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Non-profit

American Accountability Foundation (AAF)

Location:

Washington, DC
Tax ID:

85-4391204
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2021):

Revenue: $551,544
Expenses: $530,360
Assets: $46,684
Type:

Government Accountability Organization
Formation:

2020 1

References

  1. “American Accountability Foundation.” Cause IQ. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/american-accountability-foundation,854391204/
President:

Tom Jones
Co-Founder:

Matthew Buckham

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

The American Accountability Foundation (AAF) is a right-of-center government accountability organization launched by the Conservative Partnership Institute. 1 2

The organization claims credit for blocking some of President Joe Biden’s nominees to agencies, including the Federal Communications Commission (FCC); the Federal Reserve Board; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. 3 The AAF focuses on executive branch appointees who rank just below cabinet positions. 4

The organization has engaged in unorthodox methods, including infiltrating a Zoom meeting of House Democratic staffers discussing earmarks. 5 AAF president Tom Jones, who previously had jobs for U.S. Senators Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) and former U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), has said the group is employing opposition research tactics that the left has used for decades. 6 7

Background

The American Accountability Foundation is a conservative government watchdog group that says it is involved in research, analysis, and public education to bring transparency to government agencies and national policy debates. 8 AAF uses investigative tools to educate the public on issues related to personnel, policy, and spending in government agencies. The group says it advances conservative messaging, rapid response, and Congressional investigations as it scrutinizes politicians. 9

The organization’s handle on social media platform Twitter (known officially since a 2023 rebrand as “X”) is @ExposingBiden. 10

The Conservative Partnership Institute gave $335,100 to the AAF in 2021. 11 AAF filed documents in 2021 to secure tax-exempt status describing the group as existing “in care of” the Conservative Partnership Institute. CPI’s 2021 annual report says that it launched the American Accountability Foundation because “conservatives didn’t have a group performing research on Biden’s woke nominees—even though plenty of liberal groups were digging up (or manufacturing) dirt on our side.” 12

Activities

Blocked Biden Appointments

American Accountability Foundation President Tom Jones told Fox News the group wants to help the right catch up on unorthodox opposition research tactics that the left has used for decades. He said, “Our goal is to take a big handful of sand and throw it in the gears of the Biden administration.” 13

The organization established the website Bidennoms.com to scrutinize President Joe Biden’s nominees. 14

The AAF focuses on executive branch appointees ranking below Cabinet positions, Jones said, noting, “That second tier are really the folks who are going to do the day-to-day work implementing the agenda.” 15

The New Yorker, a left-leaning magazine, ran a heavily critical piece on the AAF that blamed it for blocking several of President Joe Biden’s nominees, and casting the rejected nominees in a very sympathetic light. 16 The AAF promoted and quoted the piece on its website to show its effectiveness. 17

Biden nominated Gigi Sohn for a spot on the Federal Communications Commission. However, Sohn withdrew her nomination after the AAF spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on billboards, newspaper ads, and digital advertise about her policy positions. 18 The AAF also highlighted the Fraternal Order of Police’s opposition to Sohn, which noted her statements indicating “serious animus towards law enforcement officers.” 19

AAF helped to stop the nomination of Biden nominee for Comptroller of the Currency Saule Omarova, warning Omarova had apparently joined a self-declared Marxist group on Facebook in 2019. 20 Omarova denied belonging to a Marxist group, but her nomination was withdrawn. 21

After Biden nominated David Chipman to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the organization discovered allegations that Chipman when serving as a special agent at ATF until 2012, remarked that “African American agents […] must have been cheating” because they passed an exam. 22 In the other extreme, the AAF dossier also showed claims that Chipman was a radical “anti-racist,” who opposed Mount Rushmore. Chipman also had two dismissed Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaints against him. Chipman’s nomination was withdrawn. 23

The AAF has also been credited with derailing Biden’s nomination of Sarah Bloom Raskin to be vice chair of the Federal Reserve Board. After her nomination, the group filed an ethics complaint against her husband, U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), for alleged late disclosure of a $1.5 million stock sale by his wife Sarah Bloom Raskin. In 2017, Sarah Bloom Raskin left the board of a Colorado trust company, and sold her stock. Congressional rules require such sales be disclosed within 30 to 40 days. The Raskins reported eight months later. They blamed the late reporting on the suicide of their son, which she said caused the family to be in “comatose, barely functioning.” 24

Oversight

In March 2021, the American Accountability Foundation successfully infiltrated a House Appropriations Committee Democratic Staffers’ Zoom conference and provided the exchange to The Hill. In the video, House Democratic staffers discussed earmarks. One of the staffers said that steering earmarks for a campaign contributor could have bad optics but would not violate House rules. 25 26

The AAF teamed up with the Center for Restoring America, another group backed by the Conservative Partnership Institute, to create the Congressional Pork Map to be a resource to expose government waste. 27

