American democracy belongs to the people, not foreign interests seeking to influence elections with their money. That’s why federal campaign finance law bans foreign nationals — including foreign citizens and governments — from spending in federal, state and local elections.
Evidence developed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and laid out in a federal grand jury indictment strongly suggests that New York City Mayor Eric Adams participated in a corrupt scheme to invite illegal foreign money into his mayoral campaigns.
Despite the compelling evidence, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking to drop its criminal charges against him.
The DOJ’s decision to abandon its responsibility to address such blatant corruption makes it all the more important for the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to uphold its independent responsibility to protect the integrity of our elections by enforcing federal campaign finance laws.
Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint urging the FEC to pursue the Adams case. Congress authorized the Commission to civilly enforce federal campaign finance laws.
It must do so here and show that foreign interference in our elections will not be tolerated.
In connection with both his 2021 and 2025 runs for mayor, Adams repeatedly invited Turkish foreign nationals to donate thousands to his political campaigns through a “straw donor scheme” that disguised the illegal foreign sources of the donations.
Straw donations conceal the original source of campaign funds by passing them through an additional person or entity. Funneling money through the straw donor keeps voters in the dark about who the money comes from.
The federal ban on foreign spending in American elections is one of the most important provisions in federal campaign finance law, something both the FEC and the DOJ have historically recognized by imposing serious penalties for those who violate it.
Yet rather than pursuing an investigation into a crime that impacted millions of voters in one of the biggest cities in the U.S., the DOJ has apparently chosen to trade its duty to pursue justice and accountability in exchange for political leverage — the latest example of a troubling pattern at the DOJ under the Trump administration.
But politicians who break the law must be held accountable. Even if the DOJ is compromised, the FEC remains an independent enforcement agency that has the authority — and the duty — to pursue this case.
Our democracy cannot be for and by the people when foreign actors illegally spend money to exert influence over our elections. A swift response is necessary to send the clear message that our elections are protected from foreign influence.