CEF President: It's Illegal to Accept Information from Foreign Governments in US Elections



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The chairman of the Federal Election Commission issued a warning to politicians on Thursday, reminding them that it was illegal to accept information from a foreign national related to an election in the United States.

The announcement, issued by ECF President Ellen Weintraub, comes a day after President Donald Trumptold of ABC News that he would agree to dirty his opponents in the 2020 elections of another country, such as Russia or Russia. China.

Weintraub's warning was straightforward: "Allow me to clarify something 100% to the American public and to anyone who is running for office: it is illegal for anyone to solicit, from anywhere in the world. accept or receive something of value from a foreign national in the context of a US election. "

"This is not an innovative concept," she added.

The President posted the memo on Twitter, accompanied by an expression of disbelief.

"I would not have thought I needed to say that," she tweeted.

In a two-day interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News, Trump said that there was nothing wrong with accepting information from foreign entities. He dismissed the act as being an "oppo search".

"I think you might want to listen," said Trump, when asked what he would do if a stranger contacted him to give him information. "I think there is nothing wrong with listening. If someone calls from a country, Norway, [and said]"We have information about your opponent." Oh, I think I would like to hear it. "

He also suggested not to alert the FBI that he "thought something was wrong".

In his memo on Thursday, Weintraub said that "foreign governments' electoral intervention" was unacceptable since the United States is a country. Citing a letter from John Adams to Thomas Jefferson dated 1787, Weintraub stated that the founding fathers had already "sounded the alarm regarding" interference, intrigue and foreign influences ".

Weintraub did not name politicians or presidents on Thursday, but warned against the consequences of interacting with a foreign national in an election.

"Anyone seeking or accepting foreign assistance risks being misdirected in a federal investigation," she said.

  • This article originally appeared on HuffPost.

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