The AAF led efforts to hold New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) accountable for allegedly violating congressional ethics rules when she claimed attending the $35,000 per plate Met Gala in New York City was part of her “official duties.” 28

The AAF opposes corporate ESG policies, an acronym for environmental, social, and governance activism. The organization issued a report in August 2023 stating that ESG supporters were pushing back against members of trade associations and nonprofits that oppose ESG for the purpose of naming and shaming. The report says the Corporate Reform Coalition, the Proxy Preview Triad, and the Center for Political Accountability “work to suppress conservative voices in corporate America by using shareholder resolutions.” 29

IRS Audit

In September 2023, the Internal Revenue Service moved to audit the AAF, announcing in a letter to the group, “We’re auditing your organization’s Form 990 for the tax year ended December 31, 2021.” 30

Jones accused the IRS of being politicized: “Whether it is Gigi Sohn at the FCC, David Chipman at the ATF, Saule Omarova as Biden’s bank czar, there are numerous people who have been exposed because of AAF’s work. Apparently, the administration has decided they want to stop that by weaponizing the IRS against us.” 31 The IRS responded it does not conduct audits on partisan grounds. 32

U.S. Sens. J.D. Vance (R-OH), and Mike Braun (R-IN), wrote to IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel, demanding an explanation for the audit into the watchdog organization. 33

Leadership

Tom Jones is the president of the American Accountability Foundation. Jones is the former legislative director for Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) He was previously the opposition research director for the 2016 presidential campaign of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX). Before that, he was a senior policy advisor to former U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC). He was also a subcommittee staff director where he conducted on-going agency oversight and regularly investigated waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government. 34 Jones was paid $166,667 in 2021, according to the organization’s tax return. 35

Matthew Buckham is the co-founder of the American Accountability Foundation. Buckham was previously a special assistant in the Trump White House personnel office. He was also a staffer for the Conservative Partnership Institute. Buckham is a former legislative aide to Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), and a former senior advisor to the House Freedom Caucus. He worked for the Heritage Foundation during DeMint’s time as president of the think tank. 36 Buckham was paid $154,276 in 2021, according to the organization’s tax return. 37

Wesley Denton is the secretary/director of the American Accountability Foundation. Denton has been at the Conservative Partnership Institute since it began in 2017. He previously took leave of absence to join the White House’s Office of Management and Budget under President Donald Trump. Denton is also the CPI chief operations officer. Before working for CPI, Denton was vice president of communications and senior policy advisor at the Heritage Foundation when DeMint was president. He was a former Senate staffer for DeMint. 38

Ed Corrigan is treasurer of the American Accountability Foundation. He is the president and CEO of the Conservative Partnership Institute. He is a former legislative director for former U.S. Sen. Bob Smith (R-NH). Corrigan was the executive director of the Senate Steering Committee and a senior advisor to DeMint in the Senate. 39

Jerome Trankle is the research director for AAF. He previously worked for Cannon Research Group, a conservative opposition research firm that Jones previously led. 40

