Quiet Sabotage at the FEC
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** CfA's September 15, 2023 Newsletter
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With your support, Campaign for Accountability is working to expose corruption and hold the powerful accountable.
** This Week's Updates:
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CfA Urges FEC Not to Undermine its Own Investigative Ability
This week, CfA sent a letter ([link removed]) to the FEC urging it not to adopt a proposed rule change that would limit the agency’s remaining ability to inform the public of potential campaign finance violations and hold candidates accountable. While the Commission is generally deadlocked along partisan lines, its Office of General Council (OGC) still has some freedom to investigate potential wrongdoing. Under a rule change proposed by Republican Commissioner Allen J. Dickerson, though, the OGC would have to seek continual approval from the commissioners to do its job. As CfA Executive Director Michelle Kuppersmith wrote, “the non-partisan OGC provides an invaluable resource for the public: it documents for posterity—and for current constituents and voters—the elected officials who at the very least appear to skirt the rules by which others abide.”
The FEC has twice delayed its vote on the measure, which is sure to come up in a House Administration Committee hearing ([link removed]) scheduled for September 20th. Democrats on the committee have indicated that they are displeased the FEC’s failure to investigate rampant campaign finance violations or prevent foreign dollars from flowing into U.S. elections. Read more about the upcoming hearing in the latest edition of Pay Dirt ([link removed]) .
PragerU Gains a Foothold in New Hampshire Public Schools
Yesterday, the New Hampshire Board of Education approved a PragerU personal finance course for use in public schools, allowing students to engage in the program for credit. The board’s unanimous decision came despite concern with ideological bias; PragerU describes itself as a “conservative nonprofit…focused on changing minds through the creative use of digital media.” Founded by right-wing talk show host Dennis Prager in 2009, PragerU was eventually supercharged ([link removed]) by a multi-million dollar donation from Dan and Farris Wilks, a pair of Texas brothers who became billionaires after selling their fracking company. Using that funding, PragerU ramped up production of “explainer” videos that promote fringe conservative ideas, ranging from climate denial ([link removed]) to outright justifications
([link removed]) for slavery in the United States. Now, New Hampshire has joined Florida and Oklahoma in bringing PragerU material to classrooms – and Texas may soon follow suit ([link removed]) .
Though New Hampshire students will access the personal finance course through a separate website, families are still concerned ([link removed]) that PragerU is attempting to get its foot in the door and direct traffic to its more controversial videos. This appears to be part of a broader strategy to get PragerU materials into classrooms; a recent job listing ([link removed]) reveals that the non-profit is looking for a “Head of Educational Outreach” who will lead its sales team and bring PragerU Kids “to as many states, school districts, and school networks (private and charter) as possible.” The individual is expected to develop a “deep understanding” of state approval processes, and to identify “pain points” from educators who are unhappy with existing materials. While PragerU’s materials are generally free, it
has registered itself as a vendor in Texas ([link removed]) , meaning it could receive bidding opportunities from state entities. This development, combined with the heavy sales language in the job listing, implies that PragerU is preparing to bolster its expansion into schools with an influx of taxpayer dollars.
Eric Schmidt Continues Influence Streak in Senate
This week, a group of 22 individuals – including Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and Mark Zuckerberg – met with U.S. Senators to discuss the future of AI regulation in a closed-door panel. The full invite list ([link removed]) revealed that most of the attendees were either tech CEOs or the directors of tech-aligned organizations, poised to profit from the AI boom. Unsurprisingly, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt made the cut. CfA's Tech Transparency Project has documented the ways Schmidt blends public and private investments ([link removed]) to advance his own initiatives – including companies that he has a personal financial interest in ([link removed]) . Schmidt also led the National Security Commission on AI from 2019 to 2021, and has openly celebrated
([link removed]) the revolving door between the commission and federal agencies. “The people who work in the commission and then go into the government, they are your emissaries,” Schmidt said at a recent Capitol Hill event. “A rule of business is that if you could put your person in the company, they’re likely to buy from you."
Lawmakers have repeatedly asserted that they don’t want to make the same mistakes with AI as they did with social media, to avoid letting companies “regulate” themselves in a way that creates massive negative externalities. The composition of this AI panel, though, suggests that history may be allowed to repeat itself.
What We're Reading
The Usual Suspects of Big Tech Claim AI Will Kill Us All or End World Hunger ([link removed])
Social media firms ‘not ready to tackle misinformation’ during global elections ([link removed])
Meta, Under Fire From Regulators, Dials Back Ad Targeting ([link removed])
** Follow Our Work:
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We thank you for your continued support. Without people like you, our work would not be possible.
Here is how you can stay involved and help us accomplish our mission:
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Be on the lookout for more updates about our work in the upcoming weeks. Thanks again for signing up to be a part of CfA!
Sincerely,
Michelle Kuppersmith
Executive Director, Campaign for Accountability
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