A network of exceedingly wealthy individuals and organizations have channeled their vast fortunes into influencing American politics, policy, and public opinion — they’ve formed a wealth cult. And they’ve leveraged that cult and its considerable fortune to influence and in many ways dramatically transform American politics.

The term “dark money” refers to political spending meant to influence the decision-making and critical thinking of the public and lawmakers where the source of the money is not disclosed. This lack of transparency makes it challenging to trace the influence back to its origins, hence the term “dark.”

And, it is dark indeed.

Wealth cult anchors the trench coat

The Wealth Cult is one of 3 primary groups or clusters supporting the right-wing and generally, the Republican Party. It anchors the trench coat by funding the 2 cults above it: the Christian Cult, and the White Cult.

Its story is stealthy and significant.

The wealth cult has funded disinformation campaigns, the spread of conspiracy theories, created fake social movements through astroturfing, enabled violent extremists to attack their country’s capitol, cruelly deprived vulnerable people (especially immigrants, poor people, and women) of the kind of state aid granted generously throughout the developed world, bribed regulators, rigged elections, crashed economies, and on and on in service of their extremist free market ideology beliefs.

They believe in “makers and takers,” or Mudsill Theory, as it was once called by pedophile and racist Senator and slavery enthusiast James Henry Hammond. Some people were born to serve others, they say. Hierarchies are natural, they claim. Wealthy men should make all the decisions — because that’s what’s best for everyone, they say in paternalistic tones.

I don’t buy it. I believe all men are created equal. So did a certain Founder of our country.

Oligarchs and their Allies

I’ll be adding to this list over time.

Member	Description
Adam Brandon	CNP member from FreedomWorks who joined Jenny Beth Martin and Lisa Nelson of ALEC in organizing “100 Business Executives” in support of Trump in April 2020.
Alan Dershowitz	Former Trump lawyer
Allan Keen	GOP donor and successful real estate developer who gave a hefty amount to Trump Victory in 2020.
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)	Along with CNP, one of two primary right-wing groups with deep funding ties over the past half century to Republican lawmakers and donors & covertly driving “local” and state legislative agenda centrally from a nationally-coordinated source that shrinks from public view and carefully shields its operations from scrutiny.
Americans for Prosperity	As the Koch brothers’ primary political advocacy group, it is one of the most influential American conservative organizations.
Amy Kremer	Tea Party activist and Trump supporter whose organization Women for America First hosted the Stop the Steal rally that preceded the January 6 attack. While campaigning in early 2017, she offered a chance to win an AR-15 to donors to her campaign.
Andy Beal	Banker and a major contributor to Trump’s campaigns.
Andy Sabin	Metals magnate Andrew Sabin has donated millions to conservative candidates and causes. Sabin was initially supporting Ron DeSantis but switched to back Nikki Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations in Trump’s administration. Andy Sabin Net Worth: Thought to be between $10 million and into the tens of millions, given the scale of his company and his philanthropy.
Anthony Lomangino	Sanitation mogul and significant donor to Trump’s campaigns.
Barre Seid	GOP megadonor with a long donation history… though there is no publicly available information for Seid’s money trail after the Citizens United ruling opened the floodgates of untraceable dark money.
Bernard “Bernie” Marcus	Net Worth: $8.1 billion Source of Wealth: Home Depot Residence: Atlanta, GA Amount Donated to the Congressional Leadership Fund in 2022: $1.7 million (with wife Billi)
Betsy DeVos	Her family came to America during the Dutch split over reformation of the state church — the more conservative “Seceders” left the Netherlands to start a new life in the US, with a prominent settlement in Michigan. Betsy DeVos Net Worth: Estimated to be about $2 billion.
Bill Barr	Trump’s Attorney General, known for his participation in burying the Mueller report about Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Brooke Rollins	Former Trump aide and domestic policy chief who signed a letter to Kevin McCarthy asking him to remove Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney from the GOP conference. Now CEO of the Trump-endorsed America First Policy Institute.
Chad Connelly	Member of the Council for National Policy Executive Committee as of 2022
Charles Koch	Fossil fuel oligarch who poured over $100 million into the “war to end all wars” against Obama, and almost $1 billion into the 2016 election.
