Rule of Law Defense Fund rldf

SEE RAGA

see jan 6 rally

fancelli paid for and demanded jan 6 robo-calls, head bailled? see sean reyes and piper

see koch $

note several orgs sim name and aim, but leo in at least 2

see am oversight and documented ,wall st on parade

https://www.americanoversight.org/investigation/conservative-attorneys-general-groups-involvement-in-the-jan-6-march-to-the-capitol

American Oversight is investigating the role of state and local government officials in the Jan. 6 protest that turned into a deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol — including both the participation of :{individuals occupying government positions:(style="box-sizing:inherit;transition-duration:0.2s;transition-property:background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform;transition-timing-function:linear"):}: as well as the larger political infrastructure that organized and promoted the day’s events.

:{**One of the many groups**:(style="box-sizing:inherit;transition-duration:0.2s;transition-property:background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform;transition-timing-function:linear;background-color:#ff9900;"):}: reportedly involved in promoting the “March to Save America” was the Rule of Law Defense Fund (RLDF), the political and fundraising arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA). Following the Capitol invasion, the investigative organization Documented reported on audio it had obtained of :{a robocall message:(style="box-sizing:inherit;transition-duration:0.2s;transition-property:background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform;transition-timing-function:linear"):}: sent out by RLDF the day before the attack, encouraging people to turn out for the march. Archived copies of the “March To Save America” website also point to RLDF’s involvement.

“I’m calling for the Rule of Law Defense Fund with an important message,” the call started, before describing plans for the crowd to march from a park near the White House to the Capitol at 1 p.m. to “call on Congress to stop the steal.”

“We are hoping patriots like you will join us to continue to fight to protect the integrity of our elections,“ the message continued. It then promoted the march’s website, before ending with a reminder that the call was “paid for and authorized by the Rule of Law Defense Fund.”

That website, MarchtoSaveAmerica.com, is now defunct, but an Internet Archive cache from the early morning of Jan. 3 :{shows RAGA:(style="box-sizing:inherit;transition-duration:0.2s;transition-property:background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform;transition-timing-function:linear"):}: among a list of partnering organizations. Later that day, RAGA appears to have been swapped out for :{RLDF:(style="box-sizing:inherit;transition-duration:0.2s;transition-property:background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform;transition-timing-function:linear"):}:.

Despite this evidence, the organizations quickly sought to distance themselves from the violent protest. In a statement to the :{Alabama Political Reporter:(style="box-sizing:inherit;transition-duration:0.2s;transition-property:background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform;transition-timing-function:linear"):}: on Jan. 7, then-RAGA Executive Director Adam Piper condemned the violence and said that RAGA and RLDF “had no involvement in the planning, sponsoring, or the organization” of the protest.

“No Republican AG authorized the staff’s decision to amplify a colleague speaking at the rally,” Piper added. Although the referenced colleague isn’t named,Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — a member of RAGA who led the failed lawsuit seeking to undermine the 2020 election results — spoke at:{the protest:(style="box-sizing:inherit;transition-duration:0.2s;transition-property:background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform;transition-timing-function:linear"):}:.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, who leads RLDF, :{said:(style="box-sizing:inherit;transition-duration:0.2s;transition-property:background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform;transition-timing-function:linear"):}: on Jan. 8 that he was investigating “unauthorized” staff actions surrounding the protest. In a *Washington Post* report on Jan. 11, several state attorneys general said they were unaware of the robocalls. Piper :{resigned:(style="box-sizing:inherit;transition-duration:0.2s;transition-property:background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform;transition-timing-function:linear"):}: days later.

American Oversight is using open records requests to attorney general offices in multiple states — including :{Texas:(style="box-sizing:inherit;transition-duration:0.2s;transition-property:background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform;transition-timing-function:linear"):}:, :{Georgia:(style="box-sizing:inherit;transition-duration:0.2s;transition-property:background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform;transition-timing-function:linear"):}:, :{Arizona:(style="box-sizing:inherit;transition-duration:0.2s;transition-property:background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform;transition-timing-function:linear"):}:, :{Kentucky:(style="box-sizing:inherit;transition-duration:0.2s;transition-property:background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform;transition-timing-function:linear"):}: and :{Florida:(style="box-sizing:inherit;transition-duration:0.2s;transition-property:background-color, border-color, box-shadow, color, opacity, text-shadow, transform;transition-timing-function:linear"):}: — to investigate who knew about the calls or about the groups’ support for what would turn out to be a deadly and seditious attack.

-=-=

10 24 no docs many

New Jack Smith documents reveal millions spent on Jan. 6 rally - Raw Story

new documents unsealed in Donald Trump's criminal Jan. 6 case disclosed $3 million spent to get people to the rally that preceded the attack on the Capitol building.

Among the nearly 2,000 heavily redacted pages of evidence for charges against Trump related to an attempt to steal the 2020 election were documents relating to a budget and trip plan for the day.

The evidence is being considered by Judge Tanya Chutkan before she rules if Trump is immune to criminal charges under a Supreme Court decision. Trump's team opposed the papers being unsealed.

IFrame Content

USA Today reported an unnamed organization spent $3 million to bring guests and protesters to D.C., and on ad buys to encourage people to make the trip. The actual costs of the event itself were under $400,000.

"Several versions of the “Confidential – Not To Be Disclosed” document are included, with some redactions, and appear to have been prepared for House Jan. 6 Select Committee investigating the attacks, which disclosed some of the information," reported USA Today.

Among the recipients of the money was the conservative group TurningPointAction, which got $1 million, according to the papers.

chase bank 906 jefferson shorewood Ill

Donald Trump Jr's super PAC, "Save the Senate" got a $500,000 payment.

The Tea Party Express got $400,000 and $200,000 was sent to a redacted name that was recruited "to assist with his organization efforts," the documents say.

There was also a $200,000 donation to the Republican Attorneys Generals (RAGA) Rule of Law Defense.

Meanwhile, "$300,000 was budgeted for speaker fees and travel for VIP speakers and a busing program to bring in rallygoers within a 180-mile radius."

A $100,000 payment was given to a redacted group to cover "the estimated cost of their hotels, private flights, car services and private security for about 10 to 15 of its members.

See some of the screen captures of the documents below or at the link here....

===

AG Rokita leads 19-state coalition to protect ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy from Biden’s usurping

Attorney General Todd Rokita today asked the U.S. Supreme Court to sustain the nation’s “Remain in Mexico” policy as a means of protecting states from the tidal wave of illegal immigrants flooding over the nation’s southern border.

He is leading a 19-state coalition fighting the Biden administration’s unlawful efforts to provide illegal immigrants free and easy entry into the United States.

“As I witnessed firsthand on behalf of all Hoosiers, we pay an enormous price for the Biden administration’s complete disregard of their duties at the southern border,” Attorney General Rokita said. “No one is above the law in America, and we are simply insisting that the Biden administration follow the law.”

On behalf of Hoosiers, Attorney General Rokita has traveled to the border twice during his administration to assess conditions and discuss policies with leaders from other states.

“The rule of law is the framework that enables American liberty to survive and thrive,” Attorney General Rokita said. “The situation at our southern border provides the perfect example of how going soft on the rule of law gives rise to anarchy, chaos, and ultimately the erosion of our freedom and safety.”

The Remain in Mexico rule — formally titled the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) — requires that immigrants without clear authorization to cross the southern border into the United States be required either to be detained or remain in Mexico while their cases are examined.

Implemented under President Donald Trump in January 2019, the rule successfully stemmed the tide of illegal immigrants pouring into the United States until the Biden administration illegally suspended the policy in January 2021.

From January 2019 through December 2020, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) returned over 68,000 aliens to Mexico as part of MPP.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, DHS primarily used the public-health rule known as Title 42 (rather than MPP) to expel 102,234 aliens in 2020 and 111,174 in the beginning of 2021.

In January 2021, President Joe Biden illegally directed the DHS to ignore MPP. After MPP was suspended under Biden, border encounters surged from around 78,000 in January 2021 to about 178,000 in April 2021 and then to nearly 214,000 in July 2021.

In the last year, the federal government has released unprecedented numbers of aliens into the states — approximately 758,000 between January 2021 and February 2022.

Federal agencies are legally required to properly consider the consequences of their actions on states and their citizens before making policy changes. That consideration did not occur before DHS threw open the southern border to new hordes of illegal immigrants.

“The individual states and our taxpayers are the ones footing the bill for social services like health care, education and other government assistance for illegal immigrants,” Attorney General Rokita said. “The lawless crisis at the border makes every state a border state. We are the ones endangered by the rapid escalation of human trafficking, fentanyl, and other drugs and criminals sent by cartels to our communities.”

Former President Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy was designed to achieve greater compliance with longstanding immigration laws passed by Congress.

Those laws require that immigrants not clearly authorized to cross the Mexican border into the U.S. be either 1) detained, 2) required to stay in Mexico or 3) “paroled” into the United States based on narrowly defined case-by-case circumstances featuring “urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.”

The federal government has no authority, however, to simply issue paroles en masse to permit illegal immigrants to reside in the United States.

U.S. district and appeals courts already ruled that MPP must be reinstated until the Biden administration follows proper legal procedures to change it, including consideration of alternative policies and the impact on states.

Attorney General Rokita last year led a successful multistate brief supporting the conclusion eventually reached by the appellate court. He and the other attorneys general are now asking the Supreme Court to uphold the earlier decisions.

The brief is linked here.

A headshot of Attorney General Rokita is available for download.

martens

...These are the red flags that lead to the doorstep of Charles Koch and Koch Industries and should play a significant role in any serious investigation conducted by Congress, the FBI, or U.S. intelligence agencies.

Red Flag # 1: There were only eight Republican Senators who refused to certify the votes for the challenged states of Arizona and/or Pennsylvania. (All Democrats voted to certify all states.) Those Republican Senators are: Ted Cruz of Texas; Josh Hawley of Missouri; Rick Scott of Florida; Tommy Tuberville of Alabama; Roger Marshall of Kansas; Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi; John Kennedy of Louisiana; and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming.

Every Republican Senator who refused to certify the election results on January 6 received funding from Koch Industries PAC.

On January 2, ten Senators joined with Senator Ted Cruz to announce that they planned to “vote on January 6 to reject the electors from disputed states as not ‘regularly given’ and ‘lawfully certified’ ” until an emergency audit was commissioned. Six of those Senators backed down from challenging the certification after the attack on the Capitol occurred. Those six Senators were: Ron Johnson of Wisconsin; James Lankford of Oklahoma; Steve Daines of Montana; Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee; Mike Braud of Indiana; and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee. All six of these Senators have also been on the receiving end of campaign largesse from the Koch Industries PAC and/or Koch family members.

The money to these 14 Senators from Koch-related entities has been documented by Alex Kotch and David Armiak in a January 5 report at the Center for Media and Democracy. Kotch and Armiak also note that Koch-funded Super PACs boosted the election chances for Blackburn, Daines, Hawley and Marshall, writing that Americans for Prosperity Action has “spent $11.9 million” to promote those candidates.

The authors also note that the Koch-backed Freedom Partners Action Fund, “dropped nearly $3 million into the Wisconsin Senate race to support Johnson and attack his liberal opponent, Russ Feingold.”

Wall Street On Parade also looked at data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics based on Federal Election Commission records. We found that since 2012 Koch Industries has ranked between the second to six largest donor to Ron Johnson in every fundraising cycle. The Center’s data also shows that Koch Industries was the number one donor to Senator Lankford in the current 2019-2020 cycle. (The money comes from the Koch PAC, employees or family members of employees of Koch Industries, not the corporation itself.)

Red Flag # 2:At least three of the “nonprofit” groups that fomented the Big Lie that the election had been stolen and actively solicited thousands of people to turn out for the January 6 event were funded by Koch Industries or its front groups.

According to the TrumpMarch.com website, which was sponsored by Women for America First, its “Coalition Partners” for the January 6 event at the Capitol included the Rule of Law Defense Fund; the Tea Party Patriots; and Turning Point Action, among others. The TrumpMarch.com website has since been taken down but it was captured on January 2, 2021 (give it a little time to load) by the Internet Archives’ Wayback Machine.

Rule of Law Defense Fund is the dark money arm of Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), a group that is raising millions of dollars from corporate felons in order to elect the highest law enforcement officers at the state level. (See our in-depth report of January 14, 2021.) According to IRS filings made by RAGA, it has received $511,400 from Koch Industries and a subsidiary since 2014....

ref

https://wallstreetonparade.com/**2021/01**/the-untold-story-of-how-the-republican-attorneys-general-association-funded-with-large-sums-from-corporate-felons-including-oxycontin-drug-pusher-purdue-participated-in-recruiting-the-mob-that-atta/

ifthere was ever a DEFCON 1 warning to Americans that campaign finance reform must be a top priority of the incoming President Biden administration, it is the cautionary tale of the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) and their recruitment efforts of the mob that descended on the Capitol of the United States on January 6. Five people are now dead from that siege, including a Capitol Police officer, and dozens injured. The U.S. Attorneys office for Washington, D.C. has also confirmed that two live pipe bombs with timers were found in front of the Republican National Committee and Democrat National Committee, both located near the Capitol.

When one thinks of a group with the word “Association” in their name, it invokes the idea that this is a fraternal organization or a trade association. What doesn’t come to mind is that it is a campaign financing group to elect Republican Attorneys General – the highest law enforcement officer in a state – by taking vast sums of money from the very companies committing crimes in those states. But that is what RAGA has been doing for many years now.

