Thread by @minty_hawk

This week, an organization that does not exist accused a journalist of failing to disclose her political speech. The organization is called Washingtonians For Ethical Government (WFEG). It is worth knowing who they are. /1

WFEG's complaint against Brandi Kruse argues that when a commentator repeatedly advocates for a ballot measure on her platform, that activity should be reported as an in-kind campaign contribution. They put a number on it: $1.25 million across 150+ instances. /2

Take WFEG's theory at face value. Apply it consistently. Start with: who is WFEG? Here is what I found:

• Not in the IRS exempt organizations database
• No Washington Secretary of State registration
• 'Does not accept financial contributions from the public'
• Mailing address is a law firm /3

WFEG's president is Andrew Villeneuve. He simultaneously runs NPI, an explicitly progressive 501(c)(4), and sits on the Washington State Democratic Central Committee.

He has been a DNC delegate three times: Obama, Sanders, Harris. /4

In ten years, WFEG has filed nine public enforcement actions. Here is the complete list.

Targets against Democrats, unions, or progressive organizations in ten years: zero. /5

WFEG's primary law firm has received $839,556 from Democratic and labor PACs over the same period.

These are the same coalition organizations that coordinate filings with WFEG against the same conservative targets. /6

So here is the issue:

Either Kruse's commentary is an undisclosed in-kind contribution. In which case WFEG has been the largest undisclosed in-kind contributor in Washington for a decade.

Or it isn't. And the complaint should be dismissed.

WFEG cannot have both. /fin

Correction to /3: WFEG IS registered with the WA Secretary of State as a nonprofit corporation (UBI 603555192). Live CCFS shows the entity active ().

Other /3 findings (no IRS status, law firm address, no public contributions) stand. /fin +1ccfs.sos.wa.gov/#/BusinessSear…

How this happened: two third-party scrapers of WA SOS data disagreed.

bizofwa.com showed 'administratively dissolved' (bizofwa.com/co/washingtoni…);

opengovwa.com showed 'delinquent' (opengovwa.com/corporation/60…).

Neither matched the live CCFS record. /fin +2