What is the Congressional Leadership Fund?
A Democratic candidate alleged Wednesday that a GOP super PAC got ahold of her C.I.A. security clearance application to use for political purposes, according to The New York Times.
Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee in Virginia’s 7th District, said the Congressional Leadership Fund is using the highly sensitive information found in the application to attack her campaign. Spanberger is challenging Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.).
A spokeswoman for the super PAC responded to Spanberger’s accusation saying it had lawfully obtained the application through a Freedom of Information Act request.
The Congressional Leadership Fund is a powerful and influential GOP super PAC that has already raised nearly $100 million for the 2018 election cycle.
The super PAC, which formed in 2011, has rapidly become a major contributor to GOP politicians, closely aligned to House Speaker Paul Ryan.
The Congressional Leadership Fund has raised $96.6 million in 2018 year-to-date, a sizable increase from $51.1 million raised during the 2016 election cycle and $12.6 million raised for 2014 elections.
At this point in the 2018 election cycle, the super PAC has spent $3.2 million supporting Republican candidates and $24.2 million opposing Democratic candidates.
The super PAC’s biggest spend in support of a candidate so far this cycle was $1.2 million supporting Troy Balderson, the Republican who went on to win the hotly contested special election in Ohio’s 12 District.
Congressional Leadership Fund’s biggest spend opposing a candidate was $6.1 million against Jon Ossoff, the Democratic candidate who lost in Georgia’s 6th District in a 2017 special election.
The super PAC’s stated mission is to focus on bringing more Republicans into the U.S. House of Representatives to strengthen the party’s majority, according to the Congressional Leadership Fund’s website.
Corry Bliss is the executive director for both the Congressional Leadership Fund and the American Action Network, a politically active nonprofit focused on center-right policies that doesn’t have to disclose its donors.
Major Republican donors Sheldon and Miriam Adelson have been the leading contributors to the super PAC since its creation. The Adelsons donated $15 million a piece to the super PAC in 2018 and a total of $20 million in 2016.
The Congressional Leadership Fund was also created to oppose Democratic super PACs, like the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and to support former House Speaker John Boehner, according to the super PAC’s website.
