LVRJ: Disclosure ‘as a political hammer’

The Las Vegas Review Journal editorial board makes the case that President Obama pushing the failed DISCLOSE Act through Executive Order will have the effect of punishing his political enemies:

In a partial dissent in Citizens United, Justice Clarence Thomas argued the First Amendment protects all speech, including anonymous speech. “I cannot endorse a view of the First Amendment that subjects citizens of this Nation to death threats, ruined careers, damaged or defaced property, or pre-emptive and threatening warning letters as the price for engaging in core political speech, the primary object of First Amendment protection,” Justice Thomas wrote.

We encourage the president to resist the temptation to sign this executive order. It would be an opening salvo in the 2012 election and an abuse of the powers of the office.

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