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Open in TheBrain

Lehane, Chris

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vast_right-wing_conspiracy

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legal suppression subpoena

He added that another reason he decided to speak out now was a recent LinkedIn post from Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s head of global affairs, describing the company as having “worked to improve” SB 53—a characterization Calvin said felt deeply at odds with his experience over the past few months.

Encode was founded by Sneha Revanur, who launched the organization in 2020 when she was 15 years old. “She is not a full-time employee yet because she’s still in college,” said Sunny Gandhi, Encode’s vice president of political affairs. “It’s terrifying to have a half a trillion dollar company come after you,” Gandhi said.

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Chris Lehane - Wikipedia

Lehane was involved in frequent aggressive campaigns against government officials, in the run-up to the establishment of short-term rental regulations in Boston, Airbnb went after city council member Michelle Wu, who today is Boston’s mayor. The home-sharing giant Tuesday e-mailed a broad swath of its Boston customers urging them to e-mail City Hall to oppose ‘unreasonable restrictions’ it said Wu has proposed on short-term rentals.[34] In July 2024, Lehane joined the board of Coinbase.[35]

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Chris Lehane is a political consultant known for his role in establishing the pro-crypto super PAC Fairshake, which has been involved in significant lobbying efforts to influence political candidates and policies in favor of the cryptocurrency industry. His strategies have been described as part of a broader trend of using dark money to shape regulations that benefit these industries....

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REV Dr pjt 9 26

Name: Chris Lehane

Title: Chief Global Affairs Officer, OpenAI

Industry Affiliation: OpenAI, Haun Ventures, Coinbase, Airbnb, Lehane & Fabiani

Revolver/Government Experience

Trump Admin Ties

Government Affairs

State Level Action

For more check out AI Villains and The Trump Administration

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Leading the Future - Wikipedia

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transformernews.ai

https://www.transformernews.ai › p › the-guerilla-warrior-who-taught-openai-chris-lehane

The "guerilla warrior" who taught OpenAI to fight

Mar 3, 2026The story depicted Lehane as a cunning and well-connected master of the "political dark arts," dating back to his days in the Clinton White House, who'd used his skills to first help Airbnb thwart local housing regulation, before setting up the pro-crypto super PAC, Fairshake.

citationneeded.news

https://www.citationneeded.news › tech-influence-watch

I'm launching Tech Influence Watch as AI follows crypto into politics

Jun 8, 2026Crypto lobby I'm launching Tech Influence Watch as AI follows crypto into politics Most voters don't know that crypto and AI companies have spent more than $400 million this cycle to buy Congress. Let's make that spending visible.

pjhstudios.com

https://www.pjhstudios.com › 2026 › 06 › 19 › following-the-ai-and-crypto-money

Following the AI and crypto money - PJH Studios

Jun 19, 2026Josh Vlasto, longtime adviser and spokesperson for Fairshake — the cryptocurrency super PAC network responsible for the bulk of crypto's 2024 spending — is now simultaneously heading Leading the Future, a pro-AI super PAC network. 1 Chris Lehane, the political consultant and Coinbase board member who helped establish Fairshake and ...

The New Yorker

https://www.newyorker.com › magazine › 2024 › 10 › 14 › silicon-valley-the-new-lobbying-monster

Silicon Valley, the New Lobbying Monster - The New Yorker

Oct 7, 2024Lehane, collaborating closely with Fairshake, began crafting a pro-crypto message and helping to build a "grassroots" army. "We need to demonstrate there's a crypto voter," he told the ...

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Chris_Lehane

Chris Lehane - Wikipedia

Christopher Stephen Lehane (born June 2, 1967) is an American political consultant and cryptocurrency and AI executive who has served as a lawyer, spokesperson, and expert in opposition research for the Bill Clinton administration, Democratic Party candidates for public office, and various business, labor, entertainment, and professional sports ...

Fortune

https://fortune.com › 2026 › 03 › 18 › ai-crypto-illinois-primary-spending-fairshake-think-big-pac

AI and Crypto spent nearly $20 million to reshape Illinois ... - Fortune

Mar 18, 2026The crypto-backed political action committee Fairshake spent more than $10 million against Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who ultimately won the Democratic nomination to succeed Sen. Dick ...

Revolving Door Project

https://therevolvingdoorproject.org › ai-villains-and-the-trump-admin-chris-lehane

AI Villains and the Trump Administration: Chris Lehane

Jul 9, 2026In early 2022, Lehane left Airbnb for the crypto world, becoming chief strategy officer of Haun Ventures, a crypto-focused venture capital firm. In 2023, Lehane also became an inaugural member of Coinbase's Global Advisory Council, spearheading the industry's response to the FTX collapse and the crypto super PAC Fairshake's entry to the ...

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Leading_the_Future

Leading the Future - Wikipedia

Build American AI is led by Nathan Leamer. [10] NBC News states that Leading The Future's efforts are modeled after the pro-cryptocurrency group Fairshake, which Chris Lehane had previously helped launch. [4][11] Leading the Future is led by Zac Moffatt and Josh Vlasto, the latter of whom previously served as an advisor to Fairshake. [4]

cryptoslate.com

https://cryptoslate.com › furious-crypto-lobbyists-aim-193-million-war-chest-at-washington-chokepoints-not-voters-in-2026-midterms

Furious crypto lobbyists aim $193M war chest at Washington chokepoints ...

Jan 29, 2026Coinbase Ripple and a16z just refilled Fairshake tank but the real play is controlling the committee chokepoints. Fairshake and its affiliate super PACs announced they have more than $193 million in cash on hand heading into the 2026 midterms. The amount includes $74 million raised since July from ...

Public Citizen

https://www.citizen.org › article › corporate-supremacist-super-pacs-500-million-midterm-crypto-ai-sports-betting

Corporate Supremacist Super PACs Drive $500 Million Midterm Spending ...

