Former Cantor aides to reward Republicans who vote the right way

• Tweet
• 
• 

• Tweet

Former aides to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) have formed a new group that is buying ads on behalf of Republicans who support Cantor’s “priority” issues, essentially offering the Republican leader’s allies a tangible reward in exchange for their votes.

While it is illegal for any member of Congress to exchange anything for a vote, the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision unmoored political ad spending from any sort of effective regulation, enabling this new scheme to operate with complete legal impunity.

According to a Monday report filed by Politico, the group calls itself YG Network, a non-profit “dedicated to supporting center-right policies and the efforts of policymakers who fight for those policies,” their website explains.

Cantor, along with House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) and deputy whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), authored the 2010 book “Young Guns: A New Generation of Conservative Leaders.”

A YG Network aide who spoke to Politico said that loyalty to McCarthy’s priorities might also trigger ad buys.

The group’s first ad buy is relatively small — about $60,000 — and will focus on eight specific districts where members have supported Cantor and McCarthy’s issues, Politico added.