Loophole Allows Saudi Arabian Businesses To Spend Freely In Our Election

[xchrom]

http://www.thenation.com/blog/170496/loophole-allows-saudi-arabian-businesses-spend-freely-our-election



Some Republican bloggers have circulated what seems to be a complete dud of a story about foreigners donating discretely to the Obama campaign using credit cards. Yesterday, Josh Israel demolished what was left of the pseudo-scandal. There’s actually a more significant loophole that should give anyone pause.

Foreign corporations can in fact influence American democracy in pernicious ways. For instance, how can Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich countries keep us dependent on fossil fuels? Well, thanks in part to the Citizens United decision, a new loophole allows foreign corporations to spend unlimited, undisclosed amounts on American elections.

Saudi-funded groups have run ads against Senator Claire McCaskill, a Democrat in Missouri, as well as in support of Tommy Thompson, a Republican in Wisconsin. But in both cases, they’ve been able to conceal the spending behind a wall of secrecy, and under the banner of groups with “American” in the name.

Super PACs have to disclose their donors, so for a foreign corporation to spend big without ever revealing itself, a more practical vehicle to influence an election is something called a trade association, which can now operate as a PAC but without revealing a cent of its funding.

[leveymg]

1. Foreign corps have always been able to give money through their US subsidiaries and holdings.

Many US multinationals have Saudi majority or controlling interests, including NewsCorp (Faux News).

The question is: how many U.S. elections have already been bought by which foreign entities, and what did they want in return?

[enlightenment]

2. I am sad that I missed the memorial service

for the death of democracy in America. I'm sure the eulogy was very touching.

*argh*


Citizens United has finished us, I think. Sort of like polonium poisoning.