Jun 30, 2026The $82 million in corporate contributions the crypto-prioritizing Fairshake has received make up 60% its $135 million in 2026 cycle contributions. The $50 million in corporate contributions the AI-prioritizing Leading the Future has received make up two-thirds (67%) of its $75.1 million in 2026 cycle contributions.

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Chris Lehane

grokipedia 1 26

...Aggressive Regulatory Opposition at Airbnb

Chris Lehane served as Airbnb's head of global policy from 2015 to 2021, during which he led efforts to counter regulatory restrictions on short-term rentals in major cities worldwide. Under his leadership, Airbnb invested heavily in lobbying to influence U.S. local governments to ease or block bans on platforms like theirs. Lehane's strategy emphasized data-driven arguments, such as claiming significant economic benefits like job creation and tourism revenue for cities like New York, to portray regulations as economically harmful.In New York City, Lehane spearheaded opposition to a 2016 local law imposing strict limits on short-term rentals, coordinating with hosts to challenge the rules in court and launching public campaigns that highlighted potential job losses in tourism.

:{Airbnb's legal filings, supported by Lehane's policy team, argued that the regulations violated federal housing laws by discriminating against sharing economy models, leading to a temporary injunction in 2016 before partial defeats. Critics, including housing advocates, accused Lehane's tactics of undermining affordable housing efforts, noting that Airbnb's platform facilitated over 6,000 illegal listings in NYC despite rules, exacerbating shortages.

Lehane's approach extended to Europe, where he advocated against a 2017 Barcelona ordinance restricting rentals, using Airbnb's internal data to claim the platform supported 13,000 local jobs and pushed for compromise via partnerships with city officials. In San Francisco, his team lobbied against Proposition F in 2014, a measure to cap rentals at 90 days without host presence, framing it as anti-innovation; the proposition passed narrowly, but Airbnb adapted by funding compliance tools. These efforts reflected Lehane's broader philosophy, drawn from his Clinton-era experience, of aggressive preemption—deploying rapid-response teams, astroturfing host testimonials, and economic impact studies to frame regulators as out of touch with market realities.}:

Despite successes in markets like London, where Lehane helped negotiate a 2017 cap on entire-home rentals at 90 days, his tenure faced backlash for perceived ethical lapses, including undisclosed ties to political allies influencing local votes. Independent analyses, such as a 2019 University of Pennsylvania study, later questioned Airbnb's economic claims, finding minimal net benefits in regulated cities due to displaced long-term housing demand, though Lehane publicly disputed such findings as ideologically driven. His regulatory battles positioned Airbnb as a symbol of tech resistance to government overreach, but also drew scrutiny from bodies like the EU Commission for potentially evading consumer protection standards.

Policy Positions on AI Regulation

Chris Lehane, as OpenAI's Chief Global Affairs Officer, has advocated for a unified federal framework to regulate frontier AI models, emphasizing national safety standards over fragmented state-level rules to prevent regulatory patchwork that could stifle innovation. In a November 2025 Substack post, he argued that OpenAI consistently supports federal legislation for high-risk AI systems, allowing states to lead on non-safety issues like consumer protection while deferring to national oversight for model testing and deployment.[63]

This position aligns with OpenAI's March 2025 response to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and National Science Foundation (NSF) request for information, where Lehane endorsed "freedom-focused" policies to bolster U.S. AI leadership, including reimagining the U.S. AI Safety Institute for domestic evaluation without excessive burdens on smaller developers.[64]Lehane has criticized state-specific regulations as potentially harmful to U.S. competitiveness, urging the Trump administration in early 2025 to shield AI firms from proliferating state laws, such as those in California. He proposed mechanisms like federal preemption or AI Safety Institute certifications to enforce uniform standards for frontier models—defined as those capable of advanced capabilities—while exempting non-frontier systems to foster broad access and economic growth.[65][66]

:{In an August 2025 letter to California officials, co-signed by Lehane, OpenAI recommended aligning state efforts with emerging global standards, like the EU AI Act, to avoid innovation-hindering divergence.[67]Positioning AI as akin to foundational technologies like electricity, Lehane has stated that access to AI tools should be treated as a societal right, with governments ensuring safety through targeted oversight rather than broad restrictions.

In an August 2025 Semafor interview, he stressed balancing risk mitigation with openness, competition, and accountability to build trustworthy AI, projecting confidence in innovation over existential warnings.[68][69] This reflects a strategic shift under the post-Biden era, prioritizing federal coordination to unlock GDP gains—projected by OpenAI at significant levels through infrastructure investment—while opposing measures like California's SB 53 that could impose undue safety mandates on developers.[70][71]}:

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OpenAl Showed Up At My Door. Here’s Why They’re Targeting People Like Me - YouTube

397,988 views Jan 26, 2026

When OpenAI sent someone to Tyler Johnston's house, they wanted every text and email he had on the company.Tyler runs an AI watchdog, and he's just one of the people getting subpoenaed.This is just the beginning of the AI industry's aggressive new political strategy. ----- More Perfect Union is an Emmy-winning, nonprofit newsroom whose mission is to build power for working people.

...(Host) Tyler Johnston runs a small AI watchdog.

0:12

Last summer, he was out when he received an unusual text from his roommate.

0:17

(Tyler) “There's someone at the door with documents for you.”

0:19

(Karen) It was a man with subpoenas from OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT.

0:23

(Tyler) They were asking for every former employee that we had spoken to and what we said to them,

0:27

every congressional office that we spoke to, every potential investor that we spoke to.

0:32

(Karen) Tyler is just one of many advocates suddenly being targeted.

0:36

As public demands to regulate the AI industry have escalated —

0:39

(Reporter) AI could put millions of Americans out of work.

0:41

(Reporter) — Concerns around safety for kids.

0:44

(Reporter) Customers could see their bills increased by 20 bucks each month.

0:47

(Reporter) AI clips of fake reports even reaching the Oval Office.

0:51

(Karen) its biggest players are going to political war.

0:54

(Alex Bores) They started texting my constituents.

0:57

(Rebecca) Google was involved, Meta was involved, OpenAI was involved.

