{"id":2375983,"date":"2024-12-04T09:09:02","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T14:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-trump-transition-team-is-right-to-protect-donors-privacy\/"},"modified":"2024-12-04T09:10:58","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T14:10:58","slug":"the-trump-transition-team-is-right-to-protect-donors-privacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-trump-transition-team-is-right-to-protect-donors-privacy\/","title":{"rendered":"The Trump Transition Team Is Right To Protect Donors\u2019 Privacy"},"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%2Fthe-trump-transition-team-is-right-to-protect-donors-privacy%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=2375983&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>The provided text discusses the ongoing tensions between Democrats \u2064and supporters \u2064of President-elect Donald \u2064Trump, particularly regarding privacy concerns and political fundraising practices. Following Trump&#8217;s electoral defeat,Democrats are reportedly seeking\u200c to expose the identities of his supporters,focusing on the Trump Vance 2025 Transition,Inc., \u2062which \u2063is funded\u2063 entirely by private donations. <\/p>\n<p>this move has been criticized as an attempt to &#8220;dox&#8221; Trump supporters, reflecting a broader concern among conservatives about the protection of their privacy when advocating for their beliefs. Prominent Democrats, including Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Elizabeth Warren, have expressed skepticism about the transparency\u200d of Trump&#8217;s fundraising efforts, albeit the transition team has stated it\u200c will disclose donor \u2062information\u200b and refuse foreign funds.<\/p>\n<p>The article\u200c warns of\u200c a pattern where\u2064 anti-Trump sentiments have led to breaches of privacy for conservative supporters. Historical examples include a \u20632021 incident where confidential tax returns of high-profile Trump supporters were leaked, and a 2019 instance where Rep.Joaquin\u2064 Castro publicly shared the names and addresses of Trump donors, further fueling concerns about the left&#8217;s willingness \u2064to use \u200cgovernment resources\u200d against political opponents. \u200dThe text emphasizes that \u2063conservatives should advocate for robust privacy protections in light of these incidents.  <\/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>Despite losing an election where accusations of weaponizing the government against political opponents featured prominently, Democrats are once again attempting to dox Trump supporters. Their latest focus is the nonprofit supporting President-elect Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, Trump Vance 2025 Transition, Inc. The controversy reinforces why conservatives should insist on strong privacy protections when advocating their beliefs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s transition team has chosen to raise funds entirely from private donations, sparing taxpayer dollars and avoiding red tape. Predictably, Democrats are exploiting this decision to launch a renewed attack on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-cant-deny-responsibility-for-our-so-so-divided-nation\/\" title=\"Biden Can\u2019t Deny Responsibility For Our \u2018So, So Divided\u2019 Nation\">president-elect&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s supporters. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.,  is <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenWhitehouse\/status\/1860753015289872431\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">amplifying baseless claims<\/a> of nefarious influence by Trump donors, while Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., <a href=\"https:\/\/www.warren.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/warren_letter_to_gsa_re_trump_transition.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sent a letter<\/a> to the Biden administration expressing alarm about the Trump transition team&rsquo;s rejection of past transition practices.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Importantly, the Trump transition team <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/11\/28\/us\/politics\/trump-transition-transparency.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">has agreed<\/a> to disclose their donors and reject funding from foreign sources. The left remains unsatisfied because transition officials have not offered details of when the disclosures will be made, nor how detailed they will be. Yet, considering the left&rsquo;s history of weaponizing the government against conservatives, Trump&rsquo;s instinct to protect his supporters is more than warranted.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Democratic obsession with exposing conservative donors is longstanding. In 2021, a Department of Treasury contractor, Charles Littlejohn, <a href=\"https:\/\/unitedforprivacy.com\/expect-more-irs-mischief-after-doj-goes-soft-on-trump-tax-return-leaker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">leaked<\/a> the confidential tax returns of Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and other high-profile individuals. Despite the blatant violation of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/volleyball-girls-at-vermont-high-school-banned-from-girls-locker-room-for-refusing-to-change-in-front-of-boy\/\" title=\"Volleyball Girls at Vermont High School Banned From Girls&#039; Locker Room for Refusing to Change in Front of Boy\">federal privacy law<\/a>, Littlejohn received a mere five-year prison sentence based on the charges brought against him. The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">lenient treatment showcased federal prosecutors&#038;rsquo<\/a>; unseriousness in protecting conservatives from leftist radicals.