Thread by @DataRepublican

🧵THE UNIPARTY UNMASKED – They Believe They Are “Democracy”

The seven NGOs in the chart below, in my view, represent the Uniparty. Each of these organizations receives substantial financial support from USAID or the Department of State.

Around 2019, the phrase “democracy in danger” began to dominate public discourse, amplified by the media. This was odd—after all, the U.S. is a democracy (or more precisely, a constitutional republic). But as I traced the influence of these NGOs, a pattern emerged: they are controlled by establishment politicians, they play a major role in shaping political narratives worldwide, and their core mission is always framed as “protecting democracy.”

Originally, these NGOs were created to support U.S. democratic efforts abroad—many of them emerging during the Cold War to combat the spread of communism. But with the fall of the Soviet Union, their original purpose faded. Instead of dissolving, they redefined their mission. Now, they have positioned themselves as the guardians of democracy itself.

This shift explains why Trump’s re-election was framed as a "threat to democracy." To these NGOs, “democracy” means themselves. Their survival depends on maintaining that role, and any challenge to their authority is perceived as a direct attack on democracy itself.

Please note that @MikeBenzCyber is the expert on this topic—I’m just a technical person researching and learning alongside all of you.

To understand how these NGOs connect to democracy, let’s take a look at what AI says about the purpose of each one:

🟥 International Republican Institute (IRI) (EIN 521340267) – Promotes democracy by training political parties and leaders, primarily supporting U.S. foreign policy interests through a Republican-aligned lens.

🟦 National Democratic Institute (NDI) (EIN 521338892) – Advances democracy by fostering political participation and governance reforms worldwide, aligned with Democratic Party priorities.

⚖️ Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS) (EIN 521943638) – A coalition of democracy-focused NGOs (IRI, NDI, IFES) that supports electoral processes, civil society, and governance reforms globally.

🗽 National Endowment for Democracy (NED) (EIN 521344831) – Acts as the primary funding hub for democracy promotion efforts worldwide, distributing U.S. government grants to NGOs supporting political and civil society development.

🗳 International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) (EIN 521527835) – Strengthens global democracy by providing technical assistance for election security, integrity, and voter participation.

📡 Internews (EIN 943027961) – Supports independent media and press freedom worldwide, shaping democratic discourse by training journalists and combating disinformation.

💰 Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) (EIN 521398742) – Promotes democracy through free-market economic policies, advocating for business-friendly governance and anti-corruption initiatives.

⚒️ Solidarity Center (EIN 472130723) – Advances democracy by supporting independent labor movements and workers' rights, often partnering with unions to promote political engagement.

Note what they all have in common? They are all dedicated to advocating democracy.

And they have redefined "democracy" to mean themselves.

Let's dig into each one in detail.

First up:

💰 Internews Network receives substantial U.S. government funding, with $94.5 million in active grants from USAID and the Department of State. Its IRS Form 990 reports $93.9 million in taxpayer funding, out of a $124 million total budget.

Among its principal officers includes 🔵 Anna Soellner – VP of Communications at Reddit.

For more on Internews Network, I refer to the Wikileaks thread
x.com/wikileaks/stat…

⚖️ Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS) is another NGO promoting democracy worldwide. They have over half a billion dollars in active spending grants and $160+ million in annual contributions, mostly USAID.

💰Despite receiving grants for initiatives in countries such as Venezuela and Georgia, 100% of its funds act as a passthrough to three core organizations:

🔴 International Republican Institute (IRI) – 31% of CEPPS funding.
🔵 National Democratic Institute (NDI) – 41% of CEPPS funding.
⚖️ International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) – 28% of CEPPS funding.

Curiously, CEPPS reports no salaries. It is led by Kira Rebar, former foreign policy advisor to Bob Menendez, the now-indicted U.S. senator.

International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is one of the three CEPP organizations. Unlike other democracy-promoting NGOs, IFES does not receive direct USAID funding, but it still holds $33 million in active spending grants and operates with an annual budget of nearly $59 million.

Its notable principal officers include:

🔵 Steny Hoyer – Former Democratic Representative from Maryland and House Majority Leader.
🔴 Rob Portman – Former U.S. Senator from Ohio (Republican).
⚖️ M. Peter McPherson – Former USAID advisor.

The other two CEPPS organizations, the NDI and IRI, must be viewed as part of the larger NED umbrella which includes four NGOs.

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) was established in 1983 to advance democracy protection efforts worldwide. To prevent any single party from monopolizing its agenda, NED was structured as a bipartisan funding vehicle that supports two partisan-affiliated NGOs: the International Republican Institute (IRI) on the Republican side, and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) on the Democratic side.

NED itself holds approximately $1,618 million in active grants (allocated in a single large block by the Department of State) and operates with an annual budget of about $362 million.

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) itself maintains a bipartisan leadership structure:

🔵 Karen Bass – Vice Chair of the National Endowment for Democracy; former U.S. Representative and current Mayor of Los Angeles (Democrat).
🔴 Elise Stefanik – Director at the National Endowment for Democracy; U.S. Representative from New York and House GOP Conference Chair (Republican).
🔴 Mel Martinez – Director at the National Endowment for Democracy; former U.S. Senator from Florida (Republican).
🔴 Peter Roskam – Vice Chair at the National Endowment for Democracy; former U.S. Representative from Illinois (Republican).
🔴 Steve Biegun – Director at the National Endowment for Democracy; former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State (Republican).

