Democrats in the House and Senate sent a letter to the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday urging it to "develop new guidance" on how to prevent illicit foreign spending in US elections in the wake of Facebook's announcement that Russia-linked accounts purchased $100,000 worth of ads last year.
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Democrats urge FEC to regulate online political ads following Facebook's Russia bombshell
Democrats urged the new regulations after Facebook's announcement that Russia-linked accounts purchased $100,000 worth of ads last year.
"The recent reports that foreign nationals with suspected ties to the Russian government sought to influence the 2016 election through social media advertisements are deeply concerning and demand a response," the lawmakers wrote.
Looking ahead to the 2018 elections, the Democrats called on the FEC to implement improved disclosure standards "to ensure voters have the information they need to evaluate political advertising" — whether it appears on TV, the internet, or elsewhere.
"There is no reason to believe this behavior will stop in future elections," they said.
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The FEC last approved
The Democrats did not refer to President Donald Trump by name in their letter. But they wrote that the commission's "own
The Democrats also asked the FEC to consider "what measures of coordination can be readily utilized" to "monitor illicit coordination between a campaign and a third party political spender, including foreign actors."
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