GOP bill cracks down on 'loophole' allowing foreign donors to pump dark money into US elections

FIRST ON FOX: Senate Republicans are introducing a measure connected Wednesday that intends to forestall overseas nationals from improperly influencing American elections successful consequence to a study outlining really a overseas billionaire allegedly funneled almost $250 cardinal into a wide acheronian money web that poured almost $100 cardinal into nationwide ballot campaigns.

The Prevent Foreign Interference successful American Elections Act, being introduced by Tennessee GOP Sen. Bill Hagerty, states that it will "amend nan Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to further restrict contributions of overseas nationals."

The move comes aft nan Senate was briefed connected a new report from Americans for Public Trust that shows Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss has sent much than $243 cardinal to nan Sixteen Thirty Fund which past invested $97.6 cardinal successful ballot campaigns crossed 25 states complete nan past decade. Those states included nan cardinal plaything states of Michigan, Ohio, Colorado, and Nevada.

The tens of millions of dollars from nan Sixteen Thirty Fund, which has besides been funded by George Soros, went into ballot measures promoting abortion access, lessening supplier penalties and situation sentences, raising nan minimum wage, automatic elector registration and different progressive causes.

SWISS BILLIONAIRE HANSJÖRG WYSS RECENTLY POURED OVER $60M INTO PROPPING UP LEFT-WING GROUPS AND CAUSES

Hansjorg Wyss, Left, and Sen. Bill Hagerty, Right (Getty Images)

Wyss, who is referred to by some arsenic nan "new George Soros", besides allegedly gave much than $135 cardinal betwixt 2016 and 2020 to a nonprofit that gave tens of millions to Super PACs that supported Joe Biden successful 2020 and has steered tens of millions of dollars to Democratic fundraising committees, get retired nan ballot efforts, and Democratic candidates via nonprofits. 

"A azygous Swiss billionaire, Hansjörg Wyss, has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into various left-wing causes meant to power American politics," Honest Elections Project Executive Director Jason Snead told Fox News Digital past year. "Since 2016 he has fixed astatine slightest $245 cardinal to Arabella Advisors’ dark money behemoths New Venture Fund and Sixteen Thirty Fund. In 2020 alone, CTCL (Center for Tech and Civic Life) received $25 cardinal from New Venture Fund. CTCL and its caller Alliance are opening avenues for overseas billionaires to pump costs straight into nan bosom of US elections."

Caitlin Sutherland, who told Fox News Digital past twelvemonth that Wyss is nan "most influential fig successful authorities that you've ne'er heard of", wrote successful nan report’s guardant that Sixteen Thirty Fund is utilizing Wyss’s money arsenic portion of its "war chest" to "support monolithic get retired nan ballot drives, rumor defense campaigns bolstering President Biden’s agenda, wide pet projects from abortion to immigration, and onslaught ads against Republican lawmakers."

LIBERAL SWISS BILLIONAIRE'S EXTENSIVE NONPROFIT CASH TARGETED AHEAD OF 2024 ELECTION: 'NEEDS TO BE STOPPED'

Hansjorg Wyss, Michael Bloomberg and Sam Waterston be Oceana's 2015 New York City use astatine Four Seasons Restaurant  (Getty Images)

Hagerty’s measure would explain that nan existing foreign-national prohibition connected "indirect" contributions covers attempts to circumvent nan prohibition done intermediaries aliases instructions which conservatives person long argued poses a threat to Democracy erstwhile costs are dumped into acheronian money groups wrong nan U.S. from abroad.

"Foreign nationals are prohibited from donating to U.S. governmental candidates, committees and ace PACs but location is nary national rule prohibiting overseas nationals from donating to ballot committees," nan report's conclusion explains. "Some authorities laws beryllium to effort to forestall this type of overseas influence, but successful a mostly of states, overseas nationals for illustration Hansjorg Wyss, are allowed to constitute blank checks to money ballot issues that could prioritize their interests complete those of nan residents of nan state."

"If authorities and national rule permits a Swiss billiionaire to money ballot inaugural campaigns, location is thing stopping U.S. adversaries from Communist China, Russia, aliases North Korea from doing nan same." 

The measure would prohibit overseas nationals from backing ballot harvesting and GOTV efforts, prohibit overseas nationals from backing U.S. predetermination administration, and prohibit overseas nationals from spending money to power ballot measures.

"After years of hysteria complete Russiagate and alleged overseas power successful American elections, it turns retired Democrats person precocious benefited from hundreds of millions of dollars successful election-related contributions from a shadowy overseas billionaire, sidestepping nan national prohibition connected foreign-national contributions successful U.S. elections," Hagerty said successful a connection to Fox News Digital. 

SWISS BILLIONAIRE-BACKED ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS SPENT BIG TARGETING MILLIONS OF BIDEN VOTERS

Hungarian-born US investor and Democrat philanthropist George Soros wrote an op-ed successful 2007 slamming  the U.S. and Israel for not recognizing Hamas' predetermination successful Palestine. (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)

"This type of power undermines populist and self-government present successful America, and its staggering scope should beryllium alarming. I’m pleased to present this commonsense and captious authorities that will put an extremity to covert overseas power connected our elections and protect Americans’ sound successful electing their leaders."

 In a statement, Sutherland said that "it is irresponsible and alarming that our laws time off nan doorway unfastened to overseas nationals and U.S. adversaries influencing American politics."

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"Our study reveals that Sixteen Thirty Fund unsocial is acting arsenic a conduit for monolithic amounts of money from a overseas billionaire pinch an expressed desire to reshape U.S. authorities to align pinch his out-of-touch worldview. After years of nationalist sermon astir fears of overseas power successful our elections, this commonsense connection to adjacent nan overseas power loophole should beryllium thing everyone tin support."

Fox News Digital reached retired to Sixteen Thirty Fund for remark but did not person a response.