The Federal Election Commission (FEC) fined three dark money organizations for hiding the sources of funds spent on political ads in 2010. The American Future Fund, 60 Plus Association and Americans for Job Security owe a total of $233,000 to the federal government. They received millions from the Center to Protect Patient Rights (CPPR), part of a network set up by the Koch brothers to make donations. In turn, the three dark money groups spent several millions in political ads from 2012 to 2014 making the fines levied this week seem insignificant. (Sunlight Foundation, July 13, 2016, by Libby Watson)
The FEC also is requiring the organizations to disclose who provided their funding, the CPPR, but the public has known that for a long time. The CPPR is exempt from revealing the source of their funds, how much came from the Koch brothers and how much from other individuals and businesses. (OpenSecrets.org, July 14, 2016, by Robert Maguire)