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Advancing Am Freedom

PENCE CREATION SINECURE

HERITAGE CIVIL WAR --> DEFECTORS 7 26

wheeler pension plan w/ heritage

MERRI OK

pal former Office of Management and Budget director Russ Vought

BERNHARDT

KOCH DONORS TRUST ART POPE MARC SHORT FEULNER SEARLE

WHEELER

KUDLOW

MILLER YAF

bench strength bernhardt mofo

2024 pence run

see marc wheat liar

see mofo Miller am 1st legal fnd

SIGNAL

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richard stern BA heritage cut kid cancer research

~RFK2 NOT TOUGH ENOUGH ON ABORTION

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paul teller

pow see slime machine

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CIVIL WAR --> DEFECTERS

AN 7 26

The Heritage Foundation has long been one of the key institutions in conservative politics, helping to shape the policies of Republican presidents dating back to Ronald Reagan. But now, insiders say it is breaking apart due to an internal struggle that has also gripped the wider Republican Party in general: “how to harness the energy unleashed by Trumpism without being completely overrun by its conspiracy- and nativist-minded elements, particularly among the rising generation that has known little else.”

According to a new report from the New York Times, while the Heritage Foundation has been “long accustomed to placing its experts in key positions in Republican administrations, as it did in Trump’s first term,” once he returned to office, Heritage was “pushed to the side” regardless of the major role its notorious Project 2025 played in the 2024 election debate.

“As it tried to work its way back into the center of power, the foundation was consumed by a vicious in-house conflict,” explains the Times. “An old guard of establishment experts saw themselves swamped by an influx of more radical, often younger conservatives eager to remake the institution for the post-Trump right in their image: terminally online, ruthless in fighting the culture wars and vehement in rejecting the dogmas of postwar conservatism.”

According to the Times, a key breaking point came after Heritage president Kevin Roberts refused to back down from his support for Tucker Carlson, who had recently drawn accusations of antisemitism for hosting far-right white nationalist Nick Fuentes on his podcast. Roberts went on to argue the need to bring them into a conservative coalition, but many longtime Heritage employees disagreed, saying that “the people they usually collaborated with in congressional offices, circuit courts, foreign embassies and other institutions no longer wanted to be publicly associated with Heritage and what they perceived as its fidelity to Carlson.”

This incident prompted dozens of staff members to quit, defecting to Mike Pence’s new think tank, Advancing American Freedom, which is geared toward more traditional Republicans. “It’s good that they’re gone,” declared Roberts.

Around this time, there was a wave of firings and other resignations across the organizations, prompting some employees to call it the “Heritage Hunger Games" as their colleagues disappeared. Paranoia rose as staff began to suspect their devices were being monitored. One former senior analyst told the Times that the exodus was driven by “this movement that’s been brewing on the right,” that had “crept into a variety of mainstream conservative institutions and taken over.” The analyst declared that “it was planned, and it was a coup.”

By late 2025, most of the Heritage old guard had been replaced by Roberts’ hirees, who brought explicitly MAGA bona fides and often dubious pasts.

For example, “Mario Enzler, who served in the Vatican’s Swiss Guard, joined Heritage as a senior adviser. According to The Houston Chronicle, Enzler resigned from his previous position at the University of St. Thomas, a private Catholic school in Houston, amid allegations that the Italian university where Enzler claimed to have earned his Ph.D. did not offer Ph.D.s, and that the institution where he supposedly earned his bachelor’s degree was actually a high school.” Another recent top recruit was a former DOJ official who had been indicted for his role in attempting to overturn the 2020 election. Others openly promote racism, misogyny, and Holocaust denialism.

According to the Times, “Many of the staff members who left Heritage quit because they were exasperated by what they saw as the institution’s failure to firmly distance itself from extremists and trolls. As the former senior analyst put it…these groups ‘always existed out there, but they never seized main institutions before. That’s what’s new.’”

While MAGA conservatives like Roberts say they’re glad the more traditional conservatives have left Heritage, it turns out that the feeling is mutual.

