Americans for Public Trust
Americans for Public Trust (APT) is a Virginia-based, right-wing 501(c)(3) nonprofit with close ties to the Republican party, which has been tax exempt since 2020.[1]
Americans for Public Trust conducts investigations, pursues legal action, and publishes reporting, with the stated goal of ensuring "those who disregard the rule of law are held responsible. By raising awareness of this work, we help to rebuild public faith in our elected leaders."[2]
Contents
- 1 News and Controversies
- 1.1 Launched $2 Million Media Campaign Opposing Biden Nominees Alongside Heritage Action for America and Judicial Crisis Network
- 1.2 APT's Ties to the Republican Party and Trump's "Stop the Steal" Efforts
- 1.3 Accused Left-Wing "Dark Money" Network of "Politicizing Coronavirus" After Ads Attacked Trump COVID-19 Response
- 2 Funding
- 3 Personnel
- 4 Contact Information
- 5 Articles and Resources
- 6 References
News and Controversies
Launched $2 Million Media Campaign Opposing Biden Nominees Alongside Heritage Action for America and Judicial Crisis Network
In February 2021, a conservative coalition led by Americans for Public Trust, Heritage Action for America, and Judicial Crisis Network plan to spend a total of $2 million targeting President Joe Biden's "dark money" ties and opposing Health Department nominee Xavier Becerra and associate attorney general nominee Vanita Gupta.[3][4][5] Americans for Public Trust will spend $600,000 attacking Biden's ties to "dark money" groups, Heritage Action for America will spend $600,000 targeting Becerra, and Judicial Crisis Network will spend $800,000 targeting Gupta.[3][4][5]
In response to these ad buy announcements, Politico said, "a 'dark money' organization is a political nonprofit that is not required to disclose their donors. Judicial Crisis Network and Heritage Action for America are, in fact, dark money groups themselves. As 501(c)(4) groups they do not have to reveal their funders."[5]
APT's Ties to the Republican Party and Trump's "Stop the Steal" Efforts
A Center for Media and Democracy report said Americans for Public Trust "is clearly allied with the Republican Party. Caitlin Sutherland, who previously worked for GOP super PAC the Congressional Leadership Fund and the National Republican Congressional Committee, is executive director, and Nevada's former GOP attorney general, Adam Laxalt, is counsel. Last year, while working for APT, Laxalt was the Trump campaign's Nevada co-chair. Days after the election, Laxalt and the campaign asked judges to stop the vote counting there, and weeks later, Laxalt was still trying to invalidate Bidens' win in the state."[3]
Drawing from research from the Washington Post and Fox News, Americans for Public Trust presented a "dark money" network of left-wing groups, including Arabella Advisors, Sixteen Thirty Fund, New Venture Fund, Protect our Care, American Bridge, ACRONYM and PACRONYM. The network also shows how Democratic operatives David Brock, David Plouffe, and Brad Woodhouse are connected to some of these groups.[6]
Funding
APT is not required to disclose its funders. Its major foundation funders, however, can be found through a search of the IRS filings. Here are some of the known funders:
- Legacy Foundation: $589,000 (2020)
Personnel
Staff
As of March 2021:[2]
- Caitlin Sutherland, founding Executive Director
- Adam Paul Laxalt, Outside Council
Contact Information
Americans for Public Trust
107 South West Street, Suite 442
Alexandria, VA 22314
EIN: 84-4413894
Website: https://americansforpublictrust.org/about/
Email:info@americansforpublictrust.org
Phone: (202) 656-5175
Articles and Resources
Related SourceWatch
- 501(c)(3)
- 501(c)(4)
- Brad Woodhouse
- Center for Media and Democracy
- Congressional Leadership Fund
- David Brock
- David Plouffe
- Fox News
- Heritage Action for America
- Joe Biden
- Judicial Crisis Network
- New Venture Fund
- Washington Post
IRS Form 990 Filings
Since APT was established in 2020, none of its IRS filings are publicly available as of March 2021.
References
- ↑ Economic Research Institute, Americans for Public Trust, organizational website, accessed February 26, 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Americans for Public Trust, About, organizational website, accessed February 26, 2021.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Alex Kotch, "Right-Wing Groups Coordinate Attacks on Biden Nominees", PRWatch, February 23, 2021.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Thomas Catenacci, "Conservative Groups Launch $2 Million Campaign Against Biden’s ‘Dark Money’ Ties, Health And DOJ Nominees", Daily Caller, February 18, 2021, accessed February 26, 2021.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Medidith McGraw, "A trio of conservative groups tries to torpedo two top Biden nominees", Politico, February 18, 2021.
- ↑ Americans for Public Trust, "New reports reveal the dark money network working to politicize coronavirus", organizational website, March 18, 2020, accessed February 26, 2021.