1:00

The AI industry broadly is ready to play hardball.

1:03

(Karen) So I started investigating their tactics.

1:06

I found an aggressive playbook trying to silence critics, kill

1:10

legislation, and remake government in their interest.

1:14

I wanted to know: what are AI companies so afraid of?

1:18

They can't have any flies in the ointment, which also means no regulation and no guardrails.

1:22

(Karen) And what does it mean for the rest of us if they get what they want?

1:30

When OpenAI subpoenaed Tyler,

1:32

it tucked in an expansive demand that hinted at its real agenda.

1:37

(Tyler) They wanted every single document and text message and email

1:41

that we had that in any way related to OpenAI's restructuring.

1:45

(Karen) Founded as a nonprofit by Elon Musk and Sam Altman,

1:48

OpenAI had for years been raising billions of dollars

1:52

from investors through an internal for-profit arm.

1:55

Then, the nonprofit board attempted to fire Sam Altman,

1:58

and investors panicked that they could lose all their money.

2:02

(Catherine Bracy) In the wake of that, Sam Altman made some promises to his investors

2:05

that they would remove the power and control of the nonprofit from the for-profit entity.

2:11

(Karen) But many advocates, including Tyler and Catherine, stood in the way.

2:16

(Tyler) We released an open letter.

2:17

This was an open letter that was asking seven relatively simple questions, not opposing the restructuring

2:22

in any way, but asking for more transparency about what their plans were.

2:26

(Karen) But failure to restructure could force OpenAI

2:28

to give up $20 billion from its investors.

2:32

The company turned its influence operations into high gear

2:36

under the leadership of a man named Chris Lehane.

2:39

Whoever ends up winning on that ends up building the AI rails

2:43

for the world. Like, that is a bit of a zero sum game.

2:48

(Karen) Lehane began his career in Washington, earning the nickname

2:51

‘Master of Disaster’ in part for helping the Clintons navigate the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

2:57

He then pivoted to Silicon Valley, working at Airbnb and with the crypto industry.

3:02

(Tyler) I think that OpenAI brought him on because they knew that they needed someone

3:06

who was willing to be as fierce as possible.

3:09

(Karen) Lehane stacked his team with former staffers and confidants of Gavin

3:13

Newsom, Bill de Blasio and Kamala Harris.

3:16

OpenAI hired a lobbying firm run by Republican operative

3:19

Jeff Miller, who has deep ties to President Trump.

3:22

It launched new philanthropic efforts, underscored its economic importance to California

3:28

and threatened to leave the state if the restructuring was blocked.

3:32

With Elon Musk also suing OpenAI for abandoning its mission,

3:35

the company began to accuse its critics of being his puppets.

3:39

They were essentially implying

3:43

that we were a front for their competitors.

3:47

(Karen) The aggressive tactics paid off.

3:49

The subpoenas

3:50

also revealed that this is just the beginning.

3:54

I would have been happy to swear to the court that we are not funded by Elon Musk.....

Here’s what that means: We report on the real struggles and challenges of the working class from a working-class perspective. We attempt to connect those problems to potential solutions. We report on the abuses and wrongdoing of corporate power. And we seek to hold accountable the ultra-rich who have too much power over America’s political and economic systems. To support our independent journalism, subscribe, donate, and follow our other pages through the links below:

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Artificial Intelligence

Hallucinatory A.I.’s Benefits

A.I.’s Boom Towns

A Looming Slowdown?

Tech Insiders Fall for Claude

OpenAI Courts Trump With Vision for ‘A.I. in America’

The maker of ChatGPT hopes to spur investment from the Middle East and avoid strict regulations on the development of new technologies.

/The New York Times

By Cade Metz and Cecilia Kang

Cade Metz reported from San Francisco, and Cecilia Kang from Washington.

Jan. 13, 2025

Want to stay updated on what’s happening in China, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates? Sign up for Your Places: Global Update, and we’ll send our latest coverage to your inbox.

In December, Sam Altman, OpenAI’s chief executive, donated $1 million to President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inaugural fund, joining a number of other tech executives who are working to improve their relationships with Mr. Trump.

Now, he and his company are laying out their vision for the development of artificial intelligence in the United States, hoping to shape how the next presidential administration handles this increasingly important technology.

On Monday, OpenAI released what it calls its economic blueprint for “A.I. in America,” suggesting ways that policymakers can spur development of A.I. in the United States, minimize the risks posed by the technology and maintain a lead over China.

“We believe America needs to act now to maximize A.I.’s possibilities while minimizing its harms,” Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s head of global policy, wrote in the 15-page document. “We want to work with policymakers to ensure that A.I.’s benefits are shared responsibly and equitably.”

OpenAI launched the A.I. boom in late 2022 with the release of the online chatbot ChatGPT. The company continues to lead the field but faces countless competitors. One of its biggest rivals, xAI, is led by Elon Musk, who has developed a close relationship with Mr. Trump.

Many A.I. companies and independent experts believe that technologies like ChatGPT can increase economic growth by accelerating work and research in areas as far-flung as computer programming, medicine, education and finance. But continued development of these technologies requires enormous amounts of raw computing power and electricity.

OpenAI and its rivals are racing to expand the pool of giant computer data centers needed to build and operate their A.I. systems, which will require hundreds of billions of dollars in new investment. With its new economic blueprint, OpenAI hopes to encourage government policies that can facilitate that additional infrastructure.

Most notably, the company has called on policymakers to allow significant investment in American A.I. projects by investors in the Middle East, though the Biden administration has been wary of such investment. OpenAI argues that if countries like the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia do not invest in U.S. infrastructure, their money will flow to China instead.

“Are those countries going to be building on U.S. rails or are they going to be building on C.C.P. rails?” Mr. Lehane said in an interview, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. He described nations like the Emirates and Saudi Arabia not as allies but more as “swing states” that will choose the United States or China for A.I. investments.

OpenAI has also asked the government to take a light approach when creating regulations meant to ensure the safety and security of technologies built by OpenAI and its American rivals.