“Kevin Roberts says (referring to me & my colleagues who left Heritage to join Advancing American Freedom) that he’s glad we’re gone,” posted former Heritage Vice President John Malcolm. “I couldn’t agree more. Although there are some great people who are still there, we are glad we’re gone too.”

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About the organization, Pence said, "Advancing American Freedom plans to build on the success of the last four years by promoting traditional conservative values and promoting the successful policies of the Trump administration."[1]

According to the organization's website, "AAF serves the Conservative Movement by developing innovative policy solutions, strategies, coalitions, and messaging that builds upon those accomplishments, expands freedom for all Americans, and hampers anything that would threaten America’s standing as the greatest nation on the face of the Earth."[2]

AAF has a sister organization: Advancing American Freedom Foundation (AAFF)

Contents

News and Controversies

Over a Dozen Ditch Heritage Foundation for AAF

In December 2025, AAF announced that it was hiring around 15 staffers away from the rightwing Heritage Foundation.[3] Included among the hires are:

AAF told the Wall Street Journal that "it was able to raise more than $10 million in a few weeks to make the new hires."[4]

"In an interview, the former Republican vice president told The Wall Street Journal he had long admired the Heritage Foundation but sees the group now 'abandoning its principles.' He said the foundation had 'fallen' because it had embraced elements of isolationism, stopped backing Ukraine in the war with Russia, supported some tariffs and backed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary, among other things."[4]

Ties to the Council for National Policy

Mike Pence and multiple members of AAF's advisory board are connected to the secretive Christian Right Council for National Policy (CNP), as guest speakers, members, board members, or executive committee members.

CNP Guest Speakers:

CNP Members:

CNP Board of Governors Members:

CNP Executive Committee Members:

Ties to the Koch Political Network

AAF pays Koch operative Marc Short's Advanced Strategies $180,000 a year for "strategic consulting services."[5]

Ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council

Lisa Nelson, the CEO of the American Legislative Exchange Council, is a member of AAF's advisory board.

Funding

Advancing American Freedom

AAF is not required to disclose its funders. Major funders, however, were found through a search of IRS filings. Here are the known funders:

Advancing American Freedom Foundation

AAFF is not required to disclose its funders. Major funders, however, were found through a search of IRS filings. Here are the known funders:

Core Financials

2024[6]

Grants Distributed

2023[7]

2022[5]

2021[8]

Personnel

As of December 2025:[9]

Staff

Board of Directors

Former Directors

Advisory Board

(As of January 2025 no longer listed)

Former Members

Co-Chairs

Contact Information

Advancing American Freedom

47 South Pennsylvania Street, Ste. 201

Indianapolis, IN 46204 Website: https://advancingamericanfreedom.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Advancing-American-Freedom-106925294739244

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/advancingamericanfreedom/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmericanFreedom

Articles and Resources

IRS Form 990 Filings

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MUSK RETWEET KILLED RESCUE BILL?

OFF BS

Richard Stern is the Director of the Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget at The Heritage Foundation. Prior to joining Heritage, Stern was a Congressional staffer for over seven years. During that time, he served as a policy staffer for the Republican Study Committee, where he was the staff lead for their Budget and Spending task force and spearheaded their work to create their FY 2020 and FY 2022 federal budgets. He also served as Legislative Director for Representative Tom McClintock of California and was a Legislative Assistant for former Representative Steve King of Iowa. Stern is a graduate of Emory University and holds a bachelor of arts in Economics.

Richard Stern

Former Director, Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget

Richard Stern was Director of the Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget at The Heritage Foundation.

This person is no longer a staff member at The Heritage Foundation.

Commentary

Four Ways We Can Bring Manufacturing Jobs Back to the American Heartland

Sep 16, 2025 2 min read

Commentary

From Uncle Herschel to Mickey Mouse: Cracker Barrel’s Disney Dilemma

Richard Stern Sep 9, 2025 4 min read

Commentary

California’s Homeless Crisis Shows the Need for Government Accountability

May 2, 2025 3 min read

Commentary

The High Cost of Big Government—a Heist on Taxpayers

May 1, 2025 2 min read

Special Report

A Strategy to Revitalize the Defense Industrial Base for the 21st Century

Apr 7, 2025 About an hour read

Commentary

Budget Reconciliation: A Tale of Two Chambers

Richard Stern Feb 24, 2025 6 min read

Factsheet

Budget Reconciliation Priorities for the 119th Congress

Richard Stern Feb 18, 2025 2 min read

Commentary

Politicians Use Inflation To Target American Way of Life

Jan 6, 2025 2 min read

Commentary

Why Are Americans Still Feeling the Economic Squeeze?

Dec 13, 2024 2 min read

Commentary

National Debt Is a Burden on Every American

Richard Stern Nov 7, 2024 2 min read

Pagination MANY

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Advancing American Freedom Hires Former Heritage Foundation Legal, Economic and Data Directors

December 22, 2025

December 22, 2025

WASHINGTON — Today, Advancing American Freedom (AAF) announced the addition of three senior Heritage Foundation leaders, who previously led the legal, economic, and data teams at The Heritage Foundation. John Malcolm, Richard Stern, and Kevin Dayaratna, PhD, along with members of their teams, will be joining AAF and leading unprecedented growth for the rising organization into 2026. AAF has raised more than eight figures to support these new projects.

John Malcolm recently served as Vice President, Institute for Constitutional Government, Director of Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, and Ed and Sherry Gilbertson Senior Legal Fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Malcolm will found the new Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law at AAF.

Richard Stern previously served as Acting Director, Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies and Director, Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget at The Heritage Foundation. Stern will lead the Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise at AAF.

Kevin Dayaratna, PhD recently served as Director, Center for Data Analysis and Chief Statistician at The Heritage Foundation. Dr. Dayaratna will be be building out the Center for Statistical Modeling & Scientific Analysis at AAF.

V.P. Mike Pence, Founder of Advancing American Freedom, released the following statement: “AAF is honored to welcome these principled conservative scholars to the team. They bring a wealth of experience, a love of country, and a deep commitment to the Constitution and Conservative Movement that will further the cause of liberty.”

Advancing American Freedom President Tim Chapman stated: “AAF is building a team of principled conservatives who will fight for America’s future. Today’s additions supercharge AAF’s capacity to fight for free markets, limited government, and the rule of law.

Our newest leaders are eminently respected scholars and will shape the future of the Conservative Movement through their work at AAF.”

Former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III stated the following, “I am proud to announce Advancing American Freedom as the home for the new Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law. AAF has already established itself as a leader in the conservative movement.

I am confident that the lawyers and staff in the Meese Institute will continue to play a leading role in advancing the conservative legal movement in terms of their scholarship, and by working with allies to achieve our mutual objectives, educating the general public about important legal issues, helping to train the next generation of conservative lawyers, and defending the Constitution and rule of law.”

The following Heritage Foundation staffers will also be joining AAF:

Tom Jipping will join The Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law as a Senior Legal Fellow.

Paul Larkin will join The Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law as a Senior Legal Fellow.

Amy Swearer will join The Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law as a Senior Legal Fellow.

Jessica Reinsch will join The Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law as a Director of Programs.

Jenna Hageman will join The Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law as a Program Associate.

Meaghen McManus will join The Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law as a Program Associate

David Burton will join the Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise as a Senior Research Fellow.

Rachel Greszler will join the Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise as a Senior Research Fellow.

Preston Brashers will join the Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise as a Research Fellow.

John Peluso will join the Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise as a Policy Analyst.

Additional staff announcements will be coming soon.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jonah Wendt

Communications Director

Advancing American Freedom

Jonah@advancingamericanfreedom.com

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Former Vice President Mike Pence may no longer be President-elect Donald Trump's right-hand man, but he's not quite done with politics yet.

That's according to a Wednesday article in Politico, which reported that Pence's organization, Advancing American Freedom (AAF), is waging a campaign aimed at Republican senators urging them to reject one of Trump's high-profile Cabinet picks. AAF is setting its sights on Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary-designate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his previous positions in favor of abortion.

AAF wrote in a statement that Kennedy is "pro-abortion," which the group argues is "completely out of step with the strong, pro-life record of the first Trump Administration."

