America First Legal
America First Legal (AFL) is a right-wing litigation center launched by Stephen Miller, senior advisor for policy and White House director of speechwriting to former President Donald Trump. AFL officially received 501(c)3 tax-exempt status from the IRS in February 2021.[1]
AFL was created to "help organize Republican attorneys general against perceived executive branch abuses in addition to filing lawsuits of its own, according to six people familiar with the planning," Politico reported.[2]
Contents
News and Controversies
AFL Co-Launches Center for Legal Equality
AFL joined forces with the Conservative Partnership Institute and Turning Point USA in creating the Center for Legal equality, which serves to "identify and defend victims of the Left's equity racket." In an email announcing the new project, CPI Chair Jim DeMint wrote, "AFL is going to sue them, depose them, expose them, and bankrupt every organization that continues this racist, sexist, unconstitutional, illegal discrimination. They will drag liberal elites kicking and screaming into court and then into compliance with the law."[3]
Conservative Partnership Institute Touts Role in Founding of AFL
In its 2021 Annual Report, the Conservative Partnership Institute touted the founding of AFL to fight the Left and push back against the Biden administration. "Stephen Miller, Gene Hamilton, and CPI's Mark Meadows created AFL to fight the radical Left's unconstitutional and unlawful actions using the same tactics the Left has used for years-FOIA requests, challenges to regulations, and lawfare in the federal courts," the report states.[4]
"In 2021, the America First Legal Foundation gave the 234 new federal judges appointed by Donald Trump the chance to finally hold Washington accountable to the rule of law," the annual report claims.[4]
Funding
America First Legal is not required to disclose its funders. Major funders for the America First Legal Foundation, however, were found through a search of IRS filings. Here are the known funders:
- Appreciation of Earth and Animal Foundation: $10,000 (2021-2022)
- Bell Charitable Foundation: $40,000 (2020-2021)
- Bradley Impact Fund: $301,821 (2021)
- Conservative Partnership Institute: $1,334,105 (2021)
- Convention of States Foundation: $10,000 (2021)
- DonorsTrust: $25,000 (2021)
- Do Right Foundation: $4,000 (2021)
- Dunn Foundation: $100,000 (2022)
- Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund: $5,038,350 (2021)
- Ging Foundation: $2,500 (2021)
- Goldman Sachs Charitable Gift Fund: $25,000 (2021)
- Jack Taylor Family Foundation: $40,000 (2021-2022)
- Jackson Howard Foundation: $50,000 (2021)
- Jewish Communal Fund: $5,036 (2021)
- Lawrence and Sandra Post Family Foundation: $5,000 (2021)
- Leandro P. Rizzuto: $75,000 (2021-2022)
- Levin Family Charitable: $5,000 (2021)
- McCarthy Family Charitable Foundation: $1,000 (2021)
- Michnal Foundation: $1,000 (2020)
- Natysin Family Foundation: $2,000 (2021)
- Taubman Foundation for the Arts: $75,000 (2021-2022)
- Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program: $12,500 (2021)
- Whitmire Family Charitable Foundation: $4,000 (2021)
- Woodward Foundation: $1,000 (2022)
Core Financials
2021[5]
- Total Revenue: $6,388,442
- Total Expenses: $2,150,423
- Net Assets: $4,238,019
Grants Distributed
- Ethics and Public Policy Center: $25,000
- Texas Public Policy Foundation: $177,500
Personnel
Staff
AFL doesn't list its staff on its website. A google search on April 12, 2022 turned up the following:[6]
- Maigan Anderson, Case Coordinator
- Nicholas Barry, Attorney
- Adrienne Price, Chief Development Officer
- Ian Prior, Senior Advisor
- Reed D. Rubinstein, Senior Counselor and Director of Oversight and Investigations
- Tyler Sanderson, Counsel
Board of Directors
As of April 2022:[7]
- Stephen Miller
- Mark Meadows
- Matthew Whitaker
- Russ Vought
- Gene Hamilton
- Ed Corrigan
- Wesley Denton
Contact Information
America First Legal
611 Pennsylvania Ave SE #231
Washington, DC 20003
Phone: 414-319-7053
Twitter: https://twitter.com/america1stlegal
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/americafirstlegal
Articles and Resources
IRS Form 990 Filings
2021 990
Tax-Exempt Application
1023 Filing
References
- ↑ IRS, IRS Final Letter, IRS, September 30, 2021.
- ↑ Gabby Orr, Stephen Miller to launch a new legal group to give Biden fits, Politico, March 26, 2021.
- ↑ Jim DeMint, Equity Racket, "CPI", July 22, 2022.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Conservative Partnership Institute, [1], CPI, 2022.
- ↑ America First Legal Foundation, 2021 IRS form 990, organizational tax filing, November 15, 2022.
- ↑ Google,Search of LinkedIn.com for 'America First Legal', Google, April 12, 2022.
- ↑ America First Legal, About. America First Legal, accessed April 12, 2022.
