National Review: Foreign Billionaire Has Pumped Over $500 Million into Progressive Causes, Watchdog Warns
December 17th, 2024
A Swiss billionaire has exploited loopholes around foreign election interference to contribute more than $500 million towards progressive causes, according to a dark-money watchdog organization.
Americans for Public Trust executive director Caitlin Sutherland is set to testify Wednesday about preventing foreign interference in American elections, with a specific focus on Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss’s ability to exercise influence through his nonprofit organizations, National Review has learned.
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Americans for Public Trust has combed through public records to identify at least $250 million of funds directed from Wyss’s Berger Action Fund to the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a 501 (c) (4) nonprofit organization overseen by Arabella Advisors, a billion dollar Democratic dark money network.
Sutherland’s testimony describes how the Sixteen Thirty Fund takes Wyss’s funds and engages in progressive issue advocacy, sidestepping laws prohibiting foreign activity in American elections. The organization directed millions of dollars into third party groups such as Empire State Voices and Unrig Our Economy to attack Republican lawmakers running in competitive races in New York, California, and Michigan that helped determine the House majority this cycle.
In 2024, the Sixteen Thirty Fund spent $37 million on ballot issue campaigns nationwide, including $14 million on an unsuccessful attempt to enshrine abortion legalization into Florida’s constitution. Overall, the Sixteen Thirty Fund has spent more than $130 million on progressive ballot referenda in 25 different states, Americans for Public Trust found.
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Ohio’s law banning foreign nationals from funding ballot measures is an example Sutherland cites for combating the issue of foreign involvement in American elections. The state measure passed over opposition from Ohio Democrats and Democratic superlawyer Marc Elias, who waged an unsuccessful legal challenge to Ohio’s legislation.
Once Ohio passed its law, the Sixteen Thirty Fund stopped contributing to a redistricting ballot measure designed to cost Republicans multiple congressional seats. Republicans strongly opposed the Ohio ballot proposal and it ultimately failed in November.
“Any vehicle that broadly influences the electoral process – from door knocking to ballot issues – should not be paid for by foreign dollars,” Sutherland’s testimony concludes.
“These are simple, commonsense loopholes to close, and I think we can all agree foreign billionaires, the UK’s Labour Party, and CCP officials should stay out of our politics.”
Click here to read the full report in National Review