READ MORE:'Karen Pence is all of us': Internet cheers former VP's wife for refusing to acknowledge Trump

"While RFK Jr. has made certain overtures to pro-life leaders that he would be mindful of their concerns at HHS, there is little reason for confidence at this time," AAF's letter continued.

AAF's letter advocating against Kennedy's confirmation comes on the heels of a remark Pence made in December, when he lamented that RFK Jr. was "the most pro-abortion Republican appointed secretary of HHS in modern history." And so far, the president-elect's team has remained relatively quiet regarding RFK Jr.'s past comments in favor of abortion.

When Kennedy was fielding his own presidential bid as an independent, he had conflicting positions on abortion. At first, he backed a 15-week ban on the procedure, but then did a one-eighty and said all pregnant individuals should have the right to an abortion, even if it's full-term." He's since walked that statement back saying that he only supports abortion restrictions late into a pregnancy.

As Politico reported, HHS has significant sway over abortion in the United States as it provides funding for women's health nonprofit Planned Parenthood. HHS also has jurisdiction over abortion drug Mifepristone, which has been used for medication abortions with FDA approval for decades. The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 has called for the enforcement of the Comstock Act of 1873 as a means of restricting access to abortion drugs like Mifepristone.

READ MORE:Trump team dodging Republicans' concerns about RFK on key issue: report

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Advancing American Freedom (AAF) today announced it filed an amicus brief before the United States Supreme Court in Loper Bright Enterprises et al v Gina Raimondo. In the brief, joined by Pelican Institute for Public Policy and America First Legal Foundation. amici argue that the case ofLoper v. Raimondo presents the opportunity for Chevron v NRDC to be overturned, which has long permitted the confusion of powers of the several branches of the Federal government.

“The Chevron Doctrine has too long been the cause of overreaching Federal regulations that have created financial hardships for Americans of all walks of life, and the case before us today will decide if a Federal agency can place bureaucrats on fishing boats and make the owners pay for it,” said J. Marc Wheat, General Counsel for Advancing American Freedom. “The courts have an opportunity to right this wrong and overrule this burdensome doctrine.”

The amicus brief asks the court to consider that Congressional silence is not tantamount to delegating its legislative powers, silence of the Legislative branch is not to be taken as ambiguous, but the Chevron doctrine has read this silence as permission for a fill-in-the-blank overreach of its limited powers.

The amici goes further, emphasizing that Congress alone has power of the purse and the Chevron doctrine, by allowing mischievous agencies to seek funds outside of the appropriations process, has exceeded its delegated powers, and the judicial powers of Article III must now be used to reign in the roving powers of unelected agencies taking powers the Constitution grants to Congress alone.

To view the amicus brief, click here.

Sarah Harbison (LSBA # 31948) James Baehr (LSBA #35431) Pelican Institutefor Public Policy 400 Poydras St. Suite 900 New Orleans, LA 70130 (504) 952-8016 sarah@pelicaninstitute.org Gene P. Hamilton Virginia Bar No. 80434 America First Legal Foundation 300 Independence Ave S.E. Washington, DC 20003 (202) 964-3721 gene.hamilton@aflegal.org December 15, 2022

MOTION OF ADVANCING AMERICAN FREEDOM FOR LEAVE TO FILE AMICI CURIAE BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONERS

Pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 37.2(b), Advancing American Freedom respectfully moves for leave to file an amicus curiae brief in support of petitioners. The brief follows immediately after this motion. Petitioners have granted consent and have filed a blanket consent to the filing of amicus briefs. Respondent has declined to file a blanket consent to the filing of amicus briefs and has failed to respond to an email sent on December 13, 2022 seeking consent. Because respondent has failed to file a blanket consent nor responded to an email seeking consent, Advancing American Freedom presents this motion for leave of the Court to file the appended brief amicus curiae.

