John,

This is going to be a long—but important—email, because 2023 is already off to a busy start for CREW. From Trump’s tax returns, to a fabulist in Congress, to an insurrectionist running for Congress in West Virginia, and more, we’re already hard at work exposing corruption, fighting for accountability and building a stronger, fairer democracy.

Here are just a few of the things we’ve been up to lately:

Derrick Evans is a former member of the West Virginia House of Delegates who stormed the Capitol with other insurrectionists on January 6, 2021, resigned from office in disgrace after being charged with federal crimes and later pled guilty to a felony. He also recently announced a campaign for Congress. But—thanks to his participation in the insurrection—he is disqualified from office under the 14th Amendment’s Disqualification Clause. The West Virginia Secretary of State should bar him from the ballot if and when Evans officially files a Certificate of Announcement.
When Donald Trump was president, Republicans spent hundreds of thousands of dollars at his DC hotel, frequently claiming that it was convenient, and just like any other hotel, rather than a way to curry favor with the then-president by enriching him. But from the hotel’s reopening as the Waldorf Astoria last June to the midterm elections, Republican officials, candidates and fundraising committees spent less than $2,000 at the Waldorf Astoria. In the same five month window before the 2018 midterm elections, Republicans spent more than 400 times that amount with $867K in disbursements to the Trump Hotel. Read and share our new piece on how GOP spending has dried up now that Trump no longer owns the hotel.
Former President Trump’s tax returns weren’t audited for more than two years after he took office—even though audits of the president’s taxes are mandatory and standard. In fact, the IRS only began auditing Trump’s taxes the very day that the House Ways and Means Committee requested his taxes. The IRS needs to be investigated for its failure to conduct full and timely audits and to determine whether political interference could have played any role in the delay. We sent a complaint to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration calling for an immediate investigation.
It’s been two years since the insurrection, and the corporate donors to the Sedition Caucus are really hoping that no one’s paying attention anymore to who is funding enemies of democracy. But we’re not looking away—corporate and industry PACs have given more than $50 million directly to the members of Congress who voted to reject the 2020 election results. Newly-elected election deniers are also getting in on the corporate cash, with Home Depot, Valero, General Motors, T-Mobile and more funding Rep. Derrick Van Orden, Senator J.D. Vance and Rep. Harriet Hageman—who weren’t in Congress in 2021 but who have made names for themselves by advancing the Big Lie. Read and share our full report.

That’s just a fraction of what we’ve already been up to this year—we’re preparing to take action to challenge Trump’s eligibility to serve as president under the 14th Amendment, pushing for accountability for George Santos and his extensive lies, advocating for Congressional oversight that strengthens our democracy, and so much more. It’s going to be a busy year, and one thing is for certain: we can’t do it without your support.

Thank you,

Noah Bookbinder
President
CREW

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