On the fifth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Citizen’s United, the White House said it was time to reverse the flow of “dark money” spilling over into campaigns.
The High Court’s decision, which came down in a 5-4 ruling, allowed unlimited spending by unions and corporations.
Since the ruling, 40 percent of all reported funding not directly attributed to a political party came from organizations connected to one candidate or one political party, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics highlighted by The Huffington Post.
Here’s the full White House statement:
Our democracy works best when everyone’s voice is heard, and no one’s voice is drowned out. But five years ago, a Supreme Court ruling allowed big companies – including foreign corporations – to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence our elections. The Citizens United decision was wrong, and it has caused real harm to our democracy. With each new campaign season, this dark money floods our airwaves with more and more political ads that pull our politics into the gutter. It’s time to reverse this trend. Rather than bolster the power of lobbyists and special interests, Washington should lift up the voices of ordinary Americans and protect their democratic right to determine the direction of the country that we love.