Charles Schwab	Net Worth: $11.2 billion Source of Wealth: Discount Brokerage Residence: Woodside, California Amount Donated to the Congressional Leadership Fund in 2022: $6.5 million (with wife Helen)
Charlie Kirk	Helped coordinate transportation to the January 6 rally via Turning Point USA and the CNP.
Chris Reyes	Net Worth: $7 billion Source of Wealth: Food Distribution Residence: Hobe Sound, FL Amount Donated to the Congressional Leadership Fund in 2022: $4.2 million
Christina Pushaw	DeSantis advisor who ended up having to register as a foreign agent to report her work for Georgian President Mikheil Shakashvili betwwen 2018 and 2020.
Cleta Mitchell	Lawyer of Foley & Lardner, LLP who was on the Brad Raffensberger Phone Call trying to “find” 11,000 votes for Trump in GA. She’s also involved with John Eastman‘s “Public Interest Legal Foundation,” an organization connected to both the fake electors scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Trump’s favor, and the dubious legal “doctrine” of “independent state legislatures.” Longtime board member of the CNP.
Club for Growth Action	anti-tax, anti-government spending, pro-free market ideology
Congressional Leadership Fund	The GOP’s main super PAC dedicated to electing House Republicans.
Continental Resources	North Dakota fracking company owned by Harold Hamm, a Koch donor.
Corbin Robertson Jr.	His family built a billion-dollar oil and coal company, Quintana Resources Capital.
Council for National Policy (CNP)	Founded 1981 by Paul Weyrich, Arch-Demon of the New Right, and Tim LaHaye, who wrote a series of wildly popular novels about the Rapture
Daniel J. Schultz	Attorney and founder of Precinct Strategy, and election denialism organization. Member of the CNP. Proponent of the Independent State Legislature theory.
Dartmouth Review	Conservative-allied collegiate paper founded and funded by the Olin Foundation via the Collegiate Network. Gave their starts to Dinesh D’Souza and Laura Ingraham.
David Koch	Deceased brother of Charles Koch, former Koch Industries executive, and former right-wing megadonor.
Diane Hendricks	Gave $23 million to the GOP in the 2022 midterms.
Dick Uihlein	Richard “Dick” Uihlein is a packing supply magnate and Trump donor who funds both The Federalist right-wing rag and ~1300 local news websites. Richard Uihlein Net Worth: $6.25 billion (as of 2024)
Don Tapia	Retired electrical company executive and former ambassador to Jamaica under Trump’s administration. Tapia was a six-figure contributor to Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns and has shown support for Trump in the 2024 election cycle.
Donald Trump	The Former Guy
Donald Trump Jr.	Donald Trump’s son
Doug Mastriano	Trump loyalist who lost the race for Governor of Pennsylvania in 2022 to Josh Shapiro. Attended the January 6 attack on the capitol.
Dr. Simone Gold	An emergency doctor tapped by CNP leadership to orchestrate a huge covid disinformation campaign circa May 2020 when the Trump administration’s covid response was floundering. Began the “hydroxychloroquine cure” hoax and made attacks on Anthony Fauci. Joined the mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6.
Elizabeth Uihlein	Net Worth: $3.4 billion Source of Wealth: Packaging Materials Residence: Lake Forest, IL Amount Donated to the Congressional Leadership Fund in 2022: $950,000
Elon Musk	The world’s richest man and biggest shill for the Trump campaign in 2024. Elon Musk Net Worth: $247.5 billion.
Eric Levine	A New York-based donor who was raising money for Tim Scott but has shifted his support to Nikki Haley for the 2024 presidential race.
Erik Prince	Former Navy SEAL who now shills his paramilitary project management experience to shady two-bit dictators around the world
Federalist Society	An organization of lawyers led by Leonard Leo, dedicated to rolling back legal precedents set during the post-WWII era. They essentially control the list of SCOTUS nominees for Republican Presidents.
Foster Friess	Huge right-wing donor instrumental in creating the CNP, Turning Point USA, and The Daily Caller
Fox News	Right-wing cable TV news channel and now media network founded in 1996 by Australian media magnate Rupert Murdoch and founding CEO Roger Ailes.
Freedom School	Free market ideology school that teaches the Robber Barons were heroes and the Gilded Age was when American Was Great Again.
Friedrich Hayek	One of the founders of the Austrian School of Economics.
