Exploring Foreign Influence in Idaho and Our Country
FollowForeignMoney.org
Last week, while attending a policy conference, I was introduced to a fascinating new resource that every citizen should know about.
The website, Follow Foreign Money, contains a searchable database of confirmed foreign nationals, foreign governments, and foreign-funded organizations that have provided money to U.S.-based nonprofit organizations involved in public policy and advocacy.
According to the organization, some grants identify a specific purpose such as funding litigation, advocacy campaigns, or other policy initiatives, while others do not disclose exactly how the money is used. The site’s stated goal is to make these financial relationships easier for the public to examine.
What I liked is that you can search by organization or by individual state, to see what local organizations have received foreign funding. You can also explore the interconnectivity of that money within Idaho and throughout the United States.
One discovery that was eye opening was seeing States Newsroom appear in the database of organizations that have received foreign funding. This is a nonprofit network, that includes an Idaho newspaper, the Idaho Capital Sun. The Idaho Capital Sun regularly covers the Idaho Legislature.
Idahoans deserve to know who is helping fund organizations that shape public opinion and public policy.
Whether your interests are elections, education, energy, land use, or other public policy issues, transparency always matters. Knowing who is helping fund organizations involved in shaping public policy gives citizens another tool to better understand the issues affecting their communities.
I encourage you to spend a few minutes exploring the database for yourself. Search Idaho, compare other states, and draw your own conclusions. An informed citizenry is one of the best safeguards for accountable government.
And, if you have information or a lead to foreign money slipping into your state, make sure to share it through the tip line!
Transparency builds trust, and every Idahoan deserves to know who is helping shape the public debate in Idaho and across this country.
In Liberty,
Rep. Heather Scott
Thank you, Heather!
AIPAC (American Israeli PAC) is a huge source of foreign influence peddling. They own Congress: https://www.trackaipac.com/shame
and all 4 of Idaho's Congressional Delegation take AIPAC money: https://www.trackaipac.com/states/idaho
We shouldn't allow foreign influence peddling.
AIPAC sidestepped the foreign designation in 1963. There were some influential Idahoans at the time that helped them.