The Supreme Court rejected a bid to keep secret a “John Doe” donor who gave $1.7 million to a Republican super PAC in a move that could make it harder for political “dark money” groups to shield the identities of their biggest contributors in the 2020 elections and beyond.
The court let stand a lower court decision allowing a trust fund used by the donor to be named by the Federal Election Commission. The trust and a trustee sued to keep their identities secret, and were identified in court papers as John Doe.
Once the lower court follows up on the Supreme Court’s order, FEC commissioner Ellen Weintraub said she would release a statement with the names of the trust and trustee used to funnel money to the super PAC.
“I’m pleased but not surprised that courts up to and including the Supreme Court gave short shrift to the argument that key players in a straw donor scheme could keep their names in the dark,” Weintraub said in an email.