George Mason University	The Kochs funded the Mercatus Center, an Austrian School of Economics program within the University.
Ginni Thomas	A former hardcore Tea Party activist turned Trump acolyte, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was reportedly intimately involved with the January 6 insurrection plans: * She exchanged texts with Mark Meadows urging him to “do more” to overturn the results of the 2020 election, based on conspiracy theory “evidence” from YouTube among other justifications * Wrote to 29 lawmakers in Arizona as well as lawmakers in Wisconsin, urging them to appoint their own slates of state electors as part of the broad fake electors scheme She was formerly a member of the Lifespring cult before becoming an anti-cult activist.
Glenn Youngkin	Virginia GOP Governor
GOPAC	The Republican state and local training organization.
Grover Norquist	Anti-tax “crusader” on the right.
Hans von Spakovsky	Hans von Spakovsky is a prominent figure known for his work in election law and campaign finance. He is often associated with conservative legal circles and has been involved with the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, where he serves as a senior legal fellow. Von Spakovsky has been a vocal advocate for stricter voter ID laws and measures aimed at preventing voter fraud, a stance that has generated significant debate and controversy. His views and policies have been influential in shaping discussions around election integrity and voting regulations in the United States. Von Spakovsky’s career has included various roles related to election law and policy. He has served in the Department of Justice during the George W. Bush administration and was appointed to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). His tenure in these positions and his subsequent work at the Heritage Foundation have made him a notable figure in discussions about electoral processes and legal frameworks surrounding elections in the U.S. His advocacy for strict voter ID laws and election integrity measures is grounded in his belief that these steps are necessary to prevent voter fraud and ensure the integrity of elections. However, his positions have been met with criticism from those who argue that such measures can lead to voter suppression and disproportionately affect minority and disadvantaged groups.
Harold Hamm	Fracking billionaire and Koch network donor who, at a fortune of $49.3 billion and rising, is one of the top 100 richest people in the world.
Harry Bradley	A founding member of the John Birch Society, he died in 1965 and his nest egg later swelled to become a font of financing for conservative causes.
Heritage Foundation	Think tank founded by Paul Weyrich as a counterweight to the Brookings Institute and other liberal think tanks, with major funding from beer magnate Joseph Coors and Mellon oligarch Richard Scaife. Sponsors have included: * Amoco * Amway * Boeing * Chase * Chevron * Dow Chemical * Exxon * General Electric * General Motors * Mesa Petroleum * Mobile Oil * Pfizer * Philip Morris * Procter & Gamble * R. J. Reynolds * Searle * Sears * Roebuck * SmithKline Beckman * Union Carbode * Union Pacific
Ivanka Trump	“Advisor to the President”… and his daughter
Jason Kessler	The white supremacist who organized the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally in 2017.
Jay Sekulow	Trump lawyer living high on the hog from lavish proceeds from his tax-free Christian political “foundations”.
Jeff Bezos	Billionaire founder of Amazon.
Jeffrey Yass	Jeffrey Yass, the founder of the prominent options-trading firm Susquehanna International Group, made contributions to Republican political operations totaling $47 million during the 2022 midterm elections. Approximately one-third of this amount was allocated to Club for Growth Action, a conservative super PAC subsidiary of the Club for Growth known for advocating lower taxes and reduced regulation.
Jenny Beth Martin	CEO and Co-founder of Tea Party Patriots, with funding from the Koch empire. Member of the CNP.
Joan Holt Lindsey	Member of the Council for National Policy Executive Committee as of 2022.
Jock Whitney	Publisher of the New York Herald Tribune and friend of Richard Mellon Scaife‘s father.
Joe Seales	CEO of the Right Side Broadcasting Network, a sort of Trump-only C-SPAN on YouTube that has been frequently banned.
John Cornyn	Texas Senator, former justice of the Texas Supreme Court, and head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Spoke at a Koch summit of 2009.
John M. Olin	Multimillionaire industrialist and former Cornell trustee who was radicalized in right-wing extremist ideology by the 1969 Cornell uprising in which 80 Black students took over the student union in protest. Though considering himself a “self-made man,” Olin inherited a thriving family business from his father. And despite his zealous free-market conservatism ideology, his father’s fortune was made in largest part by generous World War I and II contracts with the US government. Olin died in 1982 at the age of 89, but his foundation lived on to disburse hundreds of millions of dollars to right-wing causes over the next decades.
