Private Funding of Government

Government Accountability & Oversight seeks records related to donor-financed climate activists in state departments Government Accountability & Oversight, with representation from the Wisconsin Transparency Project, has filed a lawsuit against the Wisconsin Department of Administration alleging that DOA violated the state’s Open Records Law. DOA—and specifically the Office of Sustainability & Clean Energy created by executive order to implement the…

GAO is pleasantly surprised and will take a modest bow, following this report in today’s Washington Times. Putting aside any issues this presents to legislative counsel going forward, here’s wishing Rep. Fitzgerald, et al., good luck in doing their part to draw attention to this practice of donor-staffed law enforcement, which has now spread throughout state governments. Even Capitol Hill.

Referring back to this, this, this this this this and this item, here we see an actual check to pay for a climate ‘staff’ member in the Wisconsin state government. Some of whom are being expressly provided for “UN Strengthening.” UPDATE: Wisconsin Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy’s production is accessible here. The Office wrote that “certain information was withheld…

Following on these three posts: In 2021 the Wisconsin Department of Administration accepted $168,132 from UNF for “UN Strengthening,” in the form of two grants ($88,132 and $88,000); in 2020 the Maine Governor’s Office accepted $298,600 from the UNF[2] and in 2021 $519,400 (again, most of the latter reported to the IRS as being for “UN Strengthening”[3]), to advance the…

GAO is encouraged to see Wisconsonites rejecting the use of billionaire bucks run through their charities to finance the operations of at least one aspect of governance, the administration of elections. But, why oh why is this now agreed to be a bad thing for the integrity of administering the electoral process but acceptable for administering, say, the justice system?…

Feisty “Southern Politics & Culture” website The Hayride makes the connections between donor-financed government and the recent, reckless political gambit of cutting off new LNG exports. With a teaser about more to come, on the dismount.

Gov. Cooper’s intense relationship with the United Nations Foundation, first outed by GAO, is examined here.

What about oversight? A Cheesehead Hmmm, in four parts While we wait, over to you, Wisconsin legislature, WILL, whomever.

Following on this item (and this), GAO has looked into the “Office of the Governor” grant of $173,312 by the United Nations Foundation in 2021 reported to the IRS without further detail except as being to a Washington, DC address. It turns out that, too, went to Gov. Roy Cooper, a shy climate warrior (see p. 38) who does nonetheless…

Was using state policy and positions for “UN Strengthening” advertised to the voters?

Even Cabinet Secretary paid with outside money Donor group listing mission as “to fulfill the promise of the Paris Agreement on climate change” paying for U.S. governors’, energy reg agency staff for purpose of “UN Strengthening” Blackout risk accelerates as UN’s “Energy Transition” agenda advances A recent Wall Street Journal editorial, “New York’s Near Zombie Apocalypse,” highlighted the threat that…

Court orders House to brief whether the Congress, Speaker, and Oversight Committee are immune from public scrutiny Committee use of donor-provided ‘staff’ to drive “year-long investigation” — apparently (see UPDATE, below) later handed over to plaintiffs’ bar — at issue See here, here, here, here, here and/or here for the fascinating backstory behind this suit, and the weaponization of a congressional “climate”…

GAO wrote yesterday about the D.C. Circuit ordering new Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy to state his view on whether the House should be free from public scrutiny of (i.e., continue to keep secret) the machinations behind the importation of donor-provided ‘ringer’ staff — off the books and in violation of House rules, incidentally —  to plot and execute the…

Savvy readers will remember journalist Rob Schilling’s investigation into the weaponization of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. That Committee appeared, under its prior leadership, to be accepting “in kind” contributions from wealthy donors — boasted of by everyone from George Soros’s and Pierre Omidyar’s activist groups to the in-kind “staff” and Subcommittee Chair Ro Khanna (in seesaw fashion)…

UPDATE: Exemplar Documents Loaded UPDATE: Documents loaded (some Word docs follow separately, with interesting Properties) GAO has documented the seemingly inarguable outsourcing of congressional oversight to donors, and their unelected donees, that reared its head in Washington, DC during the (mercifully concluding) 117th Congress. Recently, GAO reviewed public records obtained by Energy Policy Advocates which suggest this is becoming a real thing…

New revelations solve mystery whether wealthy donors are actually paying millions for lawyers to file massive “climate” lawsuits, despite contracts with taxpayer-clients set to pay same lawyers scores of millions as “contingency fee” out of clients’ alleged damages ‘Double-dipping’ at play? What did these generous politicians know and when did they know it? Archived web post shows DiCaprio Foundation at first…

Is this among the millions that foundations are providing to a ‘contingency fee’ tort firm? Did tort firm disclose to politician clients? Did politicians disclose to legislatures and taxpayers? In 2020, information surfaced in IRS Forms 990 filed by the non-profit Resources Legacy Fund (“RLF”) suggesting that the ‘climate nuisance’ and ‘consumer fraud’ lawsuits filed by Sher Edling, LLP on…

Following up on this story, and related complaints filed with congressional ethics watchdog offices, courtesy of Capital Research Center’s intrepid Hayden Ludwig we now see that the money behind privately financed congressional investigative staff is coming from none other than George Soros’s Open Society ventures. Specifically, it appears that $300,000 went from Soros’ c4 (Open Society Policy Institute) to 1630 Fund…

Today, award-winning independent journalist Rob Schilling filed a lawsuit against Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and the Clerk and Chief Administrator of the House of Representatives to exercise the public’s common law right of access to records. Specifically, Schilling’s suit seeks certain described emails, and any Skype and similar recordings and logs, pertaining to the use by two committee chairs of donor-provided…

Following up on this item noting two complaints were filed with offices of jurisdiction over potential misuses of congressional resources, the House Inspector General informed independent journalist Rob Schilling that it would be preferable if another office did the work. As the complaint noted, however Dear Inspector General Ptasienski, We write pursuant to Res. 423, the House Administration Reform Resolution…