(The New York Times has sued OpenAI and its partner, Microsoft, accusing them of copyright infringement of news content related to A.I. systems. OpenAI and Microsoft have denied those claims.)

Last year, California lawmakers tried and failed to pass a bill that would impose restrictions on tech companies building A.I. systems. OpenAI executives argued that the federal government, not states, should control regulations related to the safety and security of A.I. development.

“That would just create real dissonance, both on a national security and economic competitiveness front,” Mr. Lehane said.

Mr. Altman will begin a charm offensive with an event on Jan. 30 in Washington, where he will discuss the future of A.I. development with lawmakers, economists and Trump administration officials and demonstrate new OpenAI technology that he believes will show the economic power of A.I.

Cade Metz writes about artificial intelligence, driverless cars, robotics, virtual reality and other emerging areas of technology. More about Cade Metz

Cecilia Kang reports on technology and regulatory policy and is based in Washington D.C. She has written about technology for over two decades. More about Cecilia Kang

A version of this article appears in print on Jan. 14, 2025, Section B, Page 3 of the New York edition with the headline: OpenAI Puts Vision for ‘A.I. In America’ To Trump Team.

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Ron Klain CoS gore when he was press sec.

https://www.alternet.org/2020/11/biden-transition-team/

Among the many challenges Joe Biden's administration will have to confront after Donald Trump ends his temper tantrum is deciding what posture to take toward big business.

There will be a battle for the soul of the new president as corporate Democrats vie with progressives to influence policy in areas such as regulation and antitrust.

Initial signs are encouraging.

The Biden transition just released a list of some 500 individuals who will be staffing the Agency Review Teams charged with preparing the way for a transfer of power in all parts of the executive branch.

Most of the people are from academia, state government, law firms, non-profits, unions, think tanks and foundations.

Surveying the list of affiliations,I found only about 20 for large corporations. Most of the people are from academia, state government, law firms, non-profits, unions, think tanks and foundations.

It is likely some of the law firms are there to represent specific corporate interests, but the numerous representatives from progressive public interest, environmental and labor groups should serve as an effective counterweight.

Unions in Labor Department

In the Labor Department list there are no law firms or corporations; in their place are representatives from five different unions along with people from the National Employment Law Project and other progressive groups.

What is particularly significant is the near absence of people affiliated with Wall Street banks.

The Defense Department list has someone from JPMorgan Chase; Homeland Security has a representative from Capital One; and the International Development group includes someone from U.S. Bank. There is no one from Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Wells Fargo or Morgan Stanley.

The Treasury Department group is led by someone from Keybank, which is based in Cleveland and ranks about 29th among U.S. banks. Fortunately, the Treasury group also includes representatives from places such as the Center for American Progress, the American Economic Liberties Project and the AFL-CIO.

Environmentalists at EPA

Other balancing acts include the list for the Environmental Protection Agency, which includes a representative from Dell Technologies but also from Earthjustice (the lead person) and The Sierra Club.

Some of the corporations show up in surprising places. Walt Disney is represented on the Intelligence Community list. The cosmetics firm Estee Lauder has someone on the State Department list. Someone fromAirbnb is in the National Security Council group.

Tech Companies at OMB

Looking at current corporate villains, the one that stands out is Amazon.com. It shows up on two lists—the one for the State Department and the one for the Office of Management and Budget.

Lyft and Airbnb are also on the OMB list, along with some academics, a consultant, state officials and someone from Meow Wolf, a Santa Fe-based non-profit that produces immersive art experiences.

Given that OMB oversees regulatory policy, the absence of public interest, union and environmental people raises a concern. Otherwise, it appears that the Biden team is limiting corporate influence in the emerging administration.

Let's hope it stays that way.

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Chris Lehane is Head of Policy for Airbnb. He has been a principal in LFM Campaigns as well as a political strategist for environmental activist and billionaire Tom Steyer.[1][2][3]^

He once worked in the Bill Clinton White House and served as press secretary of former Vice President Al Gore.[4] In 2003, he aroused the ire of prominent national left-leaning blogger Markos Moulitsas.[5]^

Lehane graduated from Harvard Law School in 1994. In addition to his work with LFM Campaigns, he is associated with the public relations firm "Fabiani & Lehane."[6]^

Peter Gleick

Lehane jumped into the fray on a pro bono basis in February 2012 when global warming researcher Peter Gleick admitted to having obtained documents from the Chicago-basedHeartland Institute under false pretenses. Lehane stepped in to help Gleick with communications issues.[7]^

Electoral College initiative

Lehane was a leader in the charge against the Presidential Electoral Reform Act, or PERA, ballot initiative in California in 2008. According to one news report, Lehane said of his efforts to kill the GOP plan[8]:

"We need to fight back and not be reluctant - that if they come after you with a knife, to pull out a gun."

Early on in the battle to keep PERA off the ballot, Lehane raised questions about whether contributions from Republicans to pay for PERA's petition drive might have been inappropriate:

"Chris Lehane, a Democratic political consultant who is leading the fight against the initiative - and who works for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton - said he wants to know whether Dunsmore discussed the electoral college initiative with Singer or others, prompting his donation."

The Sacramento Bee reported that Lehane helped file a complaint with the FEC asking it to investigate the allegations.[9]^

AMPTP affiliation

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (also referred to as the AMPTP) announced on December 6, 2007 that they had hired Lehane and fellow Gore and Clinton operative Mark Fabiani to handle AMPTP publicity during their ongoing scuffle with the Writers Guild of America. Together, the two run a publicity firm and are recognized as "Master's of Disaster."

On December 10, 2007 dailykos.com announced that many of Lehane and Fabiani's WGA clients (including a group representing the Teamsters) fired the duo in response to their association with the AMPTP.

Recent news

This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Chris Lehane. This list of articles is automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles; they are included to provide readers with the most recent news articles on the subject. Click here to learn more about this section.