John M. Olin Foundation	it was one of the largest “intellectual right” funders before its closing
John Tomasi	Professor of free-market economics at the Koch-funded Political Theory Project at Brown University.
Joseph Coors	Described by his brother as being “to the right of Attila the Hun” Got appointed by Ronald Reagan to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Helped fund the Iran-Contra scandal! And funded the start of the Heritage Foundation. Died of lymphatic cancer in 2003
Jude Reyes	Net Worth: $12 billion (as of 2024) Source of Wealth: Food Distribution Residence: Palm Beach, FL Amount Donated to the Congressional Leadership Fund in 2022: $4.2 million
Jude Wanniski	The father of supply-side economics, aka trickle down economics.
Judicial Watch	Organization founded by Richard Mellon Scaife that used dark money to go after the Clintons since the 1990s. Part of the “vast right-wing conspiracy” that Hillary accurately described during the 2016 presidential campaign she so tragically lost to a boorish fake billionaire who cares for nothing and no one but himself.
Ken Griffin	Ken Griffin, a hedge-fund billionaire known for his growing involvement in Republican politics, ranks as the third largest political donor among billionaires. During the 2022 federal election cycle, Griffin contributed a substantial $66 million. His donations include significant amounts to both the Senate Leadership Fund and the Congressional Leadership Fund. Additionally, after relocating from Chicago to Florida, Griffin, a known adversary of Democratic Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, invested $50 million in Richard Irvin’s unsuccessful GOP primary bid for the Illinois governorship. Net Worth: $29.8 billion Source of Wealth: Hedge Funds Residence: Miami, FL
Ken Langone	Koch donor and billionaire founder of Home Depot.
Kenneth Copeland	Televangelist in the charismatic movement / New Apostolic Reformation.
Kevin Crutchfield	CEO of Alpha Natural Resources and a Koch network dark money donor.
Kevin Roberts	Heritage Foundation president and CNP board of governors members.
Larry Arnn	Son of a Phillips Petroleum employee and President of Hillsdale College.
Larry Ellison	Larry Ellison is a prominent figure in the tech industry, best known as the co-founder, executive chairman, and chief technology officer of Oracle Corporation, a leading American multinational computer technology corporation. Ellison has been a major player in the tech world since the 1970s and is recognized for his substantial contributions to the development of database software and technology. Ellison has also been known for his support of the Republican Party (GOP) in the United States. He gave over $31 million to GOP organizations in the 2022 midterms.
Leonard Leo	Head of the Federalist Society, a powerful Washington insider organization connected to numerous American oligarchs seeking outsized influence on American politics and policy in their favor — including providing the list of SCOTUS nominees to Republican presidents.
Lisa Nelson	Works for ALEC and has presented election denialism strategies to CNP and others.
Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation	Right-wing foundation that has donated to the CNP, ALEC, Claremont Institute and John Eastman, the Heritage Foundation, and the Public Interest Legal Foundation chaired by Cleta Mitchell.
Mark Meckler	Tea Party activist and cofounder of the right-wing group Convention of States which is pushing to rewrite the Constitution.
Massey Energy	Mining company that faced criminal charges for conspiring to violate federal mine safety standards under CEO Don Blankenship. Later bought by Alpha Natural Resources for $7.1 billion. ANR’s CEO, Kevin Crutchfield, is another Koch donor.
Michael Joyce	Executive Director of the John M. Olin Foundation in its early days, he leapt to the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and moved to Milwaukee in 1985. He stepped down in 2001 amid charges of alcoholism and erratic behavior, to die powerless and in obscurity a few years later.
Michael Smith	Billionaire founder of the natural gas giant Freeport LNG. He’s donated over $5 million to Mitch McConnell‘s SuperPAC, the Senate Leadership Fund.
Mike Flynn	Disgraced former NSA who was fired by both Obama and Trump who led the charge with Sidney Powell to try and seize voting machines, declare martial law, and otherwise use underhanded and/or illegal tactics to stay in power despite the people’s will.
Mike Lindell	MyPillow CEO and Trump bestie who continues to push The Big Lie and make outrageous claims at right-wing events around the country.
Mike Pence	Vice President under then-President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2021.
