Alexandria, VA — Today, Americans for Public Trust released a new report exposing how British billionaire Christopher Hohn has brazenly poured hundreds of millions of dollars of foreign dark money into a vast array of organizations and nonprofits operating in the United States, radicalizing the political landscape.
Click here to read the full report on Christopher Hohn.
“The American people are overwhelmingly opposed to and alarmed by foreign influence shaping our politics. Christopher Hohn, and other foreign billionaires like Hansjörg Wyss, have been able to exploit loopholes that allow foreign money to fund policy fights that shape American politics to fit their radical agendas. While some states have already taken action to stop foreign money in ballot issue campaign, more action is needed to comprehensively ban all foreign influence. If these radical foreign billionaires are allowed to funnel money into our political system virtually unchecked, there’s nothing stopping foreign adversaries from doing the same.” — Caitlin Sutherland, Executive Director, Americans for Public Trust
Fast Facts:
Christopher Hohn is a British billionaire, activist investor, and foreign national who – under federal law – is strictly barred from directly or indirectly influencing U.S. elections.
Despite this prohibition, Hohn is influencing American policy through his nonprofit, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). CIFF funneled over $553 million into U.S. organizations from 2014 through 2023 to bankroll advocacy campaigns and push a radical green energy agenda.
Hohn’s foreign money has funded climate litigation, protests against the fossil fuel industry, the Arabella Advisors network, and even a China-connected group working to ban gas stoves.
CIFF has close and questionable ties with China and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The group’s CEO is a member of an organization that is overseen by the highest ranks of the Chinese government, has received a “Friendship Award” from a CCP official, and holds a position with the Belt and Road International Green Development Coalition, a program China uses to influence governments and project power all around the globe.
Americans for Public Trust recently exposed another foreign national who has quietly become one of the most influential donors on the American left: Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss. He has spent more than $650 million bankrolling numerous left-wing causes across the United States, donating millions to climate change groups, abortion activists, and partisan newsrooms. One of the largest destinations for Wyss’ money is Sixteen Thirty Fund, an organization under the Arabella Advisors dark money network that has spent $130 million on ballot issues in 26 states.
Reforms are needed to prevent undue foreign influence in U.S. policy fights, as foreign money coming into the United States can undermine our sovereignty and weaken our energy independence.
