joe pounder bak
<div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">see definers , NTK sez it reps all pov BS</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">spanberger fuckery 2018 ~ Brat:</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/08/what-is-the-congressional-leadership-fund/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/08/what-is-the-congressional-leadership-fund/</a></font></div><div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);" size="4" face="Times New Roman">A <span style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;">Democratic candidate alleged Wednesday that a GOP super PAC got ahold of her C.I.A. security clearance application to use for political purposes, </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/28/us/politics/cia-officer-house-election-super-pac.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;">according to The New York Times.</a></font></div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></span></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);" size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;">Abigail Spanberger, </span><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary?cycle=2018&id=VA07" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;">the Democratic nominee in Virginia’s 7th District</a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;">, said the Congressional Leadership Fund is using the highly sensitive information found in the application to attack her campaign. Spanberger is challenging </span><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/summary?cid=N00036013" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;">Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.)</a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;">.</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A spokeswoman for the super PAC responded to Spanberger’s accusation saying it had lawfully obtained the application through a Freedom of Information Act request.</font></b></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px;"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00504530&cycle=2018" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">The Congressional Leadership Fund</a><span style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"> is a powerful and influential GOP super PAC that has already raised nearly $100 million for the 2018 election cycle.</span></font></b></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The super PAC, which formed in 2011, has rapidly become a major contributor to GOP politicians, closely aligned to House Speaker Paul Ryan.</font></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Congressional Leadership Fund has raised $96.6 million in 2018 year-to-date, a sizable increase from $51.1 million raised during the 2016 election cycle and $12.6 million raised for 2014 elections.</font></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At this point in the 2018 election cycle, the super PAC has spent <b>$3.2 million supporting Republican</b> candidates and<b> $24.2 million opposing Democratic candidates.</b></font></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;">The super PAC’s biggest spend in support of a candidate so far this cycle was $1.2 million supporting <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Troy Balderson, the Republican who went on to win the hotly contested special election </span></span><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/24/politics/troy-balderson-ohio-special-election/index.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background: rgb(255, 255, 102); box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;">in Ohio’s 12 District.</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;">Congressional Leadership Fund’s biggest spend opposing a candidate was $6.1 million against <b>Jon Ossoff</b>, the Democratic candidate </span><a href="https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/why-jon-ossoff-isn-making-comeback-georgia-6th/P2FMacaNXWPkeKKstIFltK/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">who lost in Georgia’s 6th District in a 2017 special election.</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;">The super PAC’s stated mission is to focus on bringing more Republicans into the <b>U.S. House of Representatives</b> to strengthen the party’s majority, according to </span><a href="https://congressionalleadershipfund.org/about/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">the Congressional Leadership Fund’s website.</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Corry Bliss is the executive director for both the Congressional Leadership Fund and the American Action Network,</b> a politically active nonprofit focused on center-right policies that doesn’t have to disclose its donors. </font></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Major Republican donors Sheldon and Miriam Adelson have been the leading contributors to the super PAC since its creation. </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Adelsons donated $15 million a piece to the super PAC in 2018 and a total of $20 million in 2016.</span></font></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Congressional Leadership Fund was also created to oppose Democratic super PACs, like the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and <b>to support former House Speaker John Boehner, </b>according to the super PAC’s website.</font></span></p><div class="related-box" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; width: 760px; padding: 8px 0px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 12px;"><span class="txt" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; float: left; line-height: 28px; text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: -0.03em; margin-right: 15px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">RELATED TOPICS</font></span><ul class="related-list" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; margin: 0px -5px; padding: 0px; list-style: none;"><li style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; margin: 0px 5px 10px; padding: 0px; list-style-position: inside; float: left;"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/tag/abigail-spanberger/" rel="tag" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; display: block; padding: 5px 11px; border-radius: 3px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Abigail Spanberger</font></a></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; margin: 0px 5px 10px; padding: 0px; list-style-position: inside; float: left;"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/tag/american-action-network/" rel="tag" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; display: block; padding: 5px 11px; border-radius: 3px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">American Action Network</font></a></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; margin: 0px 5px 10px; padding: 0px; list-style-position: inside; float: left;"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/tag/congressional-leadership-fund/" rel="tag" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; display: block; padding: 5px 11px; border-radius: 3px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Congressional Leadership Fund</font></a></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; margin: 0px 5px 10px; padding: 0px; list-style-position: inside; float: left;"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/tag/corry-bliss/" rel="tag" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; display: block; padding: 5px 11px; border-radius: 3px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Corry Bliss</font></a></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; margin: 0px 5px 10px; padding: 0px; list-style-position: inside; float: left;"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/tag/dave-brat/" rel="tag" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; display: block; padding: 5px 11px; border-radius: 3px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Dave Brat</font></a></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; margin: 0px 5px 10px; padding: 0px; list-style-position: inside; float: left;"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/tag/democratic-congressional-campaign-committee/" rel="tag" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; display: block; padding: 5px 11px; border-radius: 3px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee</font></a></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; margin: 0px 5px 10px; padding: 0px; list-style-position: inside; float: left;"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/tag/jon-ossoff/" rel="tag" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; display: block; padding: 5px 11px; border-radius: 3px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">jon ossoff</font></a></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; margin: 0px 5px 10px; padding: 0px; list-style-position: inside; float: left;"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/tag/kaitlin/" rel="tag" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; display: block; padding: 5px 11px; border-radius: 3px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">kaitlin</font></a></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; margin: 0px 5px 10px; padding: 0px; list-style-position: inside; float: left;"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/tag/kaitlin-washburn/" rel="tag" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; display: block; padding: 5px 11px; border-radius: 3px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Kaitlin Washburn</font></a></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; margin: 0px 5px 10px; padding: 0px; list-style-position: inside; float: left;"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/tag/miriam-adelson/" rel="tag" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; display: block; padding: 5px 11px; border-radius: 3px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Miriam Adelson</font></a></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; margin: 0px 5px 10px; padding: 0px; list-style-position: inside; float: left;"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/tag/paul-ryan/" rel="tag" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; display: block; padding: 5px 11px; border-radius: 3px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Paul Ryan</font></a></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; margin: 0px 5px 10px; padding: 0px; list-style-position: inside; float: left;"><a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/tag/sheldon-adelson/" rel="tag" style="text-decoration-line: none; outline: none; box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; display: block; padding: 5px 11px; border-radius: 3px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Sheldon Adelson</font></a></li></ul></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);" size="4" face="Times New Roman">Abigail Spanberger is the Democratic candidate in Virginia’s 7th district, and a former officer in the CIA. The Congressional Leadership Fund is a Republican Super PAC associated with Paul Ryan, which plans to hand out over $100 million to GOP candidates for the election this fall. But money isn’t the only thing that the PAC is handing out. They’ve also <b>produced the application Spanberger submitted in seeking security clearance with the CIA</b>, making her personal information public. How the PAC obtained this form is an open, and important, question.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">According to</span><i style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </i><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/28/us/politics/cia-officer-house-election-super-pac.html" target="blank" title="" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>the New York Times</b></a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">, the</span><b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Republican </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Congressional Leadership Fund </span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">has both published the form, with some personal information redacted, and made it available to reporters. </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Security applications, by their nature, provide highly detailed background information. They may require that the person involved produce information on actions that could potentially be embarrassing, even if not illegal.</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">As an example, since obtaining Spanberger’s form,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"> a polling company connected with the Republican PAC has conducted<b> push polls </b>asking voters if they would be less likely to support the Democratic candidate “if she knew that the candidate had taught at a school funded by the Saudi royal family that had ‘numerous students arrested for terrorism.’” The Republican PAC has also put out a “news release” on this topic.