{"id":2035686,"date":"2023-09-18T07:20:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-18T11:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democratic-dark-money-critic-sheldon-whitehouse-has-deep-ties-to-secret-donor-world\/"},"modified":"2023-09-18T07:25:33","modified_gmt":"2023-09-18T11:25:33","slug":"democratic-dark-money-critic-sheldon-whitehouse-has-deep-ties-to-secret-donor-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democratic-dark-money-critic-sheldon-whitehouse-has-deep-ties-to-secret-donor-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Sheldon Whitehouse, a critic of Democratic &#8216;dark money,&#8217; has strong connections to secret donors."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocratic-dark-money-critic-sheldon-whitehouse-has-deep-ties-to-secret-donor-world%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2035686&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Sen.\u2064 Sheldon Whitehouse&#8217;s Hypocrisy on &#8220;Dark Money&#8221;<\/h2>\n<p>Sen. Sheldon\u200b Whitehouse (D-RI)\u2063 has positioned himself as a leading critic of &#8220;dark money,&#8221; decrying its corrupting influence \u2064on politics and \u200ddemocracy. However, a closer look at\u200b his own actions reveals a different story. <\/p>\n<p>Since 2010, Whitehouse\u200c has championed the DISCLOSE Act, which \u2063aims\u2064 to require transparency from nonprofit groups and Super \u200cPACs \u200cinvolved in federal elections. Yet, he\u200d himself has \u2062benefited\u2063 from\u2063 the support of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-hawley-files-counter-complaint-against-senate-dems\/\" title=\"Sen. Hawley files counter-complaint against Senate Dems\">dark money groups<\/a> and has ties\u2064 to them.<\/p>\n<p>Whitehouse has specifically targeted Supreme Court \u2064Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel\u200d Alito for their alleged connections \u200bto dark money. However, he has not \u2064hesitated to \u2063accept significant contributions from dark money groups, such\u200b as the League of Conservation Voters and the \u200cNRDC Action Fund.<\/p>\n<p>It is worth noting that 501(c)(4) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tennessee-gop-establishment-pushes-bill-to-hamstring-challengers-and-doxx-conservative-donors\/\" title=\"Tennessee GOP Establishment Pushes Bill To Hamstring Challengers And Doxx Conservative Donors\">tax-exempt groups<\/a>, often referred to as &#8220;dark money&#8221; groups, are \u200dnot required to disclose their donors\u200c to \u2062the IRS. They can spend money \u2062on elections, engage in lobbying, and maintain \u200canonymity. <\/p>\n<p>Whitehouse&#8217;s relentless crusade against anonymous\u2062 donors has drawn criticism from conservative groups and Republican\u200c lawmakers. They argue that the Left&#8217;s opposition to dark \u200bmoney\u200b contradicts their supposed support for free speech and highlights their reliance on\u200c it \u2062to win elections.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, \u200dWhitehouse&#8217;s actions\u2063 have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ethics-experts-alarmed-by-nearly-100-decrease-in-clinton-foundation-donations-since-250-million-peak-in-2009\/\" title=\"Ethics Experts Alarmed By Nearly 100% Decrease In Clinton Foundation Donations Since 0 Million Peak In 2009\u00a0\">raised ethical concerns<\/a>. \u2062He has introduced legislation that\u200b could directly benefit his wife&#8217;s organizations, such\u2064 as the Federal Carbon Dioxide Removal Leadership Act. This bill\u2064 could provide\u2064 subsidies to companies like Running \u200dTide Technology, where his wife serves\u2062 as an ocean policy \u2063adviser.<\/p>\n<p>Whitehouse&#8217;s \u200dinvolvement with dark money groups extends beyond his own \u200ccampaign. His communications\u2063 director, Erica Handloff, previously worked for the Washington Center for Equitable Growth,\u2064 a nonprofit group\u200c whose donors prefer to \u200dremain anonymous.<\/p>\n<p>It is ironic that Whitehouse has allied himself with\u2063 organizations \u2062like Ocean Conservancy and League of Conservation Voters,\u200d which have received substantial\u2063 funding from dark money groups like \u2064Sixteen Thirty Fund and Fund for a Better Future.<\/p>\n<p>Whitehouse has also been vocal\u200c about alleged ethics \u2063violations by Supreme\u2064 Court Justices, demanding investigations into their financial \u200ddisclosures. However, the groups he has aligned with in these efforts,\u200b such as Fix the Court, have\u2063 their \u200bown dark money\u2062 ties.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the issue at hand is\u200d not\u2063 just about\u200b dark money\u2063 itself, but about Whitehouse&#8217;s glaring hypocrisy.\u200c While he condemns others for \u2062their connections to \u2064dark money, he has no\u2062 qualms about benefiting from it and \u2062using it\u200d to advance his own agenda.