RAGA defines itself as follows on its website:

“The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) is the only national organization whose mission is electing Republicans to the Office of State Attorney General (AG). RAGA collaborates with our current Republican attorneys general and recruits outstanding candidates, providing them assistance with research, message development, and financial support.”

The day after the attack on the nation’s Capitol, Jamie Corey at the watchdog group,Documented, released an audio tape of robo calls being made by a unit of RAGA. The robo call message went like this:

“I’m calling for the Rule of Law Defense Fund with an important message. The ‘March to Save America’ is tomorrow in Washington D.C. at the Ellipse in President’s Park between E St. and Constitution Avenue on the south side of the White House, with doors opening at 7:00 a.m. At 1:00 p.m., we will march to the Capitol building and call on congress to stop the steal. We are hoping patriots like you will join us to continue to fight to protect the integrity of our elections. For more information, visit MarchtoSaveAmerica.com. This call is paid for and authorized by the Rule of Law Defense Fund, 202-796-5838.”

By January 5, the date of the above robo calls to potentially thousands of people urging them to “stop the steal,” there was no evidence of any significant election fraud. No one was in a better position to know that as a fact than the State Attorneys General who had just watched their states certify the votes in early December. In addition, William Barr, the Attorney General of the United States who was selected for that position by Donald Trump, told the media on December 1 that the Justice Department had uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that would have changed the outcome of the presidential election.

The Executive Committee of RAGA includes Attorneys General from nine states (see above graphic). Its Chairman is Chris Carr, Attorney General of Georgia. For RAGA to participate in fomenting a riot at the Capitol on incendiary information it knew to be false demands a thorough and formal FBI and Congressional investigation. RAGA has thrown a bone to the media by firing its Executive Director, Adam Piper. But the entire structure of RAGA needs deep scrutiny.

The Rule of Law Defense Fund is the dark money fundraising arm of RAGA and located at the same address and suite number as RAGA according to its IRS filings. Both the Rule of Law Defense Fund and RAGA were at varying times listed as “Coalition Partners” on websites set up to promote the January 6 event. While many of these websites have been taken down, we were able to access them at the Internet Archives’ Wayback Machine, which captures website content on past dates. Website names used to promote the January 6 event include: TrumpMarch.com, MarchtoSaveAmerica.com, and WildProtest.com, among others. The obvious question, of course, is why would State Attorneys General want to associate themselves as a Coalition Partner with a group calling itself WildProtest.com, not to mention a false claim of a stolen election.

The WildProtest.com website told its readers this on the day before the event:

“We the People must take to the US Capitol lawn and steps and tell Congress #DoNotCertify on #JAN6! Congress cannot certify this fraudulent Electoral College. Our presence in Washington D.C. will let Members of Congress know thatwe stand with Rep. Mo Brooks and his colleagues in the House of Representatives who will bravely object to the certification of the Electoral College. We’re in need of at least one Senator. We’ve identified six (seven including Senator-elect Tommy Tuberville) that could join our cause. StopTheSteal.us is working closely, whipping the vote up, with patriots in the Congress.”

Yesterday, 34 Democrats in the House of Representatives signed a letter asking for an investigation by the Capitol Police and Sergeant of Arms in the House and Senate into unnamed persons giving potentially “reconnaissance” tours in the Capitol building the day before the attack. The letter states that on the day before the attack, January 5, “there were unusually large groups of people throughout the Capitol who could only have gained access to the Capitol Complex from a Member of Congress or a member of their staff.”

The Rule of Law Defense Fund is structured as a dark money, tax exempt 501(c)(4) group so that its donors can remain anonymous. Each year it provides hundreds of thousands of dollars to RAGA, in part to pay large salaries.

Exactly why RAGA needs a dark money group is hard to say. RAGA itself is accepting millions of dollars a year in contributions from some of the creepiest corporations in America, including those that have admitted to multiple felony counts brought by the U.S. Department of Justice.

RAGA is structured as a 527 tax-exempt organization that is allowed to raise unlimited funds from individuals and corporations.The IRS requires that it file an 8872 form each quarter showing its contributions and expenditures. We’ve spent this week looking at those forms. It’s not a pretty picture.

Purdue Pharma has given more than $570,000 to RAGA in just the three-year spanbetween 2015 and 2017. In 2007, Purdue Pharma was fined $600 million by the U.S. Department of Justice on charges that it “illegally marketed and promoted OxyContin by falsely claiming that OxyContin was less addictive, less subject to abuse and diversion, and less likely to cause withdrawal symptoms than other pain medications — all in an effort to maximize its profits.” The company clearly viewed that as a slap on the wrist. Last October, the Justice Department brought three felony charges against Purdue and $8 billion in fines. At the time of last year’s announcement by the Justice Department, Tim McDermott of the Drug Enforcement Administration said this: “This resolution closes a particularly sad chapter in the ongoing battle against opioid addiction. Purdue Pharma actively thwarted the United States’ efforts to ensure compliance and prevent diversion. The devastating ripple effect of Purdue’s actions left lives lost and others addicted.”

ADDICTION = EXTRACTION? AHA]

RAGA seems to have a fondness for companies addicting young people. Reynolds American, whose cigarette brands include Camel, Newport, Pall Mall and others, has given more than $400,000 to RAGA since 2014. Altria, parent of Philip Morris, whose brands include Marlboro, Parliament, Benson & Hedges, Virginia Slims and others, has enriched RAGA to the tune of $484,154 since 2014.

In 1999, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Philip Morris, Reynolds and seven other large tobacco companies under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). The government charged that the tobacco companies engaged in a 40-year conspiracy to mislead the public about the dangers of smoking, distort the dangers of secondhand smoke, and target the youth market as “replacement smokers.” In 2006, following a nine-month trial, Judge Gladys Kessler of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a 1,683 page opinion. The Court found that “Cigarette smoking causes disease, suffering, and death.”

When we saw Big Tobacco was funding RAGA, we knewfossil fuel companies would be there also. Indeed they were, to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars from Koch Industries and Anadarko Petroleum. Why did we know that fossil fuel companies would be donating if Big Tobacco was funding RAGA? Because the makeup of RAGA’s donors looks very much like donors to a Koch brothers’ front group called Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE), a 1984 group founded by the late David Koch of Koch Industries and Richard Fink, a former professor of economics at George Mason University, who had a long career at Koch Industries beginning in 1990.

In 2013 the health professionals’ journal, Tobacco Control, published a comprehensive report funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH), a federal agency. The report was titled ‘To Quarterback Behind the Scenes, Third Party Efforts’: The Tobacco Industry and the Tea Party.

The report explains that Citizens for a Sound Economy, which split into the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity (a big funder of the Tea Party movement) and FreedomWorks in 2004, “supported the agendas of the tobacco and other industries, including oil, chemical, pharmaceutical and telecommunications, and was funded by them.” The report indicates that between 1991 and 2002, Philip Morris and other tobacco companies gave CSE at least $5.3 million.

Philip Morris and other tobacco companies launched an offensive in 1994 and 1995, using nonprofit front groups including CSE, to undermine the credibility of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which was attempting to regulate second-hand smoke.One Philip Morris memo in late 1994 indicated that CSE and other front groups were working “to define the FDA as an agency out of control and one failing to live up to its congressional mandate regarding regulation of drugs and medical devices.”

As we have previously reported, Koch Industries and its front group, Freedom Partners, have played a central role in the Trump administration. See our report here.

The largest funder of RAGA is the Judicial Crisis Network which has contributed $5 million to RAGA since 2015. The bulk of the money flowing to the Judicial Crisis Network has come from a dark money group called the Wellspring Committee, which abruptly shuttered its operations in December 2018. Wellspring has given the Judicial Crisis Network over $52 million from unknown sources. If that sounds like legalized money laundering, you’re thinking correctly.

An IRS public tax filing by the Wellspring Committee for tax year 2016 shows that it received a whopping $32 million (more than three times its prior year’s income) in dark money. According to MapLight, $28.5 million of the $32 million came from a single, anonymous donor. In 2016, Wellspring took 72 percent of its annual income and gave it to the Judicial Crisis Network, a stunning $23,454,997. In turn, the next year, 2017, the Judicial Crisis Network handed a whopping $2.9 million in a single year to RAGA. (What kind of Attorneys General group would accept $2.9 million and have no idea from whom the money was actually coming?)

The Center for Responsive Politics has connected Wellspring to Charles Koch’s network, writing: “Since Wellspring’s birth from a short-lived union of the Koch network and GOP political operatives leading up to the 2008 election, it has accounted for more than 90 percent of JCN’s [Judicial Crisis Network’s] total funding.” Charles Koch is the billionaire Chairman and CEO of the fossil fuels juggernaut, Koch Industries, one of the largest private corporations in the world, with vast interests in oil, refineries, chemicals, paper and trading.

In addition to taking money from the opioid criminals, cigarette manufacturers, and climate change denial funders, RAGA also accepted large sums from two Wall Street banks that have also pleaded guilty to criminal charges brought by the U.S. Department of Justice.

JPMorgan Chase had donated more than $86,000 to RAGA since 2017. In the span of the last six years, JPMorgan Chase has pleaded guilty to six felony counts. Throughout that period, its Board has allowed its Chairman and CEO, Jamie Dimon, to keep his job. Dimon’s annual compensation is now $31.5 million.

Citigrouphas just one felony count, to which it has admitted guilt, but its long rap sheet strongly suggests a criminal enterprise. See our 2017 report: A Private Citizen Would Be in Prison If He Had Citigroup’s Rap Sheet. Since 2014, Citigroup and its subsidiaries have donated $331,745 to RAGA.

If we step back and look through a wider lens at the mob attack on the Capitol on January 6, and delve deeply into the money and groups involved, it becomes a screaming battle cry to reform campaign financing and dark money groups in America.

am oversight

raga roldf robo calls?

RECORDS REQUEST TO FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL SEEKING RECORDS FROM RAGA’S ONLINE PORTAL

Records request to the Florida Office of the Attorney General seeking documents, posts, or comments from the Republican Attorneys General Association’s online portal, Briefing Room, concerning, created by, or interacted with by Attorney General Ashley Moody or former Attorney General Pam Bondi.

https://democraticags.medium.com/republican-attorneys-general-attack-on-democracy-a-timeline-42ac4c3d4e34

NO LNX GFX

Republican Attorneys General Attack on Democracy: A Timeline

Former Republican Attorneys General Association Executive Director Adam Piper says of Republican AGs, “No group of elected officials have been more supportive of President Trump.”

Over the course of 2020 and into 2021, Republican Attorneys General and the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) attacked our democratic institutions and voting rights, and even attempted to overturn the will of the American people in the 2020 Presidential election.

In fact, the more we learn about the deadly attack on January 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol, the more we learn about the Republican Attorneys General and the Republican Attorneys General Association’s deep ties to the attack and the campaign to undermine our democracy.

The Republican AGs’ bad behavior is not something new, but as they attempt to deny responsibility and distance themselves from one of the most unpatriotic and darkest days in our nation’s history, it’s important to understand just how coordinated and connected the Republican AGs were to the insurrection.

Here’s a quick overview of what’s included in this blog post:

August — October: Republican AGs attack voting rights and refuse to protect democratic norms.

November — December: Republican AGs try to overturn the results of the election multiple times.

January: The bulk of the money flowing to the Judicial Crisis Network has come from a dark money group called the Wellspring Committee, which abruptly shuttered its operations in December 2018.

February: Republican AGs continue pushing the lie that the election was stolen from Donald Trump.

Below is a detailed timeline to help illustrate the un-American campaign waged by the Republican Attorneys General and the Republican Attorneys General Association:

AUGUST 2020

Indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues Harris County (largest county) over their plan to send all voters in the county mail-in ballot applications.

Republican Attorneys General FAIL to take action to protect the U.S. Postal Service after President Trump and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy alter mail delivery — with a goal of negatively impacting vote-by-mail.

SEPTEMBER 2020

Republican Attorneys General and the Republican Attorneys General Association FAIL to combat significant disinformation being put forth by President Trump:

Republican Attorneys General and RAGA do not correct President Trump for telling supporters to “vote twice.”

Republican Attorneys General and RAGA do not correct President Trump for attacking the vote-by-mail process.

Republican Attorneys General do not take action to protect voting rights that came under attack in more than 10 states.

Indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton files an appeal to block Harris County from sending mail-in ballot applications to voters across the county. Later, indicted Texas AG Ken Paxton asks the Texas Supreme Court to weigh in on the case — hoping they would block millions of people from safely voting during a pandemic.

September 24–25: Republican Attorneys General Association & Rule of Law Defense Fund hold a two day summit in Atlanta to discuss “election integrity.” Now resigned RAGA Executive Director Adam Piper refers to this meetings as “WAR GAMES — 32 AG Staff Members are huddled in Atlanta for a series of conversations planning for what could come if we lose the White House.” This information becomes public as part of a public records request by a Missouri organization [see Page 56]. Read more about this alarming preparation to attack democracy here:

Missouri AG's office had invite to Jan. 5 conference call by group urging Capitol march

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt's office had an invitation to a conference call the day before the deadly…

www.kansascity.com

OCTOBER 2020

In the lead up to the election, Republican Attorneys General Association Executive Director Adam Piper says of Republican AGs, “No group of elected officials have been more supportive of President Trump.” This comes after Trump repeatedly attacks the U.S. electoral system, refused to denounce white supremacy time and time again, and went through an impeachment trial.

Indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton tries to block counties from having more than one ballot drop-off location.

