Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust

Last updated
Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust
Formation2012 (2012)
FounderRay Wotring
Type 501(c)(3)
Location
LeaderKendra Arnold
Website FACTDC.org

Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), formerly the Free Market American Educational Foundation, Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust and Working for Rights to Express & Communication, [1] is a Washington,DC-based conservative nonprofit organization specializing in advocacy regarding legal and ethical issues related to politics. Until 2017, it was run by the former Acting United States Attorney General Matthew Whitaker. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Overview

The conservative group Donors Trust was the source of $500,000 of FACT's revenue in 2015 and $800,000 in 2016. [7] [8] As a 501(c)(3) organization, FACT is not required to disclose donors; however, Charles Koch has acknowledged giving to DonorsTrust. [4] FACT paid Whitaker $1.2 million, with the vast majority of the payments from 2016 to 2017. [9] [10]

FACT has largely focused on Hillary Clinton [11] and the email scandal, [4] [12] [13] and other Democratic representatives such as Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, Representative Patrick E. Murphy of Florida and Representative Ted Strickland of Ohio. [14] [15] FACT lobbied against the confirmation of one-time Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, and filed an FEC complaint against Democratic voter data firm Catalist in 2015. [8] Despite claiming to be nonpartisan, the organization called for ethics investigations into or filed complaints about forty-six different Democratic politicians, officials, and organizations, compared to only a few Republicans. [16] During his tenure, Whitaker wrote opinion pieces that appeared in USA Today and The Washington Examiner , and appeared regularly on conservative talk-radio shows and cable news. [17] In 2017, Whitaker (as executive director) wrote: [18]

The most disturbing aspect of Hillary Clinton’s continued blame game is that she still doesn’t think there was anything wrong with recklessly handling highly sensitive and classified information, intentionally instructing her staff to do the same and then lying to the entire world about it at the United Nations of all places.

In addition, FACT filed a complaint in August 2017 with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Alexandra Chalupa, a consultant working for the DNC who had been investigating Paul Manafort and Donald Trump's ties to Russia. [19] [20] Whitaker made the complaint at the direction of the White House. [21] FACT acted in close concert with Senator Chuck Grassley, who also made a complaint with the DOJ. FACT's complaint was based on the claim that Chalupa had met with Ukrainian officials in an effort to expose ties among Trump, Manafort, and Russia. [22] As of December 2018 the FEC had given no indication whether it would investigate the issue. [23] Chalupa denied any wrongdoing. [24]

In 2016, Whitaker defended ExxonMobil as the executive director of FACT when the Attorneys General United for Clean Power Coalition started their investigation into the firm for not disclosing climate change risks. [25] Whitaker called the investigation "both unconstitutional and unethical". [25] The investigation has since matured leading to four counts of fraud being filed against ExxonMobil. [26] [27] [28]

In 2018, FACT scrutinised a pro Rick Scott Political action committee. [25]

FACT has paid outside Republican firms to perform some of its work. One such firm is America Rising LLC, which was given $144,000 for research in 2015. [29] FACT paid America Rising at least $500,000 for research from 2015 to 2017. [30] FACT also had close working relationship with America Rising, sharing information and political communication strategy. [31] The foundation last year paid $134,119 to Creative Response Concepts, a conservative political public relations company and has paid a total of $500,000 to the agency. [30]

Some experts such as Daniel Borochoff, president of CharityWatch, have questioned the status of FACT, saying that the organization may have violated its tax-exempt status. [7] [32] FACT has called for ethical investigations or filed complaints against over 46 individuals or organizations, the vast majority of whom are either Democrats or associated with Democratic causes. [15]

Personnel

Kendra Arnold is currently the executive director; previously, she was the general counsel. [33] [34] [35]

FACT's treasurer was Neil Corkery from 2015 to 2016 whose wife established the Judicial Crisis Network. [8] [36] Neil Corkery is now treasurer for Public Interest Legal Foundation. Corkey was part of the three person board of directors at FACT including Whitaker. [37] [38]

William (Bill) Gustoff serves on the board of directors of FACT and was a former law partner of Matthew Whitaker for Whitaker Hagenow & Gustoff LLP (which changed its name later to Hagenow & Gustoff LLP and Hagenow Gustoff & Karas LLP). [39] Kendra Arnold worked for Whitaker Hagenow & Gustoff LLP under Matthew Whitaker. [40]

