Conyers: People Must Know Who is Flooding the Airways with Anonymous Political Ads

**Follow Me On Twitter @HouseJudDems**

For Immediate Release
Date: Friday, January 20, 2012
Contact: Matthew Morgan – 202-226-5543

Conyers: People Must Know Who is Flooding the Airways with Anonymous Political Ads
  

(WASHINGTON) –  Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) released the following statement in advance of the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, which falls on tomorrow January 21. 

The Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case wiped out a century of legal precedent, granting corporations the same free speech rights as individuals and allowing for unlimited spending by corporations and special interests on political campaigns.         

“Two years ago, the Supreme Court opened the floodgate on unlimited, anonymous corporate money that distorts elections and accords giant corporations the same free speech rights as real people.  In order to address this dangerous decision, my colleagues and I introduced a narrowly crafted constitutional amendment, H.R. Res 78, to ultimately undo the damage the Citizens United decision wrought on the democratic process.  However in the meantime, Congress must immediately take up disclosure legislation similar to H.R. 5175, the DISCLOSE Act, which passed the House last Congress.  People have a right to know what entities are responsible for the anonymous ads flooding the airwaves. And until the Citizens United decision is overturned, Congress must ensure that all the facts are available to voters before they make a decision at the ballot box.”