</span></font></p><div style="margin-bottom: 20px;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);" size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Spanberger is currently running strongly against Republican Representative Dave Brat in what the GOP had regarded as a “safe” district.</b> With a broad range of endorsements and support, this represents another district that Republicans are finding a challenge in 2018 after a series of walk-over elections. So it’s understandable that Republicans are desperate to find an edge.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The problems is: Where did they find it? <b>The Congressional Leadership Fund claims that the form was obtained through a FOIA request to the Post Office, </b>where Spanberger worked briefly while waiting for clearance from the CIA.</font><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"> But the version of the document, and the fact that the copy given to reporters seems to be unredacted, does not square with the version that should be produced through a FOIA request. In fact, the unredacted form cannot be released under the Privacy Act.</font></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Democratic candidate has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the executive director of the Congressional Leadership Fund, demanding that the PAC destroy all copies of the form and “agree to not use the information in any fashion.”</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"> And the real question boils down to: Is someone within the Trump White House handing out classified information to be used against Democratic candidates?</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The<i> </i><a href="https://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/government-politics/conservative-pac-releases-document-on-spanberger-teaching-at-saudi-funded/article_9f25ad24-4816-5872-b37f-a72e3c4fba8c.html" target="blank" title="" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;">Richmond Times-Dispatch</a> shows how Republicans are attempting to use even the controversy about how they obtained this document to harm Spanberger. A spokeswoman for the Congressional Leadership Fund replied to questions that “It should surprise no one that Ms. Spanberger would want to hide from voters that she worked at a school that produced some of the world’s most dangerous terrorists.”</font></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 32px !important;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Spanberger was a substitute teacher at a prep school for wealthy students, filling in for a teacher on maternity leave, between the time she finished her Masters degree and before she took her Post Office job. No student she taught has been connected to terrorism in any way</b>. She also waited tables. Republicans have not yet produced a news release claiming that she served a plate of eggs to Osama bin Laden … but there’s still time.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 22px; line-height: 32px !important;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Daily Kos Elections rated the VA-7 race as “Leans Republican” on Aug 22. The Cook Report has moved the race to “Toss up.”</font></span></p><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://congressionalleadershipfund.org/clf-issues-statement-what-is-abigail-spanberger-hiding/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://congressionalleadershipfund.org/clf-issues-statement-what-is-abigail-spanberger-hiding/</font></a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><p style="margin: 0px auto 1rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01) 0px 0px 1px; max-width: 690px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">WASHINGTON</span> – In a desperate attempt to prevent Virginia voters from learning about her record and background, Virginia’s 7<span style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; line-height: 0; vertical-align: baseline; top: -0.5em;">th </span>Congressional District Democratic nominee, Abigail Spanberger, today sent a letter to the Congressional Leadership Fund (<a href="http://congressionalleadershipfund.us15.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=e864a80a205b3f2f2808f4cd6&id=96763517fe&e=809dfa26e0" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.3s ease-in-out 0s;">@CLFSuperPAC</a>) – which her campaign then shared with select members of the media – threatening legal action over information about Spanberger that was obtained through legal channels. CLF is responding by releasing a <a href="https://www.congressionalleadershipfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Spanberger-Cease-and-Desist_Signed-.pdf" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.3s ease-in-out 0s;">copy</a> of that letter to voters in Virginia’s 7<span style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; line-height: 0; vertical-align: baseline; top: -0.5em;">th </span>Congressional District as well as documentation from the Freedom of Information Request (FOIA) and the <b>records that were obtained from the United States Postal Service as the result of that request.</b></font></p><p style="margin: 0px auto 1rem; box-sizing: border-box; overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01) 0px 0px 1px; max-width: 690px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">This included information about Spanberger’s tenure working at the Islamic Saudi Academy in Northern Virginia, which the Associated Press reported was dubbed “Terror High” after 12 U.S. Senators and a federal commission wanted to shut it down</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. Spanberger’s former employer produced a number of well-known terrorists including Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, valedictorian of the academy in 1999, who was convicted in 2005 on charges of providing material support to the al Qaeda terrorist network. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. This led U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer to issue a press release in 2005 </span><a href="https://nypost.com/2005/02/24/schumer-targets-suspects-terror-hs/" target="blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; transition: color 0.3s ease-in-out 0s;">calling for a full-scale probe</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> of the controversial Islamic school and questioning whether the Islamic Saudi Academy was “another madrassa.” In addition, CLF is redacting the document to exclude personal information such as home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth and social security numbers, even though this information was released by the USPS as part of the response to the FOIA request.</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px auto 1rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01) 0px 0px 1px; max-width: 690px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><img loading="lazy" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/e864a80a205b3f2f2808f4cd6/images/ba59af31-cf6e-5f0f-9d68-160e9766082a.png" width="500" height="332" data-file-id="820735" style="border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle; border-style: none; max-width: 100%;" /></font></p><p style="margin: 0px auto 1rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01) 0px 0px 1px; max-width: 690px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CLF spokesperson Courtney Alexander made the following statement about Spanberger’s politically-motivated gambit today:</font></p><table class="templateContainer" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px auto; border: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); max-width: 690px;"><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;"><tr style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;"><td id="templateHeader" valign="top" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01) 0px 0px 1px;"><table class="mcnTextBlock" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; border-collapse: collapse;"><tbody class="mcnTextBlockOuter" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><tr style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;"><td class="mcnTextBlockInner" valign="top" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01) 0px 0px 1px;"><table class="mcnTextContentContainer" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="left" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; border-collapse: collapse;"><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;"><tr style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box;"><td class="mcnTextContent" valign="top" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01) 0px 0px 1px;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; overflow-wrap: break-word; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01) 0px 0px 1px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">“It should surprise no one that Ms. Spanberger would want to hide from voters that she worked at a school that produced some of the world’s most dangerous terrorists. CLF follows the letter of the law in examining any candidate’s background and Ms. Spanberger was no different. That she’s threatening legal action, however, should raise serious questions for voters about what else she is trying to hide.</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"> For any interested parties, CLF is happy to provide redacted copies of the information Ms. Spanberger is trying to hide from voters in Virginia.”</span></font></li></ul><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; box-sizing: border-box; overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01) 0px 0px 1px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">BACKGROUND:</font></span></p><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; overflow-wrap: break-word; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01) 0px 0px 1px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">July 9, 2018</span>, America Rising Corp. submitted a FOIA request to the National Personnel Records Center “for access to certain records contained in the official civilian personnel file of former federal employee Abigail Spanberger. Specifically, this request seeks records reflecting Ms. Spanberger’s employment dates, annual salaries, title, and position description.”</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01) 0px 0px 1px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">By letter dated <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">July 12, 2018</span>, NPRC/NARA forwarded the America Rising Corp. request to the United States Postal Service.</font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01) 0px 0px 1px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bolder;">July 30, 2018</span>, USPS responded to America Rising’s request with their complete personnel file (“entire official personnel folder”), <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">which included Spanberger’s SF-86.</span></font></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.01) 0px 0px 1px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">another image usps pamela gabriel]</font></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://rollcall.com<b>/2019/01/04/</b>usps-ig-clears-conservative-group-of-wrongdoing-in-spanberger-file-release/</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div lyon="Lyon" text="Text" georgia="Georgia" garamond="Garamond" serif="serif" vertical-align="vertical-align" baseline="baseline" color="color" rgb="rgb" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><div theme="[object Object]" class="" provider="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: inherit; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">the U.S. Postal Service inspector general officially cleared a prominent conservative research group of any wrongdoing for getting its hands on Rep. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" href="https://www.rollcall.com/members?118575&utm_source=memberLink?utm_source=memberLink" title="Click to view member info in a new window" class="memberLink" shape="rect" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline;">Abigail Spanberger</a>’s complete and unredacted official personnel file last summer.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: inherit; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">America Rising, a conservative opposition research group contracted by dozens of conservative PACs and campaign committees each election cycle to dig up dirt on Democratic candidates, went through the proper channels, submitting a Freedom of Information Act request for Spanberger’s file to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the IG concluded in its report released in late December.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: inherit; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">NARA stores official personnel files for various government agencies, including the USPS, but it is up to government agencies to respond to the FOIA requests and redact certain protected information in the file NARA provides.