Campaign Finance Watchdogs Threaten No Labels With Lawsuit

A coalition of left-leaning and nonpartisan campaign finance groups appear on the verge of filing lawsuits and complaints aiming to force the well-heeled centrist group, No Labels, to reveal its donors as it prepares to back a third-party bid for the presidency, according to a letter obtained by HuffPost.

In the letter , sent Thursday night to No Labels CEO Nancy Jacobson, the groups ― including End Citizens United, Black Voters Matter, the League of Women Voters, and the Campaign Legal Center ― suggest they are giving No Labels a final chance to voluntarily reveal their donors.

“No Labels’ refusal to disclose its funders is disturbing and unlawful. Secret political spending is one of the most corrupting influences in politics and having a secret money organization impersonating a political party severely undermines the democratic process as a whole,” the groups wrote in the letter, adding: “If you continue to deprive voters of the information to which they are entitled, our organizations will consider legal action to vindicate American voters’ legal right to know who is using No Labels to try to buy the 2024 presidential election.”

The letter is both a reflection of how No Labels seems to be skirting the law surrounding nonprofits and political activity by failing to register as a political party, and to how Democratic-aligned groups remain worried about the possibility No Labels will possibly tilt the presidential election toward Republican Donald Trump.

No Labels did not respond to an email sent Thursday night requesting comment. The group has suggested it does not need to disclose its donors because the candidate it eventually chooses to support will have to file with the FEC and reveal their financial backers.