Editing Common Cause (section)

===Ethics===
Common Cause lobbied Congress to pass the [[Ethics in Government Act]] of 1978, requiring government officials to disclose their finances and restricting the "[[Revolving door (politics)#United States|revolving door]]" between government and business. In 1989, they lobbied for passage of a new Ethics in Government Act, which ended special-interest honoraria for members of Congress and closed a loophole that allowed members to convert campaign funds to personal use.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.commoncause.org/about/our-impact/our-history|title=Timeline|website=Common Cause|access-date=2017-02-03}}</ref>

The organization's efforts led to ethics probes and the resignations of [[Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines|House Speakers]] [[Jim Wright]] in 1988<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jackson|first1=Robert|title=The Resignation Of Jim Wright : Speaker's Downfall|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-06-01-mn-1334-story.html|access-date=3 February 2017|newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> and [[Newt Gingrich]] in 1995.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ross|first1=Michael|title=New Ethics Charge Added as Gingrich Probe Begins|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-02-24-mn-35751-story.html|access-date=3 February 2017|newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

During the 2016 presidential elections, Common Cause suggested that the [[Clinton Foundation]] would create ethics and conflict of interest challenges for [[Hillary Clinton]] should she become president.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Douglas & Kumar|title=Why the Clinton Foundation and foreign money are an issue|url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/election/article85253837.html|access-date=2 February 2017|agency=McClatchy News Service}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Nicholas & Nelson|title=Criticism of Hillary Clinton Mounts Over Access for Foundation Donors|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/criticism-of-hillary-clinton-mounts-over-access-for-foundation-donors-1472082071|access-date=2 February 2017|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref> They criticized Hillary Clinton's plan to give [[Chelsea Clinton]] control of the foundation<ref>{{cite news|last1=O'Donnell|first1=Katy|title=Ethicists scoff at Clinton Foundation transition plan|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/clinton-foundation-transition-plan-227386|access-date=2 February 2017|work=Politico}}</ref> and called for an independent [[audit]] and full disclosure of the foundation's donors.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Swan|first1=Jonathan|title=Experts poke holes in Clinton Foundation's promised donor ban|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/293955-experts-poke-holes-in-clinton-foundations-promised-foreign-donor-ban/|access-date=2 February 2017|newspaper=The Hill}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Press Releases|url=http://www.commoncause.org/press/press-releases/common-cause-urges-independent-audit-clinton-foundation.html|website=Common Cause|date=24 April 2015|access-date=2 February 2017}}</ref>

The public interest group also criticized [[Donald Trump]] for his refusal to release his tax returns during the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 presidential election]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Haberman & Rappeport|title=Donald Trump on His Tax Rate: 'It's None of Your Business'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/05/13/donald-trump-on-his-tax-rate-its-none-of-your-business/|access-date=2 February 2017|newspaper=The New York Times|date=13 May 2016 }}</ref> The organization has been outspoken about the potential conflicts of interest from Trump's businesses and called for Trump to put his assets into a [[blind trust]]<ref>{{cite news|last1=Masood|first1=Farivar|title=Trump's Global Business Ties Could Complicate Policy Stances|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/trump-global-business-ties-could-complicate-policy-stances/3620092.html|access-date=3 February 2017|publisher=VOA News}}</ref> instead of handing over control of his businesses to his children.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Blake|first1=Aaron|title=Donald Trump's questionable 'blind trust' setup just got more questionable|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/11/donald-trumps-questionable-blind-trust-setup-just-got-more-questionable/|access-date=3 February 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Cassidy|first1=John|title=Trump's Businesses Represent an Impossible Conflict of Interest|url=http://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/trumps-businesses-represent-an-impossible-conflict-of-interest|access-date=3 February 2017|magazine=The New Yorker}}</ref>