Center for American Progress

Citizens United Paves Way for Foreign Governments to Influence U.S. Elections
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Citizens United Paves Way for Foreign Governments to Influence U.S. Elections

Michael Sozan argues that the Citizens United ruling makes U.S. elections vulnerable to foreign interference.

Ten years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its disastrous ruling in Citizens United, giving corporations the right to unlimited political spending. Since then, independent groups unrelated to political parties have poured $4.5 billion into federal elections, including almost $1 billion of secret “dark money” that cannot be traced to its source. Raising further concerns, a significant amount of that political spending comes from foreign-influenced U.S. corporations.

Americans are demanding bold reforms to protect elections and make elected leaders more accountable to voters. The good news is that a popular solution exists, and it’s gaining newfound momentum: a ban on election-related spending by foreign-influenced U.S. corporations.

The above excerpt was originally published in InsideSources. Click here to view the full article.

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Authors

Michael Sozan

Senior Fellow

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