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">An administrative assistant in the USPS’ human resources department improperly executed that FOIA request by forwarding Spanberger’s entire file to America Rising, including a confidential national security form known as Standard Form 86 (SF-86) that she filled out when she was hired as a postal inspector in the early 2000s.</font></b></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; font-weight: inherit; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The same USPS HR administrative assistant improperly handled six other FOIA requests in addition to America Rising’s request for Spanberger’s file, the inspector general found.</font></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">the USPS had previously discovered three other improperly released personnel files before the IG audit.</font></b></span></p></div></div><div lyon="Lyon" text="Text" georgia="Georgia" garamond="Garamond" serif="serif" vertical-align="vertical-align" baseline="baseline" color="color" rgb="rgb" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><div theme="[object Object]" class="" provider="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The release of those files to third parties without authorization violated both federal law and USPS policy and “can lead to identity theft and [an employee] becoming a victim of financial fraud,” the IG report states.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The USPS HR department was ill-equipped to handle personnel file information requests, according to the report. It had no central list of FOIA requests to the agency, no written procedures for how requests were supposed to be handled and by whom, and never trained staff responsible for handling FOIA requests on how to comply with FOIA and the federal Privacy Act.</font></span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The top Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Reps. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" href="https://www.rollcall.com/members?232&utm_source=memberLink?utm_source=memberLink" title="Click to view member info in a new window" class="memberLink" shape="rect" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline;">Elijah Cummings</a> of Maryland and <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" href="https://www.rollcall.com/members?8220&utm_source=memberLink?utm_source=memberLink" title="Click to view member info in a new window" class="memberLink" shape="rect" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline;">Gerald E. Connolly</a> of Virginia, and Democratic Sen. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" href="https://www.rollcall.com/members?634&utm_source=memberLink?utm_source=memberLink" title="Click to view member info in a new window" class="memberLink" shape="rect" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline;">Thomas R. Carper</a> asked the USPS IG in September to launch a probe into the matter.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Spanberger’s SF-86, like all such forms, included a questionnaire that contained her family and medical history, Social Security number and other highly sensitive info that U.S. intelligence officials must provide.</font></p></div></div><div lyon="Lyon" text="Text" georgia="Georgia" garamond="Garamond" serif="serif" vertical-align="vertical-align" baseline="baseline" color="color" rgb="rgb" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><div theme="[object Object]" class="" provider="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">After obtaining Spanberger’s file, America Rising handed it off to the Congressional Leadership Fund, the preeminent House GOP leadership-linked super PAC.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CLF used information from that file in a series of attack ads against Spanberger, who defeated former Rep. <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" href="https://www.rollcall.com/members?53910&utm_source=memberLink?utm_source=memberLink" title="Click to view member info in a new window" class="memberLink" shape="rect" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline;">Dave Brat</a> in Virginia’s 7th District in November, flipping a seat from red to blue that had been in Republican hands for decades.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Spanberger disclosed on her SF-86 that she had worked as a substitute advance placement English teacher beginning in 2002 at the Islamic Saudi Academy in Mount Vernon, Virginia. The school, which is funded by the Saudi government, was thrust into the national spotlight in the mid-2000s and earned the nickname “Terror High” after the 2005 class valedictorian later admitted to joining al-Qaida and was sentenced to 30 years in prison for plotting to kill President George W. Bush.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CLF suggested in its ads that Spanberger was sympathetic to terrorist elements due to her stint at the school.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The New York Times reported in August that CLF had shared Spanberger’s file with an Associated Press reporter, who then shared it with Spanberger and revealed CLF as the source.</font></span></p></div></div><div lyon="Lyon" text="Text" georgia="Georgia" garamond="Garamond" serif="serif" vertical-align="vertical-align" baseline="baseline" color="color" rgb="rgb" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><div theme="[object Object]" class="" provider="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; font-weight: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Spanberger’s campaign initially questioned whether CLF and America Rising had obtained her file through illicit means.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; font-weight: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The day after the initial New York Times report, America Rising provided Roll Call with documentation showing that it had received the file in late June through a standard Freedom of Information Act request.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; font-weight: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The IG report released last month confirms the authenticity of those documents.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; font-weight: inherit; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“That the USPS has acknowledged this was an issue on their end is just further evidence that <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank" href="https://www.rollcall.com/members?118575&utm_source=memberLink?utm_source=memberLink" title="Click to view member info in a new window" class="memberLink" shape="rect" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: inline;">Abigail Spanberger</a> wasn’t telling the truth when she falsely accused CLF of breaking the law and pitched a phony storyline to the New York Times,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">” CLF spokeswoman Courtney Alexander said at the time.</span></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">CLF declined to give a follow-up statement responding to the IG report.</font></b></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; font-weight: inherit; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">the reports of Spanberger’s improper personnel file release shocked national security experts who have filed their own SF-86s and reviewed SF-86s of other government employees whom they have hired. The reports from the fallout ignited a debate about how political groups should handle government-confidential information they inadvertently get their hands on through clerical errors that were not necessarily their own doing.</font></span></p></div></div><div lyon="Lyon" text="Text" georgia="Georgia" garamond="Garamond" serif="serif" vertical-align="vertical-align" baseline="baseline" color="color" rgb="rgb" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><div theme="[object Object]" class="" provider="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.875rem; padding: 0px; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: calc(1.6); vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The USPS has taken “initial corrective action” to ensure other employees’ files go through the proper redaction in response to FOIA requests, the IG report stated. Internal corrective measures include “changing and documenting procedures for handling personnel information requests, establishing a correspondence log to track personnel information requests and responses, and providing FOIA and privacy training to [HR] staff,” according to the report.</font></p></div></div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">they offered /gave file to AP unredacted?</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">joe pounder ltr demands nyt</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">...</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">america Rising submitted a standard FOIA request seeking information from the National Personnel Records Center,which was referred to the USPS, an independent agency. The USPS responded to America Rising's request with their complete personnel file, which included Spanberger's SF-86. America Rising did not specifically request the SF-86. </font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A reporter from BuzzFeed </font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">contacted the United States Postal Service and was able to verify that the agency had indeed released Spanberger's entire, unredacted personnel file in their response to the FOIA.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Requesting personnel records of candidates who have worked in the federal government is standard fare for both political parties. The USPS may have made a mistake in not redacting personal information in their response to America Rising but <b>America Rising does not provide out personal information to the press</b> like home addresses or Social Security numbers. By forgoing its journalistic responsibilities,</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The New York Times</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> published false and misleading allegations that led to accusations of criminal activity or potential hacking. <b> We would like to request an official correction to the original piece to explain this timeline fully.</b> Sincerely, Joe Pounder CEO America Rising Corp.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="https://americarisingcorp.com/letter-to-the-editors-of-the-new-york-times/" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; outline: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://americarisingcorp.com/letter-to-the-editors-of-the-new-york-times/</font></a></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><br style="" /></font></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">}}</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large">Every expert I know believes that the Cambridge Analytica breach was just the tip of the iceberg: my investigation found evidence that other huge ‘friend databases’ were similarly extracted from Facebook and weaponised for political use</span><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">. Last year I co-founded the Freedom From Facebook campaign calling for Zuckerberg’s near-monopoly control of social messaging data to be broken up; we were immediately targeted with disinformation by </span><b style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Facebook’s own negative PR firm,</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"> Definers Public Affairs.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Definers is run by notorious Republican ‘opposition researchers’ from the political action committee America Rising, which even hosted a joint Christmas party with Cambridge Analytica in 2015.</span></b></span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>NTK Network is a unique news website that brings together data points from all platforms to tell the whole story</b>. No single news report, photo, or video shows the complete picture. Instead, they have different sources and angles that provide glimpses into a moment. NTK is dedicated to bringing all those angles together so our readers have a complete understanding of what is happening. Today, the amount of information available to readers is overwhelming. NTK wants to break through that. At the same time, we work with partners and organizations to provide content that is unique and original to our audience.