Chris Lehane - Google News Feed

See also

External links

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==

:{Christopher Stephen "Chris" Lehane (born June 2, 1967) is an American political consultant and crisis communications expert who has served as a lawyer, spokesperson and expert in opposition research for the Clinton White House, Democratic candidates for public office and various business, Labor, entertainment and professional sports organizations.[1]

 A graduate of Amherst College and Harvard Law School, he was a lawyer and spokesperson in the Clinton White House where he and his current business partner Mark Fabiani were called the Masters of Disaster byNewsweek magazine for their part in a "rapid-response" team employed to respond to the increasing number of investigations of the Clinton Administration.[2][3] In 2012, Lehane co-authored a book on damage control titled Masters of Disaster published by Palgrave, MacMillan's academic imprint.[4] He also wrote and produced the film Knife Fight, a political satire acquired by IFC and released in January 2013.[2][5] As of August 2015, Lehane serves as the Head of Global Policy and Public Affairs for home-sharing startup Airbnb.}:

Contents

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Political work:

In 1992, Lehane was the political director of the Clinton-Gore presidential campaign in Maine, and was later brought into the White House where he served as a lawyer in the White House Counsel's Office who worked as part of a small unit responsible for helping the White House manage various scandals throughout the 1990s such as Whitewater and theMonica Lewinsky affair.[1]^

In 1995 Lehane authored a 332-page "report" on a media "conspiracy" against the Clintons, of which only 2 and 1/2 pages are written text; the remainder are newspaper and internet clippings. This report was the origin of the phrase "vast right wing conspiracy" that is often attributed to Hillary Clinton. Because of Lehane's scrutiny of the right-wing media "food chain," he is often credited with being a proponent of its methods within the Democratic party.[6]^

In the 2000 Presidential campaign, Lehane served as the Press Secretary for Vice President Al Gore. Lehane was credited with improving Gore's press relations with the press corps, his one liners and for his opposition research work.[7][8][9] In his 2010 book, President George W. Bush's top political strategist Karl Rove, call him "one of the Democratic Party’s best opposition researchers" credited Lehane's making public George W. Bush's DWI history just before the election as the basis for Gore winning the popular vote in the 2000 presidential election.[10] Lehane has done work for other leading political figures in the U.S., including New York Attorney GeneralAndrew Cuomo and former California Governor Gray Davis.[1][7]^

The New York Times labeled Lehane the "Master of the Political Dark Arts" for his opposition research work on behalf of the failed Wesley Clark bid for the 2004 nomination when he mounted considerable efforts to derail the Howard Dean bid, portraying him as hypocritical, dishonest, and inconsistent.[11]^

In 2007, Lehane helped create the Lincoln Brigade, an organization that defeated a Republican sponsored ballot initiative designed to change how California divides up its Electoral College votes.[12]^

In April 2009, Lehane and Republican political consultant Steve Schmidt opened a ballot initiative political firm.[13] Lehane has served as a strategist on various statewide ballot campaigns, including running the "no" side to a Republican Party sponsored Electoral College initiative; Labor's Proposition 17;[citation ^needed] and the effort to pass California Proposition 19, or the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010 and other statewide and local initiatives.[12][14]^

In 2010, Lehane helped launch Level The Playing Field an independent expenditure organization backed by organized Labor designed to target Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman.[15]^

In 2010 Lehane was a lead strategist on No On 23, the successful effort to beat back the oil industry's effort to overturn California's precedent using climate change laws.[16] He was active in the June 2012 campaign to raise the tobacco tax in California and is the lead strategist for Proposition 39, the Clean Energy Jobs initiative, which seeks to close an existing loop-hole in the California state tax code that provides a more favorable tax treatment for out of state companies who do business inCalifornia compared to in state companies.[16] He serves on the board of advisors for various high tech companies, non-profit boards, including as member of the Board of Trustees of Amherst College.[17][18]^

Lehane is often included in discussions of bare knuckled methodologies employed by political campaign consultants, including feeding information to selected media outlets.[9] Lehane often works as a television commentator and a frequent op ed contributor.

In May 2015 Lehane assessed Republican Marco Rubio as a "Dan Quayle without the experience” in the field of potential opponents to Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton.[19]^

Business work:

Lehane and his partner Mark Fabiani are retained to represent various corporate, Labor, entertainment and sports organizations.[20] Lehane is often quoted as an expert on crisis management.[21] Lehane's firm has represented California Edison during the California Energy crisis, Goldman Sachs during the financial crisis, Cisco Systemswhen the Internet bubble burst, Lance Armstrong on various matters,[22] Al Gore's Current TV when it fired Keith Olbermann;[23] Madonna in relation to the KabbalahCenter and her charity in Africa;[24] Rob Reiner[25] and First Five; Hollywood studios, Indian tribes and other leading businesses.[6][26]^

Lehane does significant sports work having represented the National Hockey League, the City of Sacramento in its effort to build a new sports and entertainment complex, the Big East, Marion Jones and the San Diego Chargers.[27]^

Lehane's entertainment work has included helping Michael Moore with his films such as Fahrenheit 911 and Sicko;[28] and "orchestrat"ing News Corp.-funded Don't Count Us Out campaign against the Nielsen Media Research relating to concerns that minority viewership was being undercounted.[20]^

Lehane has worked for consumer groups, trial lawyers and helped lead organized Labor's opposition to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's agenda in California.[29][30]^

Book:

Lehane is co-author, along with his business partner Mark Fabiani and Stanford Business School Professor Bill Guttentag, of Masters of Disaster: The Ten Commandments of Damage Control. ^[4]

==

The first batch of climate deniers NGC is putting on the Hot Seat include Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul (the two official candidates), former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

Rand Paul announced his presidential bid in Louisville today, and NGC stood outside the event with its “lie detector test” to try to force him to reveal his positions on climate change. In the past he’s hedged and said that he’s “not sure anybody knows exactly why” climate change occurs and that the science behind it is “not conclusive.” He’s also said that someone who would tie extreme weather events like hurricanes to climate change is an “ignoramus.” Those statements undermine claims that Paul could have wide appeal to younger voters.

