Happ, S

<p> </p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">=</font></p><div><strong style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 247); box-sizing: border-box;">The RLDF   def fund Was Created As A 501(C)(4) In 2014 </strong></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>not same a project</b></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>
</b></font></div><div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">http://www.prwatch.org/files/rule_of_law_project_2014_990.pdf</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">adam white 1627  I st DC</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ein ....9296</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ein ...0903</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><strong style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 247); box-sizing: border-box;">The RLDF Was Created As A 501(C)(4) In 2014 </strong></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">heath rolp and raga?</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-heath-68037829">https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-heath-68037829</a></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/06/13118/schimel-rule-of-law-project-complaint">http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/06/13118/schimel-rule-of-law-project-complaint</a></font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p style="margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Back in October 2014, Republican Wisconsin attorney general candidate Brad Schimel was neck in neck with </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Susan Happ </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">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.</span></b></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Now it appears the Rule of Law Project (ROLP)</b> 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.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The complaint also sheds some light on who might be bankrolling the phony issue-ad group.</font></p><h2 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 2em; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Watchdog Group Files Complaint with FBI and U.S. Department of Justice</font></h2><p style="margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The Center for Media and Democracy <a href="http://www.prwatch.org/news/2014/10/12649/dirty-energy-barons-go-bat-wi-ag-candidate-schimel" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none;">was the first to link the group</a> to the Washington D.C. law firm of Boyden Gray and Associates</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. 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.</span></font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ROLP ads applauded Schimel for saying he would join other Republican attorneys general in suing the EPA to stop the Clean Power Plan.</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">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."</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"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 <a href="http://crew.3cdn.net/2f6f24d3585dfe1a09_8hm6yxlst.pdf" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none;">can be found here</a>. </font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The <a href="http://www.prwatch.org/files/rule_of_law_project_2014_990.pdf" style="text-decoration: none;">organization's 2014 tax filings</a> obtained by CREW and a fact sheet accompanying the complaint shed more light on the mystery group. <a href="http://crew.3cdn.net/b46ec03578511fa55e_q3m6b9pts.pdf" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none;">From the fact sheet</a>:</font></p><ul style="margin: 1.5em 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 30px;"><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>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.</b></font></li><li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Leonard Leo is a director of ROLP. Mr. Leo appears to be the executive vice president of the Federalist Society.</font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>William Kristol is a director of ROLP.</b> Mr. Kristol appears to be the editor of <em>The Weekly Standard</em> and a prominent political pundit.</font></li><li style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Star Eiting is the treasurer of ROLP. Eiting appears to be the treasurer of the <b>DCI Group’s political action committee</b> 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.</font></li></ul><p style="margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">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 <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Judicial_Crisis_Network" style="text-decoration: none;">Judicial Crisis Network</a> and the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Wellspring_Committee" style="text-decoration: none;">Wellspring Committee</a>.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">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. </span></font></p><p style="margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">If dark money groups have a dark arts leader it is Sean Noble of the Center to Protect Patient Rights (CPPR).</font></p><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Noble </b>was implicated in a <a href="http://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/11/11845/california-elections-board-peels-back-layer-dark-money-onion-finds-more-onion" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none;">multi-million dollar campaign money laundering operation</a> 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 <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/dark-money-groups-pay-1-million-dollars-in-fines-in-california-case" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none;">were fined $1 million</a> 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' <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Freedom_Partners" style="text-decoration: none;">Freedom Partners</a> operation.</font></p><div class="clearfix" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p style="margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>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<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Scott Walker as they faced recall elections</span> in 2011-2012.</b></font></p><p style="margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As CMD <a href="http://www.prwatch.org/news/2016/04/13092/dci-group-subpoenaed-expanding-exxon-climate-denial-investigation" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none;">previously reported</a>, 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.</font></p><p style="margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>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.</b></font></p><h2 style="line-height: 2em; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Schimel Goes to Bat for Polluters</font></h2><p style="margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">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. </font></p><p style="margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Whoever placed the bet it seems to have paid off.</font></p><p style="margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Schimel <a href="https://www.doj.state.wi.us/news-releases/ag-schimel-announces-lawsuit-against-devastating-epa-rule" style="text-decoration: none;">has gone to bat</a> 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.</font></p><p style="margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">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 <a href="http://www.fed-soc.org/experts/detail/misha-tseytlin" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none;">Misha Tseytlin</a> 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 <a href="http://www.ago.wv.gov/pressroom/2015/Documents/File-stamped%20petition%2015-1363%20%28M0108546xCECC6%29-c1.pdf" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none;">General Counsel</a> to the West Virginia Attorney General who lead the charge against the Clean Power Plan. Tseytlin is also a <a href="http://www.watchblog.com/thirdparty/archives/002505.html" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none;">"proud member"</a> of the Koch-funded Federalist Society.</font></p><p style="margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">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.</font></p><p style="margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">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. </font></p><p style="margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">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."</font></p><p style="margin: 1.5em 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"> </font></p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-13 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden" sites="sites" all="all" themes="themes" prw="prw" images="images" tag_blue.png="tag_blue.png" left="left" no-repeat="no-repeat" scroll="scroll" rgb="rgb" line-height="line-height" em="em" margin="margin" px="px" padding="padding" style="background-image: url(""); background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><div class="field-items"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /><div class="field-item even" style="display: inline-block; padding-right: 1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.prwatch.org/topics/campaign-finance" style="text-decoration: none;">Campaign Finance</a></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div class="field-item odd" style="display: inline-block; padding-right: 1em;"><a href="http://www.prwatch.org/topics/democracy" style="text-decoration: none;">Democracy</a></div><div class="field-item even" style="display: inline-block; padding-right: 1em;"><a href="http://www.prwatch.org/topics/energy" style="text-decoration: none;">Energy</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-12 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden" sites="sites" all="all" themes="themes" prw="prw" images="images" tag_red.png="tag_red.png" left="left" no-repeat="no-repeat" scroll="scroll" rgb="rgb" line-height="line-height" em="em" margin="margin" px="px" padding="padding" style="background-image: url(""); background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" style="display: inline-block; padding-right: 1em;"><a href="http://www.prwatch.org/news-types/news" style="text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">News</font></a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-upload field-type-file field-label-hidden" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><table class="sticky-header" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; position: fixed; top: 0px; left: 219.094px; visibility: hidden;"><thead><tr><th /><th /></tr></thead></table><table class="sticky-enabled tableheader-processed sticky-table" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; margin-top: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><thead><tr><th><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Attachment</font></th><th><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Size</font></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr class="odd" style="background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 0.1em 0.6em;"><td><span class="file"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><img class="file-icon" alt="PDF icon" title="application/pdf" src="http://www.prwatch.org/modules/file/icons/application-pdf.png" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; height: auto; width: auto;" /> <a href="http://www.prwatch.org/files/rule_of_law_project_2014_990.pdf" type="application/pdf; length=1991641" style="text-decoration: none;">rule_of_law_project_2014_990.pdf</a></font></span></td><td><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">1.9 MB</font></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">==</font></div></div></div>

