{"id":2329865,"date":"2024-08-23T08:32:56","date_gmt":"2024-08-23T12:32:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-dark-money-dems-want-the-names-of-conservative-donors\/"},"modified":"2024-08-23T08:41:27","modified_gmt":"2024-08-23T12:41:27","slug":"why-dark-money-dems-want-the-names-of-conservative-donors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-dark-money-dems-want-the-names-of-conservative-donors\/","title":{"rendered":"Why &#8216;Dark Money&#8217; Dems Want The Names Of Conservative Donors"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/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%2Fwhy-dark-money-dems-want-the-names-of-conservative-donors%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=2329865&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--><p>In recent years, the activist \u2063left has\u200b established a network of \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-using-tax-dollars-to-boost-democrat-registration-and-turnout\/\" title=\"Biden Using Tax Dollars to Boost Democrat Registration and Turnout\">left-leaning nonprofits<\/a> aimed at influencing elections and policy outcomes focused on issues such as abortion\u2064 and gender identity. This \u2062movement has\u2062 been highlighted by\u2062 significant financial support, \u2062notably the Arabella\u2062 network&#8217;s role in the 2018 midterms, which saw enormous anonymous donations. In 2020, left-aligned nonprofits significantly outspent conservative organizations. This surge in &#8220;dark money&#8221; has created concern among Republicans\u2063 regarding the influence of foreign donors in elections. Concurrently, some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/musks-x-partners-with-conservative-blacklist-tied-company-deal-with-the-devil\/\" title=\"Musk&#039;s X collaborates with blacklist-linked conservative firm: &#039;Unholy Alliance&#039;\">conservative \u200cmedia outlets<\/a> \u2062have increased coverage regarding this funding mechanism.<\/p>\n<p>On Capitol \u2063Hill, Republicans have scrutinized \u200cthese left-leaning nonprofits, countering the Democrats\u2019 earlier criticisms of conservative groups as &#8220;dark money.&#8221; This scenario raises\u2064 a critical question: if &#8220;dark \u2064money&#8221; is \u2064advantageous for Democrats,\u200d why push for donor disclosure laws? The suggestion is that silencing conservatives may\u200b hold greater value for \u2062the left than their own fundraising efforts.<\/p>\n<p>Eric Kessler, founder of Arabella Advisors,\u200b has voiced support for the DISCLOSE Act, advocating for transparency in political donations and reform \u200dacross the board in campaign \u2064financing. However, critics argue that this act\u2064 could serve to target conservative donors rather than enhance transparency. The underlying concern posits that donor disclosure could effectively silence opposition voices, framing \u2062the DISCLOSE Act as a mechanism for censorship rather than an \u200deffort toward openness.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the Democratic establishment&#8217;s interests\u200d may lie not just \u2062in understanding financial dynamics but in leveraging disclosure to shift the political landscape in their favor.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>In recent years, the activist left has built a network of left-leaning nonprofits to help tilt elections and ballot initiatives in favor of realizing far-left policy outcomes on abortion, gender identity, and DEI, among others. Politico <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2019\/11\/19\/dark-money-democrats-midterm-071725\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">highlighted<\/a> the Arabella network&rsquo;s role in the 2018 midterms, describing &ldquo;an unprecedented gusher of secret money&rdquo; that was &ldquo;fueled by massive anonymous donations.&rdquo; The New York Times<em> <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/05\/03\/us\/politics\/hansjorg-wyss-money-democrats.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a> how, in 2020, left-of-center nonprofits outspent &ldquo;groups aligned with Republicans&rdquo; $514 million to $200 million.<\/p>\n<p>This surge in spending has brought scrutiny from Republicans <a href=\"https:\/\/unitedforprivacy.com\/house-administration-committee-advances-foreign-influence-legislation-despite-concerns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in Congress<\/a> and in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cleveland.com\/news\/2024\/06\/ohio-expands-ban-on-foreign-political-donations-what-it-means-for-november.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the states<\/a>, particularly around the role of foreign donors to candidate and ballot issue campaigns. Conservative media now features a steady drumbeat of coverage about &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/unitedforprivacy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/23-08-What-is-Dark-Money.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dark money<\/a>&rdquo; supporting various <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/dark-money\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">left-of-center<\/a> causes. On Capitol Hill, Republicans hosted a <a href=\"https:\/\/waysandmeans.house.gov\/event\/oversight-subcommittee-hearing-on-growth-of-the-tax-exempt-sector-and-the-impact-on-the-american-political-landscape\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hearing<\/a> that highlighted the left&rsquo;s growing nonprofit activities and the apparent hypocrisy of Democrats who spent much of the previous decade <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.senate.gov\/news\/speeches\/the-scheme-25-the-front-group-swarms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">condemning conservative<\/a> organizations and donors as &ldquo;dark money.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>All of this raises a question: If &ldquo;dark money&rdquo; is so beneficial to Democrats, why do the party&rsquo;s leaders consistently push for new and expansive donor disclosure laws?<\/p>\n<p>The answer may be simple: Even when the left outspends the right, the value of silencing conservatives far exceeds the value of spending by left-leaning nonprofits.