One day after a protest group posted unprecedented video footage of the Supreme Court in session, one of the leading faces behind the movement spoke out about his group's fervor to "end the corruption of our democracy."
99Rise co-founder Kai Newkirk joined HuffPost Live Friday to discuss his role in the first disruption of a Supreme Court argument session in more than seven years. Newkirk was mum on the details of how his group got a camera into the proceedings, claiming that they "just walked in."
He was escorted out of the courtroom and spent a night in jail for his role in the disturbance, calling it a "small price to pay for freedom."
"The Supreme Court has played a huge role in deepening the corruption of our democracy," Newkirk said, citing the Citizens United decision and McCutcheon v. FEC case. "We wanted to show the court and, more importantly, the people of our country that we're not going to sit silently."
Part of Newkirk's protest footage appeared to come from the court's October argument on the McCutcheon v. FEC case, which challenges the constitutionality of limits an individual can contribute to federal candidates and parties. Newkirk warned that this would be "Citizens United 2.0," giving "super-rich individuals" the same benefits that corporations received.
"It should be the votes that matter, not the size of your wallet," Newkirk said. "It should be about what people support, not about what the super-wealthy want for themselves."
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