Thread by @itstruenorth

The dark money/court capture group @judicialnetwork just announced a $1.5M ad buy. The ad takes a jab at #KBJ, but mostly peddles a vanity project/film about Clarence Thomas.

The story behind this hagiography + ad campaign is what’s really revealing.

Let’s follow the $$$. 🧵

First, the ad buyer:

JCN is part of Leonard Leo’s web that has raised nearly $600M in recent years to capture the Supreme Court + reshape the law. The ultimate goal: reverse a century of legal precedents disliked by Leo and his super-rich secret funders.
truenorthresearch.org/2022/03/leonar…

JCN’s ad directs viewers to a seemingly revamped site: clarencethomas.com, listing Clarence Thomas as its copyright holder. There you can see the “documentary” “Created Equal.” Here are some of its funders, which we’ll take up one by one.

Charles Koch🚩
His agenda: limit government's ability 2 protect people from corporate power

No wonder he pumped $ into a flick about a judge who votes his way. He funds the Leo co-chaired @FedSoc + touted working w/ it on “judicial confirmation strategy” kochdocs.org/2019/06/07/201…

Koch’s @AFPhq brought a case to the Court, after his charity funded Thomas’ biopic, and Thomas ruled for @AFPhq.

(Gorsuch did too. Koch helped get him confirmed + Leo’s America Engaged gave $$$ to Koch’s umbrella group to help.)
documentcloud.org/documents/2050…

Diana Davis Spencer Foundation 🚩
Formed from banking fortune of a @Heritage chair, DDSF gave a massive $10M grant to Leo’s @FedSoc + Diana Davis Spencer is on its board. DDSF has funded others pushing right-wing activists onto the Court, like @IWF.
sourcewatch.org/index.php/Dian…

Sarah Scaife Foundation 🚩
Rooted in billionaire Dick Scaife’s devotion to a libertarian & religious agenda, SSF is built from the Mellon banking/oil empire profits.

It gives $$$ to groups aiding Leo’s agenda to remake the law, like @FedSoc and @IWF.
politicalresearch.org/2014/07/15/lib…

Judicial Education Project 🚩
Thomas’ biopic was financed by JEP, which has filed amicus briefs to the Court, + now its sister group, JCN, is spending $1.5M on ads for the film AND using it to attack #KBJ? Uh huh. @CarrieSeverino leads both. fixthecourt.com/2022/03/ahead-…

Harlan Crow🚩
Crow is a billionaire who has let Clarence & Ginni Thomas use his planes/yacht. They became friends after Thomas became a judge.

Crow gave $500K to Ginni's Liberty Central, which attacked the ACA, a law her husband later ruled against
newyorker.com/magazine/2022/…

Thomas Klingenstein🚩
An investment banker & chair of the Claremont Institute, which has been scrutinized over John Eastman’s role in advising Trump on how to overturn the election. Klingenstein is a Trump supporter & gave $100K to support the Thomas film
vice.com/en/article/xgd…

The Psalm 103 Foundation 🚩
This foundation is funded by the John Templeton investment banking fortune. Jack Templeton provided substantial funding for the religious right. This offshoot has funded the film + opposed gay Scout leaders.

vice.com/en/article/qbw…

The Others 🚩
There’s David Sokol, who used to work for Berkshire Hathaway; Dennis Washington, a billionaire from mining and shipping interests; and the half-billionaire John Dicke, a global forklift manufacturer. There’s more.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_L._…

Bradley Foundation 🚩
Bradley isn't listed in the film's credits, but its 2019 report shows it gave $100K to The Public Media Lab for it.

On Leo’s advice, Bradley secretly funded JEP’s amicus briefs attacking laws like the ACA.
truenorthresearch.org/2020/10/snapsh…

Anonymous 🚩
Someone anonymous to the public funded promotion of the film glorifying Thomas’ words. Does Thomas or Ginni know who or how much? Who is funding the $1.5M ad buy about the film? Does “anonymous” have cases before the Court or fund briefs?

Another group helped promote the film 🚩

“CRC” was listed as press contact on the film’s press release. This PR firm received $4M from @JCN in 2019 + did PR for Thomas' memoir.

Other CRC clients include @FedSoc + Koch's @AFPhq.
justicethomasmovie.com/wp-content/upl…

In 2020, CRC became CRC Advisors under the leadership of Leonard Leo + planned a "minimum $10 million issue advocacy campaign focused on judges in the 2020 cycle." It is closely tied to JCN, which actively pushed for #ACB + now attacks #KBJ.
axios.com/leonard-leo-cr…

Though invisible at first glance, behind the JCN ad is an interlocking web of groups + people tied to the right-wing capture of the Court. Some funders are known + some are kept secret, allowing them to hide as they distort public opinion and the law.

A Justice with integrity would renounce an ad buy funded by secret donors to promote the film about his life or its use to attack #KBJ. They would also oppose secret financing of his biopic or funding from past or future litigants. But Thomas is close to Leo

**CORRECTION: justicethomas.com, not clarencethomas.com**