<\/p>\n<p>Eric Kessler, the founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/arabella-advisors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Arabella Advisors<\/a>, which serves as the head of the left&rsquo;s sprawling nonprofit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/for-profit\/arabella-advisors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">network<\/a>, recently pledged his support to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.senate.gov\/news\/release\/whitehouse-cicilline-reintroduce-disclose-act-to-end-corrupting-influence-of-dark-money-in-american-democracy\/#:~:text=Washington%252C%2520DC%25E2%2580%2593%2520U.S.%2520Senator%2520Sheldon%2520Whitehouse%2520%2528D-RI%2529%2520and,government%2520more%2520accountable%2520to%2520the%2520will%2520of%2520voters.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">plan to<\/a> &ldquo;end the scourge of dark money.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I support the DISCLOSE Act, which would go a long way, even as a first step toward overturning the mistake in American politics, which is the conservative-led <em>Citizens United<\/em> decision. I&rsquo;m in favor of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bloomberg-biden-sets-new-record-taking-dark-money-donations\/\" title=\"Bloomberg: Biden sets new record taking dark money donations\">campaign finance reform<\/a> for all &mdash; evenly across the board &mdash; and I think that we should have a new playbook and a new set of rules for everybody,&rdquo; Kessler <a href=\"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/article\/arabella-founder-eric-kessler-under-fire-as-dark-money-master-talks-about-the-line-between-philanthropy-and-politics?sra=true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> The Chronicle of Philanthropy.<\/p>\n<p>Kessler&rsquo;s interest in rewriting the rules is notable given Arabella&rsquo;s seeming mastery of the current landscape. Why change now?<\/p>\n<p>Note that Kessler&rsquo;s support for the DISCLOSE Act is premised on &ldquo;overturning&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ifs.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/2020-01-16_Issue-Brief_Blackburn_Citizens-United-After-10-Years-More-Speech-Better-Democracy.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Citizens United<\/em><\/a>  &mdash; the Supreme Court&rsquo;s 2010 ruling that said corporations, nonprofits, and unions have a First Amendment right to independently voice their support or opposition to candidates for federal office. The DISCLOSE Act, meanwhile, is congressional legislation that <a href=\"https:\/\/unitedforprivacy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022-07-25_PUFP-Letter_US_Senate-Rules-Committee_DISCLOSE-Act-Hearing.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">would force both left-of-center and conservative<\/a> advocacy groups <a href=\"https:\/\/unitedforprivacy.com\/a-lesson-from-the-trump-shooting-stop-giving-extremists-roadmaps-for-violence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">like<\/a> the ACLU, Human Rights Campaign, NRA, and Moms for Liberty America to publicly disclose their donors.<\/p>\n<p>By establishing nonprofit donor databases, the DISCLOSE Act would open the door for Democrats to potentially create target lists of conservative donors and businesses to <a href=\"https:\/\/unitedforprivacy.com\/a-lesson-from-the-trump-shooting-stop-giving-extremists-roadmaps-for-violence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">harass<\/a> and bully into silence. As Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer infamously put it years ago, the &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ifs.org\/blog\/senator-lauds-deterrent-effect-of-bill-designed-to-deter-nonprofit-speech\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">deterrent effect<\/a>&rdquo; of disclosure &ldquo;should not be underestimated.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Many organizations will likely choose to stay silent about the left&rsquo;s radical agenda rather than allow their members and supporters to be victimized by corrupt government agencies and activists. That&rsquo;s what makes the DISCLOSE Act a reasonable approximation of &ldquo;overturning&rdquo; <em>Citizens United<\/em>. It&rsquo;s not about transparency; it&rsquo;s about censorship.<\/p>\n<p>Such a goal is attractive to the Democratic establishment. When they consider the partisan implications of exposing nonprofit donor lists, it is not a simple calculation of which side spends more money. Rather, it&rsquo;s a calculation of which side stands to gain or lose when a list of everyone&rsquo;s donors falls into the public domain. Undoubtedly, conservative nonprofits will be most at risk if their donors are placed on a government database. The left has a sprawling infrastructure of activists posing as media and nonpartisan &ldquo;experts,&rdquo; like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/propublica\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ProPublica<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/center-for-media-and-democracy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Center for Media and Democracy<\/a>, which are devoted entirely to whipping up outrage against supporters of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/noem-revives-south-dakota-transgender-sports-bill-includes-provision-for-colleges\/\" title=\"Noem Revives South Dakota Transgender Sports Bill, Includes Provision For Colleges\">conservative advocacy groups<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If exposing the money behind Arabella-aligned organizations is the price for outing every conservative donor in the country, that&rsquo;s a trade Democratic operatives would gladly make. Even if some left-leaning donors are exposed, leftist ideas would still receive enormous platforms in the media, entertainment industry, academia, and government bodies. Conservatives, despite being outspent by the left in recent election cycles, are uniquely dependent on their donors and nonprofits to support their intellectuals and promote their ideas; disclosure mandates would be akin to declaring open season on these conservative institutions.