</font></p><h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 41px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="">The NTK Editorial Team</font></h2><p style="margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Joe Pounder, </b>Editor-in-Chief <a href="https://twitter.com/PounderFile" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">@Pounderfile</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jeff Bechdel, Managing Editor <a href="https://twitter.com/jeets" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">@Jeets</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Fran Brennan, Political Editor <a href="https://twitter.com/FrancisBrennan" target="blank" rel="noopener" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">@francisbrennan</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><a href="https://ntknetwork.com/who-are-john-and-laura-arnold-the-liberal-billionaires-youve-never-heard-of/"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">https://ntknetwork.com/who-are-john-and-laura-arnold-the-liberal-billionaires-youve-never-heard-of/</font></a></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">hit job on arnolds</font></div><div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">early everyone involved in politics has heard of Tom Steyer, George Soros, and Michael Bloomberg – liberal billionaires who actively fund the far-left liberal machine.</font></p><div class="textCenter" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: center; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div id="tpd-box-ad-cm" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="textCenter" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: center; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div id="tpd-box-ad-c" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And yet even the most astute political observer likely hasn’t heard of Laura and John Arnold, the latest liberal super-donors to come on the scene. Unlike Steyers, Soros, and Bloomberg, the Arnolds aren’t crisscrossing the country on an impeachment tour; they haven’t donated to multiple generations of liberal Democrats; and neither has served as mayor of the country’s most populous city.</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Instead, John Arnold made his millions first as an energy trader for Enron, the company <a href="http://fortune.com/2012/05/04/when-a-billionaire-trader-loses-his-edge/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">best known for</a> “one of the most scandalous corporate bankruptcies in American history,” then as a hedge fund manager based in Houston. He retired at the ripe old age of 38.</font></p><div class="textCenter" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: center; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div id="tpd-contextual-ad-b" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><div id="taboola-below-article-thumbnails-11" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Now he and his wife are quietly building an empire of non-profits and super PACs with increasingly political agendas. They’ve hired a former Democrat ad-maker and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-wakana-43734614/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">Obama staffer</a> to help run Patients for Affordable Drugs, which has an affiliated super PAC and independent expenditure arm. That organization’s super PAC, Patients for Affordable Drugs Action, has thus far only used its funds to attack Republicans, <a href="https://ntknetwork.com/laura-john-arnold-tied-bipartisan-super-pac-has-only-attacked-republicans/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">according to available FEC data</a>.</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But that’s not all. Both Laura and John Arnold have given maxed-out donations of $5,400 to Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) this year; they each donated $23,900 to the Democratic National Committee and $28,500 to the Obama victory fund in 2008; and they’ve donated millions to groups like Planned Parenthood. Arnold also routinely criticizes President Trump on Twitter:</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[twt] :</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">John Arnold</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">@JohnArnoldFndtn</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump announced presidency bid 17 months ago & I still have virtually no idea his position on any issue besides TPP. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/22/us/politics/donald-trump-visit.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share …</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">24</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">3:51 PM - Nov 22, 2016</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Twitter Ads info and privacy</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">President-elect Donald J. Trump met with journalists from the newsroom and opinion staff at The New York Times on Tuesday.</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump, in Interview, Moderates Views but Defies Conventions</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In a discussion at The New York Times, the president-elect was less adamant on prosecuting Hillary Clinton, the use of waterboarding and climate change.</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">nytimes.com</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">See John Arnold's other Tweets</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Outside of just financial donations to liberal candidates and causes, the Arnolds have also swooped into states to boost efforts that dictate winners and losers in the market. According to the <i style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;">Philadelphia Inquirer</i>, the Arnolds <a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/news/soda-tax-philadelphia-supreme-court-pennsylvania-20180718.html" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">spent $500,000</a> to establish a soda tax in Philadelphia.</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Like their liberal ally Michael Bloomberg, the Arnolds <a href="https://www.thetrace.org/rounds/gun-violence-research-50-million-private-funders/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">donated $20 million</a> to research anti-Second Amendment initiatives and are hoping to raise an additional $30 million for the effort.</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Arnolds have also set their sights on redistricting, with heavy 2018 investments in states like <a href="https://www.ksl.com/?sid=46368094&nid=148" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">Utah</a> and <a href="https://www.mlive.com/expo/news/erry-2018/07/9ca134967c4642/see-which-michigan-ballot-prop.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">Michigan</a>. In these states, the Arnold’s “Action Now Initiative” is funding efforts to create commissions that would redraw political districting maps and force legislatures to vote on the maps it creates.</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And just the other day, John Arnold <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnArnoldFndtn/status/1023966398047911938" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration-line: none;">tweeted</a> that the $32.6-trillion price tag associated with Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) Medicare For All proposal is “wildly misleading.” Of course, even if the study were $10 trillion off, that would still exceed the current U.S. debt.</font></p><p style="text-align: left; margin: 0px 0px 30px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.625rem; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Despite keeping a largely low profile up until now, the Arnolds seem to be ramping up their political activity and spending of late. With less than 100 days until the 2018 midterm elections, keep an eye out for even more donations and public support from this up-and-coming liberal power couple in the days and months ahead.</font></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">LI</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" /><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>Joe Pounder</b></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>President at Definers Public Affairs</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Washington D.C. Metro AreaPolitical Organization</div><div style="text-align: left;">Current<span style="white-space:pre"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Definers Public Affairs, America Rising LLC</div><div style="text-align: left;">Previous<span style="white-space:pre"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Marco Rubio for President, Republican National Committee, Office of US Senator Marco Rubio</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Education<span style="white-space:pre"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;">500+</div><div style="text-align: left;">connections</div><div style="text-align: left;">View Joe Pounder’s full profile. It's free!</div><div style="text-align: left;">Your colleagues, classmates, and 500 million other professionals are on LinkedIn.</div><div style="text-align: left;">View Joe’s Full Profile</div><div style="text-align: left;">Joe Pounder’s Posts & Activity</div><div style="text-align: left;">See all 5 posts</div><div style="text-align: left;">
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Policy Is Predictable</div><div style="text-align: left;">July 9, 2018</div><div style="text-align: left;">Preparing for tomorrows lobbying campaign can begin today.... Journalists, U.S. allies, the markets, and even some talking heads have all claimed to be surprised by President Donald Trump’s robust...</div><div style="text-align: left;">
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Niall Ferguson</b> Was Right To...</div><div style="text-align: left;">June 4, 2018</div><div style="text-align: left;">The historian and political commentator Niall Ferguson has caused quite a stir, and it’s now cost him a post at Stanford. As The New Republic’s Jeet Heer reported last week, emails released by the...</div><div style="text-align: left;">
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Vetting Is A Sure Draft Pick</div><div style="text-align: left;">April 27, 2018</div><div style="text-align: left;">Ah, spring: March Madness, opening day, and the NFL draft. For anyone who loves sports—fans, owners, athletes—it’s a great time of year. Unless, 22 hours before the draft, reporters uncover...</div><div style="text-align: left;">See all activity</div><div style="text-align: left;">Joe Pounder liked this</div><div style="text-align: left;">
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Harbinger Strategies is pleased to welcome Jonathan Slemrod...</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Joe Pounder liked this</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Definers' Colin Reed joined Fox News to discuss what we can...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Joe Pounder shared</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Definers Public Affairs is making some promotions and...</div><div style="text-align: left;">WASHINGTON – Today, Definers Public Affairs, the unique strategic communications firm that applies...</div><div style="text-align: left;">Joe Pounder liked this</div><div style="text-align: left;">
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Incredibly proud to join the great team at <b>Monument Policy..</b>.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Monument Continues Strong Public Affairs Growth FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 25, 2018 Contact:...</div><div style="text-align: left;">Joe Pounder shared</div><div style="text-align: left;">
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Welcoming Eric Wilson on to the team at Definers Public...</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Former Rubio, Gillespie Digital Chief Brings Expertise to Definers</span> WASHINGTON, DC, AUGUST 29, 2018...</div><div style="text-align: left;">Joe Pounder shared</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">New data from Definers Public Affairs and <b>WPA Intelligence..</b>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Kavanaugh </b>support is highest in North Dakota, Montana, West Virginia and Missouri.</div><div style="text-align: left;">See more</div><div style="text-align: left;">Experience</div><div style="text-align: left;">Definers Public Affairs</div><div style="text-align: left;">President</div><div style="text-align: left;">Definers Public Affairs</div><div style="text-align: left;">January 2015 – Present 3 years 11 months</div><div style="text-align: left;">Arlington, VA</div><div style="text-align: left;">https://www.linkedin.com/company/definers-public-affairs</div><div style="text-align: left;">
