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New Filings Reveal Another Billionaire Dick Uihlein Behind the Big Lie


It’s usually images of a violent mob attacking the US Congress that are linked to the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election, but as more and more financial records become public, one image Another is appearing – about billionaires in MAGA large check-writing equipment.

And a billionaire in particular.

Among the ranks of Group “dark money” and anonymous megadonors The man who funded the effort is a household name in GOP fundraising circles: Dick Uihlein, founder of multinational shipping company Uline.

According to not previously reported tax disclosure, Uihlein’s nonprofit — the Ed Uihlein Family Foundation — poured millions of dollars in 2020 into a large number of groups involved in efforts to challenge Joe Biden’s victory and reimagine the law. elections, as well as other right-wing extremist organizations, including those seen as hateful to groups.

And that money is all Uihlein — the foundation’s $16.8 million 2020 donation comes from Dick Uihlein himself. And during that pivotal year, the organization gave it all away.

Kyle Herrig, president of left-wing watchdog group Accountable.US, told The Daily Beast that money from Uihlein and his wife, Elizabeth, had “fueled hatred and seduction”.

“In 2020, as workers and families struggle to make ends meet, the company of Dick and Liz Uihlein cash for pandemic aid— then turn around and fund hate groups that promote COVID conspiracy theories, bigotry, and attempts to subvert democracy,” Herrig said. “By signing more than $1 million in contracts to groups that promote hate and seduction, Dick and Liz Uihlein have made it clear where their company’s value really lies.”

The full scope of Uihlein’s anti-election and radicalization funding is actually much more extensive. According to the fund’s latest tax filings, the supply chain mogul contributed more than $4 million to groups linked to efforts to overturn the election and other far-right extremist actions.

For example, between January and May 2020, Uihlein contributed $1.25 million to the Conservative Partnership Institute, a right-wing think-tank founded by former Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) , where Trump’s campaign attorney Cleta Mitchell serves. Senior lawyer.

Mitchell, a veteran GOP agent, helped craft the campaign’s post-election legal strategy largely behind the scenes. But she gained national attention in early January 2021 after she featured prominently in a taped phone call between then-President Donald Trump, his Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and officials Georgia’s premier constituency. Trump has been pressuring election officials now infamous call to “find” enough votes for him to win Georgia. (Meadows joined Mitchell at CPI after he left the White House in January.)

This year, Uihlein dipped in his pocket again, this time it is Representative Jody Hice (R-GA), a member of the Freedom Caucus, who is challenging Brad Raffensperger of Georgia — the Republican official to resist Trump’s pressure on the phone call. that — overseeing state elections as secretary of state.

But CPI isn’t the only regulatory architecture to benefit from Uihlein’s money. The Federalist Association, arguably the country’s most powerful gathering of conservative legal scholars and activists, has seen its already bountiful bank account grow by $200,000. Pompano Federation members joined to help bolster public confidence in the election results — including John Eastman, who allegedly staked the White House’s constitutional bet on January 6.

He also pushed $50,000 to the Texas Public Policy Forum, which in October 2020 partnered with the radical conservative think tank the Claremont Institute on search on the constitutional feasibility of an electoral challenge route through Inauguration Day.

Another group that has benefited from Uihlein’s growth: the Center for Security Policy, which the Southern Poverty Law Center point an anti-Muslim hate group, raised $750,000 from Uihlein’s foundation.

CSP was founded by anti-Muslim activist and conspiracy theorist Frank Gaffney Jr, who also opposes the 2020 election results. After the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, the president of the CSP told CNBC that his team has acknowledged Biden as president. The official added that Gaffney does not lead the group – “I am not the president of the organization.” CNBC noted that the nonprofit’s website listed Gaffney as “executive chairman,” because it still do today.

In 2020, as workers and families struggled to make ends meet, Dick and Liz Uihlein’s company cashed in on pandemic aid—then turned around and funded hate groups promoting theories COVID conspiracy, bigotry, and attempts to subvert democracy.

