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Chuck DarwinRarely do private companies find themselves punished for using <a href="https://c.im/tags/shell" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#shell</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/companies" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#companies</a> to move capital and avoid taxes. The fine accountants at Ernst & Young cooked up a complicated scheme in 2008 for a restructuring of <a href="https://c.im/tags/Koch" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Koch</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Industries" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Industries</a> via shell entities in Luxembourg, a notorious tax haven, with the reasonable expectation that the ruse would never be revealed. But then someone leaked a raft of private documents from <a href="https://c.im/tags/Mossack" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Mossack</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Fonseca" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Fonseca</a>, a law firm in Panama that specializes in the creation of shell companies. The info dump became known as the <a href="https://c.im/tags/Panama" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Panama</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Papers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Papers</a>, and among its many revelations was Koch Industries’ bid to reinvent parts of the company, on paper, as tax-avoidant Luxembourg shell companies. According to the Center for Public Integrity, the essence of the Koch Industries deal was to “reorder the ownership of many subsidiaries and centralize them under Luxembourg companies that are all served by internal corporate finance companies, akin to a company’s own bank.”Maybe that’s where the Koch siblings got the idea to get behind <a href="https://c.im/tags/DonorsTrust" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DonorsTrust</a> —a sort of house bank for the array of political entities and think tanks they fund. Of course, as with all of the organizations funded by Koch, they’re not in it alone. <a href="https://c.im/tags/Betsy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Betsy</a> and <a href="https://c.im/tags/Dick" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Dick</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/DeVos" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DeVos</a> helped fund DonorsTrust, according to Mother Jones.And then there are the many Koch-network “pass-through” groups, such as "Freedom Partners" and the "Center to Protect Patient Rights", which function much the way that shell companies do in the world of private capital: -- they add layers of obfuscation over the provenance of the dollars flowing from one right-wing organization or institution to the next.For instance, there’s the <a href="https://c.im/tags/Wellspring" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Wellspring</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Committee" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Committee</a>, a pass-through funded in part via the Koch network, whose director, Ann Corkery, also sat for six years on the board of the <a href="https://c.im/tags/Becket" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Becket</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Fund" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Fund</a> for <a href="https://c.im/tags/Religious" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Religious</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Liberty" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Liberty</a>, a pro-bono law firm, according to tax filings. With its portfolio of so-called religious freedom cases, the Becket Fund gained notice as the firm representing the principals of the <a href="https://c.im/tags/Hobby" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Hobby</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Lobby" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Lobby</a> company in a 2014 Supreme Court challenge to a mandate in the Affordable Care Act for employer-based health insurance to cover, without a co-pay, the costs of prescription <a href="https://c.im/tags/contraception" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#contraception</a>.One type of private company is the “<a href="https://c.im/tags/closely" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#closely</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/held" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#held</a>” variety, which may occasionally trade stock publicly, but has only a few shareholders. The Supreme Court’s decision in favor of Hobby Lobby (number 106 on the 2016 Forbes list of the nation’s top private companies) specifically cited its “closely held” status as a qualification for its exemption from the ACA contraceptive mandate.

