Anonymous Campaign Donors Unmasked

And the more you learn, the more mysterious and inscrutable it gets.

In California, two ballot initiatives last month would have a) prevented unions from using dues money for political contributions, and b) derailed Jerry Brown’s tax plan.  An anonymous dark money group from Arizona — Americans for Responsible Leadership — had donated $11 million to these two initiatives.  They both lost.

On November 5th, the day before the election, a court ruled that Americans for Responsible Leadership had to reveal its donors.  Transparency at last!  The rock was lifted.  Hiding and cowering underneath the rock was…drumroll…Americans for Job Security.

WTF?!?

As the linked article puts it:

“Behind one anonymously financed and neutrally-named group was simply another anonymously financed and neutrally-named group. Like some kind of dark money Russian doll.”

And it gets even more labyrinthine.  The $11 million spent by Americans for Responsible Leadership (or was it Americans for Job Security?) had been funneled through another group:  The Center to Protect Patient Rights.

And when you lift up the rock to see who’s financing The Center to Protect Patient Rights, hiding underneath the rock is…another rock.  And when you pick up THAT rock, you find…

(to be continued)