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Key quotes on corruption in Congress:
Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD):
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“Big corporations and special interests…and that is a form of corruption. There’s no question.”
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“Change the way campaigns are funded in America, and definitely by demanding the disclosure of this dark money.”
Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO):
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“I was told in the beginning that I had to raise $250,000 if I wanted to be on certain committees. And if I wanted to be on more important committees or committees with broader jurisdiction, I needed to raise even more money. Buying a committee seat is not something that most Americans know that members of Congress have to do.”
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR):
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“There is undue influence for special interests, absolutely.”
Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA):
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“I think there’s too much money in our system.”
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“The number of times over the course of the 11-plus years that I’ve heard one of my colleagues say, you know, I agree with you on that but I could never vote that way because of my fear of a primary…is concerning.”
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“I have been a big supporter of campaign finance reform.”
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD):
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“Citizens United was a horrible decision by the Supreme Court that held corporations have the same rights as individuals to make contributions in our campaigns. It led to the floodgates of a lot of special interest dollars coming into campaigns without really knowing who was contributing those dollars.”
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“We need campaign finance reform.”
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