</div><div style="text-align: left;">America Rising LLC</div><div style="text-align: left;">President</div><div style="text-align: left;">America Rising LLC</div><div style="text-align: left;">March 2013 – Present 5 years 9 months</div><div style="text-align: left;">www.americarisingpac.org</div><div style="text-align: left;">Marco Rubio for President</div><div style="text-align: left;">Senior Adviser</div><div style="text-align: left;">Marco Rubio for President</div><div style="text-align: left;">November 2015 – March 2016 5 months</div><div style="text-align: left;">Washington D.C. Metro Area</div><div style="text-align: left;">Republican National Committee</div><div style="text-align: left;">Research Director And Deputy Communications Director</div><div style="text-align: left;">Republican National Committee</div><div style="text-align: left;">May 2011 – March 2013 1 year 11 months</div><div style="text-align: left;">Washington, D.C.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Office of US Senator Marco Rubio</div><div style="text-align: left;">Communications Director</div><div style="text-align: left;">Office of US Senator Marco Rubio</div><div style="text-align: left;">January 2011 – October 2011 10 months</div><div style="text-align: left;">Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate</div><div style="text-align: left;">Deputy Campaign Manager for Communications</div><div style="text-align: left;">Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate</div><div style="text-align: left;">March 2010 – May 2011 1 year 3 months</div><div style="text-align: left;">Office of House Republican Whip </div><div style="text-align: left;">Strategic Communications Director<b>Eric Cantor</b></div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" /><div style="text-align: left;"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Office of House Republican Whip Eric Cantor</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div style="text-align: left;">January 2009 – March 2010 1 year 3 months</div><div style="text-align: left;">John McCain 2008</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rapid Response Director</div><div style="text-align: left;">John McCain 2008</div><div style="text-align: left;">2008 – 2008 less than a year</div><div style="text-align: left;">Romney for President, Inc.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Rapid Response Director</div><div style="text-align: left;">Romney for President, Inc.</div><div style="text-align: left;">2007 – 2008 1 year</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>California Republican Party</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">Deputy Research Director</div><div style="text-align: left;">California Republican Party</div><div style="text-align: left;">2006 – 2006 less than a year</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Bush-Cheney '04</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">War Room Intern</span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Bush-Cheney '04</div><div style="text-align: left;">2004 – 2004 less than a year</div><div style="text-align: left;">Education</div><div style="text-align: left;">
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Bachelor, International Affairs</div><div style="text-align: left;">2002 – 2005</div><div style="text-align: left;">
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Ali Pardo</div><div style="text-align: left;">Communications & Media Relations Professional</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">bs? off</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">w<span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" background-color="background-color" rgb="rgb" letter-spacing="letter-spacing" em="em">PA Opinion Research Announces Name Change to WPA Intelligence</span></font></div><p name="f8ea" id="f8ea" class="graf graf--p graf-after--h3" style="text-align: left; margin: 10px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One of the oft-repeated narratives coming out of the last election cycle is <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/what-went-wrong-polling-clinton-trump/507188/" data-href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/11/what-went-wrong-polling-clinton-trump/507188/" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="noopener nofollow" target="blank" style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.54); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-image: linear-gradient(to right, currentcolor 100%, currentcolor 0px); background-size: 1px 1px; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px);">“The polls were wrong.”</a></font></p><p name="b725" id="b725" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While not entirely accurate, it is true that few analysts predicted a Trump victory.</font></p><p name="0751" id="0751" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-polls-missed-trump-we-asked-pollsters-why/" data-href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-polls-missed-trump-we-asked-pollsters-why/" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="noopener nofollow" target="blank" style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.54); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-image: linear-gradient(to right, currentcolor 100%, currentcolor 0px); background-size: 1px 1px; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px);">Suggested reasons for such widespread inaccuracy</a> include unthinkability bias, groupthink, faulty assumptions, dishonest responses, a shockingly unorthodox candidate and, of course, poor sampling.</font></p><p name="2673" id="2673" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">One excuse is structural: it’s becoming harder and harder to gather interview responses via phone <span class="markup--strong markup--p-strong" style="font-weight: 700;"><em class="markup--em markup--p-em" style="font-feature-settings: " liga="liga" salt="salt">and</em></span> anticipate who is going to vote. Whatever the cause, it has fanned the flames over whether polling is more art or science. Either way, it’s clear both have to improve.</font></p><p name="6c9e" id="6c9e" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="markup--em markup--p-em" style="font-feature-settings: " liga="liga" salt="salt"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Luckily, as it relates to the science side things have been getting better. A lot better.</font></span></p><p name="72b8" id="72b8" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Today, through data science, we can examine individual preferences, beliefs, and choices at a granular level and ultimately use these findings to predict future behavior.</font></p><p name="58e9" id="58e9" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Similar to the way companies use data to determine who is likely to choose Coke or Pepsi, it’s possible to predict with a high level of confidence who will vote, what messages will motivate or persuade, which policies have support, and, yes, which candidate(s) will win or lose.</font></p><p name="4c0e" id="4c0e" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Predictive models give us insights that sample surveys alone cannot, and merging the two tools allows us to make polling more accurate as well by fully accounting for vote likelihood.</font></p><p name="f0b3" id="f0b3" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Further, models can perform in ways no poll ever could. Rather than just delivering data to a candidate informing that, say, “roughly 60% of a county supports school choice”, predictive models inform specifically <span class="markup--strong markup--p-strong" style="font-weight: 700;">who</span> which voters those supporters are, beyond just their demographic composition.</font></p><p name="5637" id="5637" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">This kind of information better instructs a campaign on who to turnout, who to persuade, and who to avoid. It means the use of resources become highly efficient, delivering more the <span class="markup--strong markup--p-strong" style="font-weight: 700;">right message</span> to the right voting bloc and ultimately eliminating the waste of critical resources.</font></p><p name="88ff" id="88ff" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">At WPA, we believe analytics is the future of research. If you’re not including analytic tools in your campaign research, you’re not in the game. <span class="markup--strong markup--p-strong" style="font-weight: 700;">You’re using a Walkman in an Smartphone world.</span></font></p><p name="dad8" id="dad8" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">To stay ahead of the shift, we have invested significantly in making data analytics an underpinning staple of our work. The smartest decisions are no longer coming from the graybeards poring over crosstabs (the political equivalent of the baseball scout discounting a prospect over his choice of girlfriend), but PhD’s writing algorithms and modeling a race.</font></p><p name="e72a" id="e72a" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://www.wpaintel.com/" data-href="http://www.wpaintel.com" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="nofollow noopener" target="blank" style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.54); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-image: linear-gradient(to right, currentcolor 100%, currentcolor 0px); background-size: 1px 1px; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px);"><span class="markup--strong markup--p-strong" style=""><span class="markup--em markup--p-em" style="font-feature-settings: " liga="liga" salt="salt"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">With this in mind, WPA Research has officially become WPA Intelligence.</font></span></span></a></p><p name="b7fa" id="b7fa" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Whether it’s business, politics, marketing, or public affairs, better intelligence means better decision-making and that means a higher level of success for our clients.</font></p><p name="2ce7" id="2ce7" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As part of our rebranding, WPA Intelligence’s new logo includes a rendition of <a href="http://www.maa.org/press/periodicals/convergence/leonardo-da-vincis-geometric-sketches-icosahedron" data-href="http://www.maa.org/press/periodicals/convergence/leonardo-da-vincis-geometric-sketches-icosahedron" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="nofollow noopener" target="blank" style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.54); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-image: linear-gradient(to right, currentcolor 100%, currentcolor 0px); background-size: 1px 1px; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px);">Leonardo da Vinci’s icosahedron</a>, a 20-sided geometrical figure. Perhaps the world’s most famous Renaissance Man, da Vinci was equal parts artist and scientist...[logo]</font></p><p name="4a21" id="4a21" class="graf graf--p graf-after--figure" style="text-align: left; margin: 38px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">da Vinci’s illustration of the icosahedron aptly symbolizes the intersection of these disciplines; an effort to envision the rigor of geometry. It is in this space — the border between the creative and scientific — where WPA Intelligence finds its focus. Although we did take liberties with da Vinci’s illustration, adding <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_neural_network" data-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_neural_network" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="noopener nofollow" target="blank" style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.54); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-image: linear-gradient(to right, currentcolor 100%, currentcolor 0px); background-size: 1px 1px; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px);">neural networks</a>.</font></p><p name="ac88" id="ac88" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For more than a decade, WPA — now WPAi — has been developing, honing, testing, innovating, and implementing various strategies using data science and predictive analytics.</font></p><p name="f751" id="f751" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b style="">Successes reach back to Utah Senator Mike Lee’s 2010 unexpected victory over a long-time incumbent, </b>2012’s upset by attorney Ted Cruz over an establishment favorite, to our 2016 work on behalf of the <a href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/the-selling-of-the-candidates-2016/article/2005352" data-href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/the-selling-of-the-candidates-2016/article/2005352" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="nofollow noopener" target="blank" style="text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.54); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-image: linear-gradient(to right, currentcolor 100%, currentcolor 0px); background-size: 1px 1px; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px);">Club for Growth to assist in Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson’s come-from-behind victory</a>.