Tag: Political organisation

One of the project’s main opponents, an umbrella group called Stop the Corridor, is made up of environmental groups and corporations that have come together to stop the project. What is unusual — at least in Maine — is that for the past year or more they’ve been waging a very public campaign against the project, rather than just lobbying behind the scenes. They’re essentially running a political campaign without a candidate or a ballot question, and because of that they fall between the cracks of our campaign finance laws. That was made especially clear when one examined the campaign’s financing, which revealed that the donations came from Scott and his buddies. The money for the campaign could be coming from competing energy companies or other corporate interests that would benefit financially from killing the project. If that were the case, it would be worthwhile to know, just as we know that CMP and its parent company, Avangrid/Iberdrola, will make money from the line being built. Stop the Corridor isn’t the only group in Maine politics ducking transparency. But there’s nothing to keep the political nonprofits or groups like Stop the Corridor from being honest about the source of their funding. When a political consultant works for a political candidate, a campaign, a political party or a political action committee, we are able to see who they’re working for and exactly how much they get paid. When they engage in that kind of work, we can’t connect the dots between their corporate clients and their political ones — which can be vital information.

(July 17) AP WASHINGTON – A Russian national accused of secretly conspiring against the U.S. by infiltrating political organizations, including the National Rifle Association, was indicted Tuesday by a grand jury. The charges are separate from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The indictment released Tuesday by a federal grand jury details Butina entering the U.S. in 2016 on a student visa, on which she declared she'd formerly worked for a Russian official, who isn't named in the document. More: Wisconsin Gov. She has been active with the NRA in recent years and is credited for creating a Russian version of the gun-rights organization, which officials have pointed to as a way for her to gain contacts and supporters. A March report issued by Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee referred to the public reporting about Butina and Torshin, claiming that Butina "sought to facilitate meetings with Trump campaign officials and between President Putin and candidate Trump during the election." Prosecutors allege Butina would send reports, seek direction and receive orders from the Russian official during the plot, including sending a report where she guided the official on ways to start a dialogue with U.S. politicians. Butina's attorney, Robert Driscoll, denied the government's claim of her work as an agent of the Russian government. Since her home was searched by the FBI in April, Driscoll said Butina has "repeatedly" offered to cooperate with federal investigators. Contributing: Kevin Johnson