Facts First USA is a left-of-center advocacy organization, self-described as a “Truth SWAT-team,” created shortly after the 2022 midterm elections to advocate against right-leaning news sources and Congressional Republicans, whom it calls the “MAGA-Majority.” ¹   

Background

Facts First USA is a nonprofit organization created shortly after the 2022 midterm elections to advocate against right-leaning news sources and individuals that the group labels the “MAGA-Majority.”  The organization utilizes digital and paid advertising to “limit the reach of the right-wing rage machine” and “engage and respond to the MAGA-Majority’s abuse of the congressional oversight process.” ²

Activities and Policy Stances

Since the 2022 midterms, Facts First has put out numerous press releases criticizing now-Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), alleging a “corrupt bargain” to obtain the Speakership. It claims that “the only way McCarthy can become Speaker is to enter a corrupt bargain with MAGA Republicans to let them run wild with any conspiracy theory investigation or impeachment in exchange for their vote” and that the “corrupt bargain is an abuse of power by McCarthy and an indication he is so desperate to run the House he is willing to burn it down…which should be the REAL scandal in the minds of the public.” ³

In December 15, 2022, Facts First USA released a memo titled “MEMO: Facts First Polling Shows Americans Do Not Like or Trust MAGA Republicans” where it claims that U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Jim Jordan (R-OH), and McCarthy are “deeply unpopular” as Republican spokespeople. ⁴

According to the New York Times, the organization has also dedicated itself to be a “SWAT-team” for issues it deems too delicate for the Biden administration to tackle on its own, such as investigations into Hunter Biden’s business dealings. ⁵

In a separate statement, the group remarked on Newsmax host Jenn Pellegrino’s and House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) conversation about former Biden administration staffer Kathy Chung’s role in missing government documents as a “racist [Asian and Pacific Islander] attack” and linked their comments to Speaker McCarthy, saying that “[b]ecause of Kevin McCarthy’s thirst for personal power, instead of racist MAGA conspiracy theories being confined to the dark corners of the internet they are being openly and proudly spread by the people McCarthy put in charge of the House.” ⁶

On May 15, 2023, Facts First USA co-chairs Maria Cardona and David Jolly signed and submitted a letter to U.S Attorney for Washington D.C. Matthew Graves requesting that Graves and his office investigate Rep. James Comer (R-KY), the Chair of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, on whether he made false or misleading statements regarding the whereabouts of an informant for the Committee panel. ⁷ Speaking with Fox News Sunday Anchor Maria Bartiromo, Comer stated that the informant. who made earlier claims about President Joe Biden being involved in a bribery scheme with a foreign national, had gone missing. He stated, “…unfortunately, we can’t track down the informant. We’re hopeful that the informant is still there.” ⁸ The Oversight Committee’s communications director Jessica Collins later claimed that Comer was not referring to the informant connected to the Biden bribery claims, further stating, “What he was referring to is another whistleblower. Many key witnesses to the Biden family’s influence peddling schemes are either in court, potentially facing prison, or missing.” ⁹

In their joint letter to Graves, Cardona and Jolly stated that, “Under 18 U.S.C. § 1001, it constitutes a federal crime to knowingly and willfully make “any materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation” with respect to “any investigation or review, conducted pursuant to the authority of any committee, subcommittee, commission or office of the Congress.” ¹⁰

People

Facts First USA was founded by political activist David Brock. ¹¹ David Brock is a political operative, author, commentator, and founder of Media Matters for America and American Bridge 21^st Century. Formerly a conservative journalist, Brock became famous as a critic of Bill and Hillary Clinton. Brock later published several confessional pieces denouncing conservative media before becoming a close ally of the Clinton family and Democratic politicians. Brock was identified as a member of JournoList, an online secret society of left-center media professionals, in the late 2000s. ¹² With the help of Media Matters researchers, Brock published The Fox Effect: How Roger Ailes Turned a Network into a Propaganda Machine in 2012. ¹³

The organization is co-chaired by former U.S. Representative David Jolly (R-FL) and Latinovations founder and former television anchor Maria Cardona. ¹⁴

1. “About Us.” Facts First USA. Accessed February 1, 2023. https://factsfirstusa.org/about/
2. “About Us.” Facts First USA, Accessed February 1, 2023. https://factsfirstusa.org/about/
3. “No Matter how Many Ballots McCarthy Loses, the Corrupt Bargain Wins.” Facts First USA. January 3, 2023. Accessed February 3, 2023.  https://factsfirstusa.org/no-matter-how-many-ballots-mccarthy-loses-the-corrupt-bargain-wins/
4. “MEMO: Facts First Polling Shows Americans Do Not Like or Trust MAGA Republicans.” Facts First USA. December 15, 2022. Accessed February 3, 2023.  https://factsfirstusa.org/memo-facts-first-polling-shows-americans-do-not-like-or-trust-maga-republicans/
5. “Republicans Lay Out Biden Investigations, but Democrat-Aligned Groups Promise Counteroffensive.” New York Times. November 17, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/17/us/politics/oversight-investigations-biden.html
6. “Facts First Statement on Republican Racist Document Attacks.” Facts First USA. Accessed February 3, 2023. https://factsfirstusa.org/facts-first-statement-on-republicans-racist-document-attacks/
7. Cardona, Maria and David Jolly. “Facts First Letter to US Attorney.” Letter. From Punchbowl News. https://punchbowl.news/ff-letter-us-attorney/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=5/16/23%20%20Punchbowl%20News%20AM&utm_term=Punchbowl%20AM%20and%20Active%20Subscribers%20from%20Memberful%20Combined (accessed May 19, 2023).
8. Cohen, Max. “Republicans plug away on Afghanistan, Biden probes.” Punchbowl News, May 15, 2023. https://punchbowl.news/archive/51523-punchbowl-news-am/card/16/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=5/16/23%20%20Punchbowl%20News%20AM&utm_term=Punchbowl%20AM%20and%20Active%20Subscribers%20from%20Memberful%20Combined#group-16
9. Cohen, Max. “Republicans plug away on Afghanistan, Biden probes.” Punchbowl News, May 15, 2023. https://punchbowl.news/archive/51523-punchbowl-news-am/card/16/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=5/16/23%20%20Punchbowl%20News%20AM&utm_term=Punchbowl%20AM%20and%20Active%20Subscribers%20from%20Memberful%20Combined#group-16
10. Cardona, Maria and David Jolly. “Facts First Letter to US Attorney.” Letter. From Punchbowl News. https://punchbowl.news/ff-letter-us-attorney/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=5/16/23%20%20Punchbowl%20News%20AM&utm_term=Punchbowl%20AM%20and%20Active%20Subscribers%20from%20Memberful%20Combined (accessed May 19, 2023).
11. “Republicans Lay Out Biden Investigations, but Democrat-Aligned Groups Promise Counteroffensive.” New York Times. November 17, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/17/us/politics/oversight-investigations-biden.html
12. ^[1] “David Brock – Discover the Networks.” David Brock – Discover the Networks. Accessed February 1, 2023. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=2039
13. ^[1] “David Brock – Discover the Networks.” David Brock – Discover the Networks. Accessed February 1, 2023. http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=2039.
14. “About Us.” Facts First USA, Accessed February 1, 2023. https://factsfirstusa.org/about/