Kyle Herrig, President of Accountable.US

Uihlien — whose Bloomberg net worth is pegged at 4 billion dollars—Also sponsored the right-wing media that covered the 2020 election misrepresentation, for example, he donated $750,000 to FDRLST, to push false statements about voter fraud. He also gave $25,000 to the Conservative Party of America, which published a number belong to posts claims that Democrats stole the election, including declare article on the evening of January 6 widespread fraud allegations.

Another right-wing organization, the Sons of Liberty — the media outfit, not to be confused with a militia group of the same name — pocketed $300,000 from the supply chain mogul. Radio program, promoted fraudulent claims after the election, run by anti-LGBTQ activist-pastor Bradlee Dean, who suggest that “homosexuals” are responsible for most of the child sex abuse cases in the country. Most recently, Sons of Liberty took a hit against vax, making outrageous claims such as a COVID-19 vaccine is cause AIDS.

Uihlein also threw a $25,000 tip to conservative watchdog Jud Justice Watch, run by conspiracy theorist Tom Fitton. That organization also challenge election results.

Some of Uihlein’s funds went to groups directly related to the events of January 6.

For example, he has promoted Turning Point USA, the far-right youth organization run by social media personality Charlie Kirk. After Trump’s defeat, TPUSA promoted Big Lie and supported the “Stop Theft” movement, and later helped organize protest events on January 6, including providing transportation. move for attendees from all over the country. Uihlein contributed $30,000 to the team.

Uihlein also provides a pillar of financial support to the Tea Party Patriots, a far-right activist group that helped organize the January 6 protest events. Since 2016 he has donated to the political committee of the group more than $4 million, according to the Federal Election Commission data—Includes $800,000 in September 2020.

There’s also another riot connection – albeit less direct. The Center for Media Studies, which calls itself the watchdog of free press agencies, received $300,000 from Uihlein in 2020. Following the riots, the son of MRC president L. Brent Bozell III – a conservative media mogul from a highly influential family – was charge of trespassing and obstruction after video from the attack showed him on the upper floor of the Senate chamber.

Uihlein’s biggest gift of the year went to the Government Accountability Fund — a whopping $3,000,000 in January 2020. Even though the nonprofit doesn’t appear to be participating in the Big Lie, but it’s already out a brilliant campaign when Biden took office to regulate state and local election funding across the country. The group has branded Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg as a villain, trading according to the popular right-wing conspiracy theory that $100 million in integrity funding of Zuckerberg’s election before the vote unfairly helped turn the tide. move the race for Biden. (It’s not.)

The Uihlein family ranks among the top GOP sponsors in the country, sharing a rare atmosphere with the likes of the Koch brothers, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and technology investor Peter Thiel.

In 2020, Uihlein — their business Forbes ranked among the 75 largest privately held companies in the country — is fifth largest funding outside political organizations spending, down more than $65 million over the cycle, according to data from Responsive political center.

He is currently second behind Thiel in cycle 2022. In 2018, New York Times summon Uihlein and his wife Elizabeth “The Most Powerful Conservative Couple You’ve Never Heard Of.”

And Uihlein is hardly alone in funding those who refuse to vote. Since the riots, news reports and tax records have shed light on a web of rich people and powerful black money groups pushed organizations to challenge the outcome and lay the financial groundwork for the January 6 riots.

But Uihlein shares another mysterious beneficiary with one of those dark money groups. Both his foundation and the Trump-affiliated nonprofit’s America First Policy benefit a group with deep anti-LGBTQ ties: Vision America.

The founder of that group, Texas-based pastor Rick Scarborough, has long history among the adults anti-LGBTQ statement-As if considering sue the LGBTQ community for “making people AIDS.”

However, it remains unclear whether the group is legally allowed to receive such donations.

The Daily Beast report last month that the IRS database did not show any recent tax returns, a loophole that has raised questions among nonprofit law experts.

In December, The Daily Beast contacted the group to request their records, which must be provided within 30 days. That window passed with no response. The Daily Beast followed up again on Tuesday, but received no reply.

Uihleins and their foundation did not return requests for comment.

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