{"id":2418529,"date":"2025-04-01T15:33:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T19:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/foreign-funded-group-spent-1-million-to-elect-wis-crawford\/"},"modified":"2025-04-01T15:36:47","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T19:36:47","slug":"foreign-funded-group-spent-1-million-to-elect-wis-crawford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/foreign-funded-group-spent-1-million-to-elect-wis-crawford\/","title":{"rendered":"Foreign-Funded Group Spent $1 Million To Elect WI&#8217;s Crawford"},"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\">18<\/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%2Fforeign-funded-group-spent-1-million-to-elect-wis-crawford%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=2418529&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>A left-wing dark money group reportedly donated $1 million to support the election of Susan Crawford to Wisconsin&#8217;s Supreme Court, according to a recent report by Americans for Public Trust (APT). The funds, from the foreign-backed Sixteen Thirty Fund, have been funneled to the A Better Wisconsin Together Political Fund (ABWT), which has spent a total of $9.1 million on Crawford&#8217;s campaign against conservative Brad Schimel. APT Executive Director Caitlin Sutherland expressed concern over foreign influence in U.S. elections, urging lawmakers to close loopholes that allow such funding. The Sixteen Thirty fund, notorious for its role in financing liberal causes, has drawn attention for its financial ties to foreign entities, particularly the Swiss national Hansj\u00f6rg Wyss. Recent legislative efforts in various states aim to curb foreign money in electoral processes, reflecting the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">mounting tensions surrounding campaign finance clarity<\/a> and influence 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<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/various-currencies-from-several-different-countries-4695995\/\">Karthikeyan Perumal\/Pexels<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/04\/01\/report-foreign-funded-dark-money-group-shelled-out-1-million-to-elect-wisconsin-leftist-susan-crawford\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Report:%20Foreign-Funded%20Dark%20Money%20Group%20Shelled%20Out%20%241%20Million%20To%20Elect%20Wisconsin%20Leftist%20Susan%20Crawford&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/04\/01\/report-foreign-funded-dark-money-group-shelled-out-1-million-to-elect-wisconsin-leftist-susan-crawford\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Report:%20Foreign-Funded%20Dark%20Money%20Group%20Shelled%20Out%20%241%20Million%20To%20Elect%20Wisconsin%20Leftist%20Susan%20Crawford&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/04\/01\/report-foreign-funded-dark-money-group-shelled-out-1-million-to-elect-wisconsin-leftist-susan-crawford\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/04\/01\/report-foreign-funded-dark-money-group-shelled-out-1-million-to-elect-wisconsin-leftist-susan-crawford\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Report:%20Foreign-Funded%20Dark%20Money%20Group%20Shelled%20Out%20%241%20Million%20To%20Elect%20Wisconsin%20Leftist%20Susan%20Crawford&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/04\/01\/report-foreign-funded-dark-money-group-shelled-out-1-million-to-elect-wisconsin-leftist-susan-crawford\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>A left-wing dark money <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/amazing-work-wisconsin-dem-lauds-group-that-aims-to-defund-police-abolish-ice\/\" title=\"\u2018Amazing Work\u2019: Wisconsin Dem Lauds Group That Aims to Defund Police, Abolish ICE\">group bankrolled<\/a> by foreign cash donated $1 million to an organization seeking to elect leftist Susan Crawford to Wisconsin&rsquo;s supreme court, a new report reveals. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cfis.wi.gov\/Public\/Registration.aspx?page=ReceiptList\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Campaign finance records<\/a> first <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/apublictrust\/status\/1907069076414812436\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unearthed<\/a> by Americans for Public Trust (APT) show that the Sixteen Thirty Fund gave $1 million to A Better Wisconsin Together Political Fund (ABWT) in early March. As noted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/a-better-wisconsin-together-abwt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">InfluenceWatch<\/a>, ABWT is a &ldquo;communications hub for left-of-center issues and advocacy in the state of Wisconsin.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-670209476\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The organization&rsquo;s political fund has spent $9.1 million backing efforts to elect Crawford, who is running against conservative Brad Schimel in Tuesday&rsquo;s Wisconsin Supreme Court election, according to a March 27 Open Secrets <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/news\/2025\/03\/wisconsin-supreme-court-race-breaks-records-and-draws-controversy-as-billionaires-weigh-in\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a>. The winner of the contest will determine the ideological make-up of the Badger State&rsquo;s highest court, which is expected to consider <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/06\/conservatives-cant-allow-wisconsins-upcoming-supreme-court-race-to-fall-through-the-cracks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">several prominent issues<\/a> in the years to come (congressional maps, abortion, election laws, and so forth).<\/p>\n<p>A prominent dark money group central to Democrats&rsquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/democrat-election-machine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">election machine<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/sixteen-thirty-fund\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sixteen Thirty Fund<\/a> operates as a source of financing for leftist organizations involved in elections, ballot campaigns, and other causes. What makes the organization most notable, however, is that it&rsquo;s received millions of dollars from a group bankrolled by a foreign national. <\/p>\n<p>As&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/americansforpublictrust.