Advancing American Freedomis a nonprofit organization that promotes and defends policies that elevate traditional American values, including the uniquely American idea that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. American freedom has created the greatest and most prosperous country in the history of the world, and if future generations are going to enjoy those blessings, we must secure individual rights in our own time. The Pelican Institute is a nonpartisan research and educational organization—a think tank—and the leading voice for free markets in Louisiana. The Institute’s mission is to conduct research and analysis that advances sound policies based on free enterprise, individual liberty, and constitutionally limited government. ThePelican Institute routinely 

challenges administrative overreach when it interferes with Louisianians’ right to earn a living. Notably, the Pelican Institute represented Louisiana business owner Brandon Trosclair in his challenge to the OSHA vaccine-or-test mandate. BST Holdings, L.L.C., et al. v. Occupational Safety & Health Administration, et al., 17 4th 604 (5th Cir. 2021). America First Legal Foundation (AFL)  MILLER MOFO is a public interest law firm providing citizens with representation in cases of broad public importance to vindicate Americans’ constitutional and common law rights, protect their civil liberties, and advance the rule of law. AFL employs former high-ranking Department of Justice and Executive Branch lawyers who are intimately familiar with the government's use and abuse of the Chevron doctrine to unhinge the separation of powers. Thus, AFL has a strong interest in the question presented. This case is important to amici because it presents to this Court the opportunity to overrule Chevron v. NRDC, 467 U.S. 837 (1984), which for too long has permitted the confusion of powers of the several branches of the Federal government. The genius of the Constitution is its structure, dividing power against itself into three coequal branches and thereby protecting the liberties of its citizens fromLeviathan. The proposed amicus brief seeks to bring before the Court arguments informed by amicus’s experience in studying and briefing the issues presented. Movant believes that this brief will assist the Court in its consideration of the petition. The significant issues concerning the structural constitutional provisions 

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BS daily sieg heil

fIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—A conservative nonprofit launched by former Vice President Mike Pence is representing 11 conservative groups in supporting fishermen challenging the extensive power of the federal bureaucracy.

Advancing American Freedom, which plays no role in Pence’s 2024 presidential campaign, filed an amicusbrief in the Supreme Court case Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, in which the court will revisit the longstanding precedent of**Chevron deference. The group exclusively gave The Daily Signal a copy of the brief.

In Chevron v. National Resources Defense Council (1984), the Supreme Court held that whenever a law is ambiguous, a federal agency has the authority to interpret the scope and content of that ambiguity to achieve its ends, so long as the interpretation is “reasonable.”

This precedent granted executive agencies tremendous power to effectively rewrite the law, critics like Advancing American Freedom claim.

“The Left has used Chevron Deference to grow the administrative state and circumvent the approval of Congress to push their own agenda,” J. Marc Wheat, Advancing American Freedom’s general counsel, told The Daily Signal. “This is never what the Founders intended; unelected bureaucrats at various agencies do not have the power to legislate and we hope that the Supreme Court checks the Chevron Deference once and for all.”

In Loper Bright, fishermen are challenging the National Marine Fisheries Service—represented by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. Federal law forces fishermen to carry inspectors aboard their vessels. A new Fisheries Service rule forces the fishermen to pay the salaries of these federal inspectors. The federal law requiring the inspections does not stipulate that fishermen must pay inspectors’ salaries, but the Fisheries Service insists that it has the power to demand payment under Chevron.

A divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit sided with the Fisheries Service in August 2022, noting that the statute leaves “room for agency discretion.” Yet Judge Justin Walker dissented.

“Did Congress authorize the National Marine Fisheries Service to make herring fishermen in the Atlantic pay the wages of federal monitors who inspect them at sea?” he asks in his dissent. “Congress unambiguously did not.”

“Fishing is a hard way to earn a living,” he notes. While “Congress can make profitable fishing even harder by forcing fishermen to spend a fifth of their revenue on the wages of federal monitors embedded by regulation onto their ships,” it has not done so. “Until Congress does that, the Fisheries Service cannot.”

Advancing American Freedom filed the amicus brief on Monday, representing itself and ten other conservative organizations. Eagle Forum, the National Center for Public Policy Research, Project 21 Black Leadership Network, Students for Life of America, and Young America’s Foundation joined the brief.

The brief begins by quoting the Declaration of Independence, noting that the Founders faulted King George IIIfor erecting “New Offices… to harass” them “and eat out their substance.”

