this is breaking news I'm Aaron Burnett in Washington inside the Democratic SWAT team convading the gop's Biden probes when Barack Obama faced a group of House Republicans dead set on digging up dirt about him and his administration he didn't have a whole lot of Bacca the task of Defending his administration on.
A daily basis against GOP investigations from Benghazi to Fast and Furious was largely left to a few Democratic lawmakers and a handful of White House staffers now a more conspiratorial and hard-edged crop of House Republicans is sharpening their investigative knives for President Joe Biden eyeing everything from his handling of the.
Department of Justice to his son's business dealings determined to prevent a rerun of the Obama years top Democrats are standing up a pair of outside groups the Congressional Integrity project and facts first USA and building them for the sole purpose of running aggressive interference for Biden on the barrage of GOP probes from Capitol Hill staffed by.
The Democratic party's masters of the Dark Arts of opposition research and spin the groups are promising to apply bare-knupple tactics in dealing with Republicans their ethos might be best encapsulated by the old Sports cliche the best defense is of good offense first created as an effort to counter biden-related investigations from Senate.
Republicans in 2020 the Congressional Integrity project has retooled ahead of the gop's house takeover the group has deep ties to the White House insiders say it's Rebrand as the leading war room for GOP pushback was the brainchild of Anita Dunn who is perhaps Biden's closest political advisor the group's goal is not only to discredit the GOP.
Investigations but the members running them it's already put out a lengthy dossier for instance attacking the new members of the House oversight committee if they want to play politics with it we're perfectly happy to extract a political price said Brad Woodhouse a veteran Democratic operative on cip's board if they want to talk about.
Somebody's family finances then will investigate their family finances Woodhouse continued if they want to investigate conflicts of interest we'll investigate conflicts of interest facts first USA meanwhile has its own connections to the high echelons of democratic politics It Is spearheaded by David Brock the on-time right-wing.
Crusader who became one of the Democrats fiercest partisan Warriors founding the Oppo research Hub American Bridge and the right-wing media Watchdog Media Matters in an interview Brock told The Daily Beast that facts first which he previously described as a SWAT team to counter GOP probes will carry out so-called rapid response Communications.
And research operations along with polling with a 15 million dollars budget in mind their goal is to be in every news cycle every story where Republicans are making allegations throwing mud Brock said that may include any story involving the president's son hunter in fact Brock has already had a sit-down meeting with the younger Biden ahead of.
Biden's likely 2024 re-election Campaign which Republicans are hoping that their investigations will derail the president and his team are set to enjoy a level of air cover that no incumbent president has ever enjoyed while presidents facing adversarial investigations historically are helped by their allies in Congress and official party organizations CIP and.
Facts first are the first outside organization's purpose Bill to run interference the White House did not respond to a request for comment for this article to Democrats who weathered GOP probes without much help their arrival is a welcome development I'm very jealous this team will have that said Eric Schultz a longtime Obama aide.
Who was his point person in pushing back against the GOP volley the Obama experience of being subjected to Republicans that were completely unhinged likely informed the decision to do this we were on our own said rep Jerry Connolly DVA who served on the oversight committee during the Obama years we effectively fought back but.
Republicans usually got the headlines they wanted there's a strategic reason why these outside organizations could be far more valuable than white house and house Democrats simply hiring more staffers and throwing them at GOP investigations Schultz said when you're inside the administration or in any sort of government role there are a myriad of.
Constraints that you are under when taxpayers pay your salary he said none of those will apply to the outside groups in a statement to The Daily Beast oversight committee chairman James Comer art Kai said Republicans were undeterred by Democratic efforts to counter their investigations Americans deserve transparency from the Biden.
Administration for its self-inflicted crisis but all they are getting is obstruction Commerce said Biden's White House is wasting taxpayer dollars and partnering with radical left-wing groups with the sole mission of stonewalling congressional oversight to hide the truth from the American people many Democrats feel that when it comes to.
