Politico Exposes Democrats’ Dark Money Ties, Tries to Erase It SIX HOURS Later

Washington, D.C. – The Bat Phone from Democrat Senate offices to Politico HQ was working overtime today. 

This morning, Politico ran a story entitled “Dems Downplay Influence of ‘Dark Money’ Judicial Group in KBJ Confirmation.”  The story centered around the liberal group Demand Justice, a dark money organization that long supported the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson. The piece featured quotes from Sens. Corry Booker and Tim Kaine downplaying and feigning ignorance about the group after years of lambasting outside Republican organizations that support conservatives to the court. 

Six hours after the story was published, the story was completely rewritten under the guise of an “update,” and the headline was changed to “Jackson defends sentencing record, parries Supreme Court expansion questions.”  

We at the NRSC were unaware that there was an ink shortage at Politico and multiple stories on a Supreme Court hearing is too much. 

But just because a news outlet dropped the ball, we are here to pick it up. The truth is, Democrats have a long and cozy history with Demand Justice, including the previous stars of Politico’s old story.

Tim Kaine

NOW: “Remind me who they are again?’ asked Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) ‘I can see why Republicans would want to try to create some big bad wolf, but they’re not that big and they’re not that bad. And I don’t think that they’re wolves.’” (Politico, 3/22/22)

THEN: “Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said he likes Fallon and that Demand Justice provides senators ‘very good data’ about the quality of the Trump judicial nominees…” (Politico, 10/2/19)

Cory Booker

NOW: “I honestly don’t know that much about them,” said Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “If you pick the ACLU, or the [Center for American Progress] those are groups that we’ve worked with. They’re not to us what the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society are to” Republicans.

THEN: Speaks at a Demand Justice rally opposing a Trump judicial nominee. (June 2018)

Chuck Schumer

Participates in livestream discussion with John Legend and Brian Fallon of Demand Justice to discuss a Biden judicial nomination. (12/2/21, Demand Justice)

Amy Klobuchar

Speaks at Our Courts Our Rights Presidential Forum hosted by Demand Justice in Concord, NH on 2/19/20

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