“Here, a New England fishing business is threatened with insolvency because a Federal agency seeks to swarm the industry with bureaucrats to consume the proceeds of some20% of the daily catch,” the petitioners write. “Bureaucracies that have grown smug and fat through Chevron deference should reacquaint themselves with their country’s history.”

“This case presents the question of Chevron deference dead on without any need to tack, offering an excellent opportunity to abandon this sinking ship and to offer lower courts a more seaworthy vessel for judicial review,” the petitioners write.

Conservative Supreme Court justices have criticized Chevron deference in recent years. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in his concurrence in Michigan v. EPA (2015) that Chevron “wrests from Courts the ultimate interpretative authority ‘to say what the law is,’ and hands it over to” the executive branch. Justice Neil Gorsuchwrote last fall that the court should acknowledge “that Chevron did not undo, and could not have undone, the judicial duty to provide an independent judgment of the law’s meaning.”

Federal agencies have used Chevron deference to justify many controversial policies.

When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, President Joe Biden directed his administration to “protect and expand access to abortion care.” Following the prompting of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued guidance claiming to find an abortion mandate in a law that had never been interpreted as mandating abortion.

The federal agency interpreted the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, which requires health care providers to provide “stabilizing treatment” in certain circumstances, as mandating abortion. If a health care provider determines that abortion is necessary to protect the mother’s life, he or she must either perform the abortion or refer the woman to a medical facility that would perform it, regardless of the relevant state law.

Advancing American Freedom, representing 25 other conservative and pro-life groups, filed an amicus brief challenging this interpretation of the law. The brief argues that this interpretation “would expand the meaning of the 1986 statute to include abortions as a form of treatment and would illegally overwrite legitimate state laws designed to protect women and the unborn.”

As in Loper Bright, Advancing American Freedom urges the Supreme Court to overturn Chevron.

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Portrait of Tyler O'Neil

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Tyler O'Neil is managing editor of The Daily Signal and the author of "Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center."

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Advancing American Freedom

On April 7, 2021, former Vice President Mike Pence launched Advancing American Freedom, a policy and advocacy organization.[23] Teller was announced as the Executive Director of Advancing American Freedom, a position he currently holds.[24] As Executive Director of AAF, Teller works with the former Vice President to develop and build new policies, strategies, and coalitionsto promote conservatism and restore constitutionalism in today's America.

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dobbs amicus

BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE ADVANCING AMERICAN FREEDOM, INC.; MINNESOTA FAMILY COUNCIL; CENTER FOR POLITICAL RENEWAL; THE FAMILY LEADER (IOWA); FAMILY HERITAGE ALLIANCE; AND NEBRASKA FAMILY ALLIANCE IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONERS

RENEE K. CARLSON Counsel of Record TRUE NORTH LEGAL 2855 Anthony Ln. S. Minneapolis, MN 55418 612.789.8811 rcarlson@ truenorthlegalmn.org TERESA STANTON COLLETT 2189 Sargent Avenue Saint Paul, MN 55205 651.271.2958 tscollett@stthomas.edu MATTHEW J. SHEEHAN ADVANCING AMERICAN FREEDOM, INC. 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 930 Washington, DC 20004

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bad code no lnx

ref

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/546848-pence-launches-conservative-political-group/

rev dr pension wheeler and bernhardt

former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday announced the creation of a new political advocacy group,

his latest step to remain involved in the conservative movement as he plots out his political future.

Pence launched Advancing American Freedom, while opposing the Biden administration’s agenda. Advancing American Freedom plans to build on the success of the last four years by promoting traditional Conservative values and promoting the successful policies of the Trump Administration,” Pence said in a statement. “Conservatives will not stand idly by as the radical Left and the new administration attempt to threaten America’s standing as the greatest Nation in the world with their destructive policies.”

The nonprofit advocacy group will be advised by several former Trump administration officials and prominent leaders in the conservative movement. Kellyanne Conway, Larry Kudlow, Russ Vought, Seema Verma, Andrew Wheeler, Robert Lighthizer and David Bernhardt are among the former Trump officials on its advisory board.

