Scoop: Activist Leonard Leo pushes to "weaponize" conservatives

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Axios

6 hours ago


Leonard Leo, the conservative activist with an estimated $1 billion at his disposal, is threatening to withhold money from the dozens of groups he supports unless they develop plans to "weaponize" their ideas.

Why it matters: Leo's call for conservative groups to get more aggressive will send shockwaves through the right-wing ecosystem he helped create.

Leo wants less conversation and more action — fewer seminars and more campaigns — as part of a plan to "crush liberal dominance at the choke points of influence and power in our society," he told the groups in a letter obtained by Axios.

The goal should be to direct "funding to operationalize or weaponize the conservative vision," Leo wrote.

Zoom in: Leo, 59, is telling organizations backed by his 85 Fund that he's undertaking a "comprehensive review" of his grant-making process.

His letter doesn't mention any specific groups by name, but they know who they are.

Groups such as Teneo, Honest Elections Project, Consumers's Research and Do No Harm are examples of organizations that have adopted the kind of aggressive tactics Leo encourages, according to a source close to the 85 Fund.

Those groups have run campaigns that have achieved measurable results, such as Consumers' Research's work on ESG investing, which has been featured in congressional hearings.

Decisions about future funding will be shared with the groups by the end of November, Leo's letter said.

Zoom out: Leo helped build the Federalist Society, an organization for conservative law students, into an incubator for lawyers and judges that reshape the federal judiciary and American society.

He helped former President Trump select three conservative jurists for the Supreme Court — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. They've transformed federal law on issues ranging from abortion rights (overturning Roe v. Wade) to federal rule-making.

In 2022, the New York Times revealed how a nonprofit Leo controls, the Marble Freedom Trust, received a $1.6 billion contribution from a conservative donor, Barre Seid, who gifted the shares of the company he founded before they were sold.

Leo has an estimated $1 billion left to spend, according to the Financial Times. Leo, who is credited with the initial $1.6 billion windfall to Marble Freedom Trust, has been responsible for raising donations and support for the 85 Fund.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/2024/09/12/leonard-leo-conservative-groups-funding

[Jerry2144]

1. It sounds like a billionaire needs a major tax hike

Bring back the upper income tax brackets of the 1950s and adjust for inflation. That’s the only that’s really worth bringing back from that era

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. It's not his income; it's the "501(c)(4) social welfare organization", the Marble Freedom Trust, he controls

The Marble Freedom Trust is an American conservative political advocacy group structured as a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. Such groups, which are not required to publicly disclose their donors, are permitted to spend money advocating for or against candidates in political campaigns, although this type of spending cannot be their primary purpose.[1] Leonard Leo is the group's trustee and chairman.

The Marble Freedom Trust (MFT) was established in April 2020, and by March 2021, it had effectively been given $1.65 billion by Barre Seid. The money was transferred to the MFT in the form of ownership of the electronics company Tripp Lite, by its founder and sole owner Seid. In March 2021, the company was purchased from the Trust by the Eaton Corporation, with the result that the Trust had cash assets of $1.65 billion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble_Freedom_Trust

[Jerry2144]

9. Raising his taxes will reduce the amount of money

He has to spend on overturning our freedom and rights

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. Again, it's not his income; it's cash that was obtained by the sale of a company, and is in a "trust"

so income tax would not alter it. He does not pay taxes on this cash. What you'd need to do is change how such money can be used. This would probably mean overturning the Citizens United decision. Which would be great, but complicated (needing a constitutional amendment to override the SC decision?)

[Jerry2144]

14. Or an expanded and de-corrupted SCOTUS

Plus a new law overturning Citizens United.

Regardless, there is work to be done
1. Flip the House
2. Keep and expand the Senate
3. Elect MVP Harris
4. Ditch the filibuster
5. Fix SCOTUS. Bonus points enact binding ethics rules and investigate justices for possible tax fraud in not reporting those gifts/bribes like paid off credit card debt or motor homes

[Blue Owl]

3. If you squint just a little....

the "85" in "85 Fund" looks kind of like the "BS Fund".....

