NBC News " Hardball" - Transcript: Israel Statement on Campaign Finance

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

ISRAEL: Well, I will tell you who you can blame.

You can blame the Republican majority in Congress for not passing the
DISCLOSE Act. When that Supreme Court decision, which was an insidious and
corrosive decision that is destroying democracy, but when that decision was
made, the Supreme Court actually said, we expect that Congress will require
that these contributions not be secret, that they be disclosed.

House Democrats offered in the DISCLOSE Act that would require
transparency, that would require that these secret donors tell people who
they are. And it was Republicans who voted against and that are keeping
that bill bottled up. People have the right to know.

Let me say one other thing on Ken`s point. He`s right. When you look
at polls, campaign finance reform doesn`t really rate that high. However,
when you make the connection between people`s paychecks being squeezed and
the fact that the special interests are dictating policy and squeezing
their paychecks, people understand that`s true.

They think that the deck is stacked, and then they want campaign
finance reform.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: I didn`t realize that. You mean the courts would not
strike down a full disclosure requirement, Congressman? If you people on
the Hill got a 50-plus vote percentage in both houses and you got the
president to sign it -- I think he would sign it.

ISRAEL: No question.

MATTHEWS: You think the courts would uphold it? They would uphold a
full disclosure act?

(CROSSTALK)

ISRAEL: Yes. If you read the Citizens United decision, I think at
least one justice based his support for Citizens United on the assumption
that Congress would require disclosure. And that never happened.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Ken, I had a fight the other day with another colleague
mine of mine I respect that the fact is, there`s a casualness with which
the media does this.

They will put on ad from some -- they will show a piece of an ad or
the whole damn ad for free, some swift boat ad, and I will say, who paid
for that ad? Nobody thinks to put that on, even when they knew it. Well,
they at least ought to say, it`s dark secret money and it`s the same people
that produced that ad that produced the swift boat ads against John Kerry,
the same bad crowd of people.

They`re up to it again. No, the casualness with which people put free
examples of advertising here drives me crazy. But I`m glad to see the
congressman say that, because now everybody watching knows now, you can
write your congressperson, Democrat or liberal or whatever, and say, look,
or Republican, say this. I want to know where the money`s coming from when
somebody gets elected.

That`s -- just give me that. Give me squat, give me something. Maybe
you can`t stop them because of this right-wing court. But I want to know
who`s paying for these stupid ads I have got to watch election time.

Last word from you, Ken?

VOGEL: Yes, disclosure was just one of the miscalculations that was
in that -- embedded in that Supreme Court decision, Citizens United vs.
Federal Election Commission, in 2010. The congressman is right.

There was the assumption that this money flowing into the process
would be disclosed. It hasn`t been. And in fact, people have taken
advantage, groups have taken advantage of another part of the decision that
allows corporations to spend, to use these non-disclosing, non-profit
corporations to pump this money into the system.

The other miscalculation was that this independent spending would be
independent, that unlimited spending would not be done in coordination with
the campaigns. We see with these super PACs, if they`re not coordinated,
they`re pretty close.

MATTHEWS: I have got an idea for Congress and the Capitol Police.
Instead of charging this guy on the helicopter, gyrocopter, why don`t you
give him community service? And his community service can be one hour.

And his one hour should be spent addressing a joint session, a joint
meeting of the Congress. He should walk in there and tell them why he did
that. And that must all be there to watch it`s. That can be his community
service and we can all watch. If they put this guy in jail, what a bunch
of clowns that would be to do that.

Anyway, U.S. Congressman Steve Israel, thank you, and good luck with
your book, "The Global War on Morris."

ISRAEL: Thank you. Thank you, Chris.

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