As more information is learned about foreign influence in the 2016 election through Facebook advertising, re-opened rulemaking process will focus on disclaimers for online political ads

Senator Klobuchar has sent multiple letters calling on the Commission to take action against foreign influence in our election system

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar released the following statement today on the unanimous 5-0 decision by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to re-open the public comment period as the Commission moves forward with a rulemaking process focused on disclaimers for online political advertisements. The re-opened rulemaking follows alarming revelations that foreign agents or entities were purchasing Facebook ads to influence the 2016 election.

“The integrity of our democracy is at risk if foreign adversaries are able to exploit loopholes and purchase online advertisements designed to influence American voters,” Senator Klobuchar said. “I strongly urge the Federal Election Commission to rapidly move forward with this rulemaking and adopt a framework that protects our elections from foreign money and influence in the future.”

Since 2011, the FEC has declined to extend a wide array of traditional campaign finance and disclosure rules to social media advertising. In a letter on September 8, Klobuchar called on the Commission to accept a regulatory framework that shields elections form foreign money in a rapidly changing digital landscape. In June, Klobuchar and a group of 16 other U.S. Senators asked the FEC to reconsider their decision not to “launch [a] rulemaking to ensure that U.S. political spending is free from foreign influence.”

###