The bill would tighten the laws around the exchange of campaign information between candidates and foreign governments.

House Democrats unveiled broad legislation on Tuesday to protect the country’s elections as they investigate whether US President Donald Trump inappropriately solicited foreign election help from Ukraine before the 2020 vote.

A House committee could advance the election security bill as soon as next week. It would tighten the laws around the exchange of campaign information between candidates and foreign governments, require that campaigns report illicit offers of foreign help to the FBI and limit some campaign spending by foreign nationals. The bill would also require more transparency in online political ads.

House Democrats are conducting an impeachment inquiry into Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, including his request on a July phone call for the country to open an investigation into Joe Biden and his family. Trump says he did nothing wrong and calls the conversation “perfect”. There has been no evidence of wrongdoing by the Bidens. 

Democrats are also reviewing former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report, which said there was not enough evidence to establish a conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign in 2016 despite multiple contacts between the two. Democrats say they want to prevent such interactions in the future – and ensure that campaigns know they are illegal.

“Most Americans know that foreign governments have no business interfering in our elections,” said House Administration Committee Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from California, who introduced the bill later on Tuesday.

She said it would ensure “that individuals engaging in conduct with foreign actors intending to influence the outcome of our elections will be held accountable by law”.

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