Eric Petry

The D.N.C.’s New Leader Seeks to Curb Dark Money Influence in 2028 Primaries

The DISCLOSE Act—which would require dark money groups to disclose contributions of $10k+—passed the House in 2010 and came within one vote of defeating a Republican filibuster. It's since passed the House multiple times in democracy packages. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/u...

My latest with @lisadanetz.bsky.social explaining what we can do to combat political corruption

Corruption in the United States The threat that corruption poses to democracy has never been greater, requiring bold reforms to return power to the American people.

During the Gilded Age, demonstrations and political organizing led to reforms that reduced corporate influence over elections. Today, intense pressure from the public is needed to fight corruption and restore accountability. bit.ly/4mcMsPL

THREAD: This morning, President Trump and members of his cabinet announced a set of sweeping, unprecedented, and unwarranted actions to impose federal control over local policing in Washington, D.C.

Online Ad Spending in 2024 Election Totaled at Least $1.9 Billion The most comprehensive analysis to date shows the scale of political spending on the four largest digital platforms, as well as stark differences in strategy between candidates, parties, and outside g...

NEW: The most comprehensive analysis to date of online political spending in 2024 shows that groups spent at least $1.9 billion, with striking differences in how candidates, parties, and outside groups used their ad dollars.

www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

The question isn’t hypothetical: the president now oversees regulators with power over his own business interests. That’s a structural threat to democratic accountability that Congress can and should fix.

Uncovering Conflicts of Interest and Self-Dealing in the Executive Branch The new administration could use federal contracts, tariffs, regulations, taxes, and other levers of government to benefit campaign donors, high-level officials, and the president himself.

I broke down how this kind of self-dealing is possible and what reforms are needed in this Brennan Center report:

www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

This fits a broader pattern: Trump is blurring the lines between public power and private profit through his crypto, hotels, licensing deals, and other businesses unlike any president before.

Telecom is a heavily regulated industry, which means the Trump administration has power over policies that could affect (and directly benefit) this new company.

Trump Organization unveils mobile phone service The latest offshoot of President Donald Trump’s family business also plans to roll out a “sleek, gold” U.S.-made smartphone.

Trump is launching a branded mobile phone and cell service, with profits going to the Trump Organization. This isn’t just a business move—it raises serious concerns about conflicts of interest.

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Buyer With Ties to Chinese Communist Party Got V.I.P. Treatment at Trump Crypto Dinner

A tech mogul tied to the CCP was able to buy personal access to the president and even go to the White House. He can’t legally donate $5 to the president’s campaign he can spend $3.7M on the president’s meme coin, no questions asked. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/06/u...

The Emoluments Clauses, Explained The framers wanted to insulate the president and federal officials from corrupting influences, but a new law is needed to ensure effective enforcement.

The Emoluments Clauses are some of our nation's oldest anticorruption safeguards. In our latest, @danw329.bsky.social and I explain what emoluments are, why they've been in the news lately, and what Congress can do to improve enforcement.

www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

What founders need to know about tech’s growing influence in D.C. When it comes to the general public, ‘move fast and break things’ isn’t exactly popular. But that Silicon Valley culture continues to seep into policy as tech billionaires expand their influence in Wa...

"The Rockefellers and the Vanderbilts back in the Guilded Age had a lot of influence [on] American politics," @danw329.bsky.social told @techcrunch.com. But "they didn't literally have offices in the White House."

A foreign government is gifting the president a “flying palace” luxury plane that his library gets to keep after he leaves office, reportedly so that he can keep using it. It should be obvious why this a big problem if true. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/05...

Trump administration 'looking at' suspending habeas corpus, Stephen Miller says Multiple court cases challenging the Trump administrations effort to deport undocumented immigrants from the U.S. are based on habeas claims.

This is another unconstitutional notion. Only Congress can suspend habeas corpus and only during rebellion or invasion. As a Trump-appointed judge recently found, the U.S. isn't under invasion.

New Study Shows Runaway Influence of Dark Money in Politics Unknown entities poured billions of dollars into the 2024 election.

Politicians won’t have any incentive to curb reliance on secret spending unless campaign finance law changes.

Dark Money Hit a Record High of $1.9 Billion in 2024 Federal Races Spending by groups that do not disclose their donors has increased and become harder to trace.

Dark money in the 2024 elections reached a record high of $1.9 billion, about double the prior record in 2020. New analysis from @brennancenter and @annalecta.bsky.social www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

The president attending a private dinner followed by a tour of the White House for the largest investors in his crypto business is truly wild, even by today’s standards. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/t...

New piece. Canada & the US each passed major campaign finance reform packages in the 70s — but ours fell victim to the juristocracy. Today, Canada’s elections are made fairer by spending limits, contribution limits, and public funding, while our system betrays democratic values. Gotta change that…

The Campaign Finance System Americans Could Have Had Canada shows how democracies can regulate campaign finance for the common good.

Canada shows how democracies can regulate campaign finance for the common good.

Who Benefits from Trump’s Move to Shut Down Consumer Financial Protection Bureau? The decision to shutter the CFPB looks to be another example of the donor class holding sway over Washington.

With reports that the CFBP is laying off almost 90 percent of its workforce, now seems like a good time to re-up this analysis from @ianvan.bsky.social and @eepetry.bsky.social on who really benefits from shuttinf down one of our leading consumer watchdogs. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

The FEC's independence is crucial not only because it's required by law but also because it safeguards against corruption and helps assure the public that election-related complaints will be handled with an evenhanded approach free from partisan manipulation or score-settling.

In our comment, @danw329.bsky.social and I urge the FEC to confirm that it must follow the procedures Congress enacted in the Federal Election Campaign Act as well as its own regulations and policies, regardless of any other rules the president purports to impose.

Comment to the FEC: Affirm that the President Cannot Alter Statutory Rights and Procedures under the FECA and the Commission’s Own Regulations and Policies The Brennan Center for Justice submitted a comment to the Federal Election Commission urging it to confirm that the Commission must follow the procedures Congress enacted in the FECA as well as its ow...

NEW: The Brennan Center filed a comment with the Federal Election Commission today underscoring the importance of the FEC's independence from political interference.

www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

Uncovering Conflicts of Interest and Self-Dealing in the Executive Branch The new administration could use federal contracts, tariffs, regulations, taxes, and other levers of government to benefit campaign donors, high-level officials, and the president himself.

A crucial question about the new tariffs is who will get exemptions. Without transparency and safeguards to prevent conflicts of interests, decisions to give or withhold exemptions are ripe for political interference and self-dealing. To understand why, read www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

BREAKING: The Brennan Center and other voting rights groups have filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump's recent executive order on voting and elections that violates the Constitution and could block millions of Americans from registering to vote. Read more in our complaint: 1/

League of Women Voters v. Trump The Brennan Center and co-counsel filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of civil rights and voting organizations challenging President Trump’s March 2025 executive order on elections.

So proud of my @brennancenter.bsky.social colleagues and our partner organizations for this vital work protecting free and fair elections!

www.brennancenter.org/our-work/cou...

🚨 Government records are disappearing.

Troves of public records and data continue to vanish overnight — weakening transparency and our ability to hold those in power accountable.

This isn’t about politics. It’s about access to facts. And the consequences affect everyone.🧵

Arizona Supreme Court Grapples with Challenge to “Dark Money” Disclosure Law Voters overwhelmingly approved the law in 2022 to shed light on anonymous campaign spending from large donors.

NEW: Analysis of the Arizona Supreme Court case challenging the voter-approved Voters' Right to Know Act, which shines a light on anonymous big money in Arizona @statecourtreport.bsky.social

statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...