Americans for Public Trust, a conservative watchdog group, has lodged a complaint with Missouri’s attorney general, urging an investigation into whether the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation and Stop the Ban have breached Missouri’s Anti-Foreign Influenced Voting Act.
The ACLU Foundation is set to receive a $2 million unrestricted grant from the Oak Foundation, based in Switzerland, to be implemented over two years beginning in 2025. This comes after reports revealed that the ACLU donated $500,000 to Stop the Ban, a political committee opposing a Missouri ballot initiative aimed at banning most abortions in the state.
Missouri has enacted legislation to prevent foreign funds from influencing its political landscape, a response, perhaps, to concerns about financial contributions from foreign billionaires to Democratic-aligned nonprofits. In particular, there were scrutinies over Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss, who has been linked to significant financial support for various political efforts.
A spokesperson for the ACLU asserted that the organization adheres to Missouri’s campaign finance laws.
Interestingly, a federal court recently determined that similar laws in Kansas restrict foreign-funded groups from donating to local nonprofits, which then contribute to political committees. This ruling indicates deeper scrutiny beyond mere tracking of financial flows.
The Oak Foundation’s funding comes from British billionaire Alan Parker and his family. According to the complaint, the ACLU’s donation to Stop the Ban, which followed the receipt of Oak’s funding, may be in violation of state law, which aims to guard against foreign influence in ballot measures.
APT’s complaint states that the ACLU Foundation has opened its doors to significant foreign funding and suggests, at the very least, a recklessness regarding compliance with the newly instated law. APT argues that both organizations demonstrate a blatant disregard for the regulation designed to keep foreign contributions out of Missouri politics.
Stop the Ban did not respond to inquiries regarding the allegations set forth by APT. Missouri voters are slated to vote on a constitutional amendment aimed at repealing the state’s 2024 Abortion Rights Amendment, which would allow legislators to restrict access to abortions while permitting exceptions in certain circumstances.
Under Missouri regulations, political committees must certify that they have not received substantial funding from “prohibited sources,” which are defined as contributions from foreign entities aimed at influencing elections.
Additionally, the ACLU has secured millions from charities linked to Wyss, the Swiss billionaire noted earlier. APT is calling on the Missouri Attorney General to investigate the activities around the ACLU Foundation and Stop the Ban in an effort to determine if there have been any violations of state laws concerning foreign influence in voting measures.
APT Executive Director Caitlin Sutherland expressed confidence in the Attorney General’s commitment to curtailing foreign interference, stressing the importance of enforcing similar laws nationwide.