Chuck DarwinMuch to the consternation of his Federalist Society colleagues, Leo had also begun cannibalizing the organization’s own deep-pocketed donors to help finance some of his more personal initiatives — and those of his friends. In 2010, he co-founded along with Ginni Thomas an organization called "Liberty Central"; Thomas was the wife of his good friend Justice Clarence Thomas and they used a $500,000 donation from Dallas real estate billionaire <a href="https://c.im/tags/Harlan" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Harlan</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Crow" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Crow</a>, also a donor to the Federalist Society. The group billed itself as “America’s Public Square,” promising to preserve freedom and reaffirm the core principles of the Founding Fathers. The following year, he joined the board of "Chicago Freedom Trust", which had been set up by manufacturing billionaire <a href="https://c.im/tags/Barre" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Barre</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Seid" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Seid</a> as a pass-through to anonymously channel funds to initiatives he wished to support and to take advantage of the recent <a href="https://c.im/tags/Citizens" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Citizens</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/United" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#United</a> ruling shielding big donors from disclosure. Leo met Seid through <a href="https://c.im/tags/Eugene" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Eugene</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Meyer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Meyer</a>, president of the Federalist Society, who envisioned the wealthy manufacturing tycoon as a potential donor to the law society. Instead, Leo cultivated him as a funder of his own dark-money network. The move brought Leo into contact with other central figures of the conservative dark-money world — like <a href="https://c.im/tags/Whitney" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Whitney</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Ball" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Ball</a> and <a href="https://c.im/tags/Adam" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Adam</a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/Meyerson" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Meyerson</a>, the main actors behind <a href="https://c.im/tags/DonorsTrust" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DonorsTrust</a>, who were responsible for anonymously funneling hundreds of millions of dollars to various conservative grassroot groups, including some linked to the far right. He also used his influence there to divert funds to Opus Dei, with the pass-through soon becoming a regular donor to the Oakcrest School. As Leo’s access to the world of dark money grew, his Opus Dei friends the Corkerys became critical as a front for the tens of millions of dollars streaming through Leo’s hidden network of nonprofits. Neil and Ann had provided crucial cover for him during the campaign to secure the confirmations of John Roberts and Samuel Alito in 2005, hiding the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent to influence public opinion. As more dark money poured in starting in 2010, they began to do the same again through various nonprofits such as the "Wellspring Committee" and the "Judicial Crisis Network". Their importance only grew following Scalia’s death, as Leo pumped his network for ever larger sums. In the weeks after Scalia’s death, the Corkerys began opening the purse strings in what would eventually become a 🔥$17 million campaign to stop Obama from replacing Scalia and instead ensure a reliable conservative filled the vacancy. It was just the start. Over the next five years, Leo and the Corkerys would oversee the transfer of almost 🔥$600 million of dark money to right-wing causes. Their hidden ecosystem would eventually enable a conservative takeover of the Supreme Court that would disassemble hard-won civil rights and turn back the clock on issues close to their hearts — on abortion, on affirmative action, and on vast swathes of what they saw as a progressive agenda.

Victoria Stuart 🇨🇦 🏳️‍⚧️White Nationalist Website VDARE Suspends Operations <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2024/09/18/white-nationalist-website-vdare-suspends-operations-amid-legal-scrutiny" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2024/09/18/white-nationalist-website-vdare-suspends-operations-amid-legal-scrutiny</a>* ties to former White House aides * shaped Trump admin. harsh immigration policies * grew throughout Trump administration * revenue 2018: $700K --> 2019: $4.3M+ * $1.5M donation f. right-wing funding vehicle DonorsTrust<a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/VDARE" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#VDARE</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/GOP" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#GOP</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Trump" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Trump</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Trumpism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Trumpism</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/StephenMiller" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#StephenMiller</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/SteveBannon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SteveBannon</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/JuliaHahn" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#JuliaHahn</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/PeterBrimelow" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#PeterBrimelow</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/WhiteNationalism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WhiteNationalism</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/antiLGBT" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#antiLGBT</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/xenophobia" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#xenophobia</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/DAF" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DAF</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/DonorsTrust" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DonorsTrust</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/DarkMoney" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DarkMoney</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/EnablingFascism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#EnablingFascism</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/conservatism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#conservatism</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/FarRight" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FarRight</a>

Victoria Stuart 🇨🇦 🏳️‍⚧️[thread] Dark money, campaign finance <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_money" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_money</a>* spending to influence elections, public policy, political discourse * source of the money not disclosed to public<a href="https://www.persagen.org/docs/leonard_leo.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.persagen.org/docs/leonard_leo.html</a><a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/DarkMoney" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DarkMoney</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/CampaignFinance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#CampaignFinance</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/DAF" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DAF</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/DonorAdvisedFunds" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DonorAdvisedFunds</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/DonorsTrust" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DonorsTrust</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Trump2" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Trump2</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/GOP" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#GOP</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/fascism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#fascism</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/StatePolicyNetwork" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#StatePolicyNetwork</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/SPN" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SPN</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/LeonardLeo" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LeonardLeo</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ALEC" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ALEC</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ModelActs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ModelActs</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/ModelBills" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ModelBills</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/SCOTUS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SCOTUS</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/CitizensUnited" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#CitizensUnited</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/corporations" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#corporations</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/LegalPersonhood" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LegalPersonhood</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/billionaires" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#billionaires</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/libertarianism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#libertarianism</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/WealthTax" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WealthTax</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/TAXtheRich" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TAXtheRich</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/AssetForfeiture" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AssetForfeiture</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/AssetSeizure" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AssetSeizure</a>

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