The group will advocate for policies focused on three areas: The economy, foreign policy and “American liberties” like school choice and anti-abortion policies.

The launch of the advocacy group is Pence’s latest bid to remain a key player in conservative politics. Since leaving office, he has joined the Heritage Foundation as a distinguished visiting fellow where he has a regular column and podcast, and he also joined former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) Young America’s Foundation as a scholar.

Pence is expected to speak later this month in South Carolina in his first speech since leaving office.

The Washington Examiner reported that the new advocacy group comes with the support of former President Trump, who has patched things up with Pence after attacking his former vice president for refusing to illegally subvert the certification of the Electoral College results on Jan. 6. Pence was the target of threats when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol that day, and he was taken away to a secure location when rioters entered the complex.

The former vice president is known to be interested in running for president in 2024, but the end of his tenure has raised questions about whether he would be embraced by Trump supporters. Other former Trump administration officials, such as former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, are also likely to launch presidential bids.

TAGS 2024 ELECTION ANDREW WHEELER CONSERVATIVE POLITICS DONALD TRUMP KELLYANNE CONWAY LARRY KUDLOW MIKE PENCE MIKE POMPEO NIKKI HALEY ROBERT LIGHTHIZER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

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https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/07/politics/mike-pence-political-group-advancing-american-freedom/index.html

cnn

former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday announced the launch of a new political advocacy group, "Advancing American Freedom," a move designed with an eye to his political future and his efforts to help shape the conversation around the Trump administration's legacy.

The group's stated goal is to "promote the pro-freedom policies of the last four years that created unprecedented prosperity at home and restored respect for America abroad, to defend those policies from liberal attacks and media distortions, and to prevent the radical Left from enacting its policy agenda that would threaten America's freedoms," according to a statement from the group.

Pence, who is widely reported to have presidential ambitions, has largely remained below the radar since leaving office in January after the last tumultuous month of the Trump administration.

He penned an op-edfor the conservative publication The Daily Signal in March decrying a sweeping, Democratic-led voting rights bill that was later passed by the House but faces an uncertain path forward in the Senate. In the op-ed, Pence expressed concern about "the integrity of the 2020 election," citing "significant" and "troubling" voting irregularities. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud that would have changed the outcome of the 2020 election, and Pence did not make any specific claims in his op-ed. Rather, the former vice president continued to promote the misinformation pushed by former President Donald Trump that led Trump supporters to storm the US Capitol as Pence joined the Senate to certify the election's results.

pence is set to return to the speaking circuit with his first public appearance later this month in the early primary state of South Carolina, delivering remarks to the conservative "Palmetto Family" group at its annual gala in Columbia on April 29.

The former vice president is expected to continue paid speaking engagements going forward. Worldwide Speakers Group announced last month that Pence was available for speech bookings, where, per the group, he "plans to address leadership; policymaking; and faith, values, and service."

With speculation that Pence could mount a presidential bid in 2024, the question remains whether Trump will consider running again himself. While the specter of another Trump run would freeze the 2024 Republican presidential field, Pence advisers say he could benefit. Unlike some other potential candidates, Pence does not need to get people familiar with his name nor would he need much time to put together a political operation.

In the meantime, the creation of Advancing American Freedom will give Pence a vehicle to stay involved in the Republican political conversation as the midterm elections approach.

The Wednesday announcement of the group included a lengthy list of allies and former administration officials, including his longtime pollster and Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway, former US Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft, Newt and Callista Gingrich, who served as US Ambassador to the Holy See, Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow, former US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, former Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services Administrator Seema Verma, former Office of Management and Budget director Russ Vought, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, actor Kirk Cameron, and others.

The statement also said that the group, which isbased in Indianapolis, will target Biden-Harris policy: "Advancing American Freedom will oppose the expansion of government under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' radical Left policy agenda from Washington, D.C., into communities across the country."

It comes as top Trump aide Stephen Miller has also launched a new legal advocacy group, America First Legal, which he described in an interview with the Wall Street Journal as "a conservative answer to the ACLU."

