I am a firm believer that the same rules should apply to everyone. Eliot Cutler, apparently, is not.

When someone launched an anonymous website criticizing him, he fought in court to reveal the person’s identity and have him punished under Maine’s campaign finance laws. Now he exploits a loophole in those same laws to hide the identity of donors to the new Americans Elect political organization.

I am submitting legislation that would require Americans Elect to make public its funding sources. The bill does not apply any requirements to Americans Elect that do not already apply to all other political parties in Maine. Indeed, these disclosure requirements apply not only to parties, but to campaigns and political action committees in Maine, including Mr. Cutler’s own campaign for governor.

At that time, he did not complain about these disclosure requirements. He did not argue that partisan backlash would prevent him from raising money. He did not accuse others of being funded by special interests and then ask us to take his word for it that he was not. Nor did he claim to support a more open political process while ducking requirements that make the political process more open.

If Mr. Cutler feels that political donations should be kept secret, he ought to be making that argument for everybody, not just himself. Then he wouldn’t be asking us to trust him more than others.

During the Cold War, President Reagan popularized a Russian proverb to describe U.S.-Soviet relations: Trust, but verify. The same is true in politics — especially in campaign finance.

If a candidate or organization makes a claim, it is important that the press and members of the public have the ability to verify it. Cutler’s argument that we ought to simply trust what he says about his group’s supporters doesn’t pass the straight-face test.

Les Fossel is a Republican state representative from Alna.

 

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