How Dark Money helped Biden become President

[Bucky]

President Joe Biden benefited from a record-breaking amount of donations from anonymous donors to outside groups backing him, meaning the public will never have a full accounting of who helped him win the White House.

Biden’s winning campaign was backed by $145 million in so-called dark money donations, a type of fundraising Democrats have decried for years. Those fundraising streams augmented Biden’s $1.5 billion haul, in itself a record for a challenger to an incumbent president.

That amount of dark money dwarfs the $28.4 million spent on behalf of his rival, former President Donald Trump. And it tops the previous record of $113 million in anonymous donations backing Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in 2012.

Democrats have said they want to ban dark money as uniquely corrupting, since it allows supporters to quietly back a candidate without scrutiny. Yet in their effort to defeat Trump in 2020, they embraced it.

For example, Priorities USA Action Fund, the super political action committee that Biden designated as his preferred vehicle for outside spending, used $26 million in funds originally donated to its nonprofit arm, called Priorities USA, to back Biden. The donors of that money do not have to be disclosed.

‘Dark Money’ Helped Pave Joe Biden’s Path to the White House

President Joe Biden benefited from a record-breaking amount of donations from anonymous donors to outside groups backing him, meaning the public will never have a full accounting of who helped him win the White House.

www.bloomberg.com

And under Biden, we won't see any campaign finance reform of the law. Still, a lot better and ethical than Trump.

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

Are we complaining about the system currently in place under the law?
Or are we accusing Biden of improprieties?

Sen. Brewster: The $75000 paid out to the Air Force
in the form of hotel suites...TWA stock...female companionship.
Now, is it possible that these could be considered bribes?

Hughes: I suppose you could call them that, yes.

Sen. Brewster: Would you repeat that?

Hughes: I said, I suppose you could consider them bribes, yes.

Sen. Brewster: Well, would you like to explain that, Mr. Hughes?

Hughes: I'm afraid you don't know how the aviation business works, senator.
See, wining and dining Air Force dignitaries is common in our business.
It's because we all want the big contracts.
All the major aircraft companies do it.
I don't know whether it's a good system, I just know it's not illegal.
You, senator, you are the lawmaker. If you pass a law that states no one
can entertain Air Force officers, well hell, l'd be happy to abide by it.

 

[Irwin Corey]

His administration is also introducing a bill to amend the Constitution that would reverse "Citizens United" so "dark money" would no longer be a player.