Trump personally praised Miller in a statement Wednesday, encouraging "all America First patriots (to) get behind America First Legal."

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Policy Assistant

Events and Operations

Corinne Schillizzi

Director of Scheduling and Events

Jack Powell

Staff Assistant

Piper Minick

Assistant Scheduler

Communications Department

Jonah Wendt

Communications Director

Ali Holcomb

Communications Advisor

Julia Jensen

Press Assistant

Madeline Alfonso

Digital Assistant

Doug Carlson

Director of Correspondence and Protocol

The Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise

Richard Stern

Vice President, Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise

Joel Griffith

Senior Fellow

Rachel Greszler

Senior Research Fellow

David Burton

Senior Research Fellow

Andrew Hale

Fellow

Preston Brashers

Research Fellow

John Peluso

Policy Analyst

Austin Gae

Policy Analyst

The Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law

John Malcolm

Vice President, The Edwin Meese III Institute for the Rule of Law

Hans von Spakovsky

Senior Legal Fellow

Amy Swearer

Senior Legal Fellow

Eugene Kontorovich

Senior Legal Fellow

Tom Jipping

Senior Legal Fellow

Paul Larkin

Senior Legal Fellow

Jessica Reinsch

Director of Programs

Jenna Hageman

Program Associate

Meaghen McManus

Program Associate

The Institute for Statistical Policy Analysis

Kevin Dayaratna, Ph.D.

Vice President, Institute for Statistical Policy Analysis

Zachary Cady, Ph.D.

Senior Economist

Philip Eigen

Policy Analyst

Gadai Bulgac

Policy Analyst

Kat Miller

Policy Analyst

For more information on events and scheduling requests, please contact Corinne Schillizzi at corinne@advancingamericanfreedom.com

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Meet Chairman Mike Pence - Advancing American Freedom

https://advancingamericanfreedom.com › about

... expands freedom for all Americans, and hampers anything that would ... policy stakeholders for President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.

https://advancingamericanfreedom.com › mike-pence-l...

... a policy and advocacy organization established to promote the pro-freedom ... “Under the leadership of President Trump and Vice President Pence, ...

https://advancingamericanfreedom.com

Advancing American Freedom advocates for Conservative values and policy proposals. Join Chairman Mike Pence and sign up to help us save America:

Missing: pro- ‎| Must include: pro-

Pence launches political advocacy group with an eye to ... - CNN

https://www.cnn.com › 2021/04/07 › politics › mike-penc...

Apr 7, 2021 — ... "Advancing American Freedom," a move designed with an eye to his ... President Donald Trump that led Trump supporters to storm the US ...

Building on the Trump administration's victories to advance ...

https://www.washingtontimes.com › news › apr › buildi...

Apr 7, 2021 — President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with Vice ... is why I launched a new advocacy organization called Advancing American Freedom.

https://www.washingtontimes.com › news › apr › pence...

Apr 7, 2021 — Pence joins a growing list of Trump alumni who have returned to the political trenches leading advocacy groups tasked with preserving the legacy ...

Pence returns to the arena — as a podcaster - POLITICO

https://www.politico.com › pence-new-podcast-511079

Sep 10, 2021 — Having served four years as Trump's vice president, Pence is too close to the ... Wyo., for his nonprofit, Advancing American Freedom.

Pence launches new policy and advocacy group to champion ...

https://www.nbcnews.com › blog › ncrd1263307

Apr 7, 2021 — Advancing American Freedom's messaging previews the pitch Pence ... Former President Donald Trump has endorsed the Senate campaign of Rep.

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Will former VP Mike Pence run for president in 2024?

https://www.deseret.com › u-s-world › mike-pence-laun...

Apr 7, 2021 — Advancing American Freedom's executive director is Paul Teller, ... of the Republican Party is aligned with Donald Trump, and Mike Pence is ...

Former US VP launches new advocacy in Trump legacy bid

https://www.aa.com.tr › americas › former-us-vp-launc...

Apr 7, 2021 — Advancing American Freedom group features advisory board of many Trump ... office amid a very public row with former President Donald Trump.

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