NOVEMBER 2020

Between Election Day and well past November 7 when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are declared the winners of the 2020 Presidential election, Republican Attorneys General — past and present — were sowing doubt in the election:

November 5: Former Florida Republican Attorney General Pam Bondi holds a press conference with Rudy Giuliani and Corey Lewandowski.

November 5: RAGA tweets “Don’t let #LawlessLiberals corrupt the election process.”

November 5: RAGA tweets “.@RepublicanAGs have boots on the ground in PA, NC, NV, AZ, WI, and MI to defend the rule of law. Don’t let #LawlessLiberals corrupt the process!”

November 6: Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes announces he will take time off to travel to Nevada in search of election fraud.

November 8: Former Nevada Republican Attorney General Adam Laxalt and Chairman of the American Conservative Union Matt Schlapp hold a press conference in Las Vegas, NV.

November 8: Former RAGA Chair West Virginia Republican Attorney General Patrick Morriseytweets “Excited to weigh in with my colleagues at the US Supreme Court about the critical role state legislatures play in setting time, place, and manner restrictions on voting and why the PA Supreme Court cannot usurp that role. The Trump campaign is correct to fight to get this right!”

November 9: Utah Attorney GeneralSean Reyes, after spending a weekend in Nevada, says “voting problems occurred there.”

November 9: RAGA, along with 10 Republican Attorneys General, file an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to throw out legally cast mail-in votes in Pennsylvania.

November 17: Former Nevada Republican Attorney General Adam Laxalt says 15,000 people voted in multiple states.

DECEMBER 2020

More than a month after Joe Biden’s and Kamala Harris’ decisive victory in the 2020 election, Republican Attorneys General continued to take frivolous and unfounded action to sow doubt in the results.

December 8: Former RAGA Chair, indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, files a lawsuit against the states of Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin seeking to overturn the results and throw out the votes of hard working Americans in these battleground states.

December 9: RAGA Vice Chair Missouri Attorney GeneralEric Schmitt leads 16 other Republican Attorneys General in supporting indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s absurd lawsuit. This includes Florida AG Ashley Moody, Kansas AG Derek Schmidt, and South Carolina AG Alan Wilson.

December 9: Republican Attorneys General meet with President Trump at the White House.Attendees include: Indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Former RAGA Chair Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, Former RAGA Chair Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, RAGA Vice Chair Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Chair of RAGA’s Policy Arm — the Rule of Law Defense Fund — Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, Chair of RAGA’s Policy Arm — the Rule of Law Defense Fund (RLDF) — meeting with President Donald Trump shortly after Republican Attorneys General file lawsuit to overturn the 2020 election in four battleground states.

December 11: Alaska’s acting Attorney General Ed Sniffen (who has since resigned due to sexual misconduct allegations) announces his support of indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s frivolous lawsuit — bringing the total number of Republican Attorneys General attempting to overturn a free and fair election to 19. Later that day, the U.S. Supreme Court declines indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

JANUARY 2021

With President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration days away, indicted Texas Attorney General and former RAGA Chair Ken Paxton continues to sow doubt around the 2020 election:

January 3: Indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton confirms he will be attending the January 6th event in Washington, D.C. saying, “All Patriots need to be present to stand with President Trump.”

January 4: Indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton continues to promote the “Stop The Steal” rally in Washington, D.C. saying, “Join us in D.C. make this the largest MAGA rally ever.”

January 5: Indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton promotes “Stop The Steal” rally in Washington, D.C. saying, “Looking forward to standing with @realDonaldTrump tomorrow. It’s gonna be HUGE!”

January 5: Indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton retweets an account saying, “Someday they will say that on Jan 6, 2021 “some people did a thing”…those people were Patriots and what they did was save a nation.”

January 5: Reporting by the ALReporter uncovers a meeting at Trump Hotel between RAGA’s Executive Director, Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, members of Trump’s family, and close campaign advisers. PIPER AG MARSHALL?

January 5: Reporting by Documented later uncovers arobocall paid for by RAGA’s policy arm — the Rule of Law Defense Fund (RLDF) — promoting the “Stop The Steal” rally occurs on this day. The robocall says, “At 1:00 p.m., we will march to the Capitol building and call on congress to stop the steal. We are hoping patriots like you will join us to continue to fight.” The same reporting uncovers that RAGA (later changed to RLDF) was listed as a sponsor on the march’s official website.

January 6: Indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the “Stop The Steal” rally in Washington, D.C. telling attendees, “You’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength … we will not quit fighting. We’re not quitting.”

January 6: Indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton tweets, “Americans are here in Washington to stand up and support the President. A lot of voters, as well as myself, believe something went wrong in this election. I’m here to support @realDonaldTrump #MarchToSaveAmerica”

After the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building, indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton falsely tweets, “These are not Trump supporters” and spreads disinformation that “Antifa” was actually the cause for the violence.

January 7: RAGA and Republican Attorneys General attempt to distance themselves from the robocall that promoted the January 6 insurrection saying, “The Republican Attorneys General Association and Rule of Law Defense Fund had no involvement in the planning, sponsoring, or the organization of yesterday’s rally,” which is quickly dismissed.

January 8: RLDF Chair Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall indicates he will lead an internal review of how RAGA/RLDF became affiliated with the Jan 6 insurrection. More than one month later, they remain silent.

January 11: RAGA’s Executive Director [REYES?] resigns from the Republican Attorneys General Association without taking responsibility and refuses to address their support of the rally turned deadly insurrection. This includes RLDF Chair Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall saying, “Every decision Adam made on behalf of RLDF was with the best of intentions and with the organization’s best interests in mind.”

January 21: The New York Times reports that a RAGA/RLDF “donor had demanded [the robocall] and made a contribution contingent upon its release.”

January 31: The New York Times reports that Trump’s legal team drafted the lawsuit indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton would eventually bring against Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in an attempt to overturn their results and thus give the election to President Trump.

FEBRUARY 2021

More than 40 days after the deadly attack at the U.S. Capitol, and more than three months since the 2020 Presidential election results were known, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita continues to spread disinformation around the results of the election.

Republican Attorney General and RAGA behavior during the 2020 election was par for the course for a group of election officials who jumped off the deep end following the 2018 Midterms elections. From flirting with QAnon, to promoting COVID-19 scams, to attempting to overturn a free and fair election, the top legal officers and law enforcement officials of the so-called party of “law and order” are now legally and morally bankrupt.

RAGA Chair (and former Vice Chair) Chris Carr refuses to take responsibility and refuses to acknowledge any wrongdoing by the organization he leads — and has been a leader of for years.

In 2022, there are more than 30 state AG seats on the map including many of the same Republican AGs who drove distrust in our democracy and supported the events on January 6, 2021 that led to a deadly attack.

More from Democratic Attorneys General Association

DAGA elects and supports Democratic Attorneys General. We fight for them, so they can fight for you.

Jan 22, 2021

Republican Attorneys General Under Pressure to Address Ties to January 6 Attack on the Capitol

In case you missed it, the policy arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) — known as the Rule of Law Defense Fund (RLDF) —

https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2021/05/04/more-staff-flee-gop-attorneys-general-group-after-it-doubles-down-on-insurrection/

david a

The staff and leadership exodus at the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) continues to grow in the wake of the group’s decision to promote Peter Bisbee, who was responsible for generating robocalls to turn people out for the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, to be the group’s new executive director.

In an Apr. 25 email obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD), RAGA’s director of operations, Jason Heath,writes, “After 8 years of service, I am writing to inform you that I have made the difficult decision to resign as RAGA’s Director of Operations. I respect your votes, but the direction is not one I can honestly stand behind.”

[docs]

Heath had been working for RAGA since it broke off from the Republic State Leadership Committee in 2014.

Heath’s departure comes on the heels of the sudden resignation of Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr as RAGA’s chair over Bisbee’s selection, citing “a significant difference of opinion…as to the direction this organization should take going forward” and “vastly opposite views of the significance of the events of January 6.”

Bisbee was formerly the head of RAGA’s sister organization, the Rule of Law Defense Fund (RLDF), and was responsible for sending out robocalls encouraging supporters to “march to the Capitol and call on Congress to stop the steal” days prior to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol invasion.

Other RAGA staff have quit over Bisbee’s selection as well. On April 22, the Alabama Political Reporter published a resignation letter sent to Republican attorneys general from Ashley Trenzeluk, RAGA’s finance directorstating that,

As RLDF Executive Director, Pete Bisbee approved the robocall expenditure, and was the only other person accountable for RLDF involvement in the January 6 events. Over the last few months, I have fielded, reassured and assuaged concerns from our core donor base on the future direction of our organization. The result of the executive committee vote to nominate Pete as RAGA’s Executive Director is a decision I cannot defend.

Bisbee replaced Adam Piper, who resigned a week after the violent events unfolded at the Capitol and the story broke about RAGA’s involvement. Before his resignation, Piper was adamant that RAGA and RLDF had no role in the insurrection.

At least one other GOP attorney general has signaled discomfort with RAGA’s direction following the insurrection. in a Jan. 11 email obtained by CMD, Idaho’s Chief Deputy Attorney General Brian Kane writes that “Idaho will not be participating in any RLDF activities until further notice,” and any participation in RAGA will be “subject to the approval of Attorney General Wasden.”

Carr has been replaced as RAGA’s chair by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a strong Trump supporter. Schmitt received an invitation for an RLDF conference call with Bisbee on Jan. 5, but has not confirmed if he was on the call.

“Attorney General Schmitt absolutely had no knowledge of or involvement in the robocall, and condemns the violence that took place on [Jan. 6] in the strongest possible terms, period,” Schmitt spokesman Chris Nuelle said in a statement.

Schmitt undeniably worked hard for Trump in trying to prove that voter fraud led to Biden’s victory in November. On Nov. 9, nine Republican AGs joined Schmitt in filing an:{ :(style="box-sizing:inherit"):}:*:{amicus brief:(style="box-sizing:inherit"):}:* with the U.S. Supreme Court in a case challenging Pennsylvania’s vote-by-mail ballots.

Schmitt also joined Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s controversial suit against Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in the U.S. Supreme Court, challenging those states’ election law changes as unconstitutional. That case was dismissed.

Paxton, also a co-chair of Lawyers for Trump, was a speaker at the Jan. 6 rally preceding the violent events at the Capitol, where he told the crowd, “We will not quit fighting.”

Schmitt’s Solicitor General John Sauer registered for a “Senior Staff Summit” organized by RLDF on Sept. 23 and 24, where it held “war games” to map out post-election strategies if Trump lost.

Piper emailed on Sept. 24, “WAR GAMES – 32 AG Staff Members are huddled in Atlanta for a series of conversations planning for what could come if we lose the White House.”

Piper also huddled the night of Jan. 5 at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. in Trump’s “private residence” with Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Peter Navarro, Corey Lewandowski, Michael Flynn, and others.

RAGA, RLDF, its members, and donors will be forever tied to the Jan. 6 insurrection, especially now that they have apparently doubled down on fanning the flames of Trump’s Big Lie.

martens

used i360?

...Red Flag # 2:At least three of the “nonprofit” groups that fomented the Big Lie that the election had been stolen and actively solicited thousands of people to turn out for the January 6 event were funded by Koch Industries or its front groups.

Rule of Law Defense Fund is the dark money arm of Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), a group that is raising millions of dollars from corporate felons in order to elect the highest law enforcement officers at the state level. (See our in-depth report of January 14, 2021.) According to IRS filings made byRAGA, it has received $511,400 from Koch Industries and a subsidiary since 2014.

A division of Koch Industries, i360, has a massive voter database that some suggest is far more sophisticated than that of the Republican National Committee.The database includes phone numbers of people likely to turn out for an event of this nature. Its program, Predictive Dialer, says it can “scale call volume quickly so you aren’t let down as you ramp up your campaigns, from hundreds of outbound calls per hour to more than 100,000.” The Congressional Committees that are investigating the attack at the Capitol need to ascertain if Koch’s i360 services were used to make robo calls for the event.

As originally reported by Jamie Corey at the watchdog group, Documented, the dark money arm of RAGA made robo callsto boost turnout for the January 6 event at the Capitol. The message was as follows:

Another of the Coalition Partners, Turning Point Action, Tweeted that it was “honored to help make this happen, sending 80+ buses full of patriots to DC to fight for this president.” The Tweet was first reported by DailyDot.com.

Turning Point Action is a dark money group that does not report its donors to the Federal Election Commission. However, according to the Center for Media and Democracy, its sister group, Turning Point USA, has received $610,000 from Donors Trust since 2017. (We should note that the IRS has not posted the 990 tax filings as yet for Donors Trust’s tax years of 2019 and 2020 so it is quite possible that the cash haul is far greater than $610,000.)...

jan 6

fancelli (jones infowars)

https://www.politicususa.com/2021/10/16/the-plot-deepens-as-trump-coup-plotter-tried-to-buy-off-state-gop-ags.html 404

http://web.archive.org/web/20211019024213/https://www.politicususa.com/2021/10/16/the-plot-deepens-as-trump-coup-plotter-tried-to-buy-off-state-gop-ags.html

wayback no lnx?

The same Republican mega-donor who provided most of the funding for the 1/6 Trump rally also gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Republican state AGs association for 1/6.

There Was A Coordinated Effort On 1/6 To Overturn The Election On Multiple Levels.

