Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Collaboration
Transparency
Section 7
1 Summary Statement
Activities for the 12 Months Ended
December 31, 2009
Revenue
Total Revenue & Support $2,240,793
Expenses
CREW accomplishes this by marrying
Education
in-depth research and investigation (Research & Communications) 1,158,697
with hard-charging legal action and an Legal 605,926
aggressive communications strategy. Ethics Watch Colorado 310,258
We augment these efforts by building Total Program 2,074,881
coalitions to push for policies favoring General Administrative 369,114
transparency and accountability. To Development 151,496
garner support for our efforts, we use all Total Expenses 2,595,491
mediums of the modern media—television, Change in Net Assets (354,698)
radio, print, and social networking—to Net Assets, Beginning of Period 3,250,406
maximize coverage of our work.
Net Assets, End of Period 2,895,708
It’s always easier to tear something down
than to build it up, and building a better Development 6%
Washington is no different. CREW firmly General Administrative 14%
believes, however, that a small group of
committed citizens can change the world;
Total Program 80%
it is the only thing that ever has.
The above information should be read in conjunction with CREW’s financial statements for
the 12 months ending December 31, 2009 from which the summarized information is derived.
Demanding action Section
2
Avoiding Judicial Review
The dysfunctional FEC is
failing to fulfill its mission
Crew Fact
Crew Fact
amicus brief before the Supreme against a member of Congress,
Court in U.S. v. Black, arguing would render lawmakers
in favor of the constitutionality immune from prosecution
of the honest services fraud for abusing their positions
statute—a key prosecutorial tool for personal financial gain.
fighting public corruption. Since
the Court held most uses of the
charge unconstitutional, CREW
has worked with congressional
staff and DOJ to craft a revised
statute that would withstand
judicial scrutiny.
Legal
New Year,
New Congress,
New Website!
Section 2
3
The 2010 Election
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Section
3
1,508,725,203 Total Media Impressions
Crew fact
4
Strength
in Numbers
Lying and Stealing
Using the latest in online CREW breaks story on O’Donnell’s
technology, thousands of illegal use of campaign funds
people came to CREW’s
website to sign a petition
calling for Ms. O’Donnell
to be prosecuted.
The political world was shocked when
Christine O’Donnell beat well-respected
Rep. Mike Castle in the Delaware
Republican primary to become a nomi-
nee for the Senate. Shortly thereafter,
CREW revealed Ms. O’Donnell had
been illegally using campaign funds
to finance her personal life.
Crew Fact
Crew Fact
Family Affair Embattled Sen.
to disclose business income on
John Ensign (R-NV) is blaming
his financial disclosure forms,
CREW for his troubles as a way
leading the Department of
to solicit money for his legal
Justice to investigate. Rep. Deal
defense fund. Sen. Ensign is
resigned from Congress to avoid
being investigated by both the
sanctions, but his legal troubles
Department of Justice and the
will follow him to the Georgia
Senate Ethics Committee for his
governor’s mansion.
reprehensible conduct related to
his efforts to cover up his affair
with his chief of staff’s wife, who
also was his campaign treasurer. Ethics
Used with the permission of Clay Bennett, the Washington Post Writers
Section 4
Group, and the Cartoonist Group. All rights reserved.
7
Uncovering the truth
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Section
5
24 Most Corrupt members serving in the 112th congress
Crew fact
8
Casino Jack
Section
6
13,153 Sets of documents obtained by the FOIA
Crew fact
10
Preserving Our History
CREW continues to work Ending Business as Usual
with the National Archives Spearheading a coalition, CREW
and Records Administration pushes for earmark reform
(NARA) and the White House
to push for more effective
electronic record keeping in the
federal government. Congress
must provide NARA with the
enforcement tools it needs to
ensure agencies comply with Campaign Finance Reform
existing requirements. CREW CREW lobbied for passage
Chief Counsel Anne Weismann of the DISCLOSE Act, which
has testified before Congress would remedy some of the most
on these issues and the impor- egregious aspects of the disas-
tance of preserving our history trous Supreme Court Citizens
in electronic records. United decision. This important
legislation would require the
Broken Senate CREW has people and corporations behind
urged the Senate to end the the shadowy groups that pro-
use of secret holds and abuse duce venomous political ads
of the filibuster, both of which to identify themselves so voters
routinely are employed to can put the ads into context.
block bills and executive
branch nominations. These Disappearing Emails Contrary
obstructionist tactics have left to DOJ’s Office of Professional Used with the permission of Steve Kelley and Creators Syndicate.
All rights reserved.
Americans frustrated with a Responsibility finding that most
Senate often incapable of action. of former Bush administration While earmarks have become a hot but-
CREW advocates requiring official John Yoo’s emails were ton campaign issue, workable solutions
senators to voice their objections missing, CREW discovered DOJ have been in short supply. In response,
to or support of legislation and has a trove of emails sent to and CREW has spearheaded a coalition
nominees publicly, making them from Mr. Yoo during the period of government reform groups and
more accountable to the voters. he was drafting the torture lobbyists across the political spectrum
memos. Why and how did the to push for real earmark reform.
emails disappear in the first The coalition has been meeting with
place? We’ll keep digging. members of Congress on both sides
of the aisle advocating adoption of
these pragmatic reforms. The coalition
created five reform principles:
Crew Fact
Crew Fact
by closing the honest services worked with and helped build
loophole created by the Skilling a variety of coalitions that share
v. United States decision, and our good governance mission and
CREW Chief Counsel Anne participated in regular meetings
Weismann testified before the promoting the exchange of infor-
House Oversight Committee mation and expertise. Dividends
regarding federal electronic
Collaboration
from these relationships include
records management. a rapid response to loopholes
hidden in financial reform legis
lation that would have exempted
valuable information from FOIA
disclosure requirements.
13
About CREW Section
8
Since its inception in 2003, Citizens for
Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
has played a key role in exposing the culture
of corruption in Washington and motivating
the public and policymakers to change it.
CREW is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization
dedicated to promoting ethics and accountability
in government and public life by targeting
government officials—regardless of party
ADDRESSEE
affiliation—who sacrifice the common good to
special interests. History shows us that those
who have power often abuse it. CREW serves as
a check on those in power, holding government
officials accountable for their actions.