International Courant
A key advocacy group in conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo’s community paid thousands and thousands to his consulting agency, a brand new submitting reveals, the most recent instance of Leo’s internet of nonprofits sending cash to his enterprise amid authorities scrutiny of his dealings.
The Harmony Fund, a Virginia-based nonprofit, paid $6 million to Leo’s agency CRC Advisors between July 2022 and the top of June 2023 for “Consulting,” in accordance with the submitting, supplied to POLITICO by the left-leaning watchdog group Accountable.US. The revelations of the massive sum transferred to Leo’s agency come amid mounting questions round Leo’s advocacy actions and whether or not he has stood to achieve financially from nonprofit teams pushing a conservative agenda across the nation.
D.C. Lawyer Normal Brian Schwalb has been probing Leo’s community, which incorporates the Harmony Fund, as a part of an inquiry into whether or not the teams skirted nonprofit guidelines. Leo has vowed to not cooperate.
In recent times, Leo, co-chairman of the Federalist Society’s board, has amassed outsized affect in conservative authorized circles, advising former President Donald Trump on judicial picks. That function has additionally introduced added scrutiny to his monetary actions.
He additionally obtained a large $1.6 billion reward from the businessman Barre Seid to fund Leo’s agenda by way of a bunch referred to as the Marble Freedom Belief. The Marble Freedom Belief, which counts Leo as a trustee and chairman, has transferred tens of thousands and thousands of {dollars} to the Harmony Fund. The Harmony Fund has additionally paid thousands and thousands to Leo’s for-profit enterprise.
Between July 2022 and the top of June 2023, the Harmony Fund, often known as the Judicial Disaster Community, obtained about $52.8 million. Between Could 2022 and the top of April 2023, Marble Freedom Belief reported giving $55.5 million to the Harmony Fund.
Schwalb, a Democrat, has questioned whether or not the Leo teams’ actions violate nonprofit tax legal guidelines. Republican members of Congress have launched their very own inquiry into the lawyer normal’s probe. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and James Comer (R-Ky.), chairs of the Home Judiciary and Oversight Committees respectively, have requested for paperwork associated to his investigation.
The Harmony Fund has reported spending $140,000 to foyer Congress on “Points associated to authorities oversight, legislation enforcement, public advocacy and Rule of Regulation” because it registered to foyer in late 2023, not lengthy after information of the probe broke.
Carrie Severino, president of the Judicial Disaster Community (an alias of the Harmony Fund), didn’t instantly return a request for remark.
By way of counsel, CRC Advisors denied that something within the 990 supplied proof of “self-enrichment.” In a press release, the corporate referred to as Politico’s protection “irredeemably biased” and “unreliable.”
The submitting from the Harmony Fund additionally illustrates how the grant-making group funded efforts throughout the nation to stymie abortion entry by way of different teams, together with one preventing a constitutional modification in Ohio that protected entry to the process.
The Harmony Fund gave $8.8 million to Susan B. Anthony Professional-Life America, a number one anti-abortion group, together with $3 million to Defend Girls Ohio Motion, a bunch that was preventing the constitutional modification in Ohio that enshrined abortion entry. The modification in the end handed.
The Harmony Fund additionally gave $6 million to the Republican Governors Affiliation and $4 million to the Republican Lawyer Generals Affiliation. It gave an extra $3 million to a bunch that was backing the Republican candidate for Kentucky governor, David Cameron, who in the end misplaced.
The massive reward to the Republican Attorneys Normal Affiliation is notable, partly, as a result of a lot of Republican attorneys normal have additionally questioned Schwalb’s inquiry into Leo.
The Harmony Fund additionally gave $500,000 every to a Florida political committee then referred to as Associates of Ron DeSantis and a nonprofit based by former Vice President Mike Pence referred to as Advancing American Freedom. It additionally gave $300,000 to a nonprofit based by former presidential candidate and U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley.
Accountable.US President Caroline Ciccone blasted the Harmony Fund, calling it an essential a part of Leo’s equipment to switch cash to his personal enterprise.
“Leonard Leo’s Harmony Fund is on the middle of his far-right darkish cash internet and a key cog in Leo’s obvious self-enrichment scheme,” Ciccone stated.
In its monetary submitting, the Harmony Fund reported that it produced “radio and tv commercials concerning vital authorized and civic points, courtroom packing, government department appointments, federalism, and civic accountability.” It additionally reported paying about $3.8 million to the media shopping for agency Mentzer Media for “Advocacy,” however CRC Advisors was the Harmony Fund’s largest impartial contractor by thousands and thousands of {dollars}.
The 85 Fund, additionally a part of the investigation by Schwalb, paid $21 million to Leo’s consulting agency in 2022.
Nonprofit linked to Leonard Leo despatched thousands and thousands to his agency
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