The Washington Post reported:

A wealthy Trump donor who helped finance the rally in Washington on Jan. 6 also gave $150,000 to the nonprofit arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association, records show, funds that a person familiar with the contribution said were intended in part to promote the rally. The nonprofit organization paid for a robocall touting a march that afternoon to the U.S. Capitol to “call on Congress to stop the steal.”

On Dec. 29, Julie Jenkins Fancelli, daughter of the founder of the Publix grocery store chain, gave the previously undisclosed contribution to RAGA’s nonprofit Rule of Law Defense Fund, or RLDF,records reviewed by The Washington Post show. On the same day, the records show that Fancelli gave $300,000 to Women for America First, the “Stop the Steal” group that obtained a permit for the rally featuring former president Donald Trump.

The AG Buyoff Was About More Than Promoting A Rally

The coup plot involved stopping the certification of the election to allow an injunction to be filed that would result in the election being sent back to the states where their delegations in the House would vote to reelect Trump.

The plotters needed the state GOP AGs on their side to fight the state lawsuits that would have arisen to certify the election. Republicans were ready to deploy their AGs to overturn an election at the state level for Trump.

The 1/6 Attack Was Not Spontaneous. It Was Part Of A Planned Coup

Trump had been suggesting for months before Election Day that the election would be stolen from him. One suspects that the wheels had been in motion for this coup plot before Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden.

Part of the investigative work of the 1/6 Committee will be to put together all of the pieces to paint a detailed picture of who was involved, what they did, and how the attack on the Capitol is linked to the coup.

The plot is thickening, and it looks like the attack on America goes much deeper than the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress.

There is an ongoing argument over whether or not the DOJ and the 1/6 Committee are dragging their feet, but given what is being revealed almost daily, the size and scope of the coup plot are huge.

Investigations are ongoing, and evidence is being gathered. Justice rushed does not equal justice delivered.

What the nation is facing is a Republican Party that has declared war on democracy.

Jason Easley

Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

raw story

https://www.rawstory.com/capitol-riot-julie-jenkins-fancelli/

no lnx

Heiress who funded Jan 6 Capitol rally also funneled $150,000 to GOP attorneys general association: report

Tom Boggioni

October 16, 2021

Heiress who funded Jan 6 Capitol rally also funneled $150,000 to GOP attorneys general association: report

Rioters clash with police trying to enter Capitol building through the front doors. (lev radin / Shutterstock.com)

According to a report from the Washington Post, the daughter of the founder of the Publix grocery store chain who helped finance the Jan 6th rally that turned into a riot at the Capitol, also spread more of her money to the nonprofit arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association to be used to promote the rally.

The report goes on to state that Julie Jenkins Fancelli's $150,000 contribution was " intended in part to promote the rally. The nonprofit organization paid for a robocall touting a march that afternoon to the U.S. Capitol to 'call on Congress to stop the steal.'"

The revelation about the contribution comes as a House select committee is looking into the events of the day and Donald Trump's possible involvement as rioters forced lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to flee for their lives.

According to the new report, the wealthy Trump donor, "gave the previously undisclosed contribution to RAGA's nonprofit Rule of Law Defense Fund, or RLDF, records reviewed by The Washington Post show. On the same day, the records show that Fancelli gave $300,000 to Women for America First, the 'Stop the Steal' group that obtained a permit for the rally featuring former president Donald Trump."

The leaders of Women for America First have been subpoenaed by the committee and are being scrutinized for their part in possibly fomenting the riot and the revelation about the $150,000 donation will likely open up a new line of inquiry for investigators.

"We have many questions about coordination and funding, and we are actively seeking records and testimony that will answer those questions," said committee spokesman Tim Mulvey. "Many witnesses are already engaging with the committee, and we expect cooperation to help us get the answers we're seeking."

The Post notes that inquiries to Fancelli -- who is reportedly not involved in the family's business -- went unanswered and it is not known if she was aware exactly how the money would be spent.

You can read more here.

an 6 22

On September 2020, a dark-money group called the Rule of Law Defense Fundconvened a meeting in Atlanta of staffers from the fund's corporate sibling, the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA). Their purpose was to run "war games," to be ready in the event Donald Trump lost reelection in November. A little over three months later, the same group would help to assemble the mob before the White House on Jan. 6, 2021.

This wasn't an isolated incident. Shadowy preparations like these began long before the violence of Jan. 6. As the House Select Committee investigating those events begins hearings this week, we may learn much more about those preparations and the people behind them.

But it will be difficult to see the full picture, because much of the preparation is shrouded in dark-money secrecy, with funds channeled through front groups that don't have to disclose who controls them.

For now, we're left with mysteries, like Georgia. It was Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger whom Trump personally pressured to "find" the 11,779 votes necessary to flip the state in Trump's favor. Georgia was ground zero for some of Trump's lawyers' most desperate and ridiculous legal claims about the election results — like the "Kraken" suit alleging a role by the deceased Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chávez in rigging Dominion voting machines. Georgia is where the Rule of Law Defense Fund hatched its scheme. Georgia also saw efforts to create an alternative slate of Trump electors.

Then came the attempt to wield the power of the Justice Department to attack Georgia's election results. For this mission, someone cranked up Jeffrey Clark, a relative unknown who was acting chief of the Department's Civil Division as a result of pre-election DOJ vacancies. Clark prepared a draft letter alleging, falsely, that the department was investigating accusations of voter fraud in Georgia. Of course, we don't know if Clarkactually wrote that letter himself; he had no expertise in this area, and evidence suggests the White House communications office was involved. Either way, on New Year's Eve 2020, Trump tried to install Clark as acting attorney general, until then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and his deputies threatened mass resignation.

As the Georgia maneuvers foundered, the effort shifted to Washington. The Rule of Law Defense Fund — the same group convened in Atlanta months earlier — made robocalls hours before Jan. 6 urging followers to "march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal." President Trump whipped up insurrectionists at the rally and sent them down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol. Violence ensued.

In the aftermath, many of these actors were quick to close ranks. RAGA's leader, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, claims to have had no knowledge of the robocall, but he also refuses — to this day — to admit that Joe Biden is the "duly elected and lawfully serving" president of the United States. At the end of the Trump administration, Clark landed a job at a right-wing dark money group.

Given the anonymity dark money affords, we likely cannot connect all the dots between these dark-money groups, Trump's Georgia obsession and the Jan. 6 riots. We don't know who paid for the planning of the Rule of Law Defense Fund's "war games"; we don't know how Jeffrey Clark nearly vaulted into the attorney general's office to attack Georgia's election results, where his letter came from or who paid his salary when he was gone; we don't know who was behind groups like Women for America First, which footed much of the bill for the Jan. 6 rally.

Successful investigations often "follow the money." But when the money flows through anonymizing channels, investigators hit impenetrable dead ends. The select committee must rely instead on texts, emails, testimony and other documents to make its case. It doesn't have to be this way. Our political system doesn't need to aid and abet the destruction of our democracy.

For starters, we could enforce the rules on the books. Groups like the Rule of Law Defense Fund and Women for America First are 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations. As such, they do not have to disclose their donors, but they are also not allowed to spend more than half their funds on political activity. Is anyone checking compliance with those rules?

Spending reports from 501(c)(4) groups to the IRS can differ markedly from what they report to the Federal Elections Commission. Filing conflicting reports to two federal agencies meets the prima facie definition of a criminal false statement. There is adequate predication for the Treasury Department, the FEC and the Department of Justice to take a look. Have they?

Although dark-money groups can hide their influence apparatus from the IRS and the public, nothing says that grand juries can't get access to that information. In the Watergate investigation, courts decided that even executive privilege had to yield to grand jury investigative subpoenas. But investigators won't get what they don't ask for — or don't subpoena.

The strongest solution is to require disclosure of who spends to influence our politics. My DISCLOSE Act would require groups that spend money in elections — including super PACs and 501(c)(4) dark-money groups — to disclose donors who gave $10,000 or more during an election cycle. Pass this law and the American people might find out who funded the Jan. 6 insurrection.

The dark channels of influence that have corrupted our politics for years were used to plan and execute the Jan. 6 coup attempt. The American people ought to know who the planners are and what they wanted — and we ought to help them find out.

huffpo ali akbar

...A Powerful Republican Ally

On Jan. 5, Proud Boys and other extremists, including white supremacists on the FBI’s terrorist watchlist, flooded into Washington. Stone was spotted with an Oath Keepers security detail. That morning, Alexander tweeted that he was considering issuing an order to supporters to “occupy DC” until a “negotiated settlement” could be reached. “Stand back & stand by!” he tweeted.

A robocallwent out that day encouraging “patriots” to march to the Capitol at 1 p.m. the following afternoon to “stop the steal.” The recording, unearthed by the watchdog group Documented, was paid for by the Rule of Law Defense Fund, a fundraising arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association.

RAGA, a national organization for Republican state attorneys general, is financed by big corporations and Republican megadonors, none more significant than Koch Industries, which in 2020 gave the group $375,000, according to IRS 527 filings reviewed by Documented. As a 501(c)(4) “social welfare” organization, RLDF can hide its donors. But it, too, is funded by Koch-backed organizations and other right-wing dark money groups. One of these donors demanded that the “March to Save America” robocall go out and made a contribution “contingent” upon its release, according to The New York Times.

In the months leading up to the Capitol attack,RAGA had also put out a series of propaganda videos that demonized racial justice protesters and liberals. One video used Soviet-style imagery to portray Democratic leaders in Congress as communist subversives. In official statements, RAGA said the political left was on a “mission to burn America down” and that a Biden-Harris administration would “destroy” the country. “JOIN THE FIGHT!” urged the Republican attorneys general.

It was, perhaps, no coincidence that the RAGA chairman in 2020 was Landry, the tea partier whose connection to Alexander went back at least to 2014, and the Black Conservative Fund’s “sting” on Mary Landrieu.

The two appeared to have stayed in touch. When Ken Paxton, the Republican attorney general of Texas, sued on Dec. 8 to block battleground states won by Biden from submitting their Electoral College votes, Alexander tweeted that “Some of us are hard at work behind the scenes too.” He mentioned only one name.

“I just thanked my friend @jefflandry,” he tweeted, using Landry’s personal Twitter handle.

Alexander seemed to have inside knowledge of RAGA’s plans.He noted that no “procedural vehicle” existed yet for other states to join Paxton’s suit but that an amicus brief was on its way. Sure enough, Landry and 16 other Republican attorneys general filed the brief on Dec. 9 in support of Paxton’s sham lawsuit. A day later, Landry signed on to the lawsuit in a motion to intervene that misspelled his own state’s name.

Landry shared some of Alexander’s extreme views. In RAGA statements and op-eds, the Louisiana attorney general warned of a “radical takeover” by Biden and Harris ― RAGA’s race-baiting propaganda focused heavily on America’s first Black, Asian and female vice president ― that would leave the nation “lawless, socialist, and jobless.” Landry wrote about “charging to the frontlines in order to save and defend America.”

Landry declined to answer any questions about his connection to Alexander. His spokesman, Cory Dennis, emailed HuffPost a one-line response: “The [Louisiana] Attorney General had no prior knowledge of, nor participated in, the robo call’s planning or execution.”

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry at a Jan. 22, 2020, news conference where it was announced that Republican attorneys general from 21 states submitted a letter to the Senate to reject the two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. ]

But RLDF’s involvement in the violent Jan. 6 protest was undeniable. The robocall mentioned a “March to Save America” website that Alexander highlighted in his Twitter profile and that listed 11 participating organizations. Three tied directly to Alexander: Stop the Steal, Wild Protest and the Black Conservatives Fund. The rest belonged to his partners. RAGA was the most troubling participant ― originally listed on the site before the more obscure RLDF was swapped in.

RAGA’s executive director at the time, Adam Piper, appears to have been acquainted with Alexander for more than a decade. Piper’s Twitter timeline, which is filled with years of anti-Obama rhetoric, shows him replying casually to Alexander and promoting the Republican operative’s account from 2009 to 2020. They both attended CPAC in 2009, when Alexander was making a name for himself as a tea party activist, and perhaps met there. Starting in early 2009, Piper also tweeted rabidly using #tcot, a tea party hashtag that allowed the nativist movement to organize and propagandize on Twitter, a precursor to the authoritarian MAGA network that coalesced around Trump on the platform in 2016.

At RAGA, Piper issued his own incendiary statements.On Election Day, he promised that a failure to thwart Biden and Harris would result in “complete annihilation.” In a press release two weeks later, he relied on selectively edited video of a street fight during Alexander’s November rally in Washington to suggest that “antifa” would run the United States if Harris and New York Democrat Chuck Schumer were allowed to take control of the Senate.

Piper, who did not respond to requests for comment, also “spearheaded” RLDF. After the revelation of the robocall, he insisted that RLDF and RAGA had “no involvement in the planning, sponsoring, or the organization” of the Jan. 6 rally. Five days later, he resigned without explanation.

...

http://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/07/18/watchdog-group-sues-utah-ag-withholding-raga-documents/

AG REYES REFUSES TO RELEASE RECORDS RELATING TO HIS DEALINGS WITH THE REPUBLICAN ATTORNEYS GENERAL ASSOCIATION’S CORPORATE CASH-FOR-INFLUENCE OPERATION

SALT LAKE CITY – The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) filed suit in District Court yesterday against the Utah Office of Attorney General for its refusal to turn over emails and other documents concerning Attorney General Sean Reyes’ dealings with the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) and its partner organization, the Rule of Law Defense Fund (RLDF) in violation of Utah’s Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA).