Matthew Whitaker was executive director from October 2014 to September 2017. [4]

James Crumley has been a director. [10] [30] Noah Wall was a director in 2014. [30]

Thomas Raymond Conlon has managed the tax returns of FACT. He is also responsible for other prominent groups such as American Conservative Union and Judicial Crisis Network, which are organisations associated with Ann and Neil Corkery. [41]

Related Research Articles

A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in contrary with an entity that operates as a business aiming to generate a profit for its owners. A nonprofit is subject to the non-distribution constraint: any revenues that exceed expenses must be committed to the organization's purpose, not taken by private parties. An array of organizations are nonprofit, including some political organizations, schools, business associations, churches, social clubs, and consumer cooperatives. Nonprofit entities may seek approval from governments to be tax-exempt, and some may also qualify to receive tax-deductible contributions, but an entity may incorporate as a nonprofit entity without securing tax-exempt status.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) and nonpartisan U.S. government ethics and accountability watchdog organization. Founded in 2003 as a counterweight to conservative government watchdog groups such as Judicial Watch, CREW works to expose ethics violations and corruption by government officials and institutions and to reduce the role of money in politics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Whitaker</span> American lawyer and politician

Matthew George Whitaker is an American lawyer, lobbyist and politician who served as the acting United States Attorney General from November 7, 2018, to February 14, 2019. He was appointed to that position by President Donald Trump after Jeff Sessions resigned at Trump's request. Whitaker had previously served as Chief of Staff to Sessions from October 2017 to November 2018.

C. John Baricevic is a former judge of the Twentieth Judicial Circuit in the state of Illinois. Prior to his work in law, he was an American football coach at the college level in Kansas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald J. Trump Foundation</span> Former US-based private foundation

The Donald J. Trump Foundation was a New York-based tax-exempt private foundation formed in 1988 by Donald Trump and dissolved by court order in 2019 after various legal violations came to light.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections</span>

This is a timeline of events related to alleged Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mueller special counsel investigation</span> US investigation into Russian interference in US elections

The Mueller special counsel investigation was an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, links between associates of Donald Trump and Russian officials, and possible obstruction of justice by Trump and his associates. The investigation was conducted by special prosecutor Robert Mueller from May 2017 to March 2019. It was also called the Russia investigation, the Mueller probe, and the Mueller investigation. The Mueller investigation culminated with the Mueller report, which concluded that though the Trump campaign welcomed Russian interference and expected to benefit from it, there was insufficient evidence of a criminal conspiracy to charge Trump. The report did not reach a conclusion about possible obstruction of justice of Trump, citing a Justice Department guideline that prohibits the federal indictment of a sitting president. The investigation resulted in charges against 34 individuals and 3 companies, 8 guilty pleas, and a conviction at trial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Gates (political consultant)</span> American former political consultant, lobbyist, and convicted felon

Richard William Gates III is an American former political consultant and lobbyist who pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States for making false statements in the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. He is a longtime business associate of Paul Manafort and served as deputy to Manafort when the latter was campaign manager of the Donald Trump presidential campaign in 2016, and after under Kellyanne Conway.

Stephen M. Calk is the founder, former Chairman and CEO of The Federal Savings Bank, a federally chartered National Bank headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. He was an economic advisor to Donald Trump during the 2016 United States presidential election campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trials of Paul Manafort</span>

The two criminal trials of Paul Manafort were the first cases brought to trial by the special counsel's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Manafort served as campaign chair for the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign from June 20 to August 19, 2016. In July 2017, the FBI conducted a raid of Manafort's home, authorized by search warrant under charges of interference in the 2016 election. Manafort and his business assistant Rick Gates were both indicted and arrested in October 2017 for charges of conspiracy against the United States, making false statements, money laundering, and failing to register as foreign agents for Ukraine. Gates entered a plea bargain in February 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crossfire Hurricane (FBI investigation)</span> 2016–2017 US counterintelligence investigation of Donald Trumps associates

Crossfire Hurricane was the code name for the counterintelligence investigation undertaken by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from July 31, 2016, to May 17, 2017, into myriad links between Russian officials and associates of Donald Trump and "whether individuals associated with [his] presidential campaign were coordinating, wittingly or unwittingly, with the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election". Trump was not personally under investigation until May 2017, when his firing of FBI director James Comey raised suspicions of obstruction of justice, which triggered the Mueller investigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conspiracy theories related to the Trump–Ukraine scandal</span> Dispute about Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections

