The Government Accountability Institute (GAI) is an investigative journalism outfit that tracks transactions and documents, gathers research, and employs fact-checkers to uncover abuses of government power. GAI promotes its findings and analyses through books, investigative reports, and a podcast. ¹

Activities

Government Accountability Institute publishes its most in-depth research as books. In 2018, GAI published its findings on Hunter Biden’s business dealings in China, Ukraine, and Russia in Secret Empires: How the American Political Class Hides Corruption and Enriches Family and Friends. In 2015, GAI’s book Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich provides information claiming that the Clintons used the Clinton Foundation to gain influence. ²

GAI’s most recently published book, Red-Handed: How American Elites Get Rich Helping China Win in 2022, presents findings that suggest wealthy Americans have been cutting secret deals to aid China in building its military, technological, and economic strength. GAI research asserts that these wealthy Americans include presidential families, tech gurus, professional athletes, Wall Street businessmen, and Ivy League universities. ³

GAI’s investigative reports focus on a variety of subjects related to public corruption, especially as it concerns teachers’ unions, the legalization of cannabis at the state level, and fraud within the government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). ⁴

In a 2022 report, the Government Accountability Institute claims that the two largest teachers’ unions in the U.S., the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA), have been misusing their power to support Democratic presidential candidates, progressive causes, and social activism. GAI’s research finds that both AFT and NEA have used the COVID-19 pandemic to guide public education to include more liberal policies and advocate for a more radical curriculum. This includes advancing gender politics in classrooms, race curriculum that pushes critical race theory-aligned narratives, and expanding “community school” programs. ⁵

Funding

Government Accountability Institute is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. While GAI does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from the Franklin News Foundation ($2 million in 2012), ⁶ Mercer Family Foundation ($1.7 million in 2017), ⁷ and Donors Trust ($1 million in 2019). ⁸

People

Peter Schweizer is the founder and president of the Governmental Accountability Institute. Schweizer is a former consultant to the Office of Presidential Speechwriting during the George W. Bush administration ⁹ and a former fellow at the Hoover Institution. ¹⁰

Peter Boyer is the executive vice president of GAI. Boyer formerly worked as a national correspondent for the Weekly Standard, editor-at-large for Fox News, and a writer for Newsweek. ¹¹

Rebekah Mercer is the chair of the board of GAI, the director of the Mercer Family Foundation, and the founder of Reclaim New York. Mercer sits on the boards of the Media Research Center, the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation, and the Moving Picture Institute, and is a trustee at the Heritage Foundation. ¹²

Ron Robinson is the former president of the Young America’s Foundation, cofounder of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), ¹³ and the vice president of the Free Speech Defense and Education Fund. Robinson is a trustee of the Phillips Foundation and sits on the boards of Citizens United, the Citizens United Foundation, and the American Conservative Union. ¹⁴

1.  “About GAI.” Government Accountability Institute. 2022. Accessed July 9, 2022. https://g-a-i.org/about/.
2. “About GAI.” Government Accountability Institute. 2022. Accessed July 9, 2022. https://g-a-i.org/about/.
3. “Red-Handed: How American Elites Get Rich Helping China Win.” Government Accountability Institute. 2022. Accessed July 11, 2022. https://g-a-i.org/red-handed-how-american-elites-get-rich-helping-china-win/.
4.  “About GAI.” Government Accountability Institute. 2022. Accessed July 9, 2022. https://g-a-i.org/about/.
5. Teachers Unions: From Academics to Activists.” Government Accountability Institute. January 10, 2022. Accessed July 11, 2022. https://g-a-i.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022_Teachers_Union_Report.pdf.
6. Franklin News Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2012, Schedule I, Part II.
7. Mercer Family Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2017, Part XV, Line 3.
8. Donors Trust, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Schedule I, Part II.
9. “About GAI.” Government Accountability Institute. 2022. Accessed July 9, 2022. https://g-a-i.org/about/.
10. “Peter Schweizer.” Hoover Institution. 2022. Accessed July 9, 2022. https://www.hoover.org/profiles/peter-schweizer.
11. “Peter J. Boyer.” Washington Examiner. 2022. Accessed July 9, 2022. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/author/peter-j-boyer.
12. “Rebekah A. Mercer.” The Heritage Foundation. 2022. Accessed July 9, 2022. https://www.heritage.org/staff/rebekah-mercer.
13. “History.” Young America’s Foundation. 2022. Accessed July 9, 2022. https://www.yaf.org/about/history/.
14. “Ron Robinson.” Conservative Book Club. 2022. Accessed July 9, 2022. https://www.conservativebookclub.com/profile/ron-robinson.