</font></p><p name="a359" id="a359" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As Director of Research, Analytics and Digital Strategy for Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign, WPA Intelligence’s Founder Chris Wilson, along with WPAi Chief Research Officer Bryon Allen, helped build more than 1,800 models nationwide, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-02-02/how-ted-cruz-engineered-his-iowa-triumph" data-href="https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-02-02/how-ted-cruz-engineered-his-iowa-triumph" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="noopener nofollow" target="blank" style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.54); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-image: linear-gradient(to right, currentcolor 100%, currentcolor 0px); background-size: 1px 1px; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px);">propelling the campaign to a stunning win in Iowa’s primary (where they used 167 different modeled segments to target specific voter groups).</a></font></p><p name="125c" id="125c" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">There were few instances as high profile of the <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/ia/iowa_republican_presidential_caucus-3194.html#polls" data-href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/ia/iowa_republican_presidential_caucus-3194.html#polls" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="noopener nofollow" target="blank" style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.54); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-image: linear-gradient(to right, currentcolor 100%, currentcolor 0px); background-size: 1px 1px; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px);">failures of traditional polling as a stand alone predictor as that of the public surveys released in advance of the Iowa caucuses.</a> While public data predicted a significantly different outcome, our internal <a href="http://cookpolitical.com/story/8692" data-href="http://cookpolitical.com/story/8692" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="noopener nofollow" target="blank" style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.54); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-image: linear-gradient(to right, currentcolor 100%, currentcolor 0px); background-size: 1px 1px; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px);">Cruz models provided confidence and clarity in the final decisions made leading up to caucus night.</a></font></p><p name="616f" id="616f" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And just recently, WPA Intelligence’s data models <a href="http://theresurgent.com/polling-house-freedom-caucus-saved-gop-from-2018-disaster/" data-href="http://theresurgent.com/polling-house-freedom-caucus-saved-gop-from-2018-disaster/" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="nofollow noopener" target="blank" style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.54); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-image: linear-gradient(to right, currentcolor 100%, currentcolor 0px); background-size: 1px 1px; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px);">demonstrated the much-maligned House Freedom Caucus in fact curbed a potential fatal error in legislative governance that would have yielded significant ramifications in the midterms by opposing the American Health Care Act.</a></font></p><p name="3aa8" id="3aa8" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Like any tool, data science doesn’t guarantee victory or success. <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2016/02/10/high-tech_ted_129609.html" data-href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2016/02/10/high-tech_ted_129609.html" class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.54); background-repeat: repeat-x; background-image: linear-gradient(to right, currentcolor 100%, currentcolor 0px); background-size: 1px 1px; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px);">But certainly the better intelligence the campaign or the organization has, the more likely it is to make better decisions, use resources wisely, and produce results.</a></font></p><p name="833d" id="833d" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Today, companies wouldn’t be caught dead without an in-house IT department. Likewise, it is time for the data team to become as integral on campaigns as media consultants, fundraisers, and even energetic volunteers.</font></p><p name="b7b9" id="b7b9" class="graf graf--p graf-after--p graf--trailing" style="text-align: left; margin: 29px 0px 0px; --baseline-multiplier:0.17; line-height: 1.58; letter-spacing: -0.003em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">All the polls might be wrong, but data never lies<i style="font-weight: bold;">. </i><span class="markup--strong markup--p-strong" style=""><span class="markup--em markup--p-em" style="font-feature-settings: " liga="liga" salt="salt">We’re betting the future on it.</span></span></font></p><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/19/climate/epa-definers-public-affairs-contract.html?mtrref=www.google.com</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>A consulting firm has pulled out of a federal contract to provide media monitoring services to the Environmental Protection Agency after it was disclosed that a lawyer among its top executives had been investigating agency employees critical of the Trump administration.</b></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Joe Pounder, the president of Definers Public Affairs, said in a statement on Twitter that his company’s $120,000 contract with the E.P.A., which it was awarded this month, had become a “distraction.”</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The contract came under scrutiny because of the company’s links to America Rising, a Virginia-based corporation and Republican political operation with several offshoots that have investigated E.P.A. officials. One lawyer on the company’s staff, Allan Blutstein, sent a series of Freedom of Information Act requests to the E.P.A. asking for email correspondence by employees who had been publicly critical of the Trump administration’s management of the agency.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">America Rising and its affiliates also separately deployed “trackers” to videotape climate change activists and produced news releases and videos favorable to Scott Pruitt, the administrator of the E.P.A.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Definers Public Affairs, a corporate entity, shares multiple top executives with America Rising, including Mr. Pounder. Both he and E.P.A. officials said the contract was solely to monitor and collect news articles and videos that appear about the agency. E.P.A. officials said a need for compiling those news reports was not being met sufficiently by its previous vendor.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But agency employees — particularly those who had been targeted by America Rising after they raised questions about the management of Mr. Trump’s E.P.A. — said they were fearful the new contract might translate into increased surveillance of agency staff.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">E.P.A. officials and Mr. Pounder disputed that suggestion.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Definers offered E.P.A. a better and more efficient news clipping service that would give E.P.A.’s employees real-time news at a lower cost than what previous administrations paid for more antiquated clipping services,” Mr. Pounder said. “But it’s become clear this will become a distraction. As a result, Definers and the E.P.A. have decided to forgo the contract.”</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Below is my statement regarding the EPA contract... pic.twitter.com/JWYBxeZNiT</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">— Joe Pounder (@PounderFile) December 19, 2017</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mr. Pounder also said on Twitter that other government agencies had expressed interest in his company’s services, but said his firm would no longer work with the federal government.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Contract documents show that Definers — which on its website lists its founder, president and top partner — applied to the E.P.A. as a “disadvantaged business,” a status that can give a bidder preference as it pursues a federal contract</span>.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Asked about this filing, Mr. Pounder said that it was a computer error,</b> and that the company recently corrected its status in the federal contracting system to make clear that it was not a “disadvantaged business.”</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">An E.P.A. spokesman said that Definers did not receive any benefit as a result of the original disadvantaged status claim.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">move to drop the contract came after a liberal nonprofit group, Public Citizen, filed a formal protest late Monday with the Government Accountability Office saying that Definers had illegally been granted the deal.</span> Public Citizen cited contract records indicating that no other bidders had been considered. The protest was filed on behalf of two other companies that offer similar services to the ones that Definers had been hired to deliver.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Federal law establishes that full and open competition is the standard means for contracting,” the protest letter said.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jahan Wilcox, an E.P.A. spokesman, declined to say why the agency had listed the contract as a sole-source notification, with Definers as the intended recipient.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He noted that the agency publicly announced the no-bid contract on federal websites, as is required, so that other vendors could have the opportunity to apply. One other company responded, E.P.A. officials said, and Definers was chosen for the job. Mr. Wilcox did not identify the other company.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“How we consume the news has changed, and we hope to find a vendor that can provide us with real-time news clips at a rate that is cheaper than our previous vendor,” he said.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Separately, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat of Rhode Island, and Senator Kamala Harris, Democrat of California, sent a letter on Tuesday to Mr. Pruitt, urging him to move on his own to cancel the contract.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Mr. Whitehouse said that America Rising Squared, a dark-money, nonprofit partner of Definers, set up a website this year pushing the Senate to confirm Mr. Pruitt.<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> </span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">He said the firm also has conducted an elaborate surveillance operation tracking climate activists critical of the Trump administration, including Tom Steyer, the liberal billionaire donor, and sought to gather emails of E.P.A. employees who questioned Mr. Pruitt’s actions and policy.</span></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“E.P.A.’s contract with Definers risks further politicizing the agency and is another instance of E.P.A. under your tenure becoming captured by the industry it regulates,” Mr. Whitehouse wrote, citing reporting by The New York Times and Mother Jones, which was the first to disclose the contract award. “At a minimum, it presents an appearance of impropriety to which you as administrator should never be a party. For the reasons that follow, you should terminate this contract immediately.”</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Statements by Mr. Pounder that America Rising and Definers are separate entities were simply false, Mr. Whitehouse said in his letter.</b></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“These organizations may have different corporate forms, but we should all be clear that they are merely different parts of the same multifaceted partisan operation,” Mr. Whitehouse wrote. “Any claim they are distinct is a sham.”</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Joe Wagner, the managing director of the Washington office of Fenton, a public relations firm that identifies itself as supporting social change and was a party to the protest filed by Public Citizen, said he was glad the contract award had been terminated.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“They should put it out to bid,” he said. “That is standard practice.”</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">no lix 12/17</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">lipton &</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">2016 Definers Corp.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Joe Pounder</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Named by GQ as one of the most powerful people in Washington, D.C. for his ability to influence the national news cycle and <b>described as “a master of opposition research” by National Review...</b></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">?