Since 2016, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and his allies have promoted several conspiracy theories related to the Trump–Ukraine scandal. One such theory seeks to blame Ukraine, instead of Russia, for interference in the 2016 United States presidential election. Also among the conspiracy theories are accusations against Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, and several elements of the right-wing Russia investigation origins counter-narrative. American intelligence believes that Russia engaged in a years long campaign to frame Ukraine for the 2016 election interference, that the Kremlin is the prime mover behind promotion of the fictitious alternative narratives, and that these are harmful to the United States. FBI director Christopher A. Wray stated to ABC News that "We have no information that indicates that Ukraine interfered with the 2016 presidential election" and that "as far as the [2020] election itself goes, we think Russia represents the most significant threat."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (July–December 2018)</span>

This is a timeline of major events in second half of 2018 related to the investigations into links between associates of Donald Trump and Russian officials that are suspected of being inappropriate, relating to the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. It follows the timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections before and after July 2016 up until election day November 8, and the transition, the first and second halves of 2017, and the first half of 2018, but precedes that of the first and second halves of 2019, 2020, and 2021. These events are related to, but distinct from, Russian interference in the 2018 United States elections.

Alexandra (Ali) Chalupa is an American who was co-chair of the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC's) Ethnic Council. She is also the founder of the political consulting firm Chalupa & Associates, LLC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (July–December 2017)</span>

This is a timeline of major events in second half of 2017 related to the investigations into links between associates of Donald Trump and Russian officials that are suspected of being inappropriate, relating to the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. It follows the timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections before and after July 2016 up until election day November 8, the post-election transition, and the first half of 2017. The investigations continued in the first and second halves of 2018, the first and second halves of 2019, 2020, and 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections (July 2016 – election day)</span> Major events prior to Trumps inauguration

This is a timeline of events related to Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of investigations into Donald Trump and Russia (2020–2022)</span>

This is a timeline of events from 2020 to 2022 related to investigations into links between associates of Donald Trump and Russian officials that are suspected of being inappropriate, relating to the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. It follows the timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, both before and after July 2016, until November 8, 2016, election day, the transition, the first and second halves of 2017, the first and second halves of 2018, and the first and second halves of 2019.

The 85 Fund, also known as the Honest Elections Project, and formerly known as the Judicial Education Project, is a 501(c)(3) organization based in Washington D.C. It is among a network of conservative organizations associated with Leonard Leo, a longtime prominent figure in the Federalist Society, that are funded mostly by anonymous donors. The 85 Fund was founded to counter the influence of Arabella Advisors, a liberal group with a similar structure. The 85 Fund had revenue of over $65 million in 2020 and, with the Concord Fund, acts as a funding hub for other organizations in the Leo network.

<i>Where Law Ends</i> 2020 non-fiction book by Andrew Weissmann

Where Law Ends: Inside the Mueller Investigation is a best-selling non-fiction book written by Andrew Weissmann, a former Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA), and later a General Counsel of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 2011 to 2013. Released by Random House on September 29, 2020, the widely read book gives an insider's view into Department of Justice special counsel Robert Mueller's highly controversial investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election of Donald Trump.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Accountability Foundation</span> American conservative opposition research group

The American Accountability Foundation (AAF) is an American conservative opposition research group founded in 2020 that has opposed nominees to the Joe Biden administration.

