Behold: National Right to Work Committee’s 2010 Iowa “Target List”

by Lee Stranahan | Jan 26, 2024 | Staffergate | 2 comments

The National Right to Work Committee is a 501(c)(4) organization. They are not supposed to be engaged in direct or indirect campaign activity for candidates.

So why did they need a detailed spreadsheet called the “Iowa Target List” that goes into detail about each race?

Look at the National Right to Work Committee’s 2010 Iowa Target List here.

The list was attached to this email in 2010. Laura Lee worked at National Right to Work Committee, as did Gamble, Fusaro and Coburn.

From: Jared Gamble <jaredgamble@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Jul 29, 2024 at 2:36 PM
Subject: Please Forward to Lauren Lee

Their IRS 990s forms say that they don’t engage in direct or indirect campaign activity on behalf of candidates.

And it’s signed by President Mark Mix.

Stafford Email: Activities Done With “A Wink And A Nod By The Top”

by Lee Stranahan | Jan 23, 2024 | Staffergate | 0 comments

Sen. Rand Paul & Doug Stafford

It’s the sort of admission almost never seen in writing.

A 2009 email sent by National Right to Work Committee Vice President Doug Stafford shows a clear intent to skirt the law by creating plausible deniability for NRTW President Mark Mix.

The illegal campaign activities of the National Right to Work Committee often filter through state groups. In Iowa, for example, whistleblower Dennis Fusaro ran MidAmerica Right To Work.

In 2009, Fusaro was concerned about questionable activities he was seeing and went over the head of Stafford to President Mark Mix. In an email rebuking Fusaro, Stafford admits to the deceptive purpose of the structure in writing:

Why did you believe you should give Mark knowledge of something of a nature we try to keep from his desk? (one of the reasons the groups are LEGALLY SEPARATE by the way). It’s not done to “cover” for anyone, or Travis, or whatever. It’s done to keep the legal head of one group from having involvement in the legal issues of another group.

Later in the short email, Stafford makes the shell game even more clear and says it’s done to benefit Mix.

Some of the things the state groups do are done with a wink and a nod by the top. You are compromising those things by approaching them the way you are/have. The reason I ask you to ask DNK or ME for something is so that I can decide what is not in MARK’s best interest to have to know or approve — or not. It’s not done for my benefit. It’s done for HIS benefit. He knows how much we spend in IA. He does not always know the exact expenditure. And there are reasons for that, and he knows that. But when you bring the specifics over my head to him, you blow the entire thing up.

DEVELOPING…

[su_box style=”soft” box_color=”#fcf1f1″ title_color=”#000000″ title=”Here is the complete email”]

From: Doug Stafford <das@nrtw.org>
Date: Wed, Dec 30, 2023 at 7:35 AM
Subject: 2 other items
To: Den Fusaro <midamericartw@gmail.com>

[/su_box]

College Students Used For Illegal Campaign Activity By Right Wing Group

by Lee Stranahan | Jan 23, 2024 | Staffergate | 0 comments

Christian LeFer

The National Right to Work Committee’s massive illegal campaign activity involved manipulating and using college students in Montana, a report issued in October, 2010 shows. The incidents involved National Right to Work employee Christian LeFer, who set up front groups in Montana in 2008. LeFer and his wife Allie also ran a print shop there.

I’ve previously written about LeFer and the Montana scheme in my article #StafferGate, Steve Stockman, Donny Ferguson & The Montana Connection. That piece provides a good primer to some of the other activities in states like Iowa.

[su_pullquote align=”right”]NRTW isn’t above ensnaring college students…[/su_pullquote]Part of the NRTW’s pattern of illegal campaign activities involves setting up front groups in order to mask their activities and move money around. LeFer set up two front groups:Western Tradition Partnership (referred to in the report WTP) and the Coalition for Energy and the Environment (referred to as CEE.)

I’ve phoned Mr. LeFer twice. He declined to speak to me.

The report’s charges give an indication of illegal campaign activities that the National Right to Work Committee has been involved in other than the candidate letter writing, printing and mailing program I’ve written about.

The report states that charges were filed in Montana againt :.

Western Tradition Partnership (WTP) and the Coalition for Energy and the Environment (CEE), alleging a flyer produced and distributed by one or both of the groups failed to include proper “paid for by. . .” attribution language, in violation of Montana campaign finance and practices laws. The complaint against WTP also alleges that the person responsible for the flyer failed to provide public disclosure by registering and filing campaign finance reports with the office of the Commissioner of Political Practices

The report says that

The evidence is overwhelming that CEE was established by WTP as a sham organization to create the illusion that WTP was not directly involved in campaign activities directly opposing candidates for public office. The evidence shows that WTP‟s ultimate purpose in Montana in 2008 was not to discuss issues, but to directly influence candidate elections through surreptitious means.

I’ve written about National Right To Work’s willingness to involve wives and daughters in their illegality. The Montana report shows they aren’t above ensnaring college students, either.

Fawn Kirkpatrick

The report says:

On June 11, 2008, CEE filed a Statement of Organization (Form C-2) with CPP as a political action committee (PAC). Fawn Kirkpatrick, who at the time was a student at Montana State University - Bozeman, was listed as the Treasurer.

