The Treasury Department has decided to not require donor information from certain nonprofit organizations that seek to influence elections. Sen. Angus King is co-sponsoring a bill that would reverse that decision and go further.
“The prior law was that you had to report who the donors were to the Treasury Department, but they weren’t made public,” King says. “The bill that Sen. Jon Tester and I have would say they not only have to report to the IRS, they have to make it public.”
Senator King says there is too much dark money in politics. He says voters deserve to know not only how much is being spent to influence their vote, but also who is contributing to those political groups.
“People should know who is trying to influence their votes,” he says. “It’s as simple as that. And these organizations that call themselves social welfare organizations which are really groups that try to influence elections. There is no reason donors should be hidden from public view.”