“If Senator Paul thinks he’s going to be ‘Nirvana’ or ‘Pearl Jam’ for these young voters, what is his plan to address an issue that is clearly one of their top concerns?” says NGC.

Of Bush, being pushed by supporters as the most “electable” candidate, Lehane said, “He claims not to believe in the science. I think it’s particularly interesting he is from a state that will be particularly impacted by [climate change]. I think it is really hard to run an electability campaign when you’re talking about the fact you need to generate more support from young voters when you are taking a position that is a defining issue for young voters—that is going to be a signifier as to why they shouldn’t support him.”

The popular media narrative about NGC’s 2014 spending—primarily Steyer’s and estimated at about $75 million—was that it didn’t yield much in the way of results. However, three of its seven priority candidates won, a decent record in what was a difficult election for progressive candidates overall. And unlike much of the money coming from the Koch Brothers, who have pledged to spend almost a billion dollars to elect a fossil fuel-friendly president next year, Steyer’s money is not “dark”—he’s been open about what he is spending and where.

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Tom Steyer Considering Run for Retiring Senator Boxer’s Seat

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Fighting Dark Money to Restore Our Democracy

==

Supporters

The official committee supporting CERI is called California Counts. GOP consultants Ed Rollins, Dave Gilliardand Anne Dunsmore are leading the re-vitalization of the signature effort after its early stall-out. Dunsmore has said, "You can’t just fold up every time somebody says they killed you."[14]^

Campaign finance disclosure forms filed with the California Secretary of State in early November 2007 showed that supporters of the effort had collected $500,000 in a 10-day period starting the last week of October.[15]. These includes an $80,000 donation from the California Republican Party, and $59,700 from Darrell Issa.[16]^

Other supporters of the revived effort include Lew Uhler, a well-known anti-tax crusader in California, and Tony Andrade. Andrade was active in the successful effort to collect enough signatures to place the recall of California governor Gray Davis on the ballot in 2003.[17] Supporters of PERA announced in late October that Darrell Issa had become a financial backer of the effort.[18]^

See Donors to California Counts!.

Original supporters resign, dissolve committee

The initial committee supporting the initiative was Californians for Equal Representation. Supporters of CERI included financier Paul Singer, a supporter of Rudy Giuliani's bid for the presidency. In late September, two original supporters of the initiative resigned from the campaign and dissolved the committee. Attorney Tom Hiltachkand campaign spokesperson Kevin Eckery said that they were resigning because a Missouri corporation, Take Initiative America, had failed to disclose the source of its contributions to their group, Californians for Equal Representation.[19]  wait, ^what?

Opposition

Because the CERI has national implications for the 2008 presidential race, opposition to the measure has centered around charges that the proponents of the measure are GOP consultants and donors who care more (and possibly exclusively) about the ballot measure's impact on the presidential election, rather than on their undying concern that Californians enjoy the same proportional representation as do Maine andNebraska in the matter of dividing up electoral college votes.[20]^

On Nov. 19, the Californians for Fair Election Reform asked that California Counts! be investigated for bribing the homeless to sign the petition in exchange for snack foods. The allegation stems from a Los Angeles Downtown News article that records a reporters witnessing the act.[21]^

Lincoln Brigade

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that a group calling itself the "Lincoln Brigade" formed rapidly to defeat what they perceive as an initiativeintended to enhance Giuliani's electoral prospects. Because the initiative might, in fact, have such an impact if it were to qualify for the ballot and pass, these Democratic Party consultants determined that they might have to spend up to $40 million to defeat it at the ballot box.

The Chronicle says that the Lincoln Brigade implemented a "ruthlessly effective battle plan" to cripple the CERI, writing that:

Republicans may have to confront a far more aggressive Democratic ground game that has revived the old "Clinton war room" philosophy. "We need to fight back and not be reluctant - that if they come after you with a knife, to pull out a gun," said California Democratic strategist Chris Lehane, former spokesman for President Bill Clinton's White House and Vice President Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign.

According to Margie Sullivan, a leader of the opposition to CERI, in the early weeks of advancing their cause:

"We ran it like a military operation. You had this SWAT team of talented, hyper-engaged people. ... It was: boom, boom, boom."

Sullivan also told the Chronicle that the goal of early opposition to CERI was to "strangle the baby in the cradle.""

Bob Mulhoolland, spokesman for the Democratic Party, said when the initiative was in its first stage, "From Day One, we were out on the field blasting everything they were doing - and it went downs in flames in record time."[22]^

Members of the cast of Democratic consultants tasked with opposing CERI in addition to Sullivan include Chris Lehane, Doug Boxer, Thomas Steyer, Peter Ragone, and donors Nancy Parrish, Norman Lear, Stephen Bing and Walter Shorenstein.[23]^

Courage California

A netroots effort was formed to fight the initiative was Courage California. It is headed by Rick Jacobs (an activist who worked with Howard Dean).[24]^

==

"Vast right-wing conspiracy" is a conspiracy theory first described in a 1995 memo by political opposition researcher Chris Lehane and then referenced in 1998 by the then First Lady of the United States Hillary Clinton, in defense of her husband, President Bill Clinton, characterizing the continued allegations of scandal against her and her husband, including the Lewinsky scandal, as part of a long campaign by Clinton's political enemies.[1] The term has been used since, including in a question posed to Bill Clinton in 2009 to describe verbal attacks on Barack Obama during his early presidency.[2] Hillary Clinton mentioned it again during her 2016 presidential campaign.[3]^

Contents

  [hide] 

Earlier uses[edit]

While popularized by Mrs. Clinton in her 1998 TODAY Show interview,[4][5] the phrase did not originate with her. In 1991 the Detroit News wrote:

Thatcher-era Britain produced its own crop of paranoid left-liberal films. ... All posited a vast right-wing conspiracy propping up a reactionary government ruthlessly crushing all efforts at opposition under the guise of parliamentary democracy. [Emphasis added.][6]^