RAGA and RLDF are cash-for-influence organizations that promote and coordinate actions by Republican attorneys general at the behest of its corporate members in the energy, telecom, financial, pharmaceutical, and other sectors. RAGA allows member companies to pay a premium of up to $125,000 for the privilege of holding private briefings with AGs and their staff, and RAGA events give corporate CEOs and lobbyists numerous opportunities to rub elbows with AGs during informal sessions and leisure activities, like golfing, rifle shooting, skiing, and kayaking.

The Center for Media and Democracy, a nationally recognized watchdog that leads investigations into corporate influence in our democracy, is represented pro bono in the lawsuit by David Reymann, a prominent First Amendment and media lawyer located in Salt Lake City.

“Attorney General Reyes dealings with RAGA and RLDF, including events he and his staff have attended in their official capacities, involve important matters of public policy and the conduct of the public’s business,” said Arn Pearson, general counsel for CMD.

When CMD filed an open records request for AG Reyes’ correspondence with RAGA and RLDF in March 2017, it received just 19 documents, which failed to include at least 13 interactions that CMD already knew about. On administrative appeal, the Office of Attorney General took the position that all its interactions with RAGA and RLDF “involve unofficial political/campaign activities” and are therefore not public business.

However, RLDF has coordinated legal briefs and official letters for Reyes, including one letter denouncing climate fraud investigations, and Reyes and at least two of his staff have attended at least six RAGA national meetings.

“It is disingenuous for Reyes to hide his activity by pretending that it is all related to some future political campaign,” Pearson said. “It’s all the more troublesome because RAGA mixes public policy and political fundraising in the same events.”

Last year, CMD’s reporting revealed that Reyes and Parker attended RAGA’s 2015 Summer National Meeting, at which fossil fuel giants Murray Energy and Southern Co. paid for private meetings with Republican AGs to discuss their opposition to President Obama’s Clean Power Plan. Two weeks later, Reyes signed Utah onto a lawsuit to block the plan.

In addition, Reyes spoke on an issue panel at RAGA’s February 2017 National Meeting, Reyes was a featured speaker at the opening and closing luncheons of RLDF’s Senior Staff Retreat in April 2016, and Reyes’ chief of staff, Parker Douglas, moderated a panel at that staff retreat as well.

“The issue of dark money and influence from RAGA and RLDF is troubling and should be of concern to all Utahns, and the AG’s refusal to comply with the GRAMA request just feeds the appearance of impropriety,” said Joshua Kanter, founder and board chair for the Alliance for a Better Utah.

CMD’s suit argues that the Attorney General’s Office has unlawfully withheld its RAGA/RLDF-related records, and seeks a thorough search of both official and private email accounts used by Reyes and his staff.

“The public has a right to know what special interests are seeking to influence our state’s top law enforcement officer, and whether they have been successful,” said attorney David Reymann.

Find a fully copy of CMD’s suit filed today here.

https://www.kunr.org/local-stories/2022-01-07/big-lie-feeds-off-western-extremism

...Many of the Republicans pushing Trump’s lies have close ties to anti-government extremists in the West.

Accountable.US, a left-leaning watchdog group, released a report Thursday connecting the insurrection with earlier conflicts over ranching and mining on federal lands, beginning with the Sagebrush Rebellion of the 1970s.

“The anti-public lands movement is a breeding ground for this type of animosity that helped supercharge the events of January 6 and contribute to them,” Accountable spokesperson Karl Frisch said.

Frisch says far-right politicians like Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert,Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes and Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar were primed for the insurrection by their previous involvement with anti-government extremists.

In December 2020, Reyes signed an amicus brief in support of a Supreme Court case seeking to have votes thrown out in Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. He is also the former chairman of the Rule of Law Defense Fund, one of the sponsors of the so-called March To Save America that took place just before protesters stormed the Capitol.

The fund also sponsored robocalls urging Trump supporters to “march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal” in the days before the insurrection. After the day’s attack turned deadly, Reyes sought to distance himself from the group.

Years earlier, as the Accountable report details, Reyes intervened on behalf of Cliven Bundy when the government planned to auction the radical rancher’s cattle in Utah to help pay down the $1 million in grazing fees he refused to pay. Bundy and his sons gained a large following among the far-right after they organized a series of armed standoffs with federal agents in Nevada and Oregon.

Frisch predicts the growth of right-wing radicalism will continue in the leadup to midterm elections later this year.

“Because these two movements are so intertwined, I think we’re likely to see more of it,” he said.

Meanwhile, advocates like Lyngar support abolishing the Electoral College and eliminating the filibuster, which would allow Democrats to pass federal voter protections. He told the crowd on Thursday it was up to voters to put pressure on lawmakers for those changes to be adopted....

crew 1/22

corporate and industry PACs have also continued to support the Republican state attorneys generalwho attempted to invalidate the election results in four battleground states by falsely claiming that election procedures in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and Wisconsin violated federal law. Twenty companies including Boeing, Walmart, and Home Depot have donated $60,200 through their federal PACs to 12 attorneys general involved in the lawsuit, which was led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall collected the most in donations, bringing in $14,500. He is the head of the Rule of Law Defense Fund, a dark money organization that paid for robocalls promoting the “Save America” rally held on January 6 before the insurrection....

Corporate and industry PACs have also contributed to the Republican state attorneys general who attempted to invalidate the election results by joining a lawsuit, led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, against four battleground states won by Biden. Twenty industry donors including Boeing, Walmart and Home Depot have donated $60,200 through their federal PACs to Paxton and eleven other attorneys general who joined that lawsuit, attempting to decertify the results. The four states received historic turnout from voters of color.

Steve Marshall, attorney general of Alabama, has raised the most from these donors, taking in $14,500. He is the head of the Rule of Law Defense Fund, a dark money organization that paid for robocalls detailing when and where individuals should meet for the “Save America” rally held before the insurrection took place at the Capitol. His efforts to undermine the results of the 2020 presidential election perpetuated the myth that it was stolen, while robocalls by RLDF urged rallygoers to “march to the Capitol” and “call on Congress to stop the steal.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtonpulled in $6,000 from the Texas Farm Bureau and Valero Energy since leading the charge to invalidate millions of people’s votes. Attorney General Sean Reyes of Utah backed the lawsuit, further eroding confidence in this country’s democratic system. He pulled in $7,500 from two donors, including Home Depot.

Companies that cut checks to these election objectors had also made commitments about confronting systemic racism in this country. Only their efforts to curb racism apparently don’t include their political giving. Cigna, which shared its “resolute belief in diversity [and] inclusion” and described intolerance “as not only unacceptable, but as the antithesis of everything [they] stand for,” offered contributions to Florida Attorney General and former RLDF board member Ashley Moody. Walmart, which committed $100 million over five years to build a “center on racial equity” to address systemic racism, contributed to Marshall. Home Depot gave $1 million to the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law “in support of its vital work to secure civil rights and equal justice for all,” then turned around and donated to Reyes.

These billion dollar corporations have contradicted their public commitments to racial justice by bankrolling attorneys general sowing doubt about a fair election in states like Georgia, which have historically suppressed Black voters. By funding these officials, the same companies claiming to support racial justice are giving political power to an anti-democratic and racist agenda.

igor salon

https://www.alternet.org/2021/10/glenn-youngkin-2655355138/

A billionaire Trump donor who funded a group that marched on the Capitol ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot is bankrolling a dark-money group boosting Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin's attacks on Democratic opponent Terry McAuliffe.

The Republican-aligned Restoration PACthis week launched attacking McAuliffe, who served a previous term as governor, over crime rates. (Virginia's unusual term limits restrict governors to one term, but does not bar them from running again after leaving office.) The PAC has spent $1.767 million funding ads against McAuliffe, making it by far the largest independent expenditure group in the race.

The group is funded almost entirely by Republican mega-donor Richard Uihlein, co-founder of the Wisconsin shipping supply giant Uline. Uihlein contributed $24.5 million to the group in the 2020 election cycle, making up 97% of its funding, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics. He put another $1.5 million into the group in May, according to FEC filings.

Uihlein and his wife Liz are among the biggest Republican donors in the country, having given more than $65 million to former President Donald Trump,Republican candidates and conservative groups since 2019. The Uihleins have also contributed $4.3 million over the past five years to theTea Party Patriots, including $800,000 in October 2020, making them by far the group's biggest donors.

The Tea Party Patriots participated in the "March to Save America" rally that preceded the Capitol riot and were one of 11 groups listed as part of the "#StopTheSteal coalition," according to WBEZ. The group also contributed to Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., who was accused by "Stop the Steal" organizer Ali Alexander of helping plan the rally, which Brooks has denied. Tea Party Patriots also contributed to Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who led objections to the certification of Electoral College results in the Senate.

Restoration PAC last month also gave $942,000 to Women Speak Out Virginia — 2021, a PAC affiliated with the anti-choice Susan B. Anthony List that launched a $1.4 million campaign to attack McAuliffe on abortion.

Uihlein's foundation also contributed $275,000 to Trump booster Charlie Kirk's Turning Point Action between 2014 and 2016. The group was listed as a participant in the Capitol protest and Kirk took credit for "sending 80+ buses full of patriots to DC to fight for this president" in a since-deleted tweet.

Turning Point Action also previously received $50,000 from the Judicial Crisis Network, a conservative dark-money group that helped Trump fill federal courts with conservative judges and is pushing to restrict voting. The group also funds theRepublican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), giving it $2.1 million last October and a total of $12.7 million since 2014. RAGA's fundraising arm, the Rule of Law Defense Fund,**sent out robocalls**urging supporters to "march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal" on Jan. 6.

The Judicial Crisis Network has multiple legal aliases it uses for other initiatives, including The Concord Fund and Free to Learn Action.That latter group has launched a $1 million ad campaign focused on "critical race theory" in schools, an issue Youngkin and other conservatives have seized on. The group is spending $1 million attacking McAuliffe for arguing that parents should not dictate school curricula.

The Judicial Crisis Network is also closely aligned and shares staff with the Judicial Education Project and its Honest Elections Project, a conservative initiative pushing voting restrictions. The Judicial Education Network is almost entirely funded by the Donors Trust, a dark-money group backed by the Koch network. Donors Trust in 2019 gave more than $20 million to at least a dozen groups who would later question the results of the election. Last year, the Honest Elections Project announced a six-figure ad campaign stoking fears of a "brazen attempt to manipulate the election system for partisan advantage" before the election even happened.

Youngkin has tried to walk a fine line on Trump's election lies as he tries to solidify his Republican base without alienating independent and suburban voters in the increasingly blue state. He refused to acknowledge President Biden's election victory while seeking the Republican nomination, doing so only after he had already triumphed over Republican rivals. And while Youngkin has said he would have voted to certify the election results, he is nonetheless calling for an "audit" of voting machines in Virginia (something the state already does) and boosting election conspiracy theorists.

Youngkin, the former CEO of the private equity firm the Carlyle Group, is also the primary funder of Virginia Wins, contributing $1 million to back Republican candidates in down-ballot races. The PAC has funneled tens of thousands to candidates who attended the Stop the Steal rally, organized transportation for others to attend the event, defended Capitol rioters or pushed election conspiracy theories, Mother Jones reported on Thursday.

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/05/05/more-staff-flee-republican-attorneys-general-association-after-it-doubles-down

david a

staff and leadership exodus at the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) continues to grow in the wake of the group's decision to promote Peter Bisbee, who was responsible for generating robocalls to turn people out for the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, to be the group's new executive director.

In an Apr. 25 email obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD), RAGA's director of operations, Jason Heath, writes, "After 8 years of service, I am writing to inform you that I have made the difficult decision to resign as RAGA's Director of Operations. I respect your votes, but the direction is not one I can honestly stand behind."

Heath had been working for RAGA since it broke off from the Republic State Leadership Committee in 2014.

Heath's departure comes on the heels of the sudden resignation of Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr as RAGA's chair over Bisbee's selection, citing "a significant difference of opinion…as to the direction this organization should take going forward" and "vastly opposite views of the significance of the events of January 6."

Bisbee was formerly the head of RAGA's sister organization, the Rule of Law Defense Fund (RLDF), and was responsible for sending out robocalls encouraging supporters to "march to the Capitol and call on Congress to stop the steal" days prior to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol invasion.

Other RAGA staff have quit over Bisbee's selection as well. On April 22, the Alabama Political Reporter published a resignation letter sent to Republican attorneys general from Ashley Trenzeluk, RAGA's finance director stating that,

As RLDF Executive Director, Pete Bisbee approved the robocall expenditure, and was the only other person accountable for RLDF involvement in the January 6 events. Over the last few months, I have fielded, reassured and assuaged concerns from our core donor base on the future direction of our organization. The result of the executive committee vote to nominate Pete as RAGA's Executive Director is a decision I cannot defend.

Bisbee replaced Adam Piper, who resigned a week after the violent events unfolded at the Capitol and the story broke about RAGA's involvement. Before his resignation, Piper was adamant that RAGA and RLDF had no role in the insurrection.

At least one other GOP attorney general has signaled discomfort with RAGA's direction following the insurrection. in a Jan. 11 email obtained by CMD, Idaho's Chief Deputy Attorney General Brian Kane writes that "Idaho will not be participating in any RLDF activities until further notice," and any participation in RAGA will be "subject to the approval of Attorney General Wasden."

Carr has been replaced as RAGA's chair by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a strong Trump supporter. Schmitt received an invitation for an RLDF conference call with Bisbee on Jan. 5, but has not confirmed if he was on the call.

