Political Quotes

“45 years ago this summer, the Watergate scandal, which had preoccupied the Nation for 2 years, culminated with the resignation of President Richard Nixon and touched off a period of activism and reform on Capitol Hill. In the years that followed, Congress worked to ensure transparency and prevent the abuse of executive power, informed not only by the work of two special prosecutors but also by the good investigative work of multiple House and Senate committees. The Watergate investigations exposed an array of abuses of power by a craven President and his associates. In response to illegal campaign contributions, the Congress enacted the Federal Election Commission, required disclosure, and placed limits on how much candidates could raise and spend. When Congress discovered that private information held by the IRS and other agencies had been used for political purposes, Congress passed the Privacy Act, restricting government use of Americans' private data. The Watergate era bears more than a passing resemblance to the tumult of the last 3 years, and today, as in the 1970s, Congress has a responsibility to act to fortify our democracy and our institutions. Even in redacted form, the Mueller report has illuminated serious gaps in laws intended to protect our Nation's electoral and political process. The investigation, moreover, exposed weaknesses in the way our government tracks and responds to foreign influence efforts.…”