An AP story in 1995 also used the phrase, relating an official's guess that the Oklahoma City bombing was the work of "maybe five malcontents" and not "some kind of vast right-wing conspiracy."[7]^

1995 memo[edit]

A 332-page memo titled "Communication Stream of Conspiracy Commerce" was commissioned by Mark Fabiani and written by Chris Lehane in 1995. It was the first document to describe the conspiracies surrounding the Clintons, which Hillary Clinton later popularized with the term "vast right-wing conspiracy."[8] It described how online conservative media outlets such as The American Spectator spread conspiracy theories about the suicide of Vince Foster, the Whitewater controversy, and other events. According to the memo, these conspiracies spread from conservative think tanks to British tabloids, and then to the mainstream press.[9]^

The Today Show interview

In response to ongoing accusations surrounding the Clintons' investment in a real estate development known as Whitewater in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Clinton's Attorney General Janet Reno had appointed an independent counsel, Kenneth Starr, to investigate those accusations in 1994. Starr's investigation began to branch out into other issues, from Filegate to Travelgate to Bill Clinton's actions in the civil case of his alleged sexual harassment of Paula Jones prior to his presidency. In the course of the last of these, White House intern Monica Lewinsky signed an affidavit that she had not had a relationship with Clinton, but Lewinsky's confidant Linda Tripp had been recording their phone conversations and offered Starr tapes of Lewinsky describing her feelings for, and alleging intimate encounters with, the president. The president was asked to give a deposition, and accusations that he lied about an affair under oath first made national headlines on January 17, 1998, when the story was picked up by the conservative-right e-mail newsletter The Drudge Report. Despite swift denials from President Clinton, the media attention grew.

On January 27, 1998, Hillary Clinton appeared on NBC's The Today Show, in an interview with Matt Lauer.

Matt Lauer: "You have said, I understand, to some close friends, that this is the last great battle, and that one side or the other is going down here."

Hillary Clinton: "Well, I don't know if I've been that dramatic. That would sound like a good line from a movie. But I do believe that this is a battle. I mean, look at the very people who are involved in this—they have popped up in other settings. This is—the great story here for anybody willing to find it and write about it and explain it is this vast right-wing conspiracy that has been conspiring against my husband since the day he announced for president."

Clinton elaborated by decrying the tactics "and the kind of intense political agenda at work here". Bob Woodward recounts in his book The Agenda (1994) that the then-first lady claimed that when her husband was making his decision to run for the presidency in 1991, he reported receiving "a direct threat from someone in the Bush White House, warning that if he ran, the Republicans would go after him. 'We will do everything we can to destroy you personally,' she recalled that the Bush White House man had said."[1]^

Later uses[edit]

David Brock, a conservative-turned-liberal author, has said he was once a part of an effort to dredge up a scandal against Clinton.[10] In 1993 Brock, then of the American Spectator, was the first to report Paula Jones' claims.[10] As Brock explained in Blinded by the Right, after learning more about the events and conservative payments surrounding Paula Jones he personally apologized to the Clintons. He documented his experience in Blinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative, wherein he alleged that Arkansas state troopers had taken money in exchange for testimony against Clinton which Brock had published in a previous book. Adam Curtis also discusses the concept in his documentary series The Power of Nightmares. Brock has agreed with Clinton's claim that there was a "Right wing conspiracy" to smear her husband, quibbling only with the characterization of it as "vast", since Brock contends that it was orchestrated mainly by a few powerful people. MSNBC also described the comment as once-ridiculed but now taken more seriously by "many Democrats" who point "to the well-documented efforts by conservative financier Richard Mellon Scaife to fund a network of anti-Clinton investigations."[11]^

Specific claims of such funding have been made against conservative Republican supporter and billionaire Richard Mellon Scaife.[12] Scaife played a major role in funding the Arkansas Project investigating President Clinton; former Clinton White House Counsel Lanny Davis claimed Scaife was using his money "to destroy a president of the United States." Scaife claims to be public about his political spending (q.v.[13]). CNN stated in a study the news outlet conducted on Scaife, "If it's a conspiracy, it's a pretty open one."[14]^

Hillary Clinton wrote in her 2003 autobiography, "Looking back, I see that I might have phrased my point more artfully, but I stand by the characterization of Starr's investigation [regardless of the truth about Lewinsky]."[15]By 2007 her experiences caused Hillary Clinton to say in presidential campaign appearances that the vast right-wing conspiracy was back, citing such cases as the 2002 New Hampshire Senate election phone jamming scandal.[16] On the stump for Al Franken's 2008 Senate campaign, Bill Clinton acknowledged his Air America Radio show by quipping that he had been taking on the "vast right wing conspiracy before others even acknowledged that it existed".[17]^

Former President Clinton, when asked on Meet the Press (September 27, 2009) whether the vast right wing conspiracy was involved in the attacks on President Barack Obama, said "Oh, you bet. Sure it is. It's not as strong as it was, because America's changed demographically, but it's as virulent as it was ... when they accused me of murder and all that stuff."[2]^

Two other figures who have used the phrase are Nobel laureate economist Paul Krugman and journalist Joe Conason. Conason, in an article called "The vast right-wing conspiracy is back," refers the National Republican Trust PAC and Newsmax Media, which are run by former foes of Bill Clinton and who made attacks on then-President Barack Obama. The National Republican Trust PAC sponsored a campaign commercials against Obama in 2008 which FactCheck.org described as “one of the sleaziest false TV ads of the campaign.” One of Newsmax Media owners "was among the most insistent endorsers of the Obama birth certificate myth" and a popularizer of the canard that Bill Clinton's White House counsel Vince Foster did not commit suicide—as determined by five official investigations—but was murdered.[18]^

In some of his books, Krugman has used the phrase ("Yes, Virginia, there is a vast right-wing conspiracy"[19]) to refer not to a conservative Republican-leaning campaign against Clinton (or Obama), but more generally to "an interlocking set of institutions ultimately answering to a small group of people that collectively reward loyalists and punish dissenters" in the service of "movement conservatism." The network of institutions provide

obedient politicians with the resources to win elections, safe havens in the event of defeat, and lucrative career opportunities after they leave office. They guarantee favorable news coverage to politicians who follow the party line, while harassing and undermining opponents. And they support a large standing army of party intellectuals and activists.[20]^

In Krugman's view, the network of foundations that fund conservative scholarship, the national and regional think tanks and advocacy groups, talk radio media outlets, and conservative law firms through which they pushed their agenda to move the Republican Party to the right, far surpass in funding, size, inter-connectedness or influence anything the Democratic Party or the American liberal movement have at their disposal.