References

  1. ↑ O'Harrow Jr., Robert; Boburg, Shawn; Davis, Aaron C. (November 20, 2018). "Conservative nonprofit with obscure roots and undisclosed funders paid Matthew Whitaker $1.2 million". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on November 21, 2018.
  2. ↑ Goldman, Adam; Wong, Edward (November 8, 2018). "Trump Installs a Critic of the Mueller Investigation to Oversee It". The New York Times. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Whitaker May Have Violated Group's Tax-Exempt Status". The New York Times. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Bronstein, Scott. "Whitaker ran conservative group funded by dark money". CNN. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Matthew Whitaker". Fox News. November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Conservative group calls for Grayson ethics probe". POLITICO. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  7. 1 2 "Matthew Whitaker Led Foundation That May Have Violated Tax-Exempt Status". Huffington Post. Associated Press. November 10, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 Zeitlin, Matthew. "The New Acting Attorney General Was Previously a Dark Money–Funded Clinton Antagonist". Slate Magazine. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  9. ↑ Wang, Dan Mangan, Christine (November 21, 2018). "Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker got $1.2 million from nonprofit". www.cnbc.com. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  10. 1 2 Walters, Greg (2018). "What we know about FACT, the conservative watchdog that paid Trump's AG $1.2 million". Vice News. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Trump's new acting attorney general was obsessed with Clinton's emails". Mother Jones. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  12. ↑ Jacobs, Ben (November 7, 2018). "Matt Whitaker: Sessions's replacement a longtime critic of Mueller inquiry". the Guardian. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Meet the Acting Attorney General, a GOP Loyalist From Iowa". Time. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  14. ↑ Goldman, Adam; Wong, Edward (November 8, 2018). "Trump Installs a Critic of the Mueller Investigation to Oversee It". The New York Times. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  15. 1 2 "Here's a list of Democrats acting AG Matt Whitaker wanted to investigate". Newsweek. November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  16. ↑ Croucher, Shane (November 8, 2018). "Here's a list of Democrats acting AG Matt Whitaker wanted to investigate". Newsweek. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  17. ↑ Woodruff, Betsy; Tani, Maxwell; Sommer, Will (November 8, 2018). "Matthew Whitaker, Mueller's New Boss, Said There Was 'No Collusion' With Russia". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  18. ↑ "FACT's Matthew Whitaker's Response to Hillary Clinton's comments to CNN | FACTDC | Foundation For Accountability & Civic Trust". FACTDC | Foundation For Accountability & Civic Trust. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  19. ↑ Kirchgaessner, Stephanie; Swaine, Jon (November 12, 2018). "Trump pick Whitaker rose through ranks as partisan targeting Democrats". the Guardian. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump backfire". POLITICO. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  21. ↑ Waas, Murray (January 15, 2019). "Matthew Whitaker: The Ethical Mire of Trump's Top Law Officer". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  22. ↑ Swanson, Ian (August 9, 2017). "Watchdog files complaint alleging DNC worked with Ukraine". TheHill. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  23. ↑ Waas, Murray (December 14, 2018). "Exclusive: Paul Manafort advised White House on how to attack and discredit investigation of President Trump". Vox. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  24. ↑ Merica, Dan. "First on CNN: Former DNC contractor denies working with Ukrainian officials". CNN. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  25. 1 2 3 "The Environmental Left's Double Standard Game". Morning Consult . Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  26. ↑ Schwartz, John (October 24, 2018). "New York Sues Exxon Mobil, Saying It Deceived Shareholders on Climate Change". The New York Times. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Exxon accused of climate change 'fraud'". BBC News. October 24, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  28. ↑ "New York AG Sues Exxon, Says Oil Giant Defrauded Investors Over Climate Change". InsideClimate News. October 24, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  29. ↑ "Whitaker may have violated group's tax-exempt status". Star Tribune. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  30. 1 2 3 4 "Conservative nonprofit with obscure roots and undisclosed funders paid Matthew Whitaker $1.2 million". Washington Post. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
  31. ↑ Woodruff, Maxwell Tani|Will Sommer|Betsy (November 8, 2018). "Matthew Whitaker, Mueller's New Boss, Said There Was 'No Collusion' With Russia". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Whitaker May Have Violated Group's Tax-Exempt Status" . Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  33. ↑ "FACTDC | About | Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust". FACTDC | Foundation For Accountability & Civic Trust. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  34. ↑ "FACT Speaks To Polk County Republican Women » The Iowa Statesman". The Iowa Statesman. April 21, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Kendra Arnold". Fox News. November 12, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  36. ↑ "Dark-money group asks for IRS to investigate trust steered by central Arkansas congressional candidate". Arkansas Online. August 9, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Trump's Top Lawman Cut Teeth With Partisan Attacks, TV Spots". Bloomberg.
  38. ↑ "Matthew Whitaker Led Foundation That May Have Violated Tax-Exempt Status". Huffington Post. Associated Press. November 10, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  39. ↑ Freedlander, David. "When Matthew Whitaker Ran 'a Chop Shop of Fake Ethics Complaints'". Intelligencer. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  40. ↑ "Hagenow & Gustoff | Kendra L. Mills Arnold". The Law Firm of Hagenow & Gustoff. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  41. ↑ "How one accountant links Whitaker's nonprofit to network of dark money groups". www.yahoo.com. Retrieved December 19, 2018.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.