We know some of the companies and individuals who paid big money to political parties, but we don’t know them all, reports Alan Austin.
Tag: Dark Money
Phillip Morris donates to the NP
Year after year, political parties receive tens of millions of dollars in “dark money”. This week, The Centre for Public Integrity, published research showing over $1.38 billion (29.5%) of political party funding since the 1998-99 financial year is of unexplained origin. In the 2020-21 financial year, some $68 million (38.6%) of party income was of unexplained origin. You won’t see who has been funding this year’s federal election as the donations data only happens once a year. By the time the February disclosures come along they are already at least 7 months old. We won’t see this until next February.
Source: AEC cracks down on Twitterati, lets breaches by major political parties slide – Michael West Media
Dark Money is the scourge of American Democracy, Controlling the narratives and creating Chaos will be the American Nightmare. (ODT)
Researchers and others interviewed for this story say they cannot conclusively point to the actors behind the coordinated activity. It’s unclear if they are rogue hackers, political activists or, as some contend, foreign state actors such as Russia, since it bears the hallmarks of past foreign attacks. One of the objectives of the activity, they say, is to divide the left by making the Democratic presidential primary as chaotic and toxic as possible.
Research by the pro-democracy tech firm Guardians.ai found that Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as well as former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas)—who has not formally announced his candidacy for president—appear to be the top targets.
Jane Mayer, author of “Dark Money,” tells Salon how billionaires funded the radical right, remade American politics
olddogthoughts 