The Wellspring Committee's '15 payment of $500k to the "Opportunity Solutions Corporation" is a good example of how money gets shuffled around in the conservative dark money network w/ little or zero oversight...
...The Opportunity Solutions Corporation was registered in VA on July 1 '15 to a virtual office address in Arlington & was out of business by Nov '17....
Thomas Raymond Conlon, Neil Corkery & Leonard Leo's CPA of choice, prepared the Wellspring Committee '15 990 so, as usual, disclosure as to how the money was spent is inadequate. Who was the consultant paid $310K? Who knows?....
...The Opportunity Solutions Corporation officers were:
Conor Sweeney
Rebecca Schuller
Lindsay Hayes
I'd welcome the opportunity to ask the trio what public relations services they provided to the Wellspring Committee, given WC had no public relations...
...I'm fairly certain Opportunity Solutions Corporation president, Conor Sweeney, is this Conor Sweeney, an advisor to Paul Ryan's American Idea Foundation est. in '19 (more on AIF later). Sweeney's been working for Paul Singer since Ryan left office... americanideafoundation.com/american-idea-…
...Rebecca Schuller doesn't list her stint as Opportunity Solutions Corporation treasurer on her LinkedIn profile. Schuller is executive director of Winning For Women, a 501c4 which the Wellspring Committee donated $250k to in '18...
...There's more than one Lindsay Hayes around but I think I have the right one, given her LinkedIn profile. She also omits her stint as Opportunity Solutions Corporation secretary on her resume....
...Grants totaling $7.9 million made by the Wellspring Committee in '15. Ann Corkery was the sole director/officer that year. She was paid $120k & one other employee was paid $30k...
...Wellspring Committee's second largest donation, $750k, in '15 went to the 45Committee which deserves its own thread. The 990s were prepared by Renae Duncan, Atchley Associates, who also prepared the Trump Inaugural Committee 990s....
...This is classic campaign 501c4 dark money. The 45Committee raked in $46 million bet April 1 '16 & March 31 '17, spent $38 million in advertising & I bet very few people even know it...
...The 45Committee year end was intentionally set at March 31 so the 990 showing it spent $38m during the '16 election wouldn't be disclosed until late '18. Why the '16 990 was marked "terminated", I don't know but it wasn't...
...Renae Duncan is another CPA who, like T. Raymond Conlon, doesn't believe in completing Schedule A showing revenue by year so I'll do it...
2016 $2.2m
2017 $46.4m
2018 $13m
2019 $15.6m
Tot $77.2m
...45 Committee independent contractors in order by year. I know very little about the firms but I imagine they're all hot wired into the GOP...
...And that ends today's Wellspring Committee thread. Stay tuned!
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After reading this complaint filed w the FEC by CREW against Turning Point Action, Charlie Kirk's 501(c)(4), I think I know why the '20 TPA 990 is 2-1/2 months late unlike the other TPUSA affiliates 990s filed in May... citizensforethics.org/wp-content/upl…
....Turning Point Action, like the other three TPUSA affiliates, has a June 30 year end. The overdue TPA 990 covers the period from July 1 '19 to June 30 '20. If money donated in that time period was used to fund campaign expenditures made bet July 1 & Dec 31' 20....
...Turning Point Action is required to report the names of those donors to the FEC which, I'm guessing, Charlie Kirk doesn't want to do. I don't know who was providing advice on compliance w FEC regulations to the TPA board but they screwed up....
Wellspring Committee's $500k donation to People United For Privacy in '18 is a good example of how the dark money crowd operates. WC's sole officer/director was Neil Corkery & it was terminated at year end....
...People United For Privacy's tax exempt status was effective Oct '17. In '18, Wellspring Committee was its only donor. PUP president is Tony Woodlief who is also an executive vice president w the State Policy Network...
...T. Raymond Conlon didn't prepare the People United For Privacy 990s but he may well have, given the substandard reporting by Marcum LLP, a DC CPA firm...
...I'm not in any way, shape or form suggesting Charlie Kirk knew anything about a former TPUSA events coordinator & member of child pornography rings in AZ & DC who was arrested on Nov 12 '20...
...This thread has lots of info re the origin of Italygate, promoted by retired CIA agent, Bradley C Johnson whose not-for-profit board includes an assistant FL district attorney in Miami...
Took another look at the Wellspring Committee & Catholic Association 2014 990s:
WC - $650k CA donation
CA - $390k total revenue
Diff - $260k
Not a typo since total grants of $8.289m ties out to the WC's summary & statement of expenses....
.I caution anyone from jumping to a preferred conclusion re the discrepancy. In any event, it's unlikely we'll ever have an explanation since the Corkerys & T. Raymond Conlon aren't going to take my calls....
...Rooting around the Wellspring Committee 990s, I'm coming up w more questions. In '16, WC spent $1.35 million on "public relations". No website, no events - just a handful of donors at most....
Reviewed the 990s filed by the Wellspring Committee & noticed it donated a total of $3m to the Catholic Association. In '14, the WC donated $650k but the CA only reported $390k in contributions. $260k appears to be unaccounted for....
...The '14 Wellspring Committee 990 was signed by Ann Corkery & prepared by T. Raymond Conlon. The '14 Catholic Association 990 was signed by Ann Corkery's husband, Neil, & prepared by T. Raymond Conlon...
...The Catholic Association was registered in '07 & the 990 signed & prepared by Neil Corkery, treasurer. It then filed 990-N e-postcard returns for '08, '09, '10 & '11...