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/APT_1630_Ballot_Spending_Report_FINAL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a>&nbsp;in a 2024 APT report, the Sixteen Thirty Fund has received &ldquo;hundreds of millions of dollars&rdquo; from the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/berger-action-fund\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Berger Action Fund<\/a>, a 501(c)(4) organization funded by left-wing Swiss national&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/person\/hansjorg-wyss\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hansj&ouml;rg Wyss<\/a>. The analysis noted how the Sixteen Thirty Fund has used its funds (including those from Wyss) to &ldquo;support massive get-out-the-vote drives, issue advocacy campaigns bolstering [then-]President Biden&rsquo;s agenda, liberal pet projects from abortion to immigration, and attack ads against Republican lawmakers.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In a statement provided to The Federalist, APT Executive Director Caitlin Sutherland said that Wisconsin voters &ldquo;should be shocked and disturbed to learn that foreign-backed dark money is flowing into this hotly contested election.&rdquo; She also called on lawmakers to close existing loopholes that allow foreign entities to exert financial influence in U.S. elections. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;With the latest reports revealing that the Sixteen Thirty Fund funneled at least one million dollars to support liberal Susan Crawford in her Wisconsin Supreme Court campaign, it has never been more crucial for lawmakers across the country to take action to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/3-things-congress-can-do-to-protect-american-elections-from-foreign-interference\/\" title=\"3 Ways Congress Can Safeguard American ...s Against Foreign Intervention\">stop foreign funds<\/a> from influencing our politics,&rdquo; Sutherland said. <\/p>\n<p>As previously noted, the Sixteen Thirty Fund has gained prominent attention for dumping money into state ballot campaigns to back leftist causes. As The Federalist previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/25\/bills-keeping-foreign-money-out-of-ballot-measure-campaigns-pick-up-steam-in-republican-states\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, &ldquo;While federal law&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Laws_governing_foreign_spending_in_ballot_measure_campaigns\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bans<\/a>&nbsp;the acceptance and use of foreign money in candidate elections, such safeguards are not in place in many states when it comes to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/inside-one-gop-firms-secret-fight-to-protect-the-seminole-tribes-gambling-monopoly\/\" title=\"Inside One GOP Firm\u2019s Secret Fight to Protect The Seminole Tribe\u2019s Gambling Monopoly\">ballot initiative campaigns<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In response to the Sixteen Thirty Fund&rsquo;s ballot campaign activism, Republican lawmakers in numerous states have <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/25\/bills-keeping-foreign-money-out-of-ballot-measure-campaigns-pick-up-steam-in-republican-states\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">advanced legislation<\/a> prohibiting foreign funds in such elections. Within the past few weeks, for example, Kentucky and Wyoming have <a href=\"https:\/\/highlandcountypress.com\/news\/election-integrity-backers-hail-kentucky-law-banning-foreign-money-ballot-measures#gsc.tab=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">adopted<\/a> laws prohibiting foreign monies in state ballot campaigns. <\/p>\n<p>Other states <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/25\/bills-keeping-foreign-money-out-of-ballot-measure-campaigns-pick-up-steam-in-republican-states\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">considering<\/a> similar measures include Missouri, Kansas, and Indiana. <\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/americans-for-public-trust\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Americans for Public Trust<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/brad-schimel\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Brad Schimel<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/caitlin-sutherland\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Caitlin Sutherland<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/campaign-finance\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">campaign finance<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/elections\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/foreign-money\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">foreign money<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/hansjorg-wyss\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Hansjorg Wyss<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/hansjorg-wyss-2\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Hansj&ouml;rg Wyss<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/sixteen-thirty-fund\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Sixteen Thirty Fund<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/susan-crawford\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Susan Crawford<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/wisconsin\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Wisconsin<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/wisconsin-supreme-court\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Wisconsin Supreme Court<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A foreign-funded left-wing group donated $1 million to support Susan Crawford&#8217;s Wisconsin Supreme Court campaign, a report shows<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2418530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Foreign-Money.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[33926,39087,52640,44071],"class_list":["post-2418529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-campaign-finance","tag-election-spending","tag-foreign-funded","tag-wisconsin-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Foreign-Money.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418529","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\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2418529"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2418533,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2418529\/revisions\/2418533"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2418530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2418529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2418529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2418529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}