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November 23, 2015

Gyrocopter Pilot Who Landed on Capitol Lawn Pleads Guilty 
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Doug Hughes, the Florida mailman who landed a gyrocopter on the lawn of
the U.S. Capitol in April to call for campaign finance reform, has
pleaded guilty to a single felony count of operating the tiny personal
aircraft without a license. Hughes faces up to three years in prison and
a fine of up to $250,000 at his sentencing in April. Hughes landed on
the Capitol lawn carrying letters to every member of Congress urging
them to pass campaign finance reform. Speaking Friday Hughes said his
flight exposed security gaps – and brought attention to money in
politics.

Doug Hughes: "I don't think there's a security breach now because I
don't think anybody can do what I did. What I did, did the country a
favor in terms of security but I didn't do it over security, but I did
it because I wanted to bring attention to getting the money out of
politics and restoring democracy. That is the biggest threat we face."

A new estimate by Wells Fargo projects a record six billion dollars will
be spent on political advertising in the 2016 election season – a 16
percent increase over 2012.

 

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