In addition to NDI and IRI, the NDI supports Center for International Private Enterprise and Solidarity Center.

Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) is bipartisan as well.

🔴 Neil Bradley – President/Secretary; former Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
🔴 Kim R. Holmes – Vice Chair; former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs under President George W. Bush; previously the Executive Vice President at The Heritage Foundation.
🔵 Ruchi Bhowmik – Director; former deputy cabinet secretary to President Barack Obama. VP of Pubic Policy at Netflix.
🔵 Douglas Lute – Former Director (until 05/23); retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General and former U.S. Ambassador to NATO under President Obama.

Although CIPE’s stated mission is to promote democracy and free markets through a business-oriented approach, its actual activities are unclear from its IRS Form 990. The majority of its expenses go toward salaries and a broad “Other” category, which lacks detailed breakdowns. The Schedule O explanation doesn’t provide much clarity—it mostly lists consulting fees and program service expenses, without specifying how these expenditures advances its mission.

The Solidarity Center is another core beneficiary of NED, affiliated with AFL-CIO, making it closely tied to labor unions. (It could be seen as the labor counterpart to the free-market-focused CIPE.)

Although it doesn’t appear in my graph due to lower reported contributions, its official 2020 financial report shows it received $39 million in federal awards that year. Additionally, by searching the DataRepublican database, I found a federal award granted directly to the American Center for International Labor, which is connected to the Solidarity Center and holds $105 million in active spending grants.

The International Republican Institute (IRI) is the third NED-funded NGO that, again, promotes democracy worldwide through a Republican-aligned perspective. Its leadership is dominated by establishment Republican politicians.

🔴 Mitt Romney – Director; Former U.S. Senator from Utah, 2012 GOP presidential nominee.
🔴 Lindsey Graham – Director; U.S. Senator from South Carolina.
🔴 Joni Ernst – Director; U.S. Senator from Iowa.
🔴 Tom Cotton – Director; U.S. Senator from Arkansas.
🔴 Marco Rubio (Formerly)
🔴 Dan Sullivan – Chairman; U.S. Senator from Alaska.
🔴 Kelly Ayotte – Director; former U.S. Senator from New Hampshire.
🔴 Mark Kirk – Director; former U.S. Senator from Illinois.

Although IRI does not have a Schedule I on its 990, its audit is illuminating. It reports 38 million in salaries, 17.5 million in “fringe benefits”, 3 million in rent, 12 million on travel.

🔴 IRI also funds some progressive-aligned NGOs, despite its Republican affiliation.

🌍 International Organization for Migration (IOM) – A UN-associated NGO focused on refugee and displaced persons aid. It manages migration-related programs worldwide.

♀️ Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI) – A division within the U.S. Department of State that ensures women’s and girls’ rights are fully integrated into U.S. foreign policy.

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) is the fourth and final NED-financed NGO. It serves as the Democratic counterpart to IRI. Its principal officers include:

🔵 Barbara Mikulski – Director; longest-serving woman in the U.S. Senate, former Maryland Senator (Democrat).
🔵 Thomas Daschle – Chairman; former Senate Majority Leader, key figure in Democratic legislative strategy (Democrat).
🔵 Stacey Abrams – Director; high-profile Georgia political leader, voting rights advocate, and former gubernatorial candidate (Democrat).
🔵 Donna Brazile – Director; veteran Democratic strategist, former DNC chair, and political commentator (Democrat).

Like the IRI’s audit, the NDI’s makeup is heavy on salaries, travel, and fringe benefits.

NDI has $47 million in active spending grants worldwide.

Some of its major grantees, as listed on its IRS Form 990 Schedule I, include:

📡 Internews Network – Received $2.3 million to support independent media and press freedom initiatives.
⚖️ American Bar Association – Granted $1.1 million for legal and judicial development programs related to democracy.
🔴 International Republican Institute (IRI) – Surprisingly, NDI awarded $1 million to its Republican-aligned counterpart, despite their partisan affiliations, showing how these democracy-promoting NGOs interconnect as a true Uniparty.

🧵 Thread End. I learned a lot in creating this thread and I hope you did too!

After thinking it over last night, here’s how I would summarize it: These seven NGOs (eight if you count the off-the-chart Solidarity Center) together function as an "off-the-books" shadow U.S. government.

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) was created to unify the U.S. against communism. Its four core organizations reflect a neat ideological symmetry of America’s two-party system:
➜CIPE pushes free-market policies, Solidarity Center represents labor and unions.
➜IRI serves Republican interests, and NDI aligns with the Democrats.

CEPPS is another umbrella group that includes IRI and NDI but also brings in IFES under the guise of fortifying election integrity.

And to make sure the narrative sticks, Internews Network spreads these viewpoints through global media.

Most of these NGOs were born during the Reagan years. While not all USAID and State Department funding flows through them, they control the purse strings for much of America’s global financial influence.

DEI initiatives created a system of unaccountability and dependency, which ended up injecting more money into them and further entrenches their power.

They see any challenge to their authority as a threat to democracy itself. But their greatest enemy is still the same one they've had since the Cold War—Russia. They've never lost the "Cold War" boomer mindset.

In their minds, they’re the superheroes keeping America from crumbling. And that entitles them to their travel perks, cushy post-election gigs, and all the other benefits that come with running an unacknowledged empire.