According to her LinkedIn account, Ms. Kirkpatrick is now a law student:

The Montana commission-the CPP- was looking into Finance report filed by the CEE.

The report listed MSU student Fawn Kirkpatrick as Treasurer (see Fact 25), but was not signed. CPP staff members were unable to contact Kirkpatrick – her email and telephone contact information listed on the previously filed Statement of Organization (Form C-2) was found to be incorrect. The report listed a $2,000 contribution from treasurer Fawn Kirkpatrick…

The idea being that many college students write $2,000 checks to start political groups.

Ms. Kirkpatrick soon left the group. LeFer was forced to find a replacement.

Brian Witt

The report shows how LeFer ensnared another MSU student named Brian Witt. Christian LeFer sweet talked Witt.

Witt stated he was a student at MSU- Bozeman and spoke to a friend about becoming active in politics. The friend introduced Witt to Christian LeFer, who convinced Witt to become Treasurer of CEE.

According to Witt, LeFer told him it would “look great” on his resume, and he wouldn‟t have to do anything – that LeFer would prepare all the necessary reports for Witt‟s signature.

Witt claims he only signed reports and correspondence that were prepared by others and submitted to him. He was not involved in compiling the reports or drafting the correspondence, he said.

When Witt was interviewed by investigators, he reveal the extent of the LeFer’s actual participation in the groups.

Witt also provided copies of email exchanges between him and Christian LeFer which establish that LeFer was affiliated with and closely involved in the activities of WTP and CEE.

• An October 5, 2024 email from LeFer directs Witt to contact CPP and “find out what it takes to switch a treasurer . . .”
• An October 6, 2024 email discusses the submission of an amended campaign finance form to CPP.
• An October 22, 2024 email from LeFer to Witt includes as an attachment an attack mailer that was sent out against Brad Hamlett. (See Fact 2, Exhibit 1.)
• A November 26, 2023 email from Allison LeFer (see Fact 62) to Witt states: “I have had the guy who handles PAC filings compile yours. I wanted to get them to you for your signature so you can drop them off in the mail.”
• An email from Christian LeFer to Witt dated December 17, 2008, includes as an attachment a letter to CPP from Witt responding to the complaint filed against WTP and CEE. The email instructed Witt to sign the letter and fax it to CPP, followed with a hard copy to CPP.

DEVELOPING…

Email Shows National Right To Work Committee’s “Gameplan” States For 2010

by Lee Stranahan | Jan 23, 2024 | Staffergate | 0 comments

A May 2010 email from National Right To Work Employee Jerad Gamble shows staffers and operatives being assigned to Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa and Montana.

The exuberant email was CC’d to Dimitri Kesari and says that Gamble and Kesari think the “dynamics of the team are great.’ Many, if not all, of the people mentioned in the email would go on to play roles in the National Right To Work Committee’s illegal ‘mail program’ that wrote, printed and mailed campaign letters for candidates.

The list of people included in the email includes:

Christian & Allison LeFer would go to Montana. Eventually, they would sue to try and get boxes of documents found in a Colorado meth house related to the National Right to Work ‘mail program’ that they claimed belonged to them. They would lose the case. Big time.

Conservative political consultant Christian LeFer, a former WTP official, and his wife, Allison LeFer, who helped run the couple’s printing shop, sued Montana’s former Commissioner of Political Practices Jim Murry and the state of Montana to recover the documents.

On Tuesday, the LeFers lost in almost every way possible. They didn’t get their documents. They didn’t get any money; instead, they’ll have to pay Murry’s fees, which haven’t yet been totaled. They won’t be able to file their complaint against Murry ever again.

And on every page of his ruling, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy seemed to somehow insult them.

At one point in his 34-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy referred to “the procedural morass caused by the LeFers’ posturing.” Since last fall, the LeFers have filed at least five separate complaints in different courts, sometimes with factual errors.

Brenden Boudreau who would go on to head the NRTW operation in Kentucky.

People like Betsy DeFord & Rocco Moffa would also be mentioned in other emails about the NRTW mail program.

Here’s the complete email:

From: Jared Gamble <jaredgamble@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, May 19, 2024 at 12:32 PM
Subject: Game Plan
To: Josh Pearson <josh.j.pearson@gmail.com>, Rocco Moffa <moeroffa@yahoo.com>, ryan flowers <pope94@hotmail.com>, Shaun Bowen <bowen161@gmail.com>, Samuel Haun <zsgh6@goldmail.etsu.edu>, Jennifer Winters <jennybeth5@gmail.com>, caceyariana@gmail.com, Betsy DeFord <betsydeford@gmail.com>, Brenden Boudreau <brenden.boudreau@gmail.com>, Nick Seligh <nickseligh@gmail.com>, gabriel.sukenik@gmail.com, Jeremy Dahl <jeremybdahl@gmail.com>, Ross Phar <rlp22@case.edu>
Cc: Dimitri Kesari <dkesari@aol.com>, Dennis Fusaro <midamericartw@gmail.com>, allison@directmailwins.com, Allison LeFer <allison@brownmugs.com>, Christian LeFer <christian@christianlefer.com>