Mike Pompeo	Trump’s CIA Director, then (absurdly) Secretary of State. Back in 2009, worked with other Republicans to shut down DHS’s report warning about an impending rise in racist violence, saying it was “dangerous” to track homegrown violence.
Millie Hallow	Member of the Council for National Policy Executive Committee as of 2022
Miriam Adelson	Widow of the late Sheldon Adelson, casino mogul and notorious GOP donor. She has become a casino magnate in her own right after the death of her husband, and continues his largesse towards GOP causes. Net Worth: $28.9 billion Source of Wealth: Casinos Residence: Las Vegas, NV
Morton Blackwell	A co-founder of the CNP and the “godfather of the conservative movement,” Blackwell joined Paul Weyrich and Richard Vaguerie as young Barry Goldwater activists in the 1960s. Blackwell is founder and president of the Leadership Institute, boasted to have trained over 200,000 conservative leaders in its time. He has advocated for abolishing public schools and replacing them with church schools, home schools, and “free-market private schools.” Morton Blackwell Net Worth: Hard numbers don’t seem to be out there but one would have to assume that, as a guy who has been on the dole of the right-wing grift machine for decades, he’s probably not hurting for money.
Murray Rothbard	Austrian school of economics acolyte and associate of Charles Koch, The Cato Institute, the John Birch Society, and other right-wing organizations and players of the time.
Neil Patel	Publisher and co-founder of alt-Right site The Daily Caller with pal Tucker Carlson.
Newsmax	TV network founded in 1998 as an online news site by freelance writer Chris Ruddy with funding from oil and aluminum oligarch Richard Scaife. Many former intelligence and military personnel are either investors or board members — including the family of former CIA Director William Casey. TARGET MARKET: **affluent baby boomers, of average age 55**. Old white people, basically.
Newt Gingrich	Former Speaker of the House and political disruptor who reportedly participated in the efforts to overturn the 2020 election by: * exchanging emails with Trump advisors Jason Miller and Jared Kushner to provide detailed input on the scripting of Big Lie TV ads * involved in the scheme to produce fake electors, continuing to push this plan even on the night of January 6 after the violent attack on the Capitol
Omeed Malik	Donor to GOP candidate snd Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis
Palmer Luckey	$1.4 billion | Virtual Reality | Newport Beach, CA — Silicon Valley billionaire and associate of Peter Thiel and Mark Zuckerberg, now making a living from lucrative government defense contracts at the border.
Pat Robertson	Failed the bar exam and became a Southern Baptist pastor instead. ran for president in 1988, losing the Republican nomination to George H. W. Bush who went on to win the general election
Patrick Byrne	Former CEO of Overstock.com, Trump supporter, and former boyfriend of Maria Butina!!
Patrick Ryan	Insurer Patrick Ryan donated $10 million to the GOP super PAC Congressional Leadership Fund during the 2022 midterms. Net Worth: $8.5 billion Source of Wealth: Insurance Residence: Winnetka, IL Amount Donated: $10 million
Paul Craig Roberts	An adjunct professor at the Koch-funded George Mason University, Roberts drafted the bill for the first set of Reagan tax cuts.
Paul Dans	Paul Dans and his collaborators at The Heritage Foundation have launched Project 2025, a plan far more ambitious than conservative agendas of the past, including Ronald Reagan‘s. This initiative aims to reverse what they see as a century of progressive dominance in Washington, tracing back to Woodrow Wilson’s era. The project targets the expansive bureaucracy that developed under Roosevelt’s New Deal and Johnson’s Great Society, seeking to drastically reduce the federal workforce of about 2.25 million. Key objectives include defunding or dismantling major government agencies such as the Department of Justice, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Departments of Education and Commerce. They also plan to assert presidential control over semi-independent agencies like the Federal Communications Commission. To ensure the longevity of their conservative vision, the proponents of Project 2025 are focused on reorienting the reduced federal structure towards MAGA conservative principles, with the White House exerting full control. This strategy is inspired by the dubious right-wing “unitary executive theory” of the Constitution, which advocates for complete presidential authority over the federal bureaucracy. Dans has formed a committee dedicated to recruiting “conservative warriors” through various legal and governmental networks. These recruits are intended to be placed in strategic legal positions within the federal government, securing the conservative agenda’s influence for the foreseeable future. Paul Dans Net Worth: It’s unknown, but given his high-level roles in the Trump administration and at the Heritage Foundation, he’s undoubtedly not hurting in the financial department.