Countering a vocal GOP majority and the right-wing media ecosystem that backs them up the more groups that are involved the Mary but the prospect of two well-funded and energetic groups performing similar tasks on top of efforts from official actors in The White House Congress and Democratic party ra ises the risk of turf wars.
Developing or at the very least kickups and headaches due to crossed wires there is a perception that CIP enjoys a sort of preferred status in Biden World though those involved with facts first claim such a term would imply a distinction without a difference Brock said he did not ask for permission to start fax first and made the case there.
Can be more than one operation that is out front responding to GOP probes the reaction has been positive all the way around he said I haven't heard anything other than that Woodhouse declined to comment about facts first in his interview with The Daily Beast the two groups do share quite a lot in common both got busy long before House.
Republicans even organized their committees for weeks CIP has been blanketing reporters inboxes daily with statements articles and reports including its dossier on lawmakers named to the oversight committee its leaders have met with top Hill Democrats as well facts first meanwhile has held press conferences with well-known DC figures.
And has also briefed Democratic lawmakers both groups are immersing themselves in compiling as much potentially damaging information as possible about GOP investigators the process of gathering opposition research is usually let for campaign season when party operatives try to land bombshell stories to sink their Rivals electoral.
Chances many republican lawmakers targeted by these groups who represent safe seats likely have not experienced the other side of that practice we've got foia requests we're going to courthouses doing the traditional opposition research Woodhouse said some of this stuff is out there but some of it's not Woodhouse added that.
Researchers have been learning a lot about Kentucky Commerce home state both groups are organized under the federal tax codes 501 before classification meaning they do not have to disclose their donors both Woodhouse and Brock declined to offer much Beyond vague details about their group's respective funding sources Brock outlined a budget.
Target of 15 million dollars for facts first which includes hiring 10 to 15 full-time staffers and he said an initial 1 million dollars had already been raised he claimed the money came from four high net worth individuals with his close ties to Bill and Hillary Clinton Brock is known as a capable fundraiser who has tapped Democratic big.
Money Players to fuel his various Ventures Woodhouse explained that CIP is aiming to hit a 10 million annual budget with as many as 50 full and part-time staff involved with the effort when asked about cip's funding he said that we raise from individuals and groups and Foundations and we will I'm sure make a run at Labor giving Union support of.
Biden's agenda in 2021 before the organization's retooling it received a 1.5 million dollars Grant from the 1630 fund another 500 and on kafur that has been a critical dark money vehicle for Progressive donors and Power Players as GOP probes ramp up however the two groups portfolios could diverge CIP envisions itself playing a more.
Traditional political role as the 2024 elections near Woodhouse outline plans for the group to hire local staffers working in as many as two dozen swing house districts currently held by Republicans the idea he said is to squeeze these typically more moderate lawmakers by pressuring them over potentially more polarizing steps like.
Focusing on Hunter Biden's laptop Brock's outfit meanwhile may be more likely to go toe-to-toe with Republicans if they chase rabbit holes on more controversial and politically sensitive subjects in the west wing and Beyond The Touch east of which is the president's son it's unclear how exactly House Republicans intend to approach Hunter.
Biden but Hunter's business dealings with foreign entities were seen within the party as so potentially compromising that former president Donald Trump got himself impeached for abusing his power to dig up that dirt for months the GOP Rank and file have threatened to hold the Biden family accountable and some have called for a special committee to.
Be created simply focusing on Hunter's stolen laptop other GOP lawmakers however have sought to pump the brakes perhaps out of a belief that most Americans don't care all that much about the storyline for this part Brock believes that Democrats cannot allow any Republican attack to go unanswered he has been preparing to engage in pitched.
Battle with them on the hunter question while Brock declined to offer details on his conversation with hunter in September he said he left that meeting thinking there's a solid narrative to be told I'm not ready to go there yet he said but when Republicans start in Earnest issuing subpoenas and going to town I'm confident we're going to have a.
Good story to tell still the hunter storyline reflects what may be Democrats Central anxiety in having so much Firepower to train on GOP investigations the thing we have to be careful about in managing said Connolly is we don't unwittingly bring more attention to their narratives than we want want to
