Citizens United (organization)

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Citizens United
FormationNovember 1988;35 years ago (1988-11)
Type 501(c)(4) non-profit organization
Headquarters Washington, D.C.
President, Chairman
 David Bossie
Website CitizensUnited.org

Citizens United is a conservative 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization in the United States founded in 1988. In 2010, the organization won a U.S. Supreme Court case known as Citizens United v. FEC , which struck down as unconstitutional a federal law prohibiting corporations and unions from making expenditures in connection with federal elections. The organization's president and chairman is David Bossie. [1]

Contents

Overview

Citizens United's stated mission is to restore the United States government to "citizens' control, through a combination of education, advocacy, and grass-roots organization" seeking to "reassert the traditional American values of limited government, freedom of enterprise, strong families, and national sovereignty and security." [2] Citizens United is a conservative political advocacy group organized under Section 501(c)4 of the federal tax code, meaning that donations are not tax deductible. To fulfill this mission, Citizens United produces television commercials, web advertisements, and documentary films. [3] CU films have won film festival awards, including Perfect Valor (Best Documentary at the GI Film Festival) and Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny (Remi Award at Houston Worldfest International Festival).[ citation needed ]

David Bossie has been its president since 2000. In 2016 he took a leave of absence to be deputy campaign manager of Donald Trump's campaign for President of the United States. [4] Its offices are on Pennsylvania Avenue in the Capitol Hill area of Washington, D.C.

Current Leadership

The current president, David Bossie, has been president since served as the chief investigator into then President Bill Clinton's possible abuse of finances in 1997, and was later the deputy campaign manager for Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2016. In 2020, he served in executive positions for President Donald Trump's and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reelection campaigns. [2]

History

The political action committee Citizens United was founded in 1988 by Floyd Brown, a longtime Washington political consultant. The group promotes free enterprise, socially conservative causes and candidates who advance their mission.

Positions and advocacy

Citizens United is known for its support of conservatives in politics. The group produced a television advertisement that reveals several legislative actions taken by John McCain, which aired on Fox News Channel. [5] On October 2, 2006, in reaction to revelations of a cover-up of inappropriate communications between Republican Congressman Mark Foley and House pages, Citizens United president David Bossie called on Dennis Hastert to resign over his role in covering up the scandal. [6]

The group sued and lost a case against New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman over Schneiderman's demand that it disclose all its donors. [7]

In 1999, Citizens United wrote and funded a VHS tape produced by The Strategy Group on the Clinton administration's relationship with Chinese businessmen called "The Truth Revealed... Confidential Report: Bill Clinton, Al Gore and the Communist Chinese Connection". It is written and hosted by then company president, Floyd G. Brown. [8]

Citizens United campaigned against Michael Moore's 2004 film Fahrenheit 9/11 , advocating for government limits on how much advertising the film received. [9] It also made advertisements attacking the film, [10] and when the Federal Election Commission held that Moore's film was not a violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act, produced its own rebuttal film called Celsius 41.11. [11] However, the FEC held that paying to air Celsius 41.11 would constitute an illegal corporate campaign expenditure. [12]

In 2008, Citizens United produced a documentary film highly critical of Hillary Clinton called Hillary: The Movie . [13] Fearing prosecution from the FEC, the organization sought a declaratory judgment in federal court to assure their right to show the movie, leading ultimately to the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission . It previously produced and screened advertisements attacking other Democrats, including Bill Clinton, [9] John Kerry, [14] and Al Gore. [13] In the 1988 US presidential election, Citizens United ran an ad that used Willie Horton to attack Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis.

The group has produced a film criticizing the United Nations. [11]

Trump administration

In 2016, the Donald Trump presidential campaign enlisted Citizens United President David Bossie as deputy campaign manager. [15] During the campaign, Bossie made regular television appearances on behalf of the Trump campaign. [16] Bossie is a close friend and longtime acquaintance of Trump administration officials Steve Bannon and Kellyanne Conway, [17] having introduced Bannon to Trump in 2011. [18]

Documentaries

Citizens United has released 25 documentaries including:

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

Citizens United was the plaintiff in a Supreme Court case that began as a challenge to various statutory provisions of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA), known as the "McCain-Feingold" law. The case revolved around the documentary Hillary: The Movie, which was produced by Citizens United. Under the McCain-Feingold law, a federal court in Washington, D.C., ruled that Citizens United would be barred from advertising its film. [19] The case (08-205, 558 U.S. 50 (2010)) was heard in the United States Supreme Court on March 24, 2009. During oral argument, the government argued that under existing precedents, it had the power under the Constitution to prohibit the publication of books and movies if they were made or sold by corporations. [20] After that hearing, the Court requested re-argument specifically to address whether deciding the case required the Court to reconsider those earlier decisions in Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce and McConnell v. FEC . The case was re-argued on September 9. On January 21, 2010, the Supreme Court overturned the provision of McCain-Feingold barring corporations and unions from paying for political ads made independently of candidate campaigns. [21] A dissenting opinion by Justice Stevens [22] was joined by Justice Ginsburg, Justice Breyer, and Justice Sotomayor.