References

  1. “American Accountability Foundation.” Cause IQ. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/american-accountability-foundation,854391204/
  2. “American Accountability Foundation.” Cause IQ. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/american-accountability-foundation,854391204/
  3. “What We Do.” American Accountability Foundation. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://americanaccountabilityfoundation.com/about/
  4. Shaw, Adam. “New conservative group wields unorthodox tactics to block Biden agenda, nominees.” Fox News. April 13, 2021. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new-conservative-group-unorthodox-tactics-biden-agenda-nominees
  5. Wong, Scott. “Conservative group escalates earmarks war by infiltrating trainings.” The Hill. March 24, 2021. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://thehill.com/homenews/house/544623-conservative-group-escalates-earmarks-war-by-infiltrating-trainings/
  6. Shaw, Adam. “New conservative group wields unorthodox tactics to block Biden agenda, nominees.” Fox News. April 13, 2021. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new-conservative-group-unorthodox-tactics-biden-agenda-nominees
  7. “Our Team.” American Accountability Foundation. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://americanaccountabilityfoundation.com/our-team/
  8. “American Accountability Foundation.” Cause IQ. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/american-accountability-foundation,854391204/
  9.  “What We Do.” American Accountability Foundation. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://americanaccountabilityfoundation.com/about/
  10. “American Accountability Foundation.” X. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://twitter.com/ExposingBiden
  11. “American Accountability Foundation.” Cause IQ. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/american-accountability-foundation,854391204/
  12.  Mayer, Jane. “The Slime Machine Targeting Dozens of Biden Nominees.” The New Yorker. April 16, 2022. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.newyorker.com/news/a-reporter-at-large/the-slime-machine-targeting-dozens-of-biden-nominees
  13. Shaw, Adam. “New conservative group wields unorthodox tactics to block Biden agenda, nominees.” Fox News. April 13, 2021. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new-conservative-group-unorthodox-tactics-biden-agenda-nominees
  14. “What We Do.” American Accountability Foundation. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://americanaccountabilityfoundation.com/about/
  15. Shaw, Adam. “New conservative group wields unorthodox tactics to block Biden agenda, nominees.” Fox News. April 13, 2021. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new-conservative-group-unorthodox-tactics-biden-agenda-nominees
  16. Mayer, Jane. “The Slime Machine Targeting Dozens of Biden Nominees.” The New Yorker. April 16, 2022. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.newyorker.com/news/a-reporter-at-large/the-slime-machine-targeting-dozens-of-biden-nominees
  17. “What We Do.” American Accountability Foundation. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://americanaccountabilityfoundation.com/about/
  18. “What We Do.” American Accountability Foundation. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://americanaccountabilityfoundation.com/about/
  19. O’Neil, Tyler. “IRS Targets Conservative Group Exposing the Biden Admin.” The Daily Signal. November 6, 2023. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/11/06/irs-targets-conservative-group-exposing-biden-admin/
  20.  [1] O’Neil, Tyler. “IRS Targets Conservative Group Exposing the Biden Admin.” The Daily Signal. November 6, 2023. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/11/06/irs-targets-conservative-group-exposing-biden-admin/
  21. Mayer, Jane. “The Slime Machine Targeting Dozens of Biden Nominees.” The New Yorker. April 16, 2022. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.newyorker.com/news/a-reporter-at-large/the-slime-machine-targeting-dozens-of-biden-nominees
  22. O’Neil, Tyler. “IRS Targets Conservative Group Exposing the Biden Admin.” The Daily Signal. November 6, 2023. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/11/06/irs-targets-conservative-group-exposing-biden-admin/
  23. Mayer, Jane. “The Slime Machine Targeting Dozens of Biden Nominees.” The New Yorker. April 16, 2022. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.newyorker.com/news/a-reporter-at-large/the-slime-machine-targeting-dozens-of-biden-nominees
  24.  Mayer, Jane. “The Slime Machine Targeting Dozens of Biden Nominees.” The New Yorker. April 16, 2022. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.newyorker.com/news/a-reporter-at-large/the-slime-machine-targeting-dozens-of-biden-nominees
  25. Wong, Scott. “Conservative group escalates earmarks war by infiltrating trainings.” The Hill. March 24, 2021. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://thehill.com/homenews/house/544623-conservative-group-escalates-earmarks-war-by-infiltrating-trainings/
  26. Shaw, Adam. “New conservative group wields unorthodox tactics to block Biden agenda, nominees.” Fox News. April 13, 2021. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new-conservative-group-unorthodox-tactics-biden-agenda-nominees
  27. Congressional Pork Map. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.porkmap.com/
  28. “What We Do.” American Accountability Foundation. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://americanaccountabilityfoundation.com/about/
  29. “American Accountability Foundation reports on new pushback against ESG opposition (2023).” Ballotpedia. August 22, 2023. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://ballotpedia.org/American_Accountability_Foundation_reports_on_new_pushback_against_ESG_opposition_(2023)
  30. O’Neil, Tyler. “IRS Targets Conservative Group Exposing the Biden Admin.” The Daily Signal. November 6, 2023. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/11/06/irs-targets-conservative-group-exposing-biden-admin/
  31. O’Neil, Tyler. “IRS Targets Conservative Group Exposing the Biden Admin.” The Daily Signal. November 6, 2023. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/11/06/irs-targets-conservative-group-exposing-biden-admin/
  32.  O’Neil, Tyler. “IRS Targets Conservative Group Exposing the Biden Admin.” The Daily Signal. November 6, 2023. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/11/06/irs-targets-conservative-group-exposing-biden-admin/
  33.  Ozimek, Tom. “Senators Accuse IRS of Harassing Conservative Watchdog With Politically Driven Audit.” Epoch Times. November 7, 2023. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/senators-accuse-irs-of-harassing-conservative-watchdog-with-politically-driven-audit-5531749
  34. “Our Team.” American Accountability Foundation. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://americanaccountabilityfoundation.com/our-team/
  35.  IRS Form 990. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23441384-american-accountability-foundation-2021-990
  36. “American Accountability Foundation.” Monitoring Influence. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.monitoringinfluence.org/org/american-accountability-foundation/
  37. IRS Form 990. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23441384-american-accountability-foundation-2021-990
  38. “American Accountability Foundation.” Monitoring Influence. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.monitoringinfluence.org/org/american-accountability-foundation/
  39. “American Accountability Foundation.” Monitoring Influence. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.monitoringinfluence.org/org/american-accountability-foundation/
  40. “American Accountability Foundation.” Monitoring Influence. Accessed November 24, 2023. https://www.monitoringinfluence.org/org/american-accountability-foundation/
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: August 1, 2021

    • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2021 Dec Form 990 $551,544 $530,360 $46,684 $25,500 N $526,522 $0 $0 $320,943

    American Accountability Foundation (AAF)

    300 Independence Ave SE
    Washington, DC 20003