Paul Foster	Net Worth: $1.9 billion Source of Wealth: Oil Refining Residence: El Paso, TX Amount Donated: $1 million
Paul Gosar	Worked with Ali Alexander as well as fellow Congressmen Mo Brooks and Andy Biggs to plan the January 5 & 6 rally preceding the insurrection attack on the Capitol to stop the Electoral College vote count by Congress. Has been disowned by his own family, who warns against his dangerous behavior.
Paul Manafort	Paul Manafort, a political consultant with a career marked by his advisory roles to both Republican campaigns in the United States and controversial foreign leaders, has been a significant figure in American and international politics. Manafort’s work extended beyond the U.S., advising pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine among others. His involvement in these activities became a focal point during his role as Donald Trump‘s campaign chairman in 2016, leading to his entanglement in the investigation into Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election. Manafort’s partnership with notorious Nixon “dirty trickster” Roger Stone, dating back to their work on Ronald Reagan‘s presidential campaign, led to the creation of a lobbying firm known for representing authoritarian regimes, earning it the nickname “Torturer’s Lobby.” This firm was criticized for its ethically dubious practices and its role in enhancing the global reputation of dictatorial clients. Their professional endeavors, characterized by a penchant for luxury and influence in high-profile political campaigns, culminated in legal challenges, with both men being convicted for activities related to their work during the 2016 presidential campaign. In 2017, Manafort faced indictment on charges including conspiracy against the United States and money laundering, resulting in a conviction on eight counts and a guilty plea to two additional charges. He was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison but was later transferred to home confinement in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This legal outcome highlighted the controversial nature of Manafort’s career, bridging domestic political strategy with international advisory roles that have drawn widespread scrutiny and criticism.
Paul Singer	Hedge fund investor Paul Singer gave more than $4 million to the GOP Super PAC Congressional Leadership Fund during the 2022 midterm election cycle.
Paul Weyrich	Republican powerbroker who joined forces with Jerry Falwell Sr. in the 1970s to launch the first incarnation of the modern right wing we know today through the founding of Weyrich’s Heritage Foundation in 1973 and Falwell’s Moral Majority in 1979 and . A fundamentalist Catholic, he rejected the liberal reforms of Vatican II and converted to the Eastern Orthodox sect of Catholicism. Founder of: * The Heritage Foundation * American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) * Republican Study Committee * The Weyrich Lunch Paul Weyrich Net Worth: Hard numbers seem hard to come by, but one reference point we do have is the $250,000 that Joseph Coors put up to start the Heritage Foundation. In today’s dollars that would be almost $2 million, and Weyrich would have been deciding what to pay himself. I doubt he was poor.
Penny Nance	Member of the Council for National Policy Executive Committee as of 2022.
Peter Navarro	Blabbed details about the coup at length to Ari Melber on January 4, 2022 live on air — it was amazing; called it the “Green Bay Sweep.” Also spouted nonsense conspiracy theories about George Soros. Later, Mr Navarro was indicted for contempt of Congress and later arrested while at the airport attempting to board a flight.
Peter Thiel	“Recent reports suggest Thiel was the most influential voice in Facebook’s decision to allow politicians to lie in ads on its platform. What Thiel believes now is likely to influence the next generation of conservative and libertarian thinkers.” Tech billionaire and German immigrant who is against immigrants, and pro-Nazi disinformation online. Wrote “The Diversity Myth?” and a navel-gazing paean to Ayn Randian “heroic figures” like himself, hailing them as kings, figures of ancient mythology, and godlike creatures without which we’d barely muddle by.
Philip Anschutz	Colorado oil and entertainment billionaire founder of Qwest Communications. Fortune Magazine dubbed him the “greediest executive” in 2002.
Philip Morris	Tobacco tycoon and owner of one of the companies responsible for obscuring smoking’s link to cancer for almost half a century, via the Tobacco Industry Research Committee (TIRC) and other organizations.
