Trump’s IRS just gave churches the green light to engage in political activity without risking their tax-exempt status—a move with massive campaign finance implications. 🧵

https://twitter.com/Fahrenthold/status/1942389647671242902

By targeting the decades-old Johnson Amendment—one of the few campaign finance safeguards we have left—Trump’s corrupt administration is opening the door for tax-exempt religious organizations to be used as political tools by dark money groups.

From anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, to allegedly falsifying nomination signatures, to raising taxes on everyday Americans, it's been another bad week of Transplant Turmoil for the GOP's carpetbagging Senate wannabes.

🧵 Here's what they've been up to: In an event with Moms for Liberty and anti-public education extremist Betsy DeVos, Dave McCormick attacked LGBTQ+ youth and slammed President Biden’s efforts to protect students from discrimination. #PASen
lehighvalleynews.com/elections/u-s-…

🚨 Rep. Tom Kean, Jr. (#NJ07) has made it on our annual list of #MostCorrupt politicians.

From taking over $1.5M from corporations and corporate PACs to violating the STOCK Act, voters deserve to know just how much he’s sold them out.

🧵See for yourself: In return for $1.5M in corporate PAC money, Kean has betrayed New Jersey families and consistently championed the interests of Big Pharma, health insurance giants, and Big Oil by fighting for tax handouts, sweetheart deals, and less regulations.
clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023182

🧵 Today the #SupremeCourt is hearing oral arguments for FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, a case that looks to severely restrict the use of mifepristone: a safe and effective medication used for medical abortions.

Let’s look at the corruption behind this case. 👇 1/5 Today’s case exists to allow Leonard Leo’s hand-picked justices continue their assault on reproductive health care.

The MAGA justices have put our freedoms up for sale by giving their billionaire benefactors and dark money networks a chance to cash in on their investments. 2/5

A new Supreme Court term started and the first case on the docket is Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) v. Community Financial Services Association of America (CFSAA).

Let's see what's at stake. 🧵 The ultra wealthy will argue that SCOTUS should put profits over protecting consumers from fraud and abuse by big banks.

If the court sides against CFPB, vicious loan sharks will be able to replicate the same predatory tactics that led the to the 2008 financial crisis.

According to a new poll released by @StopBigMoney and @LetAmericaVote, when asked about their opinions of the Supreme Court, Americans are overwhelmingly in favor of implementing ethics and transparency reforms.

Check out more of the polls' key findings 🧵: ➡️67% of voters believe a code of ethics and a method for investigating violations would restore trust in the institution.

Today marks the 13 year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision in #CitizensUnited v. F.E.C. which opened the door for billionaires and corporate America to buy influence and power in Washington.

Here are 10 ways the decision has eroded our democracy: a thread 🧵 Outside groups have spent over $9 billion in federal elections since the #CitizensUnited decision 13 years ago.

👀 FYI: @StopBigMoney/@LetAmericaVote’s guide to some of the new, Republican Committee Chairs in the House and who they’re actually working for (hint: it’s not the American people…) 🧵 🔴 @Jim_Jordan (R-OH) is the new Chair of the Judiciary Committee. He’s taken over $500k from finance, insurance, and real estate, and nearly $500k from the communications and electronics industries.

🧵Dark money was one of the biggest factors that secured victories for MAGA Republicans in some of the most competitive races during the 2022 cycle. Dark money is one of the biggest reasons Republicans have the majority in the House.
americanindependent.com/2022-election-… 💰GOP super PACs spent $810 million, almost doubling the amount from pro-Democratic ones, which was $421 million.
💰75% of that outside spending is not fully disclosed .
endcitizensunited.org/latest-news/pr…

THREAD 🧵: The largest defense contractor — @LockheedMartin — claims the slogan “YOUR MISSION IS OURS." Unfortunately, our mission is to protect democracy, and $LMT contributes thousands to Members of Congress who tried to overturn the 2020 election and incite an insurrection. On January 6, 2021, Republican Members of Congress attempted to stage a coup. While they voted to object to the certified results of the 2020 election, they also spread the Big Lie and stoked the violent mob outside that eventually stormed the Capitol.

THREAD 🧵: We’ve got a story to tell about January 6, so pull up a chair and crack open a cold one… just make sure it isn’t a @budlight because parent company @AnheuserBusch [ $BUD ] funds groups that organized the insurrection at the Capitol. ⬇️ On January 5, 2021, some Americans received a robocall from the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA). We’ll let you read what it said:

THREAD 🧵: Our telephone, internet, and cable companies — like @ATT [ $T ] — are willing to sacrifice our democracy in the name of immense profits. Today, we’re exploring how AT&T abandoned their pledge not to fund insurrectionist Members of Congress. On Jan. 11, 2021, in the wake of the January 6 insurrection, @Variety reported that AT&T, the world’s largest telecomms company, would refuse to donate to the Members of Congress who voted to overturn the results of the 2020 election, all Republicans.

variety.com/2021/politics/…

🧵: On Jan. 6, 2021, 147 Members of Congress attempted to overthrow the results of a free and fair election, in direct support of the deadly insurrection former President Trump incited at the United States Capitol. They didn’t do it alone — corporations were at their side. 1/14 Despite these Members failing to uphold their oaths to the Constitution and placing our democracy in jeopardy, corporations have given these insurrectionist Members $18,000,000 over the past year. 2/14

THREAD 🧵 : We’ve released our updated Dark Money report on groups that have capitalized on the Big Lie and the January 6 insurrection by funding efforts to restrict voting.

Here are our findings :
ecuactionfund.org/wp-content/upl… The DISCLOSE act is a key part of the #ForThePeopleAct to combat dark money.

In 2020 $1 billion in dark money was spent on the election cycle.

Before the dreadful Citizens United decision over 80% of outside spending was fully disclosed. That number dwindled to 50% in 2020

🎉 #HR1, the #ForThePeopleAct just passed in the U.S. House of Representatives. This is a big deal.

A thread 🧵 The #ForThePeopleAct would:
- Get dark money out of our politics
- Take on corporate special interests
- Protect voting rights
- End partisan gerrymandering

🚨 THREAD: Over the holiday, the @AP reported that #BigMoney20 Senator David Perdue made a "stunning" financial gain by selling off MILLIONS in Cardlytics stock right before the company's value plummeted…

1/20 …Senator Perdue, a former Board Member at Cardlytics, then went on to buy back Cardlytics stock after an "unexpected leadership shakeup."

That shakeup may have been unexpected for everyone else, but it sure seems fishy that Senator Perdue was able to anticipate it.

2/20

We joined our partners on a letter to the presidential candidates calling on them to make sure reform is a top priority on their campaigns. What's in it? Six big steps:

1/8 1. Expand the right to vote and make it an easier, more inclusive process.

2/8