Funding

Citizens United has accepted funding from The Presidential Coalition, LLC [23] (which according to their website is "An Affiliate Of Citizens United") [24] and the Koch brothers. [25]

Related Research Articles

Campaign finance laws in the United States have been a contentious political issue since the early days of the union. The most recent major federal law affecting campaign finance was the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002, also known as "McCain-Feingold". Key provisions of the law prohibited unregulated contributions to national political parties and limited the use of corporate and union money to fund ads discussing political issues within 60 days of a general election or 30 days of a primary election; However, provisions of BCRA limiting corporate and union expenditures for issue advertising were overturned by the Supreme Court in Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Bossie</span> American political activist (born 1965)

David Norman Bossie is an American political activist. Since 2000, he has been president and chairman of conservative advocacy group Citizens United and in 2016, Bossie was the deputy campaign manager to the Donald Trump presidential campaign.

In the United States, a political action committee (PAC) is a tax-exempt 527 organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaigns for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation. The legal term PAC was created in pursuit of campaign finance reform in the United States. Democracies of other countries use different terms for the units of campaign spending or spending on political competition. At the U.S. federal level, an organization becomes a PAC when it receives or spends more than $1,000 for the purpose of influencing a federal election, and registers with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), according to the Federal Election Campaign Act as amended by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. At the state level, an organization becomes a PAC according to the state's election laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act</span> 2002 American law regulating political campaigns

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, commonly known as the McCain–Feingold Act or BCRA, is a United States federal law that amended the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, which regulates the financing of political campaigns. Its chief sponsors were senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and John McCain (R-AZ). The law became effective on 6 November 2002, and the new legal limits became effective on January 1, 2003.

A 527 organization or 527 group is a type of U.S. tax-exempt organization organized under Section 527 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. A 527 group is created primarily to influence the selection, nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates to federal, state or local public office.

The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 is the primary United States federal law regulating political campaign fundraising and spending. The law originally focused on creating limits for campaign spending on communication media, adding additional penalties to the criminal code for election law violations, and imposing disclosure requirements for federal political campaigns. The Act was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on February 7, 1972.

McConnell v. Federal Election Commission, 540 U.S. 93 (2003), is a case in which the United States Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of most of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA), often referred to as the McCain–Feingold Act.

Judicial Watch (JW) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit American conservative activist group that files Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits to investigate claimed misconduct by government officials. Founded in 1994, JW has primarily targeted Democrats, in particular the administrations of Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama as well as Hillary Clinton's role in them. It was founded by attorney Larry Klayman, and has been led by Tom Fitton since 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellen Weintraub</span> Member of the United States Federal Election Commission

Ellen L. Weintraub is an American attorney who serves as a Commissioner on the Federal Election Commission.

Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc., 551 U.S. 449 (2007), is a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that issue ads may not be banned from the months preceding a primary or general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Floyd Brown</span>

Floyd Gregory Brown is an American author, speaker, and media commentator. He is formerly the CEO of USA Radio Network. Brown founded the conservative website Western Journalism in 2008. Brown in his early career worked as a political consultant and conducted opposition research for political campaigns. Brown is noteworthy for founding Citizens United in 1988 and for his introduction of the "Willie Horton" television ad during the 1988 presidential election campaign.

James Bopp Jr. is an American conservative lawyer. He is most known for his work associated with election laws, anti-abortion model legislation, and campaign finance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States presidential election</span> 58th quadrennial U.S. presidential election

The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket of former secretary of state and First Lady of the United States Hillary Clinton and the junior senator from Virginia Tim Kaine, in what was considered one of the biggest political upsets in American history.

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310 (2010), is a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States regarding campaign finance laws and free speech under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The court held 5–4 that the freedom of speech clause of the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting independent expenditures for political campaigns by corporations, including nonprofit corporations, labor unions, and other associations.

<i>Hillary: The Movie</i> 2008 American film

Hillary: The Movie is a 2008 political documentary about United States Senator and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. It was produced by the conservative non-profit organization Citizens United. The film was scheduled to be offered as video-on-demand on cable TV right before the Democratic primaries in January 2008, but would have been classified as "electioneering communication", which was made illegal under the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, by the Federal Election Commission. The producers went to U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to get a declaration that they could show their movie and promotional ads for it despite BCRA. This case was titled Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission and its final decision at the U.S. Supreme Court resulted in a major change in campaign finance law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campaign Legal Center</span> American nonprofit organization

Campaign Legal Center (CLC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) government watchdog group in the United States. CLC supports strong enforcement of United States campaign finance laws. Trevor Potter, former Republican chairman of the Federal Election Commission, is CLC's founding president.