<\/p>\n<p>In 2019, Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goldwaterinstitute.org\/castro-weaponizes-campaign-finance-disclosure-against-ordinary-texans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tweeted the names<\/a> and addresses of individuals in his congressional district who donated to Donald Trump&rsquo;s 2020 re-election campaign. While campaign donations are already disclosed to the Federal Election Commission, by tweeting Trump supporters&rsquo; personal information, Castro placed a target on private individuals merely exercising their First Amendment rights. Some business owners who were listed on the tweet <a href=\"https:\/\/ktrh.iheart.com\/featured\/michael-berry\/content\/2019-08-08-listen-vile-voicemail-left-to-trump-donor-after-castro-posted-her-info\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">faced harassment and death threats<\/a> by left-wing activists who were inspired specifically by Castro&rsquo;s tweet.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, before Jack Smith was assigned as the special prosecutor to lead the witch hunt against Donald Trump, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/07\/19\/before-going-after-trump-jack-smith-tried-to-take-down-the-tea-party\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Smith spearheaded<\/a> efforts to silence conservative grassroots organizations in the lead-up to President Barack Obama&rsquo;s 2012 reelection campaign. Much like his crusade against Donald Trump, Smith relied on manufactured accusations to subject conservative groups to extrajudicial regulatory scrutiny from the IRS, consequently denying many groups the right to speak on issues of public concern, right before a contentious presidential election.<\/p>\n<p>In his first term, Donald Trump took on the left&rsquo;s abuse of privacy and fueling of cancel culture. His administration <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/a-minor-irs-miracle-11591399641\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">enacted a reform<\/a> that stopped the IRS from collecting donor lists for many nonprofits without a legitimate tax law purpose. This reform followed years of careless mismanagement of sensitive donor information by the IRS, with numerous leaks that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2014\/06\/irs-nom-lawsuit-108266\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">disproportionately exposed<\/a> conservatives.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, in a landmark 2021 U.S. Supreme Court case, <em>Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta<\/em>, all three Supreme Court justices appointed by President Donald Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/unitedforprivacy.com\/celebrating-the-one-year-anniversary-of-afpf-v-bonta\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ruled in the majority<\/a> to reaffirm a First Amendment right to support nonprofits without being surveilled by state officials. The loser in that case? California&rsquo;s attorney general office, which first tried to seize nonprofit donor lists under then-AG Kamala Harris.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The 2024 election demonstrated the foresight of President Trump&rsquo;s pro-privacy reforms. When politics becomes as divisive as it is today, the consequences of donor exposure can include professional backlash, job loss, social ostracism, harassment, or even threats of physical harm.<\/p>\n<p>While Trump Vance 2025 Transition, Inc. might ultimately choose to disclose their donors, they would be on firm ground to refuse. Even now, the left&rsquo;s campaign of harassment of Trump supporters continues. Most recently, Trump cabinet nominees and appointees were victims of dangerous <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-transition-bomb-threats-swatting-0a7f2166087f7c455cbba5b717dae439\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&ldquo;swatting&rdquo; attacks<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For many Americans, donating to like-minded nonprofits is the only way to participate in civic engagement without risking their privacy or livelihoods. This is particularly true for supporters of conservative causes, who often face a disproportionately hostile media and social environment. Donor privacy is not merely a matter of convenience, but a fundamental right that enables free speech and civic engagement. President-elect Donald Trump, who had his life threatened by radicals, understands this better than most.&nbsp;<\/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>Democrats are targeting Trump supporters again, highlighting the need for privacy protections<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2560,"featured_media":2375984,"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\/12\/54137829973_c463864cbd_o-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[5131,4325,39369,3634],"class_list":["post-2375983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-donors","tag-privacy","tag-transition-team","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/54137829973_c463864cbd_o-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375983","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=2375983"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2375995,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375983\/revisions\/2375995"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2375984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2375983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2375983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2375983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}