Two new reports from the Washington Post and Fox News reveal a dark money network that is working to politicize the coronavirus pandemic. The network of groups are airing ads across the United States, criticizing the Trump administration.
The dark money network working to politicize coronavirus
A Democratic super PAC called Pacronym has said it would spend $5 million on digital advertising flaying President Trump for his response to the novel coronavirus. Pacronym is a political action committee affiliated with the nonprofit group Acronym, which is financed by New Venture Fund, a “liberal dark money group.” The New Venture Fund is part of a larger group called Arabella Advisors, which provides philanthropic guidance and manages four nonprofits.
Pacronym isn’t the only group tied to Arabella that is now spending money on ads politicizing coronavirus. Another political group, American Bridge, founded by Hillary Clinton ally David Brock is also engaged in spending. According to the Washington Post, “American Bridge — which has been running a coronavirus-related advertisement in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania — said it would soon cut an additional ad on ‘Trump’s incompetence,’ including ‘clips of Trump himself downplaying the crisis.’”
American Bridge’s network of nonprofits received funding in 2018 from New Venture Fund, as well as another Arabella group called Sixteen Thirty Fund. Last year, Politico reported that Sixteen Thirty Fund “spent $141 million on more than 100 left-leaning causes during the midterm election year.”
Sixteen Thirty Fund has been tied to additional spending on coronavirus-related advertising, from the group Protect Our Care. Protect Our Care is a trade name of the Sixteen Thirty Fund, structured as a branch of the larger nonprofit.
This dark money network has already been shown to have spent millions in the 2018 election, and as November draws closer, it is clear that they continue to attempt to influence the election, now by politicizing the coronavirus pandemic. While the source of funds remains hidden, an established group of Democrat operatives executes these advertising campaigns.
