Correct the Record

Correct the Record was a hybrid PAC/super PAC founded by David Brock. It supported Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. The PAC aimed to respond to negative online narratives about Clinton.

Correct the Record
PredecessorAmerican Bridge 21st Century
Formation2015
FounderDavid Brock
TypeSuper PAC
PurposeSupported Hillary Clinton's 2016 U.S. presidential campaign
HeadquartersWashington, D.C.
MethodsOpposition research against Bernie Sanders & Donald Trump
Websitecorrectrecord.org (Deactivated Dec 31, 2016)

History

The organization was created in May 2015 when it spun off from American Bridge 21st Century, another Democratic Super PAC. It coordinated with Clinton's 2016 U.S. presidential campaign via a loophole in campaign finance law that it says permits coordination with digital campaigns.[1][2]

Purpose

In July 2015, Correct the Record teamed with Priorities USA Action, another pro-Clinton super PAC, to create a fundraising committee called American Priorities ’16.[3]

In October 2015, historian Allida Black and political strategist Connor Shaw launched "Let's Talk Hillary" in partnership with Correct the Record and Wild Onion Media. The $1 million project was used to give Hillary Clinton's long time friends and co-workers a platform to describe the woman they knew. The project was largely considered a success and awarded numerous awards, including the Golden Donkey in 2015.[4]

In April 2016, Correct the Record announced that it would be spending $1 million to find and confront social media users who post unflattering messages about Clinton in a "task force" called "Barrier Breakers 2016".[1][5] In addition to this, the task force aimed to encourage Sanders supporters to support Clinton and to thank both "prominent supporters and committed superdelegates".[6] The organization's president, Brad Woodhouse, said they had "about a dozen people engaged in [producing] nothing but positive content on Hillary Clinton" and had a team distributing information "particularly of interest to women".[7]

The Super PAC ran ads against Bernie Sanders during the Democratic primary.[8][9]

In September 2016, Correct the Record announced a project called "Trump Leaks". Correct the Record said it would pay anonymous tipsters for unflattering scoops about Donald Trump, including audio and video recordings and internal documents.[10]

On December 31, 2016, the official website was deactivated from its host's servers WPEngine.[11]

Legality

Super PACs, officially known as "independent expenditure-only committees", are political committees that are legally only allowed to make expenditures that are independent of specific campaigns and which are not coordinated with a candidate or political party. However, Correct the Record says its activities do not fall under this campaign coordination ban restriction, relying on a 2006 Federal Election Commission "Internet exemption" regulation that said that content posted online for free is off limits from regulation. According to FEC rules, online postings do not technically count as campaign expenditures, which allows independent groups to consult with candidates about the content they post on their sites.[12]

Criticism

In June 2016 Correct the Record was criticized over the hiring of Sidney Blumenthal who was paid 200,000 per year for part time work. Critics charged that his hiring was politically motivated.[13]

During the 2016 election Correct the Record suspended former Clinton adviser Burns Strider over allegations of sexual harassment.

References
  1. Halper, Evan (May 9, 2016). "Be nice to Hillary Clinton online — or risk a confrontation with her super PAC". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  2. Nurik, Chloe (January 22, 2016). "Correct the Record". FactCheck.org. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  3. "Two 'Super PACs' Backing Hillary Clinton Join Fundraising Forces". New York Times. July 31, 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  4. Rucker, Phil. "Super PAC launches 'Let's Talk Hillary' to reveal a softer side of Clinton". the Washington Post.
  5. Foran, Claire (May 31, 2016). "A $1 Million Fight Against Hillary Clinton's Online Trolls". The Atlantic. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  6. "Barrier Breakers 2016: A Project of Correct The Record". Politico.
  7. Ben Luke, Artists raise millions for Hillary Clinton .
  8. "Bernie Sanders Brushes Off Clinton Super PAC Attacks". Time. 17 September 2015.
  9. "Hillary Clinton wrong that no negative ads have hit Bernie Sanders". Politifact.
  10. Seitz-Wald, Alex (September 15, 2016). "Democratic Super PAC to Pay for Dirt on Donald Trump". NBC News. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  11. Wayback Machine archive capture of 404 page taken on December 31, 2016
  12. Gold, Matea (May 12, 2015). "How a super PAC plans to coordinate directly with Hillary Clinton's campaign". Washington Post. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  13. Mathis-Lilley, Ben (2016-06-28). "Democrats Accidentally Reveal How Much Sidney Blumenthal Gets Paid for Knowing Hillary Clinton". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
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