Xavier Becerra: “Secret money is killing our democracy. More and more, our elections are being driven by organizations that are receiving…”

“Secret money is killing our democracy. More and more, our elections are being driven by organizations that are receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in secret donations. We don't know and can't find out who is giving all this money. These secret organizations use the Tax Code to hide the source of their money by operating under a law meant for not-for-profit social welfare organizations. These organizations get tax-exempt treatment and don't have to report the donors of their dollars. The result is this: What was meant to be for a social welfare organization, organizations we would recognize, like voluntary fire departments or the NAACP, all those organizations are now being used as cover by other organizations which are using the Tax Code to be able to spend hundreds of millions of dollars driving our elections every year now; so much so that, today, those organizations that are so-called social welfare organizations are spending more money than the political parties, the Democratic political party and the Republican political party, spend combined. In 2006, these so-called social welfare organizations spent about $1.5 million campaigning, politicking. In 2012, our last Presidential election, these so-called social welfare organizations spent more than $257 million, more than the two political parties spent in 2012 for the Presidential elections. Mr.…”