{"id":2379178,"date":"2024-12-12T07:36:01","date_gmt":"2024-12-12T12:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dark-money-fixer-rewarded-by-democratic-governor-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-12-12T07:37:59","modified_gmt":"2024-12-12T12:37:59","slug":"dark-money-fixer-rewarded-by-democratic-governor-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dark-money-fixer-rewarded-by-democratic-governor-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Dark money &#8216;fixer&#8217; rewarded by Democratic governor &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"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%2Fdark-money-fixer-rewarded-by-democratic-governor-washington-examiner%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=2379178&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>Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan has announced the appointment of Reid Felsing, who \u2062has been involved with <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">multiple liberal dark money \u200dorganizations<\/a>, to a judgeship at the\u200c 56A District Court in eaton County, starting January 6, 2025.\u200c This decision has sparked controversy and accusations of hypocrisy from critics, \u2064notably\u2064 due to Whitmer&#8217;s previous stance against dark money \u200cin politics, as \u2063highlighted by Parker Thayer from the Capital Research Center. felsing has held leadership \u2064roles in organizations that, at least\u2064 in recent years, have spent approximately $1 million on various operations aimed at opposing \u200dRepublican narratives.His connections to these groups, which have been involved in high-profile political operations,\u200c raise questions about the \u2063integrity of the appointment, especially in light of Whitmer&#8217;s earlier campaign promise to limit the influence of dark money in elections.  <\/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<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Dark money &lsquo;fixer&rsquo; awarded judgeship by Gretchen Whitmer<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1834017\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CraigDMauger\/status\/1866561576565715407\/photo\/1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">announced<\/a> Tuesday that she would be appointing a lawyer heading multiple liberal 501(c)(4) <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> to sit as a district court judge.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Following Whitmer&rsquo;s announcement, Reid Felsing is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lansingstatejournal.com\/story\/news\/2024\/12\/10\/reid-felsing-appointed-judge-eaton-county-district-court\/76893173007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">set<\/a> to take the bench at the 56A District Court in Eaton County, Michigan, effective Jan. 6, 2025, a position he will hold until Jan. 1, 2027. Felsing has held leadership positions at four anonymously funded and politically involved left-of-center nonprofit organizations which, in their most recent tax years alone, spent roughly $1 million on operations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Capital Research Center investigative researcher Parker Thayer, who was the first to <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ParkerThayer\/status\/1866584256954143181\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">flag<\/a> Felsing&rsquo;s links to the dark money groups after his appointment was announced, told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>that Whitmer&rsquo;s move represented &ldquo;mind-boggling hypocrisy.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In 2018 Governor Whitmer ran, in part, on her &lsquo;Michigan Sunshine Plan&rsquo; that included &lsquo;reversing&rsquo; a piece of &lsquo;Citizens United on steroids legislation,&rsquo;&rdquo; Thayer said in a statement to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. Citizens United refers to the Supreme Court case that gave the green light for <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\">unlimited dark money<\/a> to flow into elections.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Now, she is awarding judgeships to a Democrat fixer who sat on the boards of four different left-wing &lsquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/billionaire-falsely-labeled-jewish-by-dark-money-group-in-antisemitism-dig-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Billionaire falsely labeled Jewish by dark money group in \u2018antisemitism\u2019 dig - Washington Examiner\">dark money&#038;rsquo<\/a>; groups,&rdquo; Thayer continued.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Michigan Center Of Accountability For Republicans, where Felsing <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.propublica.org\/nonprofits\/organizations\/862521289\/202301809349301015\/IRS990\">serves<\/a> as treasurer, <a href=\"https:\/\/accountablemichigan.com\/about\">describes<\/a> itself as an organization &ldquo;fighting back against the lies, the corruption, the conspiracy theories, and the racism&rdquo; allegedly promoted by the GOP. It has <a href=\"https:\/\/accountablemichigan.com\/videos\">produced<\/a> multiple ads accusing Republicans of sexual crimes and corruption. In 2022, the organization spent over $590,000 with the bulk of the funds going toward advertisements and &ldquo;research.