Salud Ortiz Carbajal: “This week President Trump's Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, decided that the agency will no longer collect…”

“This week President Trump's Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, decided that the agency will no longer collect information on donations to political nonprofits. This administration will no longer require 501(c)(4) organizations to disclose their donors, including groups like the National Rifle Association, the NRA, that operates as a nonprofit, but also spends millions of dollars each year on lobbying and advertising to influence our elections. This announcement comes the same week that the Department of Justice arrested and charged a known Russian foreign agent who had infiltrated the NRA, an organization that has received thousands of dollars from Russian nationals since 2015. The Treasury Secretary's decision this week only thickens the swamp by unleashing a new opportunity for dark money and money from foreign powers to continue to flood our upcoming midterm elections. I believe that we need more transparency in our elections, not less. While super PACs are currently required to disclose donors, now 501(c)(4)s are not. If you were a donor looking to influence elections and wanted to hide your identity, the underlying bill is currently making 501(c)(4) organizations an even more attractive way to conceal contributions.…”