</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Joe Pounder</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">President</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Read More</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Todd Scher</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Todd Scher</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Research Associate</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Todd conducts research services for Definers clients. Prior to joining Definers, he worked as an analyst in the Republican National Committee's research department. Todd was born and raised in New York...</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Read More</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Brian Rogers</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Senior Vice President</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Brian Rogers brings a wealth of communications and research experience in high-stakes political campaigns and government. He previously served as Communications Director to U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Deputy...</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Brian Rogers</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Read More</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mike conducts research and war room services. Before joining<b> Definers, he was a War Room Analyst at America Rising,</b> LLC. Prior to that, he worked in the War Room at the Republican National Committee....</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mike Presutti</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mike Presutti</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Research Associate</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Read More</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sam’s excellent organization skills and positive attitude keep things running smoothly at Definers Corp. Sam graduated from The University of Arkansas-Monticello and quickly joined America Rising LLC...</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sam Montgomery</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sam Montgomery</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Office Manager</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Read More</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Andrew conducts research services for Definers Before joining Definers, Andrew was a War Room Analyst for Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign and a War Room Analyst for America Rising LLC...</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sam Montgomery</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Andrew Lautz</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Research Associate</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Read More</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Michael Chenderlin</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Chief Digital Officer</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Michael Chenderlin is a veteran digital strategist most recently playing a key role within Sen. Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign where he developed digital campaigns for grassroots activation, voter turnout and volunteer...</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mike Chenderlin</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Read More</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The team at Definers Public Affairs is comprised of leading communications, political and research professionals. Founded by former Romney-Ryan 2012 campaign manager Matt Rhoades and former RNC Research Director Joe Pounder, Definers helps corporations, trade associations, political campaigns and issue-based clients run smarter campaigns using cutting-edge research and communications strategies and tactics.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">WHO WE ARE</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jim Barnett’s experience spreads presidential, statewide, local, corporate and issue campaigns. <b>Prior to joining Definers, Barnett served as Vice President for Political Affairs for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s...</b></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jim Barnett</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Chief Operating Officer</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jim Barnett</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Read More</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Julia Cotrone</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As a special assistant at Definers Corp, Julia makes sure the trains are running on time and the team is firing on all cylinders. After graduating from The Catholic University of America, she went right to work for Governor Romney's...</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Julia Cotrone</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Special Assistant</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Read More</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Geoff Embler is a proud military brat born in Japan and raised in South Carolina. Geoff has worked in politics at all levels as a researcher and communicator, from state legislative campaigns, to congressional and Senate...</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Geoff Embler</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Senior Vice President</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Geoff Embler</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Read More</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">OUR TEAM</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tim Killeen</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tim Killeen</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Senior Vice President</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Tim Killeen has a background in research and communications. Previously, he worked for America Rising, the Republican National Committee, high-profile political campaigns, the Washington Free Beacon, and the national..</span>.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Read More</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Will Schenkel</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Will Schenkel</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">War Room Associate</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Will provides war room research services to Definers clients. Prior to joining Definers, he fulfilled a similar capacity for other firms and political offices, as well as on numerous campaigns in his native northeast...</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Read More</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Christy Paavola</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Vice President</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Christy Paavola possesses a diverse set of experiences in research and communications. Prior to joining Definers Corp., Christy was the Research Director for CARLY for America, the Super PAC supporting Carly Fiorina’s presidential bid...</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Christy Paavola</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Read More</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Read More</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sara started her career as a graphic designer working with political and corporate clients in the DC area straight out of art school. She has used her unique perspective as an in-house creative to help her clients stand out against...</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sara Pietsch</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Art Director</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Sara Pietsch</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jasmine Sossa</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jasmine Sossa</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Graphic Designer</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jasmine Sossa is a graphic designer with a heart that beats for creative and clean aesthetics. She attended Art School and finished with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Graphic and Web Design. Her love of craft beer landed her...</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Read More</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nick Zanetti</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nick Zanetti</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Research Associate</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nick conducts research and war room services for Definers clients. Before joining Definers, he was Deputy War Room Director at America Rising LLC. Prior to that, he worked in the war room of Ken Cuccinelli’s gubernatorial...</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Read More</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Matt Rhoades</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Matt Rhoades</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Founder</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Matt Rhoades is one of America’s most accomplished political and public affairs professionals. He served as campaign manager for the Romney-Ryan 2012 presidential campaign, guiding Gov. Romney through...</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Read More</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Tim Killeen </b>has a background in research and communications. Previously, he worked for America Rising, the Republican National Committee, high-profile political campaigns, the Washington Free Beacon, and the national security non-profit Keep America Safe. Originally from California, Tim graduated from Claremont McKenna College, where he played water polo and studied Government. Tim lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife and two dogs, Finnegan and Seamus.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Barnett’s experience spreads presidential, statewide, local, corporate and issue campaigns. Prior to joining Definers, <b>Barnett served as Vice President for Political Affairs for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform</b>. Barnett is a veteran of Republican politics having managed Sen. John McCain’s comeback victory in the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary and U.S. Senator Scott Brown’s $45 million 2012 campaign. He is a past chairman of the Vermont Republican Party and served as deputy campaign manager and communications director for Governor Jim Douglas’s 2002 upset victory</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jim Barnett</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Chief Operating Officer</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jim Barnett’s experience spreads presidential, statewide, local, corporate and issue campaigns. Prior to joining Definers, Barnett served as Vice President for Political Affairs for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform. Barnett is a veteran of Republican politics having managed Sen. John McCain’s comeback victory in the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary and U.S. Senator Scott Brown’s $45 million 2012 campaign. He is a past chairman of the Vermont Republican Party and served as deputy campaign manager and communications director for Governor Jim Douglas’s 2002 upset victory.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Joe Pounder</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">President</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Named by GQ as one of the most powerful people in Washington, D.C. for his ability to influence the national news cycle and described as “a master of opposition research” by National Review, Joe Pounder is one of the nation’s most sought after political communicators. Pounder is a co-founder and president of the Republican rapid response and opposition research firm America Rising. He has served as a senior advisor for Sen. Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign and as communications director in his Senate office, research director at the Republican National Committee, and rapid response director on the presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney and John McCain.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Pounder</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">President</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Named by GQ as one of the most powerful people in Washington, D.C. for his ability to influence the national news cycle and described as “a master of opposition research” by National Review, Joe Pounder is one of the nation’s most sought after political communicators. Pounder is a co-founder and president of the Republican rapid response and opposition research firm America Rising. He has served as a senior advisor for Sen. Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign and as communications director in his Senate office, research director at the Republican National Committee, and rapid response director on the presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney and John McCain.