(Update below)
My friend Jim Hoft tipped me off to an email going around:
On Jun 9, 2015, at 9:25 AM, Jim Hoft <redacted> wrote:
Dana- FYI—
Did you know this group was using your name to raise cash?
Jim
From: Go Mike Flynn
Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2015 8:36 AM
To: redacted
Subject: Candidate wants to raise gas tax – Support the conservative!
The establishment choice for Congress in the special election in Illinois hinted at raising the gas tax if elected. The real conservative is Mike Flynn, a grassroots warrior who worked with Andrew Breitbart. This is a crucial election to beat the insiders with a candidate who will represent We The People!
Friends,
In Illinois the D.C. establishment is attempting to silence the grassroots candidate, Mike Flynn. He is a true outsider who has worked as a journalist for Breitbart.com and is now the lead editor uncovering the ills of Washington and big government. His goal now is to change D.C. from the inside.
Darin LaHood is the establishment candidate and the son of former Congressman and Obama Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, so not a surprise he would believe raising taxes is a good way to run government.
With a candidate as bad as LaHood believed to be the frontrunner it is incumbent upon grassroots conservatives to support Mike Flynn in the low turnout special election next month.
LaHood even collected money from a union-backed group that realizes Mike Flynn would work for the people, not the unions.
Mike Flynn can do more with less money if the grassroots are behind him. He needs the support from Americans tired of politics as usual. We can elect a real conservative activist who has worked his entire life to upend the Washington game.
Mike Flynn needs to know he has the support of true grassroots conservatives. Your contribution of $25, $50, $100, or $250 will fund voter outreach in this election that is crucial to electing Mike Flynn to take on the big government liberals and Republicans!
As an outsider and problem solver Flynn will change Washington, not fit in.
We can't match the establishment choice in money but we can reach the same voters with your help.
Many journalists and websites have started to pay attention to this special election. Conservative star and radio host Dana Loesch endorsed Flynn and is spreading the word about his candidacy.
Dana Loesch Radio:
“I first met Mike Flynn in 2009 at a park in Quincy, Illinois for a tea party rally where we both spoke. It was in the early days when we were still caucusing with other grassroot groups to form the coalitions that would eventually save the House for the GOP and get conservatives in elected seats. He was scowling at some moderate Republican lawmaker who came out in an attempt to snake into grassroots's good graces. We got along instantly.
Flynn became a friend and a compatriot in the cause. Mike Flynn's tolerance for BS is nonexistent, he knows and loathes how DC works, and he views political office like most people view jury duty: a necessity of civics, not a feature of industry. Illinois voters will get a strong, limited government conservative in Mike Flynn, a candidate who has fought, mostly unrecognized, for the cause longer than the tea party movement has been in existence. I would support his candidacy solely to see him argue with people on the House floor, but I endorse him for this seat because there is no one better to serve IL18 than Mike Flynn.”
Dana Loesch is a true conservative hero and her support will help the motivate the grassroots.
Mike Flynn was a friend of Andrew Breitbart just like Dana Loesch and as Editor of one of Breitbart's websites continues the vision of Mr. Breitbart after his untimely death. Flynn could stay in his current job comfortably but has chosen to run for Congress because he wants to change Washington.
He will need the grassroots to support him because the Illinois Republican party and Washington insider groups including unions are working against him. They would rather have the safe candidate with name recognition rather than a candidate who will upset the status quo.
We are supporting this race because Mike Flynn is a real leader, not a politician. The voters need to know they have a choice. It is unacceptable for conservatives to settle for a candidate like LaHood, whose politician father supports Obama's wasteful spending and continued government regulations.
Liberal groups and D.C. Republicans are coming together to stop Mike Flynn from upsetting business as usual. If you are fed up with moderate Republicans that would rather team up with liberals than fight for We The People then Mike Flynn is the candidate. Your contribution of $25, $50, $100, or $250 will support voter outreach to help win this election!
Please also like us on Facebook and share with your friends and family about this great Patriot running for Congress. Thank you.
To Donate By Check:
Defenders of Freedom and Security
Re: Support Mike Flynn
PO Box 2489
Sacramento, CA 95812
I appreciate the kind words, but I have no idea who these people are or their affiliation with Mike Flynn. I've checked with Flynn, the candidate I proudly endorsed in IL18 (they cited this post above), but their campaign is not affiliated with this group. I'm not even sure where the money this group raises goes to or for what it's used. I emailed them around 2:30 central time this afternoon to request that they stop using my name. I have very publicly stated ad nauseam that I emphatically do not believe in donating to groups, that I prefer to donate to candidates directly. There are a lot of groups out there and many times the money goes towards “overhead costs” rather than the candidates. There is a lot of digital ink about things like this.
I reached out:
Begin forwarded message:
From: Dana Loesch
Subject: Use of my name
Date: June 9, 2015 at 2:39:15 PM CDT
To: info@defendersoffreedomandsecurity.com
Cc: Dana Radio
Hi,
I appreciate the kind words, but as I am unfamiliar with your group I’m curious as to how you came to use my name for your fundraising. My friend Jim Hoft forwarded me this email out of concern. I am raising money for Mike Flynn’s campaign directly — not of any other outside group. I only ever exclusively raise money for a candidate’s campaign and am very public in eschewing donations to any group other than a candidate’s campaign. I was not asked for permission before using my name for yours or any other group, only my friend’s campaign directly. I have no assurances that this money raised is going to Mike. Because I was not asked for use of my name and image for your group, I need to ask you to immediately cease using my name to raise funds for your group and to clarify this with an email to your distribution list.