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The organization also has links to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/2965250\/lincoln-project-launches-attack-ad-on-right-wing-nut-rfk-jr\/\">Lincoln Project<\/a>, an anti-Trump group that works to elect Democrats to political office. Jeff Timmer, a senior adviser to the Lincoln Project, serves as the Michigan Center Of Accountability For Republicans&rsquo; president. Similarly to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/3254074\/never-trump-lincoln-project-paid-millions-companies\/\">Lincoln Project<\/a>, the organization directed $185,000 to a public affairs firm headed by Timmer in 2022.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) discusses her book &ldquo;True Gretch: What I&rsquo;ve Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything&rdquo; at The 92nd Street Y on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in New York City. (Photo by CJ Rivera\/Invision\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Felsing also serves as the president of Citizens For A Better Michigan, an organization <a href=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2024\/02\/04\/consumers-energy-nonprofit-donations-michigan-democrats-dark-money-campaign-finance-electricity-laws\/72452179007\/\">reportedly linked<\/a> to Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives Joe Tate, a Democrat. The group in 2022 was funded primarily by Citizens for Energizing Michigan&rsquo;s Economy, a dark money group doling out funds to high-powered Democrats in the state, according to the <em>Detroit News<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Citizens For A Better Michigan spent approximately $293,000 in 2022. Included in that sum was roughly $8,000 spent on &ldquo;travel or entertainment expenses for any federal, state, or local public officials.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/projects.propublica.org\/nonprofits\/organizations\/862626079\/202313189349203436\/IRS990EZ\">Michigan Deserves Better Fund<\/a>, where Felsing serves as treasurer, and <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.propublica.org\/nonprofits\/organizations\/842130868\/202343189349204349\/IRS990EZ\">Residents For Good Governance<\/a>, where he holds the position of president, collectively disclosed over $170,000 in spending in their most recent tax forms. Michigan Deserves Better has been responsible for an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/ann-arbor\/is-proposal-d-illegal-a-breakdown-of-ann-arbors-prop-d-controversy\/\">array<\/a> of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lansingcitypulse.com\/stories\/dark-money-group-launches-mailbox-campaign-against-dunbar,18378\">messaging<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlive.com\/news\/2016\/10\/how_secretive_funds_allow_mich.html\">campaigns<\/a> to influence local elections.<\/p>\n<p>The full extent of Felsing&rsquo;s involvement in the Michigan dark money world is not known to the public as, even though he and his staff manage at least a dozen nonprofit accounts, many raise less than $50,000 a year, meaning that they do not need to disclose their revenue or how they spent their funds, the <em>Detroit News <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2024\/12\/04\/michigan-lawmakers-secret-fundraising-expense-accounts-tax-records-dining-travel-corporate-donors\/76718588007\/\">reported<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Gretchen Whitmer has a history of using her office to reward Democrat campaign operatives,&rdquo; Thayer told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;In 2020, her office <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/michigan-cancels-contract-with-two-democratic-linked-firms-that-had-been-tapped-to-track-coronavirus\/2020\/04\/21\/161a23ce-8413-11ea-ae26-989cfce1c7c7_story.html\">attempted<\/a> to award lucrative COVID contact-tracing contracts to two different Democratic data firms. Awarding a &lsquo;dark money&rsquo; fixer like Felsing with a judicial nomination is sadly not a break from the norm.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;With his years of experience as a magistrate, professor, and legal practitioner, I know he will uphold the rule of law and serve his community with distinction,&rdquo; Whitmer said of Felsing in a press release.<\/p>\n<p>The Michigan governor&rsquo;s office did not respond to the <em>Washington Examiner&rsquo;s<\/em> request for comment.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1834017\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1834017\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gretchen Whitmer appoints dark money lawyer Reid Felsing as judge<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":894,"featured_media":2379179,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/gretchen-whitmer-harris-price-controls.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[27910,45978,14781,36154,32076],"class_list":["post-2379178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-dark-money","tag-democratic-governor","tag-fixer","tag-political-corruption","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/gretchen-whitmer-harris-price-controls.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2379178","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\/894"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2379178"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2379178\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2379182,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2379178\/revisions\/2379182"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2379179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2379178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2379178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2379178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}