Cash-Strapped FreedomWorks In State Of Financial Disarray The tea party group had to take out a $1 million line of credit, and its fundraising efforts have tanked this year, sources say. FreedomWorks dismisses the accusations as claims made by “bored former employees.” WASHINGTON — The tea party group FreedomWorks has fallen into dire financial straits, and was forced to take out a $1 million line of credit earlier this year, sources close to the organization told BuzzFeed. The conservative nonprofit, which raised more than $40 million in 2012, has brought in less than $10 million this year, according to the sources. And former employees say the group’s rank and file have grown increasingly frustrated with what they view as management’s exorbitant expenditures, including a pricey craft beer bar and fancy Las Vegas hotel rooms that rack up thousands of dollars a night in charges. FreedomWorks spokeswoman Jackie Bodnar did not deny the spending or the debt, but she broadly dismissed the claims as accusations from disgruntled former employees. “Someone has clearly contacted you with the rumors being spread about FreedomWorks, and they are part of a series of baseless attacks from salty former employees who have decided to spend their days spreading lies rather than working to advance the movement,” Bodnar said. “It’s really unfortunate to watch the malice unfold from these nameless accusers who lurk in the shadows of ‘deep background’ interviews.” But six independent sources familiar with FreedomWorks described the organization as one with deeply mismanaged finances, an unclear mission, and what one former employee called a “toxic” work environment that has contributed to low morale and a general rush for the exits. The disarray represents a staggering fall from power for an advocacy group that was widely credited with turning the grassroots fervor of 2010 into a wave election year for Republicans. FreedomWorks — which has been instrumental in getting dozens of federal candidates elected, including tea party darling Sen. Ted Cruz — was described by The New York Times in 2010 as having “done more than any other organization to build the Tea Party movement.” Their early influence was largely manifested in identifying obscure, conservative candidates in races across the country — often in GOP primaries — and channeling volunteers and significant financial resources toward helping them win. FreedomWorks began as a Koch brothers-funded group called Citizens for a Sound Economy, which eventually split into two groups, one of which became FreedomWorks. In recent years, the organization has depended heavily on Dick Stephenson, a major donor in Illinois…….
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 01:41:58 +0000
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