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<font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">By </span><a href="http://www.citizensforethics.org/authors/matt-corley/" style=" box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; outline: none;">Matt Corley</a><span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><br style=" box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" />

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<li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large">The Judicial Crisis Network (JCN)</b><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> is making news these days as </span><a class="external" href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/03/right-wing-groups-gearing-up-onslaught-merrick-garland-supreme-court" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" outline="outline" none="none">the main conservative group</a><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> seeking to block President Obama’s ability to seat a replacement on the Supreme Court for late Justice Antonin Scalia. The nonprofit group, which does not disclose its donors, is spending </span><a class="external" href="http://judicialnetwork.com/judicial-crisis-network-launches-digital-ad-campaign-exposing-merrick-garlands-record-as-a-liberal/" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" outline="outline" none="none">millions on ads</a><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> attacking nominee Merrick Garland and </span><a class="external" href="http://judicialnetwork.com/let-the-people-decide-statement/" times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" box-sizing="box-sizing" border-box="border-box" outline="outline" none="none">pressuring Republican senators</a><span times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large" style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> to hold the line against even holding a hearing on his nomination.</span></font></li>

</ul>

<p> 

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Though it is much better known for its focus on the judiciary, JCN has also long-cared about </span><a class="external" href="http://judicialnetwork.com/state-attorney-general-races-to-watch/" style=" box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">electing conservative attorney generals</a><span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> who can be “key leaders in the battle for limited, constitutional government.”</span><span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> <b>Since 2014, JCN has contributed at least $2.445 million to the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA)</b>, which is <a class="external" href="http://www.republicanags.com/about" style=" box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">dedicated</a> to “electing Republicans to the Office of State Attorney General.” In 2014, the group also directly intervened in attorneys general races, running ads in Republican attorney general primaries in <a class="external" href="http://www.omaha.com/news/outside-money-in-gop-attorney-general-race-raises-concerns/article_7487c807-8fef-53d2-b93e-823dc82f9c47.html" style=" box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">Nebraska</a> and <a class="external" href="http://arkansasnews.com/news/arkansas/update-ag-candidate-decries-attack-ad-out-state-group" style=" box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">Arkansas</a>.</span></font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">JCN also has sought to influence the slate of state attorneys general by working with other groups to run issue ads in attorney general elections, particularly Republican primaries.</b><span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> Between July 2013 and June 2014, for instance, JCN </span><a class="external" href="http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/202/202303252/202303252_201406_990O.pdf" style=" box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">gave $250,000</a><span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> to a nonprofit called the American Dream Initiative (ADI), which went on to spend at least </span><a class="external" href="http://www.statesman.com/news/news/out-of-state-ad-roils-texas-attorney-general-race/nf5s3/" style=" box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">$532,000 to</a><span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><a class="external" href="http://www.statesman.com/news/news/out-of-state-ad-roils-texas-attorney-general-race/nf5s3/" style=" box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;"> run ads attacking</a> then-Texas attorney general candidate Ken Paxton’s ethics</span><span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> just days before </span><a class="external" href="https://ballotpedia.org/Texas_Attorney_General_election,_2014" style=" box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">a runoff election</a><span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> in the 2014 Republican primary. JCN’s funding covered nearly half of </span><a class="external" href="http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/462/462767395/462767395_201412_990O.pdf" style=" box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">ADI’s expenses</a><span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> for the year. JCN also reported on its most recent tax form </span><a