<\/p>\n<p>Recent media coverage hyping Arabella and the role of &ldquo;dark money&rdquo; on the left may cause some readers to be surprised by Kessler&rsquo;s full-throated endorsement of the DISCLOSE Act. For longtime observers, however, it only confirmed the obvious. While everyday Americans benefit from a strong First Amendment and personal privacy rights, those at the upper echelons of power in the left&rsquo;s political ecosystem would prefer to surveil and chill the speech of their conservative critics.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Brian Hawkins is the senior director of external affairs at People United for Privacy Foundation.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In recent years, the activist left has established a network of progressive nonprofits aimed at influencing elections and ballot measures to achieve far-left policy goals related to abortion, gender identity, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), among other issues. Politico pointed out the significant impact of the Arabella network during the 2018 midterm elections, noting an &#8220;unprecedented influx of secret money&#8221; driven by substantial anonymous donations. The New York Times reported that in 2020, left-leaning nonprofits outspent Republican-aligned groups by $514 million to $200 million. This increase in funding has drawn criticism from Republicans at both federal and state levels, particularly concerning foreign contributions to candidate campaigns and ballot initiatives. Conservative media outlets have consistently covered the issue of &#8220;dark money&#8221; supporting various progressive causes. On Capitol Hill, Republicans held a hearing that underscored the expanding activities of leftist nonprofits while highlighting what they see as hypocrisy from Democrats who previously condemned conservative organizations for their use of &#8220;dark money.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This situation raises an important question: If &#8220;dark money&#8221; is so advantageous for Democrats, why do party leaders continually advocate for new donor disclosure laws? The likely answer is straightforward: even when progressives outspend conservatives, suppressing conservative voices holds greater value than expenditures made by left-leaning nonprofits.<\/p>\n<p>Eric Kessler, founder of Arabella Advisors\u2014leading figure in this extensive nonprofit network\u2014recently expressed his support for Senator Sheldon Whitehouse\u2019s initiative aimed at combating dark money. Kessler stated his backing for the DISCLOSE Act as a significant step toward rectifying what he views as a mistake in American politics stemming from the conservative-led Citizens United ruling. He advocates for campaign finance reform applicable to all parties.<\/p>\n<p>Kessler&#8217;s push for rule changes is noteworthy given Arabella&#8217;s apparent success within current regulations; one might wonder why such changes are necessary now. His endorsement of the DISCLOSE Act hinges on its potential to overturn Citizens United\u2014the Supreme Court decision affirming corporations&#8217; rights under free speech laws regarding political endorsements.<\/p>\n<p>The DISCLOSE Act would require both liberal and conservative advocacy groups\u2014including organizations like ACLU and NRA\u2014to publicly reveal their donors\u2019 identities. By creating databases tracking nonprofit donors, this legislation could enable Democrats to compile lists targeting conservative contributors and businesses with harassment tactics designed to silence them\u2014a strategy acknowledged by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer when he remarked on disclosure\u2019s \u201cdeterrent effect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Many organizations may opt not to speak out against radical left agendas rather than risk exposing their members or supporters to intimidation from government entities or activists aligned with these causes. This illustrates how the DISCLOSE Act serves more as a means of censorship than transparency.<\/p>\n<p>Such aims resonate with Democratic leadership; they recognize that revealing donor information isn&#8217;t merely about financial comparisons but about understanding which side stands more vulnerable if donor identities become public knowledge. Conservative nonprofits would face heightened risks if their supporters were listed in government databases due to existing networks dedicated solely to inciting backlash against those who back right-leaning advocacy groups.<\/p>\n<p>If revealing funding sources behind Arabella-affiliated organizations means unmasking every conservative donor nationwide\u2014a trade-off Democratic operatives would readily accept\u2014it underscores how even partial exposure wouldn&#8217;t significantly hinder progressive ideas&#8217; prominence across media platforms or academia since those ideas already enjoy substantial visibility despite recent electoral spending disparities favoring liberals.<\/p>\n<p>Recent discussions spotlighting Arabella&#8217;s influence alongside concerns over &#8220;dark money&#8221; may surprise some readers regarding Kessler\u2019s strong support for disclosure legislation; however, seasoned observers will find it unsurprising given that influential figures within leftist circles often prioritize monitoring dissenters over safeguarding First Amendment rights or personal privacy protections enjoyed by average citizens<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2560,"featured_media":2329866,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Screenshot-2024-08-22-at-2.14.12%E2%80%AFPM-e1724350637368.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[33926,39064,27910,32923,39065],"class_list":["post-2329865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-campaign-finance","tag-conservative-donors","tag-dark-money","tag-democratic-party","tag-political-transparency"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Screenshot-2024-08-22-at-2.14.12%E2%80%AFPM-e1724350637368.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2329865","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\/2560"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2329865"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2329865\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2329866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2329865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2329865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2329865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}