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August 24, 2023

Politico: D.C. Investigating Far-Right Judicial Activist Leonard Leo and His Dark Money Network
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Politico is reporting Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian Schwalb
has launched an investigation into right-wing judicial activist and
Federalist Society co-chair Leonard Leo and his network of nonprofits.
Earlier this year, Politico reported one of Leo's registered charities
paid his for-profit public relations company at least $43 million. The
charity, which recently relocated from Virginia to Texas, is called The
85 Fund and received $117 million in anonymous funding in 2021. The
nonprofit is run by Carrie Severino, a former clerk for Justice Clarence
Thomas. Leonard Leo is widely known as Donald Trump's "court whisperer"
and was involved in the selection of all three of the former president's
far-right Supreme Court justices. It's not the first time Leo and his
dark money network have come under scrutiny. Leo was the recipient of
likely the largest-ever political donation in the U.S. when he received
$1.6 billion from conservative billionaire Barre Seid in 2021. The
watchdog Campaign for Accountability says some $73 million has been
moved from nonprofits connected to Leo to his for-profit firms since
2016.


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