"Attorney General Schmitt absolutely had no knowledge of or involvement in the robocall, and condemns the violence that took place on [Jan. 6] in the strongest possible terms, period," Schmitt spokesman Chris Nuelle said in a statement.

Schmitt undeniably worked hard for Trump in trying to prove that voter fraud led to Biden's victory in November. On Nov. 9, nine Republican AGs joined Schmitt in filing anamicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in a case challenging Pennsylvania's vote-by-mail ballots.

Schmitt also joined Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's controversial suit against Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in the U.S. Supreme Court, challenging those states' election law changes as unconstitutional. That case was dismissed.

Paxton, also a co-chair of Lawyers for Trump,was a speaker at the Jan. 6 rally preceding the violent events at the Capitol, where he told the crowd, "We will not quit fighting."

Schmitt's Solicitor General John Sauer registered for a "Senior Staff Summit" organized by RLDF on Sept. 23 and 24, where it held "war games" to map out post-election strategies if Trump lost.

Piper emailed on Sept. 24, "WAR GAMES – 32 AG Staff Members are huddled in Atlanta for a series of conversations planning for what could come if we lose the White House."

Piper also huddled the night of Jan. 5 at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. in Trump's "private residence" with Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Peter Navarro, Corey Lewandowski, Michael Flynn, and others.

RAGA, RLDF, its members, and donors will be forever tied to the Jan. 6 insurrection, especially now that they have apparently doubled down on fanning the flames of Trump's Big Lie.

no lnx

Emails: GOP group under fire repeatedly contacted Missouri attorney general’s office

Jack Suntrup Feb 24, 2021 0

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt favorite]

JEFFERSON CITY — Emails show the leader of a group that sent a robocall urging “patriots” to march to the U.S. Capitol ahead of violent clashes there on Jan. 6 contacted the Missouri attorney general’s office several times before and after the Nov. 3 election.

The office of Attorney General Eric Schmitt received numerous emails from Peter Bisbee, executive director of the Rule of Law Defense Fund, a fundraising arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA).

Emails obtained by Elad Gross and Mark Pedroli, two St. Louis attorneys who regularly file Sunshine Law requests, document months of contact between Bisbee and the attorney general’s office.

Gross ran as a Democrat for attorney general last year, losing in the August primary. He called for further investigation to determine whether Schmitt’s office had illegally used taxpayer resources for political purposes.

But Chris Nuelle, spokesman for Schmitt, said the Rule of Law Defense Fund was not a political group, but rather a policy organization. He has previously said that Schmitt had “no knowledge” of the robocall in question.

“RLDF is a policy organization, and as you can expect, we collaborate with other Republican attorneys general offices on matters of policy, sign on opportunities, and potential lawsuits, just as we do with broader organizations like the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG),” Nuelle said in an email.

The records show John Sauer, the state solicitor general, was registered for a “Senior Staff Summit” on Sept. 23 and 24. He received Zoom log-in info from a Rule of Law Defense Fund official.

An itinerary for a “Senior Staff Summit” said the event was taking place in Atlanta.

The records also include emails from Adam Piper, executive director of RAGA, who mentioned “WAR GAMES” conversations in case President Donald Trump lost the White House.

In an email, Piper said, “WAR GAMES – 32 AG Staff Members are huddled in Atlanta for a series of conversations planning for what could come if we lose the White House,” he said on Sept. 24.

On Sept. 25, he said, “Thank you to the 30+ AG Staff members who came the Atlanta and the other 12 who participated virtually. It was a fast paced, productive series of war games, which hopefully will not have to be utilized in November.”

Schmitt, the vice chairman of RAGA, in early December joined a lawsuit by Texas challenging the results of the 2020 election.

Schmitt was scheduled on July 9 to participate in a virtual roundtable called “The Business of Making Friends” with Craig Katerberg of Anheuser-Busch, according to the emails.

One email from Bisbee on Nov. 2 said there would be a call that Thursday, two days after the election, with “AG senior staff.”

On Monday, Nov. 9, Bisbee sent an itinerary for a week’s worth of events called “AG Senior Staff Events.” That email said there would be a general meeting on Tuesday, a “senior staff strategy session” on Wednesday and a “senior staff call” on Thursday.

Another email on Nov. 16 says a call with “AG senior staff” would take place later that week.

“Please let me know if you have any items for the agenda,” Bisbee said.

There was another senior staff call scheduled for 3 p.m. Jan. 5, and a second meeting scheduled for Jan. 7, according to the emails.

After the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Schmitt’s spokesman said the attorney general had “no knowledge” of the Rule of Law Defense Fund robocall that preceded the violence.

The robocall urged people to march to the U.S. Capitol, using phrases such as “continue to fight” and “stop the steal,” the investigative organization Documented first reported.

“(W)e will march to the Capitol building and call on Congress to stop the steal,” the robocall said, according to Documented. “We are hoping patriots like you will join us to continue to fight to protect the integrity of our elections.”

“Attorney General Schmitt absolutely had no knowledge of or involvement in the robocall, and condemns the violence that took place on Wednesday in the strongest possible terms, period,” Nuelle said in a statement at the time.

Nuelle then referred further questions to the Rule of Law Defense Fund and didn’t respond to questions about Schmitt’s duties as vice chairman of RAGA, or whether Schmitt regretted his role in attempting to reverse Trump’s election loss by joining the ill-fated Texas lawsuit.

RELATED ARTICLES AROUND THE WEB

https://www.alternet.org/2020/10/trump-supreme-court-advisor-leonard-leo-tied-to-more-than-80-mllion-in-dark-money

m ellis

President Donald Trump's unofficial Supreme Court advisor who was actively involved in all three of his justice nominations has been revealed as the sole trustee of a perplexing group that generated more than $80 million in dark money in 2018.

A unfiled tax return for Rule of Law Trust (RLT) shows the name of Federalist Society co-chairman Leonard Leo, according to CREW. The mysterious tax return also includes a number of questionable details that raise alarms about the origin of the money.

In its first year of operation, there were no employees or volunteers working the firm's main address which appears to be avirtual office located in Virginia. The only people associated with RLT have statuses similar to Leo being Federalist Society officials who now work as "consultants" or have a long history of ties to companies circulating dark money.

The company's mission statement also notes that it strives "to advance conservative principles and causes through communications, research, strategy and assistance to other organizations."

In addition to the mysterious cash circulating and the business' hallow history, it also appears to have funneled nearly $2.7 million in company expenditures through another business known as the BH Group.

"The filing vastly expands the amount of money known to be flowing into the growing constellation of dark money groups tied to Federalist Society co-chairman Leonard Leo."

Leo is also listed as the partial owner of that firm. While there has been speculation of Leo's affiliation with the company, his true status within the company had not been confirmed until recently. The BH Group garnered attention back in 2016 after it donated a cool $1 million to Trump's first presidential election campaign. The firm also has a history of funneling funds for the purpose of campaign contributions.

Wellspring Committee and Judicial Crisis Network (JCN), both 501(c)(4) social welfare groups relatively similar to RLT, also funneled money through the BH Group to sway elections and Supreme Court nominations.

Here is a quick timeline of how dark money has influenced politics over the last four years:

In 2016, JCN shelled out millions of dollars to dissuade senators from considering President Barack Obama's last Supreme Court nominee, Judge Merrick Garland.
In 2017, JCN dumped millions into having Trump's first Supreme Court nominee Justice NeilGorsuchfill the seat Obama's nominee was denied.
In 2018, the group repeated the same process to back Trump's second nomination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Now, in 2020, JNC has poured millions into the confirmation of Trump's nomination, Amy Coney Barrett to quickly fill the seat of the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the upcoming election.

FROM YOUR SITE ARTICLES

ref

https://www.citizensforethics.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Rule-of-Law-Trust-2018-990.pdf

8300 boone ave ste 50 vienna va

ein 83-1047727

541 341-8808

80.5K$ 2018 T raymond conlon sil spr md

indep contr aka consultants?

jon bunch, YAS llc DC; regnery, holtzman vogel 190K legal?!

other income 2.5 mill$ 4.5 mm transact BH gp more than 35% owned by leo Rule of law trust; 2 milll$ consult, 480K research

The RLDF def fund Was Created As A 501(C)(4) In 2014 not same as project

2015 900K$ lee russell treas

maplight below nd n raga https://maplight.org/story/donors-lobbying-epa-gave-181k-to-pruitt-oklahoma-committees-now-reaping-benefits/

april 2018

As an Oklahoma politician, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt received $181,000 in political contributions from donors who lobbied the EPA last year, according to a MapLight review.The donors include lobbyist J. Steven Hart and his wife, who have attracted attention for renting a townhouse to Pruitt -- even as Hart's firm, Williams & Jensen, has lobbied to relax the EPA’s regulation of greenhouse gas regulations. Hart and his wife donated $4,366 to Pruitt’s campaigns for Oklahoma attorney general and his federal leadership PAC.A handful of companies lobbying Pruitt’s EPA have also been major donors to the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), which Pruitt chaired for two years as Oklahoma attorney general. At least one organization that lobbied the EPA last year donated to RAGA’s nonprofit policy arm, the Rule of Law Defense Fund, while Pruitt served on its board of directors.

EEI

http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/130/130659550/130659550_201412_990O.pdf

As Oklahoma’s chief law enforcement officer from 2011-17, Pruitt earned a reputation for working hand-in-hand with energy industry donors to challenge Obama-era EPA rules. Now, previous donors are benefiting from Pruitt’s new position." It's no secret that Pruitt's long been a friend of the oil and gas industry," said Brendan Fischer, a lawyer at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center in Washington, D.C.

"You can see many corporate interests seeing it as beneficial to make an investment in promising, young, industry-friendly politicians like Scott Pruitt and then expect a payoff down the line." Devon Energy, an Oklahoma City-based energy company, and its employees donated $15,600 to Pruitt's 2010 and 2014 campaigns for attorney general, as well as $10,000 to federal political committees linked to Pruitt. In 2014, the company gave $125,000 to RAGA while Pruitt served on the organization’s executive committee. Pruitt worked closely with Devon Energy as Oklahoma’s attorney general. In 2011, his office sent a letter to the EPA about the agency’s regulation of methane emissions that was written almost entirely by Devon Energy lawyers.

Last year, Devon Energy reported lobbying the EPA and the White House on “rules related to methane emissions.” In April 2017, the EPA announced it would postpone a rule requiring companies like Devon Energy to retrofit their equipment to prevent methane leaks from new oil and gas wells. The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), which represents electricity providers and coal producers, donated $388,550 to RAGA from 2014-16. Its employees gave $4,250 to Pruitt’s 2014 re-election campaign and his leadership PAC. Last year, the coalition lobbied the EPA on a series of rules that the agency has moved to repeal, delay or rewrite under Pruitt’s leadership, including its Clean Power Plan, which would limit greenhouse gas emissions by power plants; its Effluent Limitations Guidelines, which would limit water pollution from power plants; and its Disposal of Coal Combustion Residuals rule, regulating how power plants dispose of toxic coal ash. Pruitt was a featured speaker at an ACCCE board meeting last summer. Koch Industries, the global conglomerate run by billionaire libertarian brothers Charles and David Koch, donated $10,000 to Pruitt’s attorney general campaigns, and gave $525,000 to RAGA from 2014-16.

Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, a dark money organization described as the Kochs’ “secret bank,”contributed $175,000 to RAGA’s nonprofit arm in 2014.An affiliate of Koch Industries, Koch Companies Public Sector, lobbied the Pruitt-led EPA and Congress on the Clean Power Plan, and the family’s billionaire donor network recently praised the EPA’s plan to repeal it, according to a document obtained by the Intercept.

nick s eg omg

https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2017/01/11/pruitt-helped-block-garland-confirmation-supreme-court-fundraised-special-interests-benefited/

no lnx

PRUITT HELPED BLOCK GARLAND CONFIRMATION TO SUPREME COURT, THEN FUNDRAISED FROM POLLUTERS THAT BENEFITED

By Nick Surgey | January 11th, 2017

Featured Investigations,

RAGA Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, President-elect Trump’s choice to be the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), coordinated an effort by Republican state attorneys general to oppose the confirmation of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court.

Pruitt then used this effort as a basis to request financial support for his federal Political Action Committee (PAC), called Oklahoma Strong. In a March 2016 email (see below) that he sent to supporters of Oklahoma Strong, Pruitt boasted of his effort to block Garland’s confirmation. Donors to Oklahoma Strong include major energy interests and leading D.C. law firms. Many of these donors have interests before the courts that could have been significantly affected by the confirmation of Garland. Oklahoma Strong has raised more than a quarter of its total funds from the energy industry, according to reporting by Politico.

These have included contributions from Joe Craft, the President of the coal firm Alliance Resources, and from J. Larry Nichols, the founder of the fracking giant Devon Energy. Pruitt is well known to have strong ties to the energy industry. A 2014 New York Times investigation revealed that Devon Energy lobbyists had drafted letters for Scott Pruitt, which he in turn sent to the EPA and to the Department of the Interior under his own name and with almost no changes.

Eric Lipton of the Times received a Pulitzer Prize for this reporting. ]

Other donors to the PAC have included David Green, the CEO of Hobby Lobby, and Harlan Crow, the billionaire real estate developer from Texas who is reported to be a close personal friend of Justice Clarence Thomas.

Partners from major U.S. law firms with interests at the Supreme Court, including Reginald J. Brown at Wilmerhale and David B. Rivkin at Baker Hostetler have also contributed. On March 16, 2016, President Obama nominated Merrick Garland to become a Supreme Court Justice, taking the seat vacated by the late Antonin Scalia. The next day, a letter was sent to Senator Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and to Senator McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, urging them to block Garland’s confirmation. That letter was signed by 21 state attorneys general, all Republican.

