Thread by @kgosztola

Democratic Majority For Israel's Super PAC, @DMFIPAC, filed records on who funded them in 2019.

We now have some idea of who is funding this AIPAC-front that aired an ad in Iowa, which weaponized Bernie Sanders' heart attack against him.

Thread.

Stacy Schusterman donated $1 million in December 2019. She is on the board of AIPAC's National Council, and she's an executive for Samson Energy. Her wealth comes from deepwater oil drilling and natural gas fracking.

Schusterman & her family inherited $7 billion from her father

Residents in Cheyenne, Wyoming, have fought Schusterman and Samson Energy's efforts to drill for oil and gas close to the city

"Anyone within 2000 feet of these things has greatly increased dangers of getting health risks."
wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/cheyenne-…

Schusterman is also on the board of the Charter School Growth Fund.

Sanders favors a ban on for-profit charter schools.

Gary M. Lauder donated $495,000 in December 2019, part of the family that made a fortune off cosmetics with Estee Lauder.

Lauder is not only a supporter of Israeli military occupation, but he has been in on a grift involving ShotSpotter tech used to "alert" police to gun shots.

Gary M. Lauder boasts he was "only investor" in ShotSpotter from 2004-05, and as of May 2018, he was largest shareholder.

From @Forbes in 2016: "Of the thousands of ShotSpotter alerts in these cities, police were unable to find evidence of gunshots between 30%-70% of the time."

@Forbes Milton Cooper donated $145,000 to @DMFIPAC . He's co-founder of Kimco Realty Corp, which has shopping centers in US and Puerto Rico.

He's part of AIPAC's National Real Estate Committee.

Milton Cooper donated $5,000 to Team Graham, or Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, in September (a few months before donating to @DMFIPAC).

He also donated $1,000 to Amy Klobuchar (September) and $2,500 to Joe Biden (June)

@DMFIPAC Ron Zeff is the CEO of Carmel Partners. He donated $95,000 to @DMFIPAC in August 2019 - an early funder.

Zeff donated $10,000 to Friends of Israel PAC in August.

He also appears to be a Never Trump Republican.

Ron Zeff donated $80,800 to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign in 2012 to help him defeat President Barack Obama.

He also donated $70,800 to Republican National Committee their fundraising committees for GOP senators and representatives in 2012.

That's some of the major donors, and there are a few more donors to highlight and add later.

Let's turn to who @DMFIPAC paid to help them produce the attack ad against Bernie Sanders — Sage Media.

Sage Media Planning & Placement Inc., a supposed firm that supports "progressive candidates and causes," was paid $800,000 to produce sleazy advertising against Bernie Sanders for AIPAC-front Super PAC @DMFIPAC

Janet Katowitz is the president and founder of Sage Media.

Her bio says, "You can expect to find MSNBC or the Bravo network playing on one of the 8 TVs in her DC home."

To recap:

Media firm that helps establishment Democrats, but which holds itself out as supporter of "progressive candidates & causes," worked for arm of dark money group with individuals tied to Israel lobby, who paid nearly $1 million for right-wing ad against Bernie Sanders.

I'll pause and maybe return later to document a few more donors to @DMFIPAC.

For now, keep this thread related to management of DMFI PAC and the Democratic Majority For Israel's nonprofit in mind.

https://twitter.com/kgosztola/status/1222682071455490049

@DMFIPAC Paula Gottesman donated $100,000 to @DMFIPAC in November 2019. She has been a major supporter of AIPAC and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP).

WINEP is spun off from AIPAC, and it's been associated with neoconservative war hawks.

jfedgmw.org/jerry-gottesman

Barry Porter contributed $45,000 to @DMFIPAC. Porter is the managing general partner for private equity firm Clarity Partners, which is based in Beverly Hills, California.

He was once the senior managing director for Bear Stearns.

Barry Porter contributed $1,000 to Rep. Josh Gottheimer in September 2019, which is in line with his support for DMFI's agenda.

Gottheimer has ties to Israel and Saudi Arabia lobbies, and he constantly polices Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar. theintercept.com/2019/05/08/jos…

Michael Potack contributed $45,000 to @DMFIPAC. He's a Never Trump Republican, who contributed several thousand to Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan's fundraising committees.

In 2018, Potack contributed the max to Rep. Joe Crowley, who Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez unseated.

@DMFIPAC Amnon Rodan and Katie Rodan, co-creator of acne treatment Proactiv, are billionaire couple who donated $45,000 to @DMFIPAC.

Amnon has been a board member of AIPAC. Katie has been an AIPAC member.

The Rodans' skincare business only sells one product and "pushes it mainly through regular people like stay-at-home parents who sell skincare regimens on the side." They make their wealth by trapping poor and working class in pyramid scheme.
thenational.ae/business/money…

Estee Lauder actually bought their eponymous skincare company in 2002, and then the Rodans bought it back in 2007.

(Scroll up to find Gary M. Lauder, who donated around a half million to @DMFIPAC.)

@DMFIPAC Mark Rubin donated $20,000. He is president of Maric, a real estate firm in Massachusetts. He's yet another Never Trump Republican.

Between 2014-2016, he donated $13,400 to Sen. Lindsey Graham, Rep. Paul Ryan, then-Sen. Kelly Ayotte, and Marco Rubio's presidential campaign.

Michael Sonnenfeldt contributed $25,000 to @DMFIPAC. Chair of MUUS & Company, investment firm that focuses on solar and "alternative energy." Also chair of TIGER 21, "peer membership organization for high-net-worth entrepreneurs and investors." Board member of Earthjustice.

Sonnenfeldt also is former board member of Business Executives for National Security (BENS), past chair of Israel Policy Forum, and on board of directors of Center for New American Security (CNAS).

He's been board member of Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.

In 2018, Sonnenfeldt contributed $100,000 to American Bridge 21st Century, a Super PAC, founded by David Brock.

In 2016, he contributed $200,000 to the Hillary Victory Fund.

Richard Pachulski contributed $25,000 to @DMFIPAC. He's "preeminent corporate restructuring" attorney & was lead counsel for Solyndra.

In 2019, he donated $5,000 to another "pro-Israel" PAC, Citizens Organized. And donated over $15,000 to Sen. Ben Sasse and Rep. Liz Cheney.

@DMFIPAC So, let's go back to Barry Porter because I skipped over something extremely important.

Barry Porter is a board member of the very dark money group that launched @DMFIPAC.

Again, how separate are these entities really?

Who gave to @DMFIPAC in January 2020?

All of the individuals mentioned in this thread contributed in 2019. We won't know who helped this AIPAC-front raise hundreds of thousands to attack Bernie in Iowa (or New Hampshire) til after votes are cast.