Dear Friend,

Donald Trump crony Igor Fruman was just sentenced to a year in prison for helping to funnel more than $1 million from powerful businessmen from Ukraine and Russia into the campaigns of Republican candidates, including Trump and Florida governor Ron DeSantis.(1)

But if Fruman had just approached foreign corporations with American offices, it would have been perfectly legal, thanks to Citizens United.(2)

The Citizens United loophole has helped foreign lobbyists buy millions of dollars of direct access to American politicians, and it’s past time for that loophole to be closed. The House has just introduced the Get Foreign Money Out of U.S. Elections Act, which would stop foreign-influenced corporations from contributing to U.S. election campaigns.

Courage California has joined with other groups including Daily Kos, Common Cause, and the Juggernaut Project to help rally grassroots energy to pass the bill and stop foreign influence on our politicians.

Click here to tell Congress: Pass the Get Foreign Money out of U.S. Elections Act!

Since Citizens United v. FEC allowed corporations to pour unlimited money into politics, foreign-based companies have used their U.S. subsidiaries to gain access to politicians not seen before.

British American Tobacco has given more than $1 million per cycle since 2017, including donations to the Congressional Leadership Fund. EnCana Oil & Gas, based in Canada, gave $300,000 in 2018. Swedish-owned AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals gave $450,000. Toyota gave nearly $1 million.(3)

Once Citizens United was decided, President Obama warned that the Supreme Court had opened the floodgates for foreign interests to buy our elections through corporations.(4) That’s exactly what’s happened.

We must stop foreign influence on our elections, and the Get Foreign Money Out of U.S. Elections Act is a step in the right direction. Will you join our call?

Yes, I’ll sign on now.

Yours in the fight against unfair influence,

Irene, along with Amber, Angela, Annie, Caitlin, Isidra, Jay, Lindsay, LisaMarie, Raquel, and Scottie (the Courage team) 

Footnotes:
1. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/21/nyregion/igor-fruman-sentencing.html
2. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/21/nyregion/igor-fruman-sentencing.html
3. https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2019/03/citizens-united-foreign-owned-corporations-put-millions-in-us-elections/
4. https://raskin.house.gov/2021/12/rep-raskin-introduces-legislation-to-get-foreign-money-out-of-u-s-elections-by-closing-the-citizens-united-loophole