One of the more interesting things about the Clinton Foundation is that it it subject to quaint little laws that force it to be more transparent about its dealings than, say, the dark money organizations that have sprung up alongside our judicial system's general retreat from the corruption arena.
And outside groups like Super PACs and "dark money" organizations that don't disclose their donors are continuing to increase in importance (about $1.3 billion in election spending so far this year, and still growing).
For another, some portion of Mercer's spending probably went to "dark money" organizations, nonprofit groups that aren't required to publish their donor lists but can spend money on political activity.
We tallied up the funding they've received from just four entities since the late 90's: the Koch Brothers' various foundations, ExxonMobil, and the two Dark Money organizations, Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund.
These dark money organizations, which are registered with the IRS as "social welfare" groups, are legally allowed to do direct political lobbying as long as it is not their primary purpose.
Even as top Democrats denounce Charles and David Koch's political "dark money" organizations, party operatives have built a secretive nonprofit network of their own — albeit a much smaller one — to advance liberal policies and win votes.
"It is no surprise that Rep. Blackburn would welcome the support of a dark money organization like Citizens United," said Mary Mancini, chairwoman of the Tennessee Democratic Party, in a statement Wednesday.
It gave another $2.5 million to Illinois Policy Action, a dark money organization that supports conservative policies in Illinois.
According to an expose from the Sunlight Foundation, late last year a pro-Hillary "dark money" organization acquired a website called Blue Nation Review (BNR).
The Kentucky Opportunity Coalition is an example of a dark money organization that does not have to reveal its donors.