Project 2025	Project 2025, spearheaded by Paul Dans and other political operatives within The Heritage Foundation, represents a bold and expansive right-wing agenda aiming to reshape the federal government. At its core, the project seeks to reverse a century of what its proponents view as progressive influence, beginning with Woodrow Wilson’s creation of a federal administrative structure and extending through Roosevelt‘s New Deal and Johnson’s Great Society. The plan involves a drastic reduction of the federal workforce, which currently numbers approximately 2.25 million. Key actions include defunding or dismantling major agencies such as the Department of Justice, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Departments of Education and Commerce. Furthermore, Project 2025 aims to centralize presidential control over semi-independent agencies like the Federal Communications Commission. The underlying goal of Project 2025 is to establish a long-lasting Republican influence within the U.S. federal structure, ensuring it aligns with MAGA values and remains under direct White House control. This initiative draws inspiration from the dubious “unitary executive theory” of the Constitution, advocating for complete presidential authority over the federal bureaucracy. To implement this vision, Dans has initiated a recruitment drive to enlist what he calls “conservative warriors.” These individuals are being sourced from legal and governmental networks, including bar associations and state attorney general offices, with the intention of placing them in pivotal legal positions across the federal government. This strategy is designed to cement the conservative agenda within the federal bureaucracy, influencing policy and governance for years to come.
Rand Paul	Obstinate Libertarian Senator from Kentucky. Failed Presidential hopeful following in the footsteps of his father, failed presidential hopeful Ron Paul. Both friends of Russia and acolytes of the Tea Party.
Rebekah Mercer	Heiress and Republican political donor who funded Breitbart News, right-wing social media network Parler, and other right-wing media and social media outlets and platforms. Daughter of GOP megadonor and hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer — both members of the CNP.
Reince Priebus	CNP Gold Circle member, former RNC chair, and Donald’s Trump‘s first Chief of Staff during his presidency.
Richard DeVos Sr.	Co-founder of Amway, the Michigan-based MLM empire, who pleaded guilty to defrauding the Canadian government out of $22 million in 1982. He was the father of Dick DeVos, father-in-law of Betsy DeVos, and uncle-in-law of Erik Prince.
Richard Farmer	Chairman of the Cintas Corporation in Cincinnati, the nation’s largest uniform supply company. Legal problems against him included an employee’s gruesome death thanks to violating safety laws. Koch network donor.
Richard Fink	Political advisor to Charles Koch.
Richard Gilliam	Head of Virginia coal mining company Cumberland Resources, and Koch network donor.
Richard Graber	CEO of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and a member of the board of governors of the CNP.
Richard Mellon Scaife	Wealthy scion of the Andrew Mellon fortune and a key player in the right-wing paranoid conspiracy in his day.
Richard Uihlein	Conservative Republican who inherited the Schlitz Beer fortune. After the 2010 Citizens United ruling, Richard and his wife Elizabeth grew to become the Republican party‘s biggest donors in the 2018 mid-term elections, including big donations to Christian nationalist and credibly accused pedophile Roy Moore.
Richard Viguerie	Richard Viguerie, born on September 23, 1933, is a 90-year-old American conservative strategist known for pioneering political direct mail and founding American Target Advertising, Inc., which has raised over $7.7 billion for clients. Richard Viguerie Net Worth: While his exact net worth is not publicly available, Viguerie has built significant financial success through his business model, which often involves commissions on fundraising efforts, and he remains active as the chairman of ConservativeHQ.com
Right Side Broadcasting Network	A Trump-only streaming C-SPAN that gets shut down repeatedly.
Robert LeFevre	LeFevre was a follower of the “I AM” cult circa 1936 to 1940. He and one Pearl Diehl wrote a book in 1940 of their experiences in the organization called “I AM” – America’s Destiny (Twin City House, St. Paul, Minnesota). LeFevre told how one day, when he was in the radio station studio, he was struck by the Great I AM presence, who spoke to him personally. LeFevre also claimed a number of supernatural experiences: driving a car while asleep for over twenty miles without an accident (this was accomplished with the help of his “Higher Mental Body”), leaving his physical body for a trip through the air to Mount Shasta, and seeing Jesus.
Robert Maxwell	Media magnate and father of Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein‘s partner in crime
Robert Mercer	Hedge fund manager, billionaire GOP donor, and father of Rebekah Mercer.
Roger Milliken	Anti-union textile tycoon who kept the Freedom School afloat for many years. teaching its virulent brand of Libertarianism.