2014 reemergence[edit]

In April 2014, the Clinton Presidential Center published the original 1995 memo on the conspiracy.[9] The memo's author, Chris Lehane, wrote, "As for the premise of the memo, I absolutely stand by it. Not only was it right about the right wing then, it is more accurate than ever today."[21]^

2016 reemergence[edit]

In 2016, Hillary Clinton said she still believed in the "vast right-wing conspiracy", adding that it was "even better funded" 18 years later.[3][22] However, she opined, "At this point it's probably not correct to say it's a conspiracy because it's out in the open."[3]^

In October, after footage of Donald Trump boasting about his sexual exploits emerged and multiple women accused Trump of sexual misconduct, Melania Trump defended her husband and said, "This was all organized from the opposition."[23] Writers for the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post noted that Melania's response "echoed" Hillary's original use of the phrase "vast right-wing conspiracy."[24][23]^

Use in popular culture[edit]

After the release of a deposition Bill Clinton had given to the Independent Counsel in which he perjured himself, some conservatives began to adopt the VRWC phrasing ironically. In 2004, conservative lawyer Mark W. Smith wrote the New York Times* Best Seller *Official Handbook of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy, which came with a "membership card" that made its owner an "official member of the VRWC." A number of entrepreneurs are selling VRWC merchandise.[citation ^needed]^ Similarly, a number of newspaper, magazine, and website articles have used the phrase to report on left-wing politics.[25][26] Eugene Volokh's blog The Volokh Conspiracy is said to have derived its name from as a reference to the "Vast right-wing conspiracy" statement.[27]^

The term "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy" continues to be mocked by conservatives.[28][29]^

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ ^Jump up to:^a ^b^ ^"First Lady Launches Counterattack". Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
  2. ^ ^Jump up to:^a ^b Meet the Press, 21 Sept. 2009, transcript
  3. ^ ^Jump up to:^a ^b^ ^c^ Condon, Stephanie (February 3, 2016). "Hillary Clinton: The vast, right-wing conspiracy" is "even better funded" now". CBS News. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  4. Jump up Lauer, Matt (27 January 1998). "Hillary Clinton speaks out on Lewinsky accusations" (Video). TODAY Show. NBC News. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  5. Jump up Maraniss, David (28 January 1998). "First Lady Launches Counterattack". The Washington Post. pp. A01. Retrieved 26 March2017.
  6. Jump up cited in Wayne Glawka, et al., "Among the New Words," American Speech 75 (2000): 430– 46, at p. 444
  7. Jump up Safire 2008.
  8. Jump up Garofoli, Joe (October 24, 2004). "The Spinner / How Chris Lehane, revered by some and reviled by others, gets the campaign consultant job done". SFGate. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  9. ^ ^Jump up to:^a ^b^ Good, Chris (April 18, 2014). "Clinton White House's Conspiracy Theory of Right-Wing Conspiracy Theories". ABC News. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  10. ^ ^Jump up to:^a ^b^ ^"Reporter Apologizes For Clinton Sex Article". CNN. March 10, 1998. Archived from the original on June 14, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
  11. Jump up "Clinton: Vast right-wing conspiracy is back". MSNBC. Associated Press. March 13, 2007.
  12. Jump up Media Transparency, Aggregated Grants from the Scaife Foundations.
  13. Jump up "scaife.org".
  14. Jump up Jackson, Brooks. "Who Is Richard Mellon Scaife?". CNN. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  15. Jump up Living History, p. 446.
  16. Jump up Clinton: Vast right-wing conspiracy is back, MSNBC/AP, March 13, 2007
  17. Jump up Kane, Paul (October 21, 2008). "Hillary Clinton, Al Franken and the Return of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy". The Washington Post.
  18. Jump up The vast right-wing conspiracy is back. Salon.com Oct 5, 2009
  19. Jump up Krugman 2004, pp. 217, 269–71.
  20. Jump up Krugman 2007, p. 163.
  21. Jump up Lehane, Chris (April 27, 2014). "Yeah, I Wrote the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy Memo". POLITICO Magazine. Retrieved January 11,2017.
  22. Jump up Chance, Seales (August 14, 2016). "Hillary Clinton's affinity for conspiracy theories". WIAT.com. Birmingham, AL: LIN Television Corp. (Media General). ... Clinton holds an affinity for conspiracy theories little known to the American public.
  23. ^ ^Jump up to:^a ^b^ Mehta, Seema (October 18, 2016). "Melania Trump echoes Hillary Clinton as she defends her husband". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  24. Jump up Tumulty, Karen (October 18, 2016). "Melania Trump takes a page from Hillary Clinton's playbook". Washington Post. Retrieved January 8,2017.
  25. Jump up Bai, Matt (2004-07-25). "Wiring the Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy". The New York Times Magazine. New York Times. Archived from the original on April 7, 2010. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  26. Jump up "The Clinton-McFarland Connection: A vast left-wing conspiracy?".
  27. Jump up "The Volokh Conspiracy Is Out To Get You". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved 2017-02-07.
  28. Jump up Levy, Collin (January 31, 2011). "Another Vast Right Wing Conspiracy". Wall Street Journal.
  29. Jump up Lillpop, John (May 9, 2013). "Another "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy," Hillary?". Canada Free Press.

Sources[edit]

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

Media coverage

Conspiracy theories

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Categories: 

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