For the People Act Would Address Mueller Report Findings
Washington, D.C. –– Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony today underscores the need for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to stop stonewalling the For the People Act, the SAFE Act, and other election security legislation that would address many of the vulnerabilities highlighted in the special counsel’s final report.
“Special Counsel Mueller’s testimony this week serves as a reminder that there are actions Congress can take today to protect the integrity of our elections, including the For the People Act and the SAFE Act,” said Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United Action Fund. “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell should stop stonewalling and allow a vote on these critical pieces of legislation to protect the integrity of our elections and give everyday people a bigger voice in the political process.”
From disinformation and propaganda to weaknesses in our election infrastructure, H.R. 1––which passed the House this spring with unanimous Democratic support––would address many of the problems addressed in Mueller’s report, according to a recent analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice.
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Russia engaged in a concerted disinformation and propaganda campaign that abused disclosure loopholes. H.R. 1 would close campaign finance disclosure loopholes that allow foreign entities to secretly buy political ads, require major platforms like Facebook and Google to create publicly accessible databases of online ads, and overhaul the FEC to reduce gridlock and allow enforcement of campaign finance rules.
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Russian agents targeted vulnerable election infrastructure. H.R. 1 would strengthen the integrity of our elections by requiring a paper record of each vote, providing funding to shore up local and state election infrastructure, instituting safeguards and standards for voting systems, and expanding early voting to decrease the pressure on poll workers during Election Day and allow for early detection of potential threats.
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Russian-controlled accounts specifically targeted African-American communities and other minority groups with the specific goal of discouraging them from voting. H.R. 1 would address this by increasing transparency for online politics ads, banning the use of deceptive voter suppression tactics, and requiring election officials to take steps to counter misleading information about the voting process.
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Russia attempted to work directly with the Trump campaign, a violation of U.S. law. H.R. 1 would overhaul the FEC to ensure it was capable of enforcing our campaign finance laws (including the ban on foreign assistance to campaigns) and increase enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
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The president and other campaign officials were involved in various business dealings that could create conflicts of interest that lead to an ongoing risk for government policy. H.R. 1 would require the president and vice president, and candidates for those offices, to disclose their tax returns, while also requiring the president and vice president to divest of any financial interests that could pose conflicts-of-interest. It would require presidential transition committees to adhere to basic ethics standards and give the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) more oversight and enforcement ability.
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The president engaged in efforts to stop or interference with the special counsel’s investigation. H.R. 1 would prevent presidential appointees from involving themselves in specific matters concerning the president or their spouse, and give OGE final authority over ethics waivers and recusal decisions.
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