Fact-Check: No, Hillary Does Not Stand for Campaign Finance Reform

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said at the third presidential debate that she wanted to “stand up against Citizens United.”

Fact-Check: MOSTLY FALSE

It is certainly true that Clinton wants to overturn the 2010 Supreme Court decision that allowed corporations (and unions) to speak freely about elections. (And that’s no surprise, given that the case was about an attempt by the Federal Election Commission to suppress a movie critical of her.)

But as far as the broader cause of campaign finance reform, Clinton is one of the worst offenders when it comes to fundraising from dubious sources and defying the boundaries of campaign finance law. 

An internal campaign email released by Wikileaks showed Clinton staffers insisting that Americans registered as lobbyists for foreign governments should be allowed to donate: “Take the money!!” one wrote.  

In addition, a new video from James O’Keefe and Project Veritas this week provided evidence that the Clinton campaign was coordinating with super PACs through a system of intermediaries that one consultant dubbed the “Pony Express.” That is an alleged violation of campaign finance law, and allows “dark money” to 501(c)4 groups like Americans United for Change to be spent on the campaign’s behalf.