<i>Fire from the Heartland</i> 2010 American film

Fire from the Heartland: The Awakening of the Conservative Woman is a 2010 American documentary film written and directed by former Breitbart News LLC executive chairman Steve Bannon, and produced by David N. Bossie for Citizens United Productions. The documentary stars Michele Bachmann, Deneen Borelli, and Ann Coulter, and focuses on female participation in conservative politics.

<i>Moneyocracy</i> 2012 French film

Moneyocracy is a 2012 documentary film about Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 310 (2010),which was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that the First Amendment prohibited the government from restricting independent political expenditures by corporations and unions. The film explores how the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision has dramatically changed the U.S. Campaign Finance Laws and lead to the most expensive Elections in the United States. The film describes the systemic corruption of the United States democracy and the consequences of that systemic corruption on the U.S. democracy and the electorate.

Fundraising plays a central role in many presidential campaigns, and is a key factor in determining the viability of candidates. Money raised is applied for the salaries of non-volunteers in the campaign, transportation, campaign materials, media advertisements and other contingencies. Under United States law, officially declared candidates are required to file campaign finance details with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) at the end of every calendar month or quarter. Summaries of these reports are made available to the public shortly thereafter, revealing the relative financial situations of all the campaigns.

A presidential transition was contingently planned for a potential transition from President Barack Obama to 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in accordance with the Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act of 2010 and the Presidential Transitions Improvements Act of 2015. Since Clinton lost the 2016 election to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, this transition never went into effect.

References

  1. ↑ "Frequently Asked Questions". Citizens United. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Who We Are, CitizensUnited.org
  3. ↑ "Fulfilling Our Mission". CitizensUnited.org.
  4. ↑ Ehrhardt, Rainier (September 2, 2016). "Donald Trump campaign hires Citizens United president David Bossie known for historic 2010 Supreme Court ruling that deregulated political spending". Daily News. AP.
  5. ↑ Citizens United Against McCain, January 31, 2008. Archived November 10, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ Conservative Activists Call on Hastert To Res, ThinkProgress, October 2, 2006.
  7. ↑ Stempel, Jonathan (July 27, 2015). "Citizens United loses New York ruling over donors". Reuters. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  8. ↑ Citizens United's The Truth Revealed... Confidential Report (1999) , retrieved September 30, 2022
  9. 1 2 Peter Overby (Twitter) (June 28, 2004). "Are 'Fahrenheit 9/11' Ads Campaign Spots?". NPR. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Entertainment | US groups want Moore film banned". BBC News. June 18, 2004. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  11. 1 2 "United Nations Faces New Challenges". Fox News. March 25, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Context of 'September 8, 2004: FEC Denies Citizens United Request to Show Partisan Documentary on Television before Presidential Elections'". www.historycommons.org. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  13. 1 2 Stephanie Mencimer (January 13, 2008). "Hillary's Hero: Judge Royce Lamberth". Mother Jones. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  14. ↑ "CNN.com – New ads call Kerry 'rich liberal elitist' – Mar 8, 2004". Edition.cnn.com. March 8, 2004. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  15. ↑ Costa, Robert (September 1, 2016). "Trump enlists veteran operative David Bossie as deputy campaign manager". Washington Post. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  16. ↑ Kaplan, Alex (September 28, 2016). "Trump Is Trying To Divert The Media From His Disastrous Debate, And CNN Just Admitted It's Working". MediaMatters. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  17. ↑ Benen, Steven (September 2, 2016). "Citizens United chief takes leadership role on Team Trump". MSNBC. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  18. ↑ Benac, Nancy; Colvin, Jill (February 1, 2017). "Little heard in public, Bannon is quiet power in Oval Office". Associated Press. Washington. Archived from the original on February 1, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  19. ↑ Barnes, Robert (March 14, 2009). "'Hillary: The Movie' to Get Supreme Court Screening". The Washington Post. p. A5.
  20. ↑ "The Myth of Campaign Finance Reform". National Affairs. 2010.
  21. ↑ Liptak, Adam (January 21, 2010). "Justices, 5-4, Reject Corporate Spending Limit". The New York Times. Associated Press. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  22. ↑ Stevens opinion at ibid.
  23. ↑ "The Presidential Coalition, LLC "527" Political Organization". Campaignmoney.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2019.
  24. ↑ "About Us: Farm Team". The Presidential Coalition.
  25. ↑ Ashbrook, Tom. "'Citizens United' And The Koch Brothers". WBUR.
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