ProPublica Backer Gave Millions to Target Thomas

The Sandler Foundation, a left-leaning group that launched the ProPublica media outlet, has a history of giving millions to organizations attacking conservative Supreme Court justices.

According to a Tuesday report by Daily Caller, the foundation has given over $7.5 million to the Campaign Legal Center since 2015 and more than $6 million to the American Constitution Society since 2010.

Both the CLC and ACS have called for criminally referring Justice Clarence Thomas to the Department of Justice after ProPublica reported that he took luxury trips with Republican megadonor Harlan Crow.

In an April press release, CLC Vice President Kedric Payne warned that “inaction from the Judicial Conference could serve to normalize” violations of the Ethics in Government Act, referring to Thomas.

ACS President Russ Feingold argued that same month that Congress “has a duty to check the Supreme Court” by imposing ethics rules and “rigorously investigating violations of federal law and flagrant ethics lapses.”

The Sandler Foundation earmarked $500,000 in 2019 to the New Venture Fund for Demand Justice, a group that supports court-packing and investigating Thomas, according to Breitbart.

In addition, the outlet reported that the George Soros-linked Foundation to Promote Open Society dished out millions to ProPublica and CLC, and $4.5 million to Demand Justice over three years beginning in 2021.

“It is no coincidence that several organizations smearing Justice Thomas are funded generously by many of the same donors,” said Parker Thayer, an investigative researcher at Capital Research Center.

“The ‘pop-up’ public pressure campaign, where just a few donors pay dozens of ‘grassroots’ activist groups to give the appearance of broad public support for a particular issue, has long been a favored tactic of the Left’s wealthy special interests,” he added.

Recipients of funds from The Sandler Foundation have since called for investigations into Justice Samuel Alito, who ProPublica recently reported also took vacations with a Republican billionaire.