A left-wing dark money group bankrolled by foreign income donated$ 1 million to an institution seeking to appoint communist Susan Crawford to Wisconsin’s highest court, a fresh record reveals.
Campaign finance records first unearthed by Americans for Public Trust ( APT ) show that the Sixteen Thirty Fund gave$ 1 million to A Better Wisconsin Together Political Fund ( ABWT ) in early March. As noted by InfluenceWatch, ABWT is a” communications hotspot for left-of-center concerns and campaigning in the state of Wisconsin”.
The group’s political finance has spent$ 9.1 million support efforts to appoint Crawford, who is running against liberal Brad Schimel in Tuesday’s Wisconsin Supreme Court vote, according to a March 27 Open Secrets statement. The success of the competition will determine the intellectual make-up of the Badger State’s highest court, which is expected to consider some important issues in the years to come ( congressional maps, pregnancy, vote laws, and so forth ).
A prominent dark money group central to Democrats ‘ election machine, the Sixteen Thirty Fund operates as a source of financing for leftist organizations involved in elections, ballot campaigns, and other causes. What makes the organization most notable, however, is that it’s received millions of dollars from a group bankrolled by a foreign national.
As , noted , in a 2024 APT report, the Sixteen Thirty Fund has received “hundreds of millions of dollars” from the , Berger Action Fund, a 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) organization funded by left-wing Swiss national , Hansjörg Wyss. The analysis noted how the Sixteen Thirty Fund has used its funds ( including those from Wyss ) to” support massive get-out-the-vote drives, issue advocacy campaigns bolstering]then-] President Biden’s agenda, liberal pet projects from abortion to immigration, and attack ads against Republican lawmakers”.
In a statement provided to The Federalist, APT Executive Director Caitlin Sutherland said that Wisconsin voters” should be shocked and disturbed to learn that foreign-backed dark money is flowing into this hotly contested election”. She also called on lawmakers to close existing loopholes that allow foreign entities to exert financial influence in U. S. elections.
” With the latest reports revealing that the Sixteen Thirty Fund funneled at least one million dollars to support liberal Susan Crawford in her Wisconsin Supreme Court campaign, it has never been more crucial for lawmakers across the country to take action to stop foreign funds from influencing our politics”, Sutherland said.
As previously noted, the Sixteen Thirty Fund has gained prominent attention for dumping money into state ballot campaigns to back leftist causes. As The Federalist previously reported,” While federal law , bans , the acceptance and use of foreign money in candidate elections, such safeguards are not in place in many states when it comes to ballot initiative campaigns”.
In response to the Sixteen Thirty Fund’s ballot campaign activism, Republican lawmakers in numerous states have advanced legislation prohibiting foreign funds in such elections. Within the past few weeks, for example, Kentucky and Wyoming have adopted laws prohibiting foreign monies in state ballot campaigns.
Other states considering similar measures include Missouri, Kansas, and Indiana.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClear Health, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood
