Billions in ‘dark money’ is influencing US politics. We need disclosure laws | David Sirota and Joel Warner
GuardianNov 24, 2022
The Facts
On Thursday, US Senate Republicans blocked a bill that aimed to combat 'dark money' — political funds with unknown donors — in US elections.
The bill, known as the DISCLOSE Act, would've required political groups to disclose donors who contribute $10k or more during an election cycle and would've banned donations from foreign entities.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Transparency is a pillar of democratic governance, and "dark money" goes directly against this. An unregulated campaign finance system allows rich businesses to manipulate the system and is as much of a threat to US democracy as coup plots, such as the Jan. 6 attack. Not passing the DISCLOSE Act is a blow to the country.
Republican narrative
The DISCLOSE Act was a brazen violation of every American's right to free speech and would've created repercussions for organizations that simply wanted to participate in democracy. The bill — which defied significant Supreme Court precedent — was clearly an attempt to retaliate against speakers with "unfavorable" political ideas.