Anti-Chamber group slams U.S. Chamber's response to Disclose Act

StopTheChamber.com, an organization that monitors the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, on Friday blasted the Chamber for its opposition to the Disclose Act, a bill introduced in the House and Senate that requires greater disclosure on how campaign funds are spent.

"Corporate robber barons, led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have said that they will spend more than $100 million to elect Congress members this year who will do their bidding," said StopTheChamber spokesman and attorney Kevin Zeese in prepared remarks. "This corruption of elections is opposed by the vast majority of Americans. The Disclose Act will start to address this attack."

Shortly after yesterday's introduction of the bill, the Chamber criticized the measure for stifling free speech and helping Democrats in the upcoming elections. 

"What's most in need of disclosure is the real purpose behind this bill -- it's nothing more than a brazen attempt to tilt the playing field in favor of the incumbent party in this fall's elections, silence constitutionally protected speech and abridge First Amendment rights," said Tom Donohue, chamber president and CEO, said in a statement.

Zeese's group will launch a Protect Our Election campaign in the coming days to combat the Chamber. 

"We will no longer allow corporations or partisans to run our elections with secret money," Zeese said. 

The Disclose Act requires major donors to political ads to publicly disclose themselves. It also bars foreign corporations with domestic subsidiaries, federal contractors and TARP recipients from spending their money on elections.