Center for American Progress

When ‘draining the swamp’ means nothing to reform money in politics
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When ‘draining the swamp’ means nothing to reform money in politics

Author Alex Tausanovitch explains why President Donald Trump's nomination of Trey Trainor to the Federal Election Commission suggests that his promises of campaign finance reform will remain unfulfilled.

Americans are deeply dissatisfied with the state of their democracy, a fact that candidate Donald Trump used to his advantage when he ran on a promise to “drain the swamp.” And yet, the president has just nominated a member of the Federal Election Commission who opposes regulation of money in politics, including common-sense solutions like disclosure. The nominee, Trey Trainor, is an attorney based in Texas who has supported eliminating the Texas Ethics Commission, the state’s campaign finance agency. Scott Braddock, a journalist and political analyst based in Austin, recently summed up Trainor by saying that “no one has fought against transparency in Texas elections with as much energy.”

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

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Authors

Alex Tausanovitch

Former Senior Fellow

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