Sincerely,
Dana Loesch
Begin forwarded message:
From: “Jim Hoft” <>
I emailed Dan Backer of DB Capitol Strategies after he responded on Twitter (which was easier than sending my previous email).
Email:
On Jun 9, 2015, at 8:18 PM, Dan Backer wrote:
I wanted to confirm receipt of your email, and that I will review it now and forward it to my client. I was also able to speak to my client briefly, as he was in transit, and will be speaking with him a bit later tonight as well.
My apologies that your earlier email was not timely responded too.
Regards,
Dan Backer, Esq.
DB Capitol Strategies PLLC
On Jun 9, 2015, at 8:32 PM, Dana Loesch wrote:
Appreciated.
I’m curious: Who is your client for this group? What do you do for them? How did they come to using my name in their fundraising emails?
Dana
On Jun 9, 2015, at 8:40 PM, Dan Backer wrote:
My firms’ client is the PAC itself and we take direction from the Treasurer, Adam Stern. We are a law firm, and so I can’t disclose the nature of our engagement, but our firm almost exclusively provides campaign finance and Political Law compliance services to Conservative PACs, Candidates, and other organizations. For example, preparing and filing FEC reports and providing guidance on how to comply with FEC regulations is a very large part of our practice. I am engaging with my client about your concern and will circle back as soon as possible.
Thank you again for reaching out to me about this matter.
Regards,
Dan Backer, Esq.
On Jun 9, 2015, at 8:44 PM, Dana Loesch wrote:
Appreciated, thank you. I look forward to the swift resolution.
Dana
I don't want people donating to a group with whom I am unaffiliated and cannot vouch for with the belief that their doing so helps Mike Flynn or that I support said group. I have no idea if it helps him, but if he doesn't receive the donations in a competitive primary and those donations end up in some PAC's purgatory rather in his campaign war chest for him to use, it hurts him, it doesn't help him. If you want to donate to Mike Flynn and know that he can actually use your donation, do so HERE. I'll update as to the resolution.
*UPDATE: I received this after the above:
On Jun 9, 2015, at 10:04 PM, Dan Backer wrote:
Dear Ms. Loesch,
Thank you for bringing your concerns to me about the email my client, Defenders of Freedom and Security PAC, sent this morning. Let me start by apologizing that your own email inquiry from this afternoon was not more-timely read and responded too. My client informs me that because that email address receives all the “Out of Office” and similar emails in response to what he sends out, it’s not monitored daily. I appreciate your taking the time to reach out to me to share your concerns and allowing me the opportunity to help my client resolve them.
I discussed this with my client, who is deeply apologetic about this situation. There was absolutely no intention to imply any support, authorization, endorsement, or other contact with or from you at all. My client saw no harm in quoting, with citation, the public comments of a public figure that are part of the public political discourse, just as they had previously quoted the National Review with respect to this election (at https://defendersoffreedomandsecurity.activehosted.com/index.php?action=social&chash=839ab46820b524afda05122893c2fe8e.333). My client quoted your public statements – as a prominent Conservative media figure – as part of the overall argument in support Mike Flynn and had every intention of using the modest proceeds of this (and prior/future) emails to engage in this election in support of Mike Flynn. My client is very sensitive that you are unhappy about their having quoted you and, wanting to quickly rectify the situation, suggests the following:
1. The PAC will treat the contributions received in response to this emails as earmarked contributions and forward them in full, without any credit card processing or other fee of any kind, to the campaign, pursuant to the relevant and applicable FEC regulations governing such contributions.
2. The PAC will issue a new email to the same audience clarifying that the earlier email was only quoting you and agreeing with your perspective about Mr. Flynn, and not in any way attempting to indicate you endorsed, supported, authorized, or in any other way had anything to do with the PAC, and apologizing for any confusion that might have been caused.
3. The PAC will never mention your name in email again.
My client hopes this will make up for any concern they may have caused. Please let me know if that would alleviate your concerns, and they will immediately implement this, or please let me know if there is anything else they can do.
As the hour is late, I hope to hear back from you tomorrow and finalize the matter (ideally, before my Twitter completely explodes). Have a good evening.
Regards,
Dan Backer, Esq.
DB Capitol Strategies PLLC
My response:
On Jun 9, 2015, at 10:34 PM, Dana Loesch wrote:
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I’m not sure how you would track donations per that particular email, but if there is a way, I do hope your group makes good on that. All I ever expect from any one or any group is the courtesy of securing consent. I feel the three steps you listed below would make for a good resolution to my concern.
Dana
I'm not sure exactly how they can track contributions to Mike Flynn's congressional campaign by this email, but if there is way, I do hope they follow through and make good on the promise. As I said, cash in competitive primaries can make or break candidates and if ever there was a grassroots warrior of a candidate who would make good on the investment of a donation and a vote, it's Mike Flynn. I appreciate that Backer and whoever is behind this group sought to resolve this quickly; I just wish I didn't have to take to Twitter to move the needle. I also want to remind people to be cautious and discerning with their political donations. A group may sound great, but with some groups there are no guarantees (or records) that the money you donate will ever find its way to the candidate you want to help. We don't need the government to regulate this, we just need to use our heads and do so ourselves.