Roger Stone	Nixon’s consummate “dirty trickster” who shows up to do evil again and again at pivotal moments in political history, including the Brooks Brothers riot that led ultimately to George W. Bush prevailing in the 2000 election, as well as pro-Trump shenanigans in 2016, 2020, and 2022 including playing a key role in planning the January 6 coup and insurrection.
Ron Johnson	Right-wing Wisconsin Senator who married into his wealth and has been known to spout Russian propaganda.
Ronald Lauder	Heir to the Estée Lauder cosmetics fortune. Lauder, who had been a longtime supporter of Trump, has also indicated that so far, he will not back Trump’s 2024 White House run.
Ronald Reagan	Actor and GM spokesman who courted Evangelicals and “stole” them from Carter, making him a one-term president.
Roxanne Phillips	Member of the Council for National Policy Executive Committee as of 2022
Rudy Giuliani	Former “America’s mayor” of NYC who later debased himself in service to Trump, including getting himself disbarred in at least 2 jurisdictions.
Rupert Murdoch	Australian-American Billionaire owner of Fox News.
Scott Walker	Former Republican Governor of Wisconsin and CNP board member.
Sheldon Adelson	Hotel tycoon, Koch network donor, and huge Trump backer up until his death. He is survived by his wife Miriam, who carries on the family traditional of taking from the poor to give to the rich. He was the founding chairman and chief executive of the Vegas Sands Corporation, the largest gambling company in the world.
Stephen Schwarzman	Stephen Schwarzman, CEO of Blackstone and a well-established GOP supporter, is listed among the top five billionaire donors. For the 2022 midterm elections, Schwarzman contributed more than $33 million, primarily to two Republican Congressional super PACs. Net Worth: $29.1 billion Source of Wealth: Investments Residence: New York, NY
Steve Bannon	Former advisor to Donald Trump who fleeces Trump supporters for money for a fake Wall project, tries to overthrow the government, and raises bail for Enrique Tarrio, among other despicable things. Charged with: * Contempt of Congress * felony money laundering (NY) * felony conspiracy (NY) * felony scheme to defraud (NY)
Steve Mnuchin	Trump’s Secretary of the Treasury
Steve Wynn	Casino mogul and tax cheat who donates millions to the GOP every year.
Ted Cruz	Republican Senator from Texas. * His father is Rafael Cruz, a pastor in the Christian charismatic movement and 7 Mountains Dominionist. * Married to Heidi Nelson since 2001, with two daughters (Caroline & Catherine) * Ran for president in 2016 but lost the Republican nomination to Donald Trump * born Dec 1970 * got caught flying to Cancun during the Feb 2021 winter storm that left millions of Texans freezing and without power.
The Leadership Institute	Claimed in a 2018 YouTube promo video by Mike Pence that the organization had trained 185,000 activists, operatives, and elected officials since forming in 1979 under Morton Blackwell, Paul Weyrich, and Richard Viguerie.
Thomas Tull	Net Worth: $2.8 billion Source of Wealth: Movies, Investments Residence: Pittsburgh, PA Amount Donated to the Congressional Leadership Fund in 2022: $850,000
Timothy Mellon	Banking heir Timothy Mellon contributed over $10 million to the GOP super PAC Congressional Leadership Fund during the 2022 midterms.
Tom Fitton	President of Judicial Watch and a known Trump bootlicker. Reportedly gave TFG the “advice” to not return any classified documents to the US government that he stole away to Mar-a-Lago. Fitton is the new President of the Council for National Policy (CNP) as of 2022. Donald Trump appointed him to the DC Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure, where he is slated to continue serving through 2025.
Tom McInerny	Private equity investor who has donated heavily to the GOP, including the RNC, Kevin McCarthy, Paul Ryan, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, and Tim Scott.
Vladimir Putin	President and de facto dictator of Russia.
Warren Stephens	Net Worth: $3.2 billion Source of Wealth: Investment Banking Residence: Little Rock, AR Amount Donated to the Congressional Leadership Fund in 2022: $2.5 million
Wendy Gramm	Economist and Director at Enron; wife of Senator Phil Gramm (TX).
Wilbur Ross	Former US Secretary of Commerce under Donald Trump.
William Voegeli	Program officer at the Olin Foundation from 1988 to 2003.
William Walton	President of the CNP