class="external" href="http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/202/202303252/202303252_201406_990O.pdf" style=" box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">giving $1.35 million</a><span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> to the </span><span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">American Future Fund, a <a href="http://www.citizensforethics.org/legal-filings/irs-investigate-american-future-fund" style=" box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">notorious</a> dark money nonprofit that <a class="external" href="http://ualrpublicradio.org/post/leslie-rutledge-defeats-david-sterling-republican-ag-nomination#stream/0" style=" box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">ran ads alongside JCN</a> in Arkansas’ 2014 Republican attorney general primary</span><span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. Another group, the</span><span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> <b>Rule of Law Project,</b> <a class="external" href="http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990_pdf_archive/202/202303252/202303252_201406_990O.pdf" style=" box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">got $100,000</a> from JCN in <a title="rule of law" href="http://www.citizensforethics.org/file/PDFs/Rule%20of%20Law%20Project%202014%20990.pdf" style=" box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">2014</a> and <a class="external" href="http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/281069552.html" style=" box-sizing: border-box; outline: none;">ran nearly $190,000</a> worth of ads boosting the Republican nominee for attorney general in Wisconsin while attacking the Democratic nominee.</span></font></p>

</section>

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<p style=" margin: 1.5em 0px; line-height: 24px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Wisconsin AG Candidate Brad Schimel has said he wants to sue the EPA to stop new rules limiting coal fired emissions, citing "federal overreach."</b></font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Now those who want him to do that are pouring on cash. With polls showing Schimel and his challenger Susan Happ neck and neck, new ads have popped up in Wisconsin from a mystery group called the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></font><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"Rule of Law Project".</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The <a href="http://mycmag.kantarmediana.com/KMIcmagvidbin2/ATGEN_WI_ROLP_A_PEN.wmv" target="_blank" style=" text-decoration: none;">ads specifically laud Schimel</a> for asserting that he would sue the EPA over the emissions standards.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The ad buy is likely to be large, $180,000 in Green Bay alone.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The ads credit an unknown group called "The Rule of Law Project." The <a href="https://stations.fcc.gov/collect/files/4150/Political%20File/2014/Non-Candidate%20Issue%20Ads/RULE%20OF%20LAW%20PROJ-507993%20on%2010-28-14%20%2814141623128803%29.pdf" target="_blank" style=" text-decoration: none;">gentleman listed on the ad buy as the group</a>'s treasurer is Adam J. White. Mr. White an attorney for the law firm of Boyden Gray and Associates, whose chief counsel is former White House counsel to George H.W. Bush and C. Boyden Gray. The address on the ad buy is the same address as Boyden Gray and Associates.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">A key founder of the Federalist Society and a current board member, C. Boyden Gray is the chief architect of the 30 year attack on regulations protecting public health and the environment. As science shows increasingly alarming signs that catastrophic climate change is around the corner,</font><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Gray's firm represents clients like First Energy Corp., <a href="http://www.peri.umass.edu/toxic100/" target="_blank" style=" text-decoration: none;">one of America's top polluters</a> according to a UMass Amherst study.</font>

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<p style=" margin: 1.5em 0px; line-height: 24px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">As <a href="http://http//www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=C.Boyden_Gray" target="blank" style=" text-decoration: none;">our Sourcewatch profile</a> documents, Gray has long been tied to the Koch Brothers' anti-regulatory crusades<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></font><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">going back decades to when Gray served as the Co-Chairman for Citizens for a Sound Economy which would later split to become Freedomworks and Americans for Prosperity. Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE) was a powerful industry-funded think tank, promoting deregulation of all stripes</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">While on the board for Citizens for Sound Economy, Gray worked with Charles and David Koch. He continues to serve on the board of <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/FreedomWorks" target="_blank" style=" text-decoration: none;">FreedomWorks</a> </span><span style=" background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">and continues to represent the fossil fuel industry in cases against the EPA. Including a failed effort to represented several states challenging EPA's greenhouse gas permits in the Supreme Court.</span></font></p>

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