Public Citizen is under attack from a dark money political operation bankrolled by multiple right-wing billionaires.

In a letter to the Department of Justice, the dark money outfit No Labels named Public Citizen as a group that it thinks should be investigated under the federal RICO statute — which was designed to prosecute organized crime — for an alleged “conspiracy to use retaliation, fear, intimidation, and even threats of violence.”

• No Labels has made a lot of news over its plans to spend as much as $70 million running an “independent” candidate for president in the 2024 election.

• No Labels is operating as if it were a political party or a nascent one, but it is legally registered as a social welfare organization, which enables it to function as a dark money enterprise.

• The rules are different for political parties. For example, political parties are required to disclose their donors. No Labels refuses to disclose its funders.

• Though one No Labels benefactor we do know about is Harlan Crow, the right-wing billionaire who was exposed last year as having provided undisclosed financial subsidies to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas going back at least two decades.

• Crow is also a noted collector of Nazi memorabilia, including a signed copy of Adolf Hitler’s manifesto Mein Kampf and two paintings by Hitler.

• I want to be clear that Public Citizen is not opposed to independent candidates and political parties.

• But we will call out dark money entities that masquerade as political parties while flouting campaign finance and election laws.

Of course, No Labels has No Evidence, because we haven’t committed any crimes against it.

But we still have to fight these bogus allegations — and the dark money forces corrupting our democracy.

So I’m asking:

Please donate today to help Public Citizen continue standing up to the MAGA billionaires that always seem to be coming for us.

A group of longtime supporters will match anything you contribute today dollar-for-dollar.

I’ll say that again:

Every donation made today in response to this message will be matched dollar-for-dollar.

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Either way, I hope you appreciate knowing a little more about the work you and Public Citizen are doing together and about those who don’t like that we’re doing it.

Thank you for being part of this shared project called Public Citizen.

For democracy,

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen
 
 
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