November, 05 2008, 02:21pm EDT
Statement On Election Results by William H. Meadows, President of The Wilderness Society
WASHINGTON
"America awoke today to the promise of a new political reality, one based not in divisiveness but in unity.
"President-elect Obama has said he will listen to the people. As people who work to protect the 628 million acres of parks, forests and other public lands that we own together as Americans, nothing could be more important. Our great American landscapes are a fitting symbol of both our diversity and our unity. They are a great gift that we all-Americans of every culture, race, geography, age and belief-are given at birth. And today, with the stewardship of these lands passing to a new President, we must rededicate ourselves to working to protect these lands-together.
"This election happened just in time. Big challenges lie ahead: What is the right way to address global warming and our country's energy needs without sacrificing the healthy, intact ecosystems so important for plants, wildlife and human health? How can we guarantee wise stewardship from the agencies charged with managing the public lands on our behalf? And how do we ensure that wilderness is protected for future generations?
"The public lands are at the intersection of the issues of the day: The economy, health and energy. The Wilderness Society looks forward to working side-by-side with citizens, partners, elected officials and the Obama Administration to address tough questions. The Wilderness Society and its more than 350,000 members and supporters have always been staunch watchdogs for our wildest public lands. We are hopeful that we now have more, and stronger, partners in this effort at all levels, across the country.
"A Kenyan proverb put it this way: "Treat the world well. It was not given to you by your parents. It was lent to you by your children." Our nation's forests, rivers, mountains and deserts are a living symbol of the "one nation" that voters embraced yesterday. As we are united in hope for a new Congress and the Obama Administration, so should we be united as a nation in our commitment to protect our shared, rare resource of healthy, wild national lands."
Since 1935, The Wilderness Society has led the conservation movement in wilderness protection, writing and passing the landmark Wilderness Act and winning lasting protection for 107 million acres of Wilderness, including 56 million acres of spectacular lands in Alaska, eight million acres of fragile desert lands in California and millions more throughout the nation.
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A campaign finance watchdog on Wednesday filed a Federal Election Commission complaint accusing former President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign, affiliated political groups, and an accounting firm of violating U.S. law in a scheme "seemingly designed to obscure the true recipients of a noteworthy portion of Trump's legal bills."
The Washington, D.C.-based Campaign Legal Center (CLC) said that "evidence appears to show an illegal arrangement between several Trump-affiliated committees and a compliance firm named Red Curve Solutions that is designed to obscure the identities of those providing legal services and how much they are being paid."
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CLC alleges that the Trump campaign, Trump's political action committee (PAC) Save America, and three affiliated organizations "violated federal reporting requirements based on a scheme in which the committees reportedly paid over $7.2 million—described as 'reimbursement for legal' costs or expenses"—to Red Curve.
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According to CLC:
Red Curve is a domestic limited liability company that offers compliance and FEC reporting services but does not appear to offer any legal services. It is managed by Bradley Crate, who also serves as the treasurer for each of the five Trump-affiliated committees concerned in this complaint, as well as over 200 other federal committees.
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Trump—who is the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee—faces 91 federal and state felony charges related to his role in the January 6 insurrection and his organization's business practices. He is currently on trial in New York for allegedly falsifying business records related to hush money payments to cover up sex scandals during the 2016 election cycle. The twice-impeached former president has been open about his use of campaign donations to pay his legal costs.
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