Hillary Clinton demands change to campaign finance laws - through a tweet

Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called for the Federal Elections Commission to loosen the rules on campaign spending for candidates on Friday.

In a tweet, Clinton asked, "Can you imagine how different our policies would be if more working moms and dads were part of making them? That's why I'm calling on the FEC to allow candidates to use campaign funds for childcare when they're on the trail."

Clinton's legal team has also become involved with a case currently before the FEC, stepping in to support New York congressional candidate Liuba Grechen Shirley. Shirley has two small children, and argues that she cannot afford the financial burden of running for office unless her campaign can cover her child care costs.

Shirley said, "Having forgone my income while still managing my typical finances including medical bills, student loans, and a mortgage, paying for full-time childcare for an extended period of time in order to campaign for Congress is not financially possible. It is critical that we make running for office accessible to all working parents, not just for the independently wealthy."

In a letter, Clinton's attorneys weighed in on the case, saying that denying the use of campaign funds for child care expenses would "discourage young mothers from seeking elective office, and deprive parents of ordinary means of the opportunity to serve."

They continued: "For young mothers like [Shirley], the ability to seek office hinges on access to child care. Ms. Shirley's case is especially striking. Before she became a candidate, she worked from home, cared for her infant children herself, and needed no outside child care. Thus, under a plain reading of the law, as applied to Ms. Shirley's facts, the answer to her question can only be 'yes.'"