A very important call to politicians to reject donations from dark money sources from the Brennan Center. The must read article was posted on the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law website by Ciara Torres-Spelliscy. Take a look at a key excerpt:

Dark money is certainly tempting. As I describe in my book Corporate Citizen?, dark money is becoming a feature and not a bug of modern American electoral politics. Simply put, dark money is the term for unlimited, undisclosed contributions to non-profit trade associations and social welfare groups that is spent on politics. “Why should we unilaterally disarm?,” the argument went at the reunion. “The other side uses dark money all the time.”

My response was simple: “Don’t be ‘Seduced by the Dark Side.’” Dark money may seem like a satisfying expedient response to the current political crisis, but it corrodes democracy.

Dark money is not a good way finance elections and I won’t change that belief no matter which side is winning. For example in the current Virginia governor’s race, the Washington Post has called out the irony of former top GOP campaign operative Ed Gillespie getting targeted by dark money groups after years of spearheading dark money expenditures against Democrats. But it doesn’t matter who is the target or who is footing the bill. Donors should be open about their support, and have what Justice Scalia called “civic courage, without which democracy is doomed.”

About the Brennan Center:

The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that seeks to improve our systems of democracy and justice. We work to hold our political institutions and laws accountable to the twin American ideals of democracy and equal justice for all. The Center’s work ranges from voting rights to campaign finance reform, from ending mass incarceration to preserving Constitutional protection in the fight against terrorism. Part think tank, part advocacy group, part cutting-edge communications hub, we start with rigorous research. We craft innovative policies. And we fight for them — in Congress and the states, the courts, and in the court of public opinion.