Who Funds Citizens For Sanity?
The question “Who funds citizens for sanity” is often used as a rallying point to promote a cause. This is not an unusual practice, but it has the potential to be misunderstood. A closer look at some of the common misconceptions about how these ad campaigns are funded may shed some light on how they actually work.
America First Legal Foundation
Citizens for Sanity is a political action committee in the United States. The group was formed by three former America First Legal Foundation officials.
The group’s main focus is illegal immigration. But it also focuses on limiting transgender acceptance in schools. And it targets voters in battleground states.
Citizens for Sanity has spent at least $33 million on ads in the last five months. It is the eighth-largest spending group in the country. During the 60 days prior to Election Day, the group has spent $4.4 million on online advertising.
The group has been running controversial advertisements on radio and television, promoting a series of exaggerated claims. They claim that children are being pushed to get gender-affirming surgery or take puberty blockers.
The group’s ad campaign largely concentrated its spending in Nevada and Arizona. Its chief adviser is Ian Prior, a senior advisor at the America First Legal Foundation. He declined to comment on the group’s relationship with the foundation.
The foundation is run by Stephen Miller, a former White House official who helped design Trump’s family separation policy. Miller was later subpoenaed and called a witness in a federal grand jury investigation.
The group has also sued the Loudoun County school superintendent in Virginia for allegedly opposing critical race theory. As the NAACP president, Derrick Johnson asked radio stations not to run an ad from the group.
John Zadrozny
John Zadrozny, the founder of Citizens for Sanity, has worked for anti-immigrant groups. His ties to them extend to the White House, where he served as a special assistant to President Donald Trump on the Domestic Policy Council. He also has connections to the SPLC-identified anti-immigrant hate group FAIR.
Before joining the Trump administration, Zadrozny served as a legislative counsel for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). In November 2019, he was appointed acting chief of staff at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Zadrozny previously served as a deputy chief of staff for Ken Cuccinelli’s office at USCIS. In his former position, he aided in the illegal implementation of the public charge policy.
Zadrozny is now a member of the board of Citizens for Sanity, Inc., a nonprofit group that has been spending millions of dollars on advertising in recent months. The organization’s executives include three former Trump administration officials.
While Citizens for Sanity has not officially disclosed its donors, a document submitted to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) indicates that a number of ex-Trump administration staffers are part of the organization. Among the names listed are Stephen Miller, Kathy Nuebel Kovarik, and Robert Law.
In a recent radio ad for America First Legal, Zadrozny echoes the same sentiments as those who work for the organization. As reported by Open Secrets, he has ties to several anti-immigrant organizations.
Gene Hamilton
Gene Hamilton, the treasurer and vice president of America First Legal Foundation (AFL), is one of the leaders of Citizens for Sanity. The group is an anti-woke organization that aims to take on ‘woke ideologues’ in court, and it is helmed by Stephen Miller, a former White House adviser.
While in the Trump administration, Hamilton played a pivotal role in the administration’s immigration policy. He pushed to keep refugees out and tried to terminate the Deferred Action for Children Arrivals program. However, the program was ultimately ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court. In addition to his position at the Department of Justice, Hamilton also had contacts with many of the nation’s leading anti-immigrant groups.
One of his contacts was the Federalist Society, an influential conservative organization. The Society exerts a great deal of influence on courts. A deposition cited by the New Yorker indicates that Hamilton met with members of the society in January of 2017 to discuss immigration issues.
Another contact involved Maria Espinoza, the founder of the Remembrance Project. The group purported to advocate for victims of undocumented immigrants, but it was also a staunch ally of white nationalist groups.
According to records obtained by American Oversight through FOIA litigation, Hamilton and Miller frequently corresponded during the height of family separation. They agreed to share data. They then maintained communications in subsequent months.
Citizens for Sanity was founded in the year 2022, and it’s associated with the America First Legal Foundation, a group founded by Miller. All three men are former Trump aides who helped enact the administration’s draconian immigration policies.
Billboards
There’s a new player in town, and it’s called Citizens for Sanity. This nonprofit organization has spent millions of dollars on advertising and marketing. Its neo-propaganda campaign is targeting far-Left progressives and the like. One of its signature offerings is a “targeted budget” for the 2022 midterms.
The group is led by former Trump White House aide Stephen Miller. It also has a slew of prominent Republican consultants as advisers. According to a recent report, the company has spent a little over $3 million on social media ads and has been able to amass a few million followers. In a few months, it’s become one of the biggest spenders on the midterms.
The group has made the rounds in several battleground states and has been making headlines with its latest effort, a six-figure television ad campaign. In addition to this, the group has made a splash with a number of Twitter, Facebook, and Google ads. Moreover, the group has been lauded by both Democrats and Republicans for its “pro-Trump” message. Despite this, the group has yet to reveal any funding sources. However, if its past performance is any guide, it’s certainly not going to go unnoticed in the near future.
The group is also notable for its obfuscated efforts to sway elections. Using a combination of dark and light money, the group has bought billboards and placed advertisements in dozens of newspapers across the country. They’ve also run a few television commercials, most notably an ad during the World Series Game 1 on October 28, 2022.
Radio ads
The group Citizens for Sanity is made up of former Trump administration officials and operatives. They have spent $40 million on advertising to elect Republicans.
Those ads have not yet been reported to the Federal Election Commission. However, their radio advertisements have aired across the country. They include a man speaking over ominous music. These ads are owned by a Philadelphia-based company called Audacy.
Citizens for Sanity’s campaign is designed to motivate voters to vote against “extreme” GOP candidates. It also tries to stoke fear among voters.
This year, the group has purchased radio ads that feature a man speaking over ominous songs. One ad accuses President Biden of trying to push children into gender-affirming surgeries. Another ad targets Senator Maggie Hassan.
America First Legal has also purchased ads that sound similar to those from Citizens for Sanity. Their ad campaigns have been running since October. These ad campaigns have been shown in Texas, Michigan, Arizona, and other states.
The radio ads have been airing on Black and Hispanic radio stations. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) president, Derrick Johnson, asked radio stations to stop running them. However, it was reported that some stations had agreed to continue the commercial.
The group has also spent millions of dollars on TV ads. Many of the ads focus on illegal immigration. While some of these ads have been criticized, they have been very effective.
Political ad campaigns
Citizens for Sanity, a shadowy nonprofit group founded by former Trump administration officials, has spent millions of dollars on political ad campaigns. They’re running ads in some of the most contested congressional districts in the country. These ads poke fun at shibboleths on the left, and are focused on a handful of key issues.
The group is run by a board that includes two former Trump administration officials. Among them are Ian Prior and Gene Hamilton. In addition, the ad campaign has teamed up with the America First Legal Foundation, a group that advocates for a potpourri of right-wing proposals.
Citizens for Sanity has already purchased billboard space in a number of major U.S. cities, such as Epping, NH. During a one-week campaign, the billboards garnered 2 million views. Several of the billboards poke fun at transgender issues.
The ad also mentions Rep. Mayra Flores, who represents the 34th Congressional District in 2022. However, Citizens for Sanity hasn’t yet reported any expenditures to the Federal Election Commission.
In an effort to boost their efforts, the ad campaign is releasing a six-figure TV ad blitz this week. It’s also buying local papers in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.
While it’s not clear whether Citizens for Sanity is registered with the Federal Communications Commission or not, the group has been spending millions of dollars on Facebook, Google, and Google AdWords advertisements.