One might guess that groups with names like Restore Our Future, Priorities USA, and Winning Our Future would all be campaigning for the same thing — but that could not be further from the truth. These similarly named groups are the Super PACs who are fighting each other in the presidential election. Their confusing names are paltry in comparison to the biggest concern: many of their real donors remain hidden from the public eye. With unlimited contributions made possible by the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission and subsequent court decisions, the groups have already raised millions of dollars from wealthy individuals, corporations, unions, and nonprofits. While President Obama is not immune from the Super PAC trend, the Republican nominees have raised more money in much larger amounts. Twelve billionaires donated to Restore Our Future, the Super PAC supporting Mitt Romney, with contributions ranging from $50,000 to $1 million. This prompted Bill Allison, editorial director of the Sunlight Foundation, to describe Super PACS as “a vehicle for the 1-percent.” These huge donations circumvent contribution limits on regular PACs and candidate committees, allowing the most affluent Americans to wield a disproportionate amount of power in our elections. Despite reporting requirements, the most recently filed disclosures still leave many questions unanswered. Restore Our Future raised $5.8 million from corporations in the last six months of 2011. Some of these corporations have easily identifiable roots, such as Jonathan W. Bullen, the national finance chairman for Romney’s 2008 campaign, who donated $100,000 through the company he owns, Slocum and Associates. Other corporations appear to be shell companies set up to shield the original donors. Glenbrook LLC, for example, donated $250,000, but its records lead to a public accounting firm by another name and a wealth management firm that denies any connection to the money.
Full Article: Super PAC Disclosure Statements Disclose Little | Brennan Center for Justice.