Kilmer on Russian Indictments: Protect the 2018 Elections, Pass Honest Ads Act Now
WASHINGTON, DC—Today, a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities for interfering in US elections. According to the indictment, the Russians “had a strategic goal to sow discord in the US political system” and “made various expenditures to carry out those activities including buying political advertisements on social media.”
Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) made the following statement: “The American people deserve to know who is paying for the political ads they see online,” Rep. Derek Kilmer said. “The Justice Department’s indictment shows the urgent need to protect the nation’s elections by passing the Honest Ads Act and shining a light on the murky world of political advertising. Congress should take action and pass this Honest Ads Act right away so Americans can be confident Russia isn’t trying to influence our elections.”
The Honest Ads Act would require the Federal Election Commission to enact disclosure rules for online advertisements similar to what is in place for television, radio, and satellite ads. Earlier this week, Kilmer led a bipartisan group of lawmakers in asking President Trump to fill critical vacancies at the FEC. If left unfilled, the FEC could be rendered ineffective during the 2018 elections.