scandals in Washington.
A new broad coalition, which includes Democracy 21, is being formed to lead a national battle for enactment of comprehensive democracy reforms, beginning in 2019.
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MUST READS
D21 NEWS
D21 Files More Info With Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) on Rep. Jim Jordan
In a supplemental letter to OCE, D21 President Fred Wertheimer and Norm Eisen, former chief White House ethics counsel from 2009-11, provided information regarding Rep. Jim Jordan’s (R-OH) reported efforts to pressure student wrestlers’ to recant their allegations. Read more
Donald Trump Jr. Violated Prohibition On Solicitation With Regard To Trump Tower Meeting
Wertheimer: “Federal law prohibits a person from soliciting contributions, including in-kind contributions, from foreign nationals in connection with a federal election. … [Trump, Jr.’s action in 2016] constitutes a ‘solicitation’ under the law and is thus an apparent violation of the prohibition on soliciting anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a federal election.” Read more
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THE MOST POWERFUL FACEOFF OF 2018
Forget Left And Right.
“Reform” vs. “Corruption” Is What Will Determine The Midterms
-- E.J. Dionne, via The Washington Post. Read more. |
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“TRUMP & FRIENDS”
It’s True: Trump Is Lying More, And He’s Doing It On Purpose, via The New Yorker. Read more
Trump Raised $135M At 29 Fundraisers. Nearly Half The Events Were For Himself, via McClatchy. Read more
Trump’s D.C. Hotel, A Clubhouse For His Fans, May Also Be A 5-Star Conflict Of Interest, via NBC News. Read more
Some Big Names In GOP Fundraising Are Financing Trump’s Legal Defense, via The Daily Beast. Read more
New Details About Commerce Sec’y Ross’ Business Point To Pattern Of Grifting
“Many of those who worked directly with him claim that Ross wrongly siphoned or outright stole a few million here and a few million there. … [T]hese allegations—which sparked lawsuits, reimbursements, and an SEC fine—come to more than $120 million. If even half of the accusations are legitimate, the current United States secretary of commerce could rank among the biggest grifters in American history,” via Forbes. Read more
The Shadow Rulers Of The VA: The “Mar-A-Lago Crowd” With No Ties To The Military Or Veterans
“Marvel Entertainment chairman Ike Perlmutter and two other Mar-a-Lago cronies are secretly shaping the Trump administration’s veterans policies,” via ProPublica. Read more
Bribery Trial Reveals AG Jeff Sessions’ Role In Blocking EPA Action Targeting One Of His Biggest Donors, via Mother Jones. Read more
How Trump Radicalized ICE, via The Atlantic. Read more
The Trump Administration Wants To Limit Citizenship For Legal Immigrants, via NBC News. Read more
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“There are moments in history when scandals create the possibility of fundamental reform.”
-- D21 President Fred Wertheimer
on coming major reform opportunities,
via The Washington Post. Read more |
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THE INVESTIGATIONS …
Trump’s Lawyers Counter Mueller’s Interview Offer, Seeking Narrower Scope, via The New York Times. Read more
Why The Trump Tower Meeting May Have Violated The Law — And The Steele Dossier Likely Didn’t, via The Washington Post. Read more
Why Trump Really Wants His Mueller Interview
“What remains, however, is Trump’s belief in his central self-created myth: that he can convince anyone of anything, if he’s simply given the opportunity to get them in a room alone,” via Politico. Read more
Top Trump Campaign Aides Are Portrayed As Corrupt At Manafort Trial, via The New York Times. Read more
Special Counsel Mueller Is Going After Shady Democrats, Too, via Vice. Read more
Giuliani Says GOP Could Benefit If Trump’s Negotiations With Mueller Drag On, via CNN. Read more
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FACT OF THE WEEK
Major GOP outside spending groups have spent about $41.7M on special elections this cycle, compared to $12.3M spent by Democratic outside groups. That's more than a 3-to-1 difference.
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89 DAYS TO THE MIDTERMS (AND BEYOND)
Takeaways From Tuesday’s Elections And A Pair Of Election-Night Squeakers, via Politico. Read more
Kansas Sec’y of State Kris Kobach Won’t Recuse Himself From A Recount In His Governor’s Race, via The Kansas City Star. Read more
GOP Rep. Chris Collins’ Insider Trading Arrest Puts A Deep-Red Seat On The House Battlefield, via CNBC. Read more
The Eight Types of Races That Will Decide the House, via The Cook Political Report. Read more
“Dark Money” From Secretive Nonprofits Remain A Major Player In 2018, via Open Secrets. Read more
Remember Trump’s Voter Fraud Panel? It Found No Widespread Fraud And Was “The Most Bizarre Thing I’ve Ever Been A Part Of,” Ex-Member Says, via The Washington Post. Read more
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