Thread by @thetrevorpotter

Yesterday, top Trump donor & fund-raiser and inaugural committee chairman Thomas #Barrack was arrested & charged with illegally working to influence the foreign policy of the U.S. government.

Here's a thread with some of my thoughts 👇 #BarrackIndictment
nytimes.com/2021/07/20/us/…

This case is about transparency and ethics, but this is also a tale of the problems and dangers of our current campaign finance system: a system that enables wealthy interests to gain outsized influence with our government, creating the conditions for the privileged access and...

...influence they enjoy and often utilize for their own personal gain.

Thomas Barrack, a billionaire, is close to Trump & was a major donor to Trump’s joint fundraising committee (Trump Victory) & Republican groups: since the 2016 cycle, he has personally given over $1 million.

He also served as chairman of Trump’s inaugural committee and helped raise $107 million from private donors to celebrate Trump’s inauguration.

This was the most money ever raised to celebrate an inauguration.
nytimes.com/2017/04/18/us/…

The lack of a working presidential public funding system permits wealthy donors like Thomas Barrack to gain exclusive access to elected officials, and it provides them with opportunities to foster close, influential relationships.

Everyday Americans do not have these opportunities and often remain in the dark regarding the activities of special interests attempting to influence our government.

Here, the Thomas Barrack case illustrates for us yet again the dangers of this access-and-influence system.

By being able to channel large amounts of money into Trump’s orbit, Thomas Barrack was able to open a door to pursue his own interests at the expense of independent deliberation about policy choices that impact the American people.

There are solutions that can prevent these kinds of scenarios. The #ForThePeopleAct, for example, would create a system of matching contributions for campaign donations, so the voices and dollars of everyday Americans are not drowned out by the donations of special interests.

@CampaignLegal supports such solutions. Congress ought to act to create the conditions for more accountability and less corruption in our political system—so Americans can have our voices heard.
campaignlegal.org/update/what-pe…