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Joe Pounder</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">President</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Named by GQ as one of the most powerful people in Washington, D.C. for his ability to influence the national news cycle and described as “a master of opposition research” by National Review, Joe Pounder is one of the nation’s most sought after political communicators. Pounder is a co-founder and president of the Republican rapid response and opposition research firm America Rising. He has served as a senior advisor for Sen. Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign and as communications director in his Senate office, research director at the Republican National Committee, and rapid response director on the presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney and John McCain.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">LI bs</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">President</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Definers Public Affairs</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> January 2015 – Present (1 year 7 months)</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> https://www.linkedin.com/company/definers-public-affairs</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> President</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> America Rising LLC</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> March 2013 – Present (3 years 5 months)</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Marco Rubio for President</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Senior Adviser</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Marco Rubio for President</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> November 2015 – March 2016 (5 months)Washington D.C. Metro Area</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Republican National Committee</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Research Director And Deputy Communications Director</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <b>Republican National Committee</b></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> May 2011 – March 2013 (1 year 11 months)</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Communications Director</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Office of US Senator Marco Rubio</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> January 2011 – October 2011 (10 months)</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Deputy Campaign Manager for Communications</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> March 2010 – May 2011 (1 year 3 months)</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Strategic Communications Director</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Office of House Republican Whip Eric Cantor</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> January 2009 – March 2010 (1 year 3 months)</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Rapid Response Director</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> John McCain 2008</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> 2008 – 2008 (less than a year)</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Rapid Response Director</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Romney for President, Inc.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> 2007 – 2008 (1 year)</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> <b>Deputy Research Director</b></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b> California Republican Party</b></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> 2006 – 2006 (less than a year)</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> War Room Intern</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Bush-Cheney '04</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> 2004 – 2004 (less than a year)</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Education</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> The George Washington University</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> The George Washington University</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Bachelor, International Affairs</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> 2002 – 2005</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">--</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">LI scrape</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Brooke Sammon</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Communications & Media Relations Professional</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Raj Shah</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Research Director & Deputy Communications Director at Republican National Committee</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Julia Cotrone</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Special Assistant at Definers Public Affairs</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Geoff Embler</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Senior Vice President at Definers Public Affairs</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Colin Reed</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Campaign Manager at Scott Brown For Senate</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Alexandra Angel</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">VP at America Rising LLC</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Alex Conant</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Partner at Firehouse Strategies</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nick Zanetti</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Researcher At Definers Corporation</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Tim Miller</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Communications Director at Jeb Bush 2016</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Michael Presutti</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Researcher at Definers Public Affairs</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>An Opposition Researcher for the GOP Reveals His Secrets</b></font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> Joe Pounder @PounderFile </font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">June 16, 2016</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Pounder is the President of Definers Public Affairs and America Rising LLC. He previously served as a Senior Adviser to Marco Rubio's presidential campaign and Research Director of the Republican National Committee.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Joe Pounder on how he tries to derail candidates</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The 2016 general election is just beginning to take shape, and already political commentators are asking: What new information could possibly come out that would actually change voters’ minds? We think we know Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. These candidates, their lives, their successes, and their controversies—from cattle futures to Atlantic City exploits—have made headlines for decades. But there is still plenty left to come.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In general, through required disclosures, online databases, and public records requests, more information is available about the public and private lives of candidates running for office today than ever before. Ready to comb through all the information and documents are legions of opposition researchers employed by both parties, which have had researchers gearing up for 2016 ever since the last election ended in 2012. Republicans and Democrats each created dedicated outside groups. The GOP’s America Rising, which I run, and the Democrats’ American Bridge have already spent millions looking into Hillary Clinton’s and Donald Trump’s pasts. (The Democratic National Committee recently had its own files on Trump hacked.) Both sides are actively touting their efforts. Their war chests are strong.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">For those in my field, this is the presidential election of Big Oppo. Massive research files (our Clinton file is over 7,000 pages of distilled research and over 10,000 video clips) are ready to be shared with an American people who, because of social media and the diversification of news platforms, now have an insatiable appetite for more information. With a candidate like Hillary Clinton, we have very long records to search for opportunities. America Rising’s Clinton effort to date has meant an analysis of the public record, compilation of thousands of video clips, numerous state and federal records requests, and trips to more than a dozen states for field research. To win, the real question is where to start.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Opposition research has always been a part of the political process. What’s new is the degree of professionalization on both sides, the transparency in the industry, and now the ability for every American to do it. The best video tracker—those persistent kids who trail candidates with video cameras and have the ability to change the course of an election—could be an everyday citizen in the first row while a candidate shakes hands, who uploaded a video to YouTube or used our organization’s new Grill app. Activists are increasingly doing their own splicing of facts and video together to create new narratives. News organizations are increasingly becoming more about opposition research than reporting.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In this Big Oppo election, a candidate must be prepared. While Clinton and Trump can seem larger than life to most people, for an opposition researcher, their records are no different than any other candidate. Their personal financial disclosures—documents each candidate is required to release—will be scrutinized for how they line up with their stated positions. How they managed their businesses, foundations, and time in government will be analyzed for opportunities. Every on-the-record comment, interview, and speech they ever made has been watched, tagged, and is ready to be exploited should they say one thing today inconsistent with something they said yesterday. For example, Clinton gave a disastrous interview to NPR about her ever-changing position on same-sex marriage, which we were able to exploit it because we already had on file everything she had ever said on the subject. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has been forced to reconcile positions on issues like Iraq and Libya with numerous past interviews.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The goals of having all this research are clear: Define your opponent early in voters’ minds; do not let your opponent get his or her message out; dominate the daily news cycle with research-driven rapid response attacks; and set the record straight in defense of your own boss. However, the most important goal is to provide case studies that reinforce the questions voters already have about either candidate’s character. For example, three years ago, America Rising made a clear determination that our research effort would look to drive questions around Hillary Clinton’s trustworthiness and honesty. Why? Our research showed that voters really did not like Clinton when she was viewed as a typical, out-of-touch politician. It was critical that we tapped into that inherent belief among voters. What we could not imagine was that Clinton had provided the best example by her own decision to use a home server for classified emails. At the same time, our counterparts at American Bridge and the Clinton campaign are just beginning the process of honing an anti-Trump message and field-testing slogans that might appeal to a wider non-Democrat primary audience.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Not to be forgotten is that Clinton and Trump have been around for so long that much of their older records are not known to newer generations. People are voting today who barely remember Bill Clinton’s impeachment or weren’t tuning into The Apprentice.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">How do you take down a presidential candidate? With compelling content the couples a candidate’s positive vision for the future of the country with a clear case for why your opponent can’t take the country forward. Ultimately, to win, a candidate’s message has to simply be better and more compelling than their opponent’s. Each campaign will have to constantly feed out new, negative information. Twitter and Facebook feeds must be fed. News sites must have news. And anchors need breaking scoops, while bloggers must have something to chatter about. And Big Oppo is here for them. There’s no escaping the Big Oppo election.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">TIME Ideas hosts the world's leading voices, providing commentary on events in news, society, and culture. We welcome outside contributions. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors.</font></div><div style="text-align: left;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>