[canuckledragger]

4. Hasn't Dementia Donald already done that?

with the way he mobilizes his cult followers to push death threats against people he doesn't like...and sometimes try to follow through with said threats?

[Martin68]

8. I don't understand why attacking liberals is called "weaponizing conservative ideas."

For example, if cutting taxes is a conservative idea, how is violently attacking liberals who want to raise taxes "weaponizing" that idea? How can cutting taxes actually be weaponized?

[slightlv]

5. Hmmm.. sounds like fighting words to me.

Leonard Leo is one of those fundamentalist Catholics who demand everyone believe as he believes. Period, and no excuses allowed. The majority of the bad rulings coming out of SCOTUS is because of him. He's bought himself every R on the court, and hates the D's with a passion reserved for the devil.

I think we should find a way to weaponize against that Marble Freedom Trust Fund. It's only "freedom" for one group of people... the ultra conservative oligarchs and theocrats. In fact, I think we need to take a LONG hard look at a lot of the 501c3 groups. I daresay there's a whole lot of the of the R ilk, as well as churches, that are going against their no taxes agreements with the government.

If Leo wants to bend people to his autocratic will, let him choose a country to be deported to... like maybe Somalia. Cause he sure as hell isn't a good American.

[azureblue]

6. what exactky is the MTF's purpose?

"although this type of spending cannot be their primary purpose"
so what is their primary purpose? I think this needs looking into. It looks like the fund is Leo's money to dole out to right wingers..

[Martin68]

7. I'm not clear on what "weaponizing conservative ideas" actually means.

Is funding an ad extolling conservative values an example of "weaponizing conservatism?"

[BumRushDaShow]

11. I'm guessing it means enacting and enforcing (through law)

Project 2025 and similar extremist ideology.

I.e., he's whining about too much "discussion" going on in "think tanks" and not enough "implementation" of their draconian ideas. He apparently wants more loons to be elected so they can pass (and enforce) the laws implementing this crap.

Seems the closest one to do what was described was DeSatan in FL, with a massive flurry of nonsense passed by their state legislature and signed by him, much of which eventually got overturned in court. But it provided a "test case" for how to do it.

Another test is ongoing there right now where DeSatan has his jack-booted thugs stalking, intimidating, and shaking down signers of a petition to vote to codify reproductive rights into the state Constitution.

[appalachiablue]

15. More in an article by The Nation, esp about crushing 'liberal media':

The Man Behind RW Sup Ct Wants to Use $1Bill to 'Crush' Liberal Media, Promote RW News, Entertainment
'The Man Behind the Right-Wing Supreme Court Wants to “Crush” the Liberal Media,' by Chris Lehman, The Nation, Sept. 10, 2024. Edit.
✒ The conservative activist Leonard Leo has declared his intention to spend $1 billion on promoting right-wing ideas in news and entertainment...
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016385485

[Martin68]

16. How exactly are they going to "crush" the liberal media without winning on the basis of factual or

even entertaining journalism? The right has never produced a popular comedy show, and have proven that right wing ideas fail in the face of facts. Sounds like a lot of empty egotism to me.

[appalachiablue]

17. RW entertainment and news programming are awful, more. But there

are many ignorant, gullible people in this country esp after the last 40 years. And tons of money and influence in the realm of the powerful oligarchy and well funded think tanks. Note the impact of the 1971 Powell Memo, Citizens United and now P2025 on the agenda. We'll see, I hope Leonard's mission doesn't succeed.

[FakeNoose]

10. It sounds like he's setting up to run for President in 4 years

Of course he won't tell that to Chump, because it's obvious he's toast. Lenny is already thinking ahead.
There's got to be a way to cut him off at the knees. He's done enough damage already.

[OldBaldy1701E]

13. There is. No one wants to implement it. (n/t)