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How does Sen. Whitehouse&#8217;s acceptance of donations from \u200c&#8221;dark money&#8221; groups contradict his public stance on campaign finance \u2062reform?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Voters and\u200d the\u2064 general public have a right to\u200d question \u2064the integrity and consistency\u2063 of Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse&#8217;s stance on &#8220;dark\u2064 money&#8221; in politics.<\/p>\n<p>Whitehouse has long \u200bpresented\u2063 himself as a champion \u200bof campaign \u2064finance reform,\u2064 particularly in relation to &#8220;dark money&#8221; \u2063\u2013 a term \u200dused to \u200bdescribe funds donated to political causes or campaigns through non-disclosing entities. He has consistently criticized the influence of undisclosed \u2064donations on the democratic process, arguing that such contributions undermine transparency\u2063 and accountability.<\/p>\n<p>However, a scrutiny of his own\u2064 campaign finances tells a different story. Since 2010, Whitehouse has been a vocal supporter of the DISCLOSE \u200cAct, \u2062which\u2064 seeks to force greater transparency from nonprofit organizations and Super \u2062PACs involved \u200cin federal elections. \u200bYet, despite championing this legislation,\u200b Whitehouse himself has directly benefited from the financial contributions \u2063made by dark money groups \u2062and has established ties with them.<\/p>\n<p>What further highlights\u200b the hypocrisy\u200c of \u2062Whitehouse&#8217;s \u200cposition is his targeted attacks on Supreme Court Justices \u200bClarence Thomas and Samuel \u200bAlito for their alleged connections with dark money. He has been quick to criticize these justices, \u200csuggesting that their impartiality is \u200ccompromised by their associations \u2064with undisclosed donors. However,\u200c Whitehouse has shown no hesitation in accepting \u2062substantial contributions from dark money \u200cgroups, including the League of \u2064Conservation Voters (LCV).<\/p>\n<p>The LCV, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democratic-dark-money-critic-sheldon-whitehouse-has-deep-ties-to-secret-donor-world\/\" title=\"Sheldon Whitehouse, a critic of Democratic 'dark money,' has strong connections to secret donors.\">prominent environmental advocacy organization<\/a>, has \u200bbeen known to make substantial donations to Whitehouse&#8217;s campaigns. While \u200dthe LCV \u2063has been\u2063 involved in positive initiatives\u200d to protect the environment, their donations to Whitehouse are a vivid example of the senator&#8217;s double standards regarding &#8220;dark money.&#8221; By accepting funds from this type of organization, Whitehouse appears to be turning a blind eye to the very\u2063 issue he claims to be combating.<\/p>\n<p>It is crucial \u200bto emphasize \u2063the damaging effects of \u2062this hypocrisy.\u2064 By publicly denouncing &#8220;dark\u200c money&#8221; while privately \u2063benefiting from it, Whitehouse is \u2064eroding public trust in the political\u2062 system. It is understandable that citizens may question the authenticity \u200dof\u200b his motivations and his commitment to true campaign finance reform.<\/p>\n<p>If Whitehouse genuinely wishes to be seen as a credible\u200c advocate for transparency in\u200d campaign finance, it is imperative that he practices what\u2062 he\u2063 preaches. Instead of accepting contributions \u200bfrom dark money groups, he should prioritize disclosing the sources \u200cof his campaign funding\u200d and hold himself to \u200dthe same \u200dstandards he expects from \u2063others.<\/p>\n<p>Regardless of political \u2063affiliation, \u2064it is essential\u200c for politicians to maintain consistency and\u2062 demonstrate integrity\u2063 in their actions. In order to regain the\u2064 trust of the \u200cpublic, Sen. Sheldon\u200d Whitehouse must \u200baddress the questions raised by his own \u200binvolvement \u2064with &#8220;dark money&#8221; and \u2064take concrete steps to\u2063 align his actions with \u2062his \u2062purported beliefs. Only then\u200c can he be a legitimate voice in the fight against the corrosive influence of undisclosed donations on the democratic process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is known for criticizing &#8220;dark money&#8221; as a threat to democracy. However, a review of his donors, green energy ties, and attempts to reshape the Supreme Court reveals a different narrative. Whitehouse has actually benefited from the very system he condemns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2035687,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2035686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2035686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2035686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2035686\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2035687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2035686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2035686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2035686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}