According to the email from Oklahoma Strong, Pruitt had asked his fellow Republican attorneys general to sign the letter, acting in his role as board chair of the Rule of Law Defense Fund (RLDF). The RLDF is a so-called “501C4” organization, which means it is not required to publicly disclose any information about its sources of funding. It was created in 2014 by the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), with which it shares staff and office space and holds some joint events. RLDF is highly secretive about what it does. For example, it does not put any details about its activities or meetings on its website. Despite this, the Center for Media and Democracy obtained an agenda for one RLDF meeting via a public records request.

This meeting, held in April 2016, featured a session about blocking the Clean Power Plan. Scott Pruitt was a speaker on that panel, which also includedDavid Rivkin, a partner at the law firm Baker Hostetler. Rivkin, also a donor to Oklahoma Strong PAC, is representing the state of Oklahoma in the lawsuit against the Clean Power Plan, which will likely end up at the Supreme Court. Currently, only two funders of RLDF have been identified, both with deep ties to the fossil fuel industry. One is Freedom Partners, the mega-fund created by Charles and David Koch, which gave RLDF $175,000 in 2014. The Kochs own Koch Industries, which operates a network of oil and natural gas pipelines and refineries. That isn’t the only connection of RLDF to the Kochs.In 2015, RLDF appointed Samantha Dravis as its President,in a shared position with RAGA where she serves as Policy Director and General Counsel. Dravis joined RLDF from Freedom Partners, where she had been the organization’s Legal Counsel.[bust, resigned pruitt epa?]

The other known RLDF donor is the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), which gave RLDF a $25,000 contribution in 2014. EEI is the trade association for the utility sector, and has also engaged in litigation in an attempt to block the Clean Power Plan. Unlike RLDF, RAGA must publicly disclose its funding sources. According to the Center for Media and Democracy’s analysis of IRS filings, RAGA has raised almost $4 million from fossil fuel industry connected entities since 2014, including ExxonMobil, Peabody Energy and the American Petroleum Institute. The Center for Media and Democracy has previously released other materials on both RAGA and RLDF. These materials demonstrate the efforts of the two organizations to block the Clean Power Plan, and to help stall state investigations into ExxonMobil for its role in promoting climate change denial. A Senate confirmation hearing is expected soon on Scott Pruitt’s nomination to be Administrator of the EPA. Following his selection by President-elect Trump, Pruitt has announced that he has stepped down from his position at RLDF, and has said that he will close down his Oklahoma Strong PAC.[pac also busted?] Despite this, little is known about what RLDF did during Pruitt’s time as board chair.

As part of the confirmation process, Democrats on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee have written to Pruitt asking him to disclose information about his role as board chair of the RLDF. [doc]

cmd

The Rule of Law Defense Fund

Pruitt was a member of the Rule of Law Defense Fund (RLDF) board of Directors since it was created in 2014 until late 2016. He chaired the group from 2015 until he stepped down in December 2016 following his nomination by Trump.The RLDF is a 501C4 organization, and so it is not required to publicly disclose its sources of funding. It was created in 2014 by the Republican Attorneys General Association, with which it shares staff and office space and holds joint events.RLDF is highly secretive about what it does. CMD obtained an agenda for one RLDF meeting, held in April 2016 which featured a session about blocking the Clean Power Plan. Pruitt was a speaker on the panel which also included David Rivkin, a partner at the law firm Baker Hostetler. Rivkin, who is a donor to Pruitt's Oklahoma Strong PAC, is representing the state of Oklahoma in the lawsuit against the Clean Power Plan.

Currently, only two funders of RLDF have been identified, both with deep ties to the fossil fuel industry. Freedom Partners, the mega-fund created by Charles and David Koch, gave RLDF $175,000 in 2014. The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) gave RLDF a $25,000 contribution in 2014. EEI is the trade association for the utility sector, and has engaged in litigation in an attempt to block the Clean Power PlanDefending ExxonMobil...

https://maplight.org/story/conservative-group-led-by-epa-chief-pruitt-received-dark-money-to-battle-environmental-regulations/ https://www.fastcompany.com/40428688/conservative-group-led-by-epa-chief-pruitt-received-dark-money-to-battle-environmental-regulations no link graphhttps://www.fastcompany.com/40428688/conservative-group-led-by-epa-chief-pruitt-received-dark-money-to-battle-environmental-regulations 6.07.17

Conservative Group Led By EPA Chief Pruitt Received Dark Money To Battle Environmental Regulations

The organization’s donors included a group affiliated with the Koch brothers, whose company is now lobbying the EPA and the Trump administration.Conservative Group Led By EPA Chief Pruitt Received Dark Money To Battle Environmental Regulations

US President Donald Trump (L) listens to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt speak after announcing the US will withdraw from the Paris accord. [Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images]

BY ANDREW PEREZ AND MARGARET SESSA-HAWKINS

This story was produced by MapLight, a nonprofit organization that reveals the influence of money in politics. An organization once led by the nation’s top environmental regulator raised more than $750,000 from conservative dark money groups to battle federal regulators, including officials at the agency he now leads, a MapLight investigation has found. Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, was previously the chairman of the Rule of Law Defense Fund (RLDF), an organization created by Republican attorneys general in 2014. The shadowy organization is at the center of a web of dark money nonprofits that have worked to advance conservative interests, and has helped organize state challenges to environmental regulations that could hurt polluters financially. Pruitt, who was Oklahoma attorney general until he was appointed to his current position by President Trump, refused during his confirmation hearing to divulge the names of donors or other sources of funding for the RLDF. Nonprofits like the RLDF aren’t required to disclose their donors to the public, making it impossible to identify all people and organizations funding its efforts.

However, a MapLight review of nonprofit tax records provides the most thorough accounting of the fund’s donors to date. At least 40% of RLDF’s funding in 2014-15 came from dark money organizations like the Judicial Crisis Network, the Rule of Law Project, and Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce–which has been described as a “secret bank” for Charles and David Koch, the billionaire libertarian brothers who own the energy behemoth Koch Industries. While some companies linked to RLDF have disclosed lobbying the EPA in recent months, the agency has insisted that Pruitt doesn’t need to recuse himself from participating in any matters unless the RLDF is directly involved. Angered by Pruitt’s lack of candor throughout his confirmation process, Democratic congressmen have introduced legislation that would force presidential appointees to disclose contributions they raised for political groups or nonprofits that have fought for changes to regulations administered by the appointees’ agencies. EPA, the RLDF, and the fund’s donors did not respond to MapLight’s requests for comment. CHALLENGING FEDERAL REGULATIONS Established in 2014 by the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), RLDF describes itself as “a forum for Republican attorneys general to study, discuss, and engage on important policy affecting the states and their citizens.”

Pruitt served on the RLDF board from 2014 until December. He was chairman of the organization from November 2015 until last November. Much of RLDF’s work resembles the “Rule of Law” campaign Pruitt began as president of RAGA. As part of the campaign, state attorney generals challenged Obama administration policies on the environment, health care, immigration, and the financial industry. The RLDF has helped organize similar legal challenges from state attorneys general. In its news section, the group touts challenges to the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, which limits greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, and an Obama-era rule that would make 4 million American workers eligible for overtime pay. The New York Times reported in 2014 that one of Pruitt’s federal challenges was influenced by Devon Energy, an Oklahoma oil and gas company. A letter that Pruitt sent in 2011 to the EPA, arguing that regulators were overestimating the amount of methane emissions generated by natural gas production, was actually written by lawyers for Devon Energy; Pruitt’s staff only made minor changes before signing his name to it. Devon Energy also donated $125,000 to RAGA in 2014.

Its political action committee gave $10,000 to Pruitt’s campaigns for attorney general. Pruitt sent another letter in April 2014 to the EPA’s inspector general that expressed displeasure with the agency’s plan to review federal and state regulations on hydraulic fracturing to assess its impact on water supplies. One month later, RLDF requested signatures from other Republican attorneys general on a multi-state version of Pruitt’s fracking letter, emails obtained by MapLight through a Utah public records request show. The fracking letter interested Devon Energy. Allen Wright, the company’s vice president for government affairs, contacted a top Pruitt aide for a copy of the letter, according to emails published by the Center for Media and Democracy. “Good to see you this week,” Wright wrote. “Can you send me a copy of Scott’s letter regarding the EPA [inspector general’s] inquiry into state regulation of O&G?” RLDF also helped organize a challenge by Republican attorneys general to a regulation designed to preserve internet users’ privacy, according to emails obtained by Gizmodo.

Comcast,the nation’s largest cable company, requested attorneys general add their signatures to the letter. Other messages show RLDF promoting a letter opposing rules meant to encourage states to expand Medicaid coverage to millions of low-income Americans. The emails reviewed by MapLight shed light on the fund’s policy gatherings. The fund passed along a July 2015 message from Pruitt inviting other attorneys general to “a small, private event to discuss religious liberties matters in light of recent [Supreme Court] rulings.” Pruitt wrote that the Oklahoma City event would “bring together a select group of attorneys general and other leaders in the legal and theological fields.”

Last year, RLDF sponsored a senior staff retreat in Salt Lake City, Utah, featuring Republican attorneys general and lawyers for the energy industry. An agenda for the event shows Pruitt was scheduled to participate in a panel on “The Future of the Fight to Stop the Clean Power Plan.” Sharing the stage with Pruitt was West Virginia solicitor general Elbert Lin. A few months later, Pruitt signed onto Lin’s challenge to the rule before a U.S. appeals court. In March, Trump signed an executive order ordering the EPA to rewrite the Clean Power Plan. Pruitt announced the EPA would review the rule, and his agency asked the appeals court to delay its ruling on it. The court agreed to that request in April. Pressed by Democrats about his pledge to recuse himself from any active cases he was involved in as attorney general, Pruitt said in early May that he will not participate in the Clean Power Plan appeals court case–although the EPA reportedly has already drafted language to repeal the rule.

FOLLOWING THE DARK MONEY

Because of RLDF’s status as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, it’s impossible to document all of the group’s donors. But tax records show hundreds of thousands in donations can be traced to the Judicial Crisis Network (JCN), a conservative legal group. The network has financed nonprofits boosting Republicans in state judicial and attorneys general races, and advocates for the appointment of conservative judges. The group recently spent more than $10 million on television ads to ensure Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation. The network reported donating $435,000 to RLDF between July 2014 and June 2015. The Rule of Law Project (RLP), another dark money organization, gave $145,000 to RLDF in 2014, according to tax records. JCN also has given RLP at least $350,000–or 70% of the funding the organization reported receiving between 2014 and 2015. Leonard Leo, a top official at the conservative lawyers’ organization known as the Federalist Society, is listed in RLP’s filings as a director.

Pruitt has been a frequent participant in Federalist Society events,and was a featured speaker at a Washington, D.C., luncheon in March. Leo was reportedly “instrumental” in starting both JCN and the Wellspring Committee,a dark money group that funneled $13.9 million to JCN between 2013 and 2015. There is only one publicly disclosed donor to Wellspring, which is closely tied to JCN–Wellspring’s president is married to JCN’s treasurer. Tax records show Wellspring gave RLP $40,000 in 2014 and 2015, and also donated $310,000 to the Federalist Society. Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce gave $175,000 to RLDF in 2014–a connection that was highlighted by Democrats during Pruitt’s confirmation process. The dark money group has been linked to the Koch brothers. Freedom Partners has helped fund dozens of conservative advocacy organizations.

RLDF also received $25,000 in 2014 from the Edison Electric Institute, a trade association that represents investor-owned utility companies. As attorney general, Pruitt joined Oklahoma Gas & Electric, an EEI member, in suing the EPA to overturn its regional haze rule, which limits pollution near national parks. Altogether, the donations disclosed by JCN, RLP, Freedom Partners, and EEI add up to at least $780,000. RLDF reported receiving $1.8 million in donations in 2014 and 2015. Pruitt’s own campaign finance filings reveal a heavy reliance on energy companies. A MapLight review found that his campaigns received $353,000 in donations from members of the energy and natural resources sector since 2001, according to data from the National Institute of Money in State Politics. A super PAC tied to Pruitt, called Liberty 2.0, received almost half of its funds from the energy industry, Oklahoma Watch has reported.

The industry accounted for 27% of the money raised by Oklahoma Strong Leadership, a Pruitt-affiliated PAC. [Image: MapLight]

“RECUSE IF NECESSARY” As part of the ethics agreement Pruitt signed in January, he pledged that he would “not participate personally and substantially in any particular matter involving” RLDF without seeking authorization to do so. When Democrats asked the EPA how it will ensure Pruitt doesn’t participate in any matters involving secret donors to RLDF, agency lawyers said the fund would have to be directly involved in an issue before the EPA for Pruitt to have any potential conflict. “In order to have an obligation to seek authorization to participate personally and substantially in a matter, RLDF must be a party or represent a party in a specific party matter,” the EPA’s Office of General Counsel wrote.

“If RLDF has an interest in a specific party matter but is not itself a party or representing a party in that matter, the federal ethics requirements would not obligate Mr. Pruitt to seek authorization prior to participating in that specific party matter.” In Pruitt’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., asked him if he had solicited any donations to RLDF that could pose undisclosed conflicts of interest in his role at the EPA. Pruitt said that RLDF “would need to be a party in the future for that to be an issue,” citing the letter from EPA lawyers. “At the time, if issues arise in the future, I will seek the counsel of EPA ethics and follow the advice of those career folks to make a decision and recuse if necessary,” he said. “That is something I commit to doing.” In the first three months of 2017, Koch Industries reported lobbying Congress and the EPA on “issues related to motor vehicle fuel, including climate changes” and “renewable fuels standards.”

The EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard program mandates that gasoline be blended with biofuels like ethanol. Edison Electric Institute lobbied the EPA and Congress on a number of environmental issues, including a law passed last year that allows states to set up permitting programs for disposing of ash produced by coal-burning power plants. While the programs currently require EPA approval, Pruitt announced in late April that the agency has started drafting plans to allow states to create their own standards for coal ash disposal. Pruitt resigned from RLDF on Dec. 8, the day Trump nominated him to lead the EPA. One week later, emails show the fund had begun collecting signatures for a letter urging senators to confirm his nomination. Two dozen Republican attorneys general eventually signed the letter, which was sent to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in early January. The letter made its way into an op-ed written by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., backing Pruitt. “Attorneys general from 24 states authored a letter in support of his nomination,” Barrasso wrote. “They know he can and will rein in Washington.”2xFreedom Partners Chamber of Commerce gave $175,000 to RLDF[2200wilson , arlington va, pretends to be diff, but run by koch ppl:

https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Freedom_Partners]

in 2014–a connection that was highlighted by Democrats during Pruitt’s confirmation process. The dark money group has been linked to the Koch brothers. Freedom Partners has helped fund dozens of conservative advocacy organizations.

RLDF also received $25,000 in 2014 from the Edison Electric Institute, a trade association that represents investor-owned utility companies. As attorney general, Pruitt joined Oklahoma Gas & Electric, an EEI member, in suing the EPA to overturn its regional haze rule, which limits pollution near national parks.Altogether, the donations disclosed by JCN, RLP, Freedom Partners, and EEI add up to at least $780,000. RLDF reported receiving $1.8 million in donations in 2014 and 2015.Pruitt’s own campaign finance filings reveal a heavy reliance on energy companies. A MapLight review found that his campaigns received $353,000 in donations from members of the energy and natural resources sector since 2001, according to data from the National Institute of Money in State Politics.

A super PAC tied to Pruitt, called Liberty 2.0, received almost half of its funds from the energy industry, Oklahoma Watch has reported. The industry accounted for 27% of the money raised by Oklahoma Strong Leadership, a Pruitt-affiliated PAC. [Image: MapLight]“RECUSE IF NECESSARY”...

http://www.prwatch.org/files/rule_of_law_project_2014_990.pdf

adam white 1627 I st DCein ....9296

ein ...0903 The RLDF Was Created As A 501(C)(4) In 2014

heath rolp and raga? https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-heath-68037829

EIN: 46-5130903http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/202/202303252/202303252_201506_990O.pdf

raga700K$ mich goprslctenn forummich advocacy trust --tort reform pia indep women's voices State Government Leadership

-------------------- 1201 F St #675 Washington DC 20004 20-0505849 (a) Name and address of organization (b) EIN (c) IRC section (d) Amount of cash (e) Amount of non- (f) Method of valuation(book FMV ppraisal(g) Description of (h) Purpose of grantor government if applicable grant cash assistance , , ,other)non-cash assistance or assistance1^ Republican AG Association1747 PA Ave NW #800 DC 20008 46-4501717 527

950,000 0 cash none general support(2)_ State Government Leadership--------------------1201 F St #675 Washington DC 20004 20-0505849 501c4 400, 000 0 cash none general su pport(3) Arizona Public Integrity AlliancePO Box 30111 Meza AZ 85275 46-0793813 501c4 134,500 0 cash none general support(I) Rule of Law Defense Fund---------------------------

1747 PA Ave NW #800 DC 20006 46-5130903 501c4 435,000 0 cash none general support(5) American Tort Reform Assn--------------1101 CT Ave NW #400 DC 20036 52-1464785 501c6 5, 000 0 cash none general support(6)_ Independent Womens' voices----

IWF1875 I St NW #500 DC 20006 36-4534086 501c4 150, 000 0 cash none general supportFederalist Society17761 St NW #300 DC 20006 36- 3235550 501c3 21,000 0 cash none general sup rt(8)-WMC-Issue Mobilization-Council--------------------------------------501 E Washin gton Ave Madison WI 39-1743887 501c4 825 , 000 0 cash none general support(9) Tennessee Forum- - - - ----------------------------------------PO Box 150384 Nashville TN 37215 62- 1823138 527 25,000 0 cash none general support(10) Tennessee Business-Partnershi-----------------------------------------------PO Box 120965 Nashville TN 37212 46- 4445206 501c4 50,000 0 cash none general su pport01) Republican State Leadership Co1201 F St NW #675 DC 20004 05- 0532524 527 150,000 0 cash none general support(12) Conservative Leadership Priect------------------------------------PO Box 12526 Columbia SC 29211 46- 1565628 501c4 150, 000 , 0 cash none general support....Cj3jMichigan State Republican PartY_ 520 Sexmour Avenue LansingMI 48933; 38.1221182; 527 _ $700,000_ $0;cash_none_-gener ----- l support __ ^14Z Michioan AdvocacxTrust_ PO Box 24215 Lansing Ml 48909; 27-2447380; 527 $200,000:$0; cash; none general support; __ __ _ __ _ _ (15) US Health- Freedom_ Coalition ;_4715 North 32nd Street, Suite 107 , Phoenix, AZ, 85018.87.0809179.501 c4_ $100, 000_cash ;_ none;_ general support .C16)Citizens for Community Values Action; 11177 Reading Road, Cmcinatti, OH 45241 20.10363701501c4_ $25,000; cash; none_general support __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __Rule of Law Project; PO Box 3562 Arlington VA----- 189296 501c4; ------- $250000 ashone - --------------------- general support Con to the question "Is the ACLU Good for America?

"Reasoning:"In each election cycle, the action arms of organizations bent on destroying our nation’s foundation of Judeo-Christian moral values – organizations such as the ACLU, the Human Rights Commission, and Move-on.org – pour resources into Ohio and surrounding states. Now CCV Action can counter their deceptive claims.""Who Is CCV?" Citizens for Community Values website (accessed July 29, 2010)Theoretical Expertise Ranking: Organizations/VIPs/Other Individuals and organizations that do not fit into the other star categories.Description:

"CCV equips concerned, values-driven citizens with the tools they need to effectively exercise their First Amendment, free-speech rights to reverse this destructive trend and to fortify that foundation.""

About Us," Citizens for Community Values website (accessed July 29, 2010)Mission:"Citizens for Community Values (CCV) exists to promote Judeo-Christian moral values, and to reduce destructive behaviors contrary to those values, through education, active community partnership, and individual empowerment at the local, state and national levels.""About Us,"

Citizens for Community Values website (accessed July 29, 2010)Structure:501(c)(3) nonprofitMembers/Constituents:None foundAnnual Budget:$753,367 (2008 revenue)Sr. Executive:Phil Burress, President# of Offices:One (Cincinnati, OH)# of Staff: Three full-time staff Relevant Affiliations: CCV Action, an affiliated 501(c)(4) activist organization American Family Association Family Research Council Focus on the FamilyContact Info:Phone: 513-733-5775 Fax: 513-733-5794 Email: Online Contact Form Website: www.ccv.orgQuoted in:1. Should Public Schools Allow Gay-Straight Alliances?

http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/06/13118/schimel-rule-of-law-project-complaint

Back in October 2014, Republican Wisconsin attorney general candidate Brad Schimel was neck in neck with Susan Happ when a mysterious dark money group, with the phony name "Rule of Law Project," dropped into the race with a huge ad buy backing Schimel.Now it appears the Rule of Law Project (ROLP) may have broken a few laws in its eagerness to elect an attorney general of its choosing. Yesterday, the Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI and the IRS urging an investigation and alleging that the dark money group made false representations to the IRS.The complaint also sheds some light on who might be bankrolling the phony issue-ad group.

Watchdog Group Files Complaint with FBI and U.S. Department of Justice

The Center for Media and Democracy was the first to link the group to the Washington D.C. law firm of Boyden Gray and Associates. A founder of the Federalist Society and former White House Counsel, Gray is the chief architect of the 40-year attack on regulations protecting public health and the environment. Gray's firm has been representing a big business and dirty power companies in the fight against President Obama's Clean Power Plan, which if implemented, would reduce greenhouse gases by up to 32 percent in 2030.

ROLP ads applauded Schimel for saying he would join other Republican attorneys general in suing the EPA to stop the Clean Power Plan.CREW alleges that ROLP violated the law when it spent nearly $200,000 on political ads in backing Schimel, but later told the IRS that it did not engage in any political activity in 2014. CREW asserts that "501(c)(4) social welfare non-profits are allowed to make political expenditures as long as they disclose all political spending to the IRS, but ROLP failed to meet this simple standard."

"The disastrous Citizens United decision opened up the floodgates for dark money groups to spend on politics," CREW Executive Director Noah Bookbinder said. "But there are still some limits to the amount of spending and secrecy these groups are permitted—and too many brazenly ignore these modest limits." The CREW complaint can be found here. The organization's 2014 tax filings obtained by CREW and a fact sheet accompanying the complaint shed more light on the mystery group. From the fact sheet:

Adam White is the executive director of ROLP. Mr. White is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and until recently worked as Counsel at Boyden Gray & Associates.

Leonard Leo is a director of ROLP. Mr. Leo appears to be the executive vice president of the Federalist Society. William Kristol is a director of ROLP. Mr. Kristol appears to be the editor of The Weekly Standard and a prominent political pundit.

Star Eiting is the treasurer of ROLP. Eiting appears to be the treasurer of the DCI Group’s political action committee and used to be the custodian of records for the Center to Protect Patient Rights, a non-profit with past ties to the Koch brothers’ political network that moved millions of dollars to other non-profit groups.

CREW did not nail down the ultimate source of the funds used for the ads, but followed the fingerprints on various IRS tax filings to the Judicial Crisis Network and the Wellspring Committee.The Federalist Society's Leonard Leo is a founder of the Judicial Crisis Network, a dark money issue-ad group tied to the Wellspring Committee. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Wellspring is "little more than [a] UPS mailbox," and was created to hide the identity of donors who may be individuals or special interests and discredited industries who want to cloak their agenda in anonymity. If dark money groups have a dark arts leader it is Sean Noble of the Center to Protect Patient Rights (CPPR).

Noble was implicated in a multi-million dollar campaign money laundering operation in California in 2012 designed to hide the out-of-state money flooding into a California referendum campaign. The state of California demanded to know who donated $11 million to a group called the Small Business Action Committee (SBAC), which received the money from a non-profit called Americans for Responsible Leadership (ARL). It took a court order to get ARL to reveal that almost all of its money came from CPPR. As part of a legal settlement, ARL and CPPR were fined $1 million and ordered to disgorge the $15 million that was spent in the state. It was only later revealed that CPPR was largely bankrolled by the Kochs' Freedom Partners operation.

CPPR also gave money to Wisconsin Club for Growth during the time period that Wisconsin prosecutors allege that the Club was involved in a high-dollar coordinated campaign to aid Wisconsin Senators and Governor Scott Walker as they faced recall elections in 2011-2012.As CMD previously reported, DCI Group is a DC-based public relations and lobbying firm, with a client base that has included big tobacco, the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity, and several foreign governments with appalling human rights records. DCI works with the coal industry trade association, the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), and was recently subpoenaed by the state attorneys general investigating Exxon Mobile’s long-term funding of climate change denial.The bizarre addition of William Kristol to the board of a dark money group, might be a tactic to provide the organization with some cover to yell "free speech" if the propriety or legality of their activities are challenged.Schimel Goes to Bat for

Polluters

If federal officials investigate and work through a web of dark money transfers to determine the ultimate source of the funds, Wisconsin citizens might finally learn who exactly gambled big bucks on the Wisconsin attorney general. Whoever placed the bet it seems to have paid off.

Schimel has gone to bat for polluters joining lawsuits launched by coal country attorneys general and the fossil fuel industry to challenge to the Clean Power Plan. "Wisconsin has much to lose if the Obama administration succeeds in its plan to destroy the viability of clean-coal electric generation," says Schimel trotting out the debunked advertising slogan.

Schimel has also brought a compatriot of C. Boyden Gray straight out of coal country to work here in Wisconsin. In December 2015, he announced that Misha Tseytlin would serve as Wisconsin's first "Solicitor General" with a $1 million dollar budget. Tseytlin is a leader in the national game plan to derail the Clean Power Plan. He was the General Counsel to the West Virginia Attorney General who lead the charge against the Clean Power Plan. Tseytlin is also a "proud member" of the Koch-funded Federalist Society.

In February 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the plan and sent the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for review. The case will be heard in September.2016 is on track to be the hottest year ever recorded and the devastating and costly impacts of climate change are being felt across the nation and around the globe. No one knows that better than California Attorney General Kamala Harris whose state is leading the nation in curbing greenhouse gas emissions and pioneering clean and renewable energy. "The President’s clean power plan, combined with California’s green innovation, create a path for the nation to protect our environment for current and future generations,” says Harris who has worked with 17 other AGs to defend the Obama plan. Schimel's actions set Wisconsin back. Commenting on the Supreme Court's action David Doniger of the Natural Resources Defense Council said: "The electricity sector has embarked on an unstoppable shift from its high-pollution, dirty-fueled past to a safer, cleaner-powered future, and the stay cannot reverse that trend."