Following Efforts by Klobuchar, the Federal Election Commission Votes to Re-Open Public Comment Period on Rules Related to Foreign Influence in U.S. Elections

Press Release

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."

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