Defend American Democracy (DAD) is a left-of-center advocacy group focused on supporting efforts to impeach President Donald Trump and remove him from office. DAD spends large sums on television advertisements which target individual members of Congress. [1]
The organization is a project of the Sixteen Thirty Fund,[2] a left-of-center lobbying and advocacy group administered by Arabella Advisors, which funnels “dark money” into a network of non-profits and projects. Defend American Democracy lists itself as a project of Protect the Investigation, another Sixteen Thirty Fund project which supported Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation regarding Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. [3]
Methods
Defending American Democracy presents itself as a veterans’ group concerned with executive overreach and corruption. In mid-November 2019, the organization spent up to six-figures on television ads primarily in competitive Congressional districts to put pressure on fourteen Republican Representatives to support the impeachment of President Donald Trump. [4]
The Representatives targeted were:[5]
- John Katko (R-NY)
- Lee Zeldin (R-NY)
- Peter King (R-NY)
- Michael McCaul (R-TX)
- Will Hurd (R-TX)
- John Carter (R-TX)
- Rodney David (R-IL)
- Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)
- Ross Spano (R-FL)
- Fred Upton (R-MI)
- Ann Wagner (R-MO)
- Don Bacon (R-NE)
- Steve Chabot (R-OH)
- Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA)
While the ads ran, DAD toured veterans around the country to conduct local press events. [6]
One of DAD’s largest ad buys targeted Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), a moderate Republican who voted against the impeachment inquiry. DAD spent a total of $107,820 on ads targeting Fitzpatrick. [7]
DAD issues regular press releases condemning Republican leadership for supporting President Trump, and reporting on organized veteran protests. [8] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) spoke at a DAD event in Washington DC in November. [9]
Op-eds supporting DAD have appeared in the New York Times,[10] USA Today,[11] and the Washington Post. [12]
“Dark Money”
DAD operates as a conduit for the Sixteen Thirty Fund to funnel political advocacy funds with minimal transparency. However, DAD does not disclose its affiliation with the Sixteen Thirty Fund on its webpage. [13] Since DAD is not an independent organization registered as a non-profit, it does not report any financial data.
DAD lists no leadership, staff, or founding date on its webpage. [14] It’s only known staff member is spokesman Zack DiGregorio,[15] a communications associate for the Hub Project, a left-leaning for-profit coalition organizing firm and a former press secretary in the House of Representatives. [16]
Partner Organizations
DAD lists eight partner organizations, which are a mixture of left-of-center advocacy groups and right-of-center organizations supported by liberal mega-donors opposed to President Trump. [17]
The Truman National Security Project is a left-of-center Washington DC-based think tank which promotes liberal foreign policies. [18] National Security Action is a left-of-center advocacy group run by former Obama administration staffers and leadership which focuses on opposing President Trump’s foreign policies. [19]
Project Protect Democracy is a left-of-center litigation organization which opposes the policies of President Trump. [20]
Republicans for the Rule of Law is an advocacy group that supports the impeachment of Donald Trump. [21] It is a project of Bill Kristol’s Defending Democracy Together, a right-of-center advocacy and incubation group opposed to President Trump that has received funding from nonprofit networks associated with Pierre Omidyar, the liberal founder of eBay. [22]
Law Works is a non-partisan advocacy group consisting of former federal prosecutors who support the impeachment of President Trump. [23]
Common Defense is a left-of-center veterans group opposed to President Trump, and a member of the Green New Deal Coalition. [24]
Stand Up Republic is a right-of-center advocacy group founded by Evan McMullin and Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign staffer, Mindy Finn. [25] Like Defending Democracy Together, Stand Up Republic has received funding from Omidyar’s liberal funding network. [26]
Protect the Investigation is also listed as a partner organization. [27]