Statement By The Presidential Coalition On Axios-CLC Collaboration
It’s sad and pathetic that Axios would choose to collaborate once again with the
Campaign Legal Center (CLC), a George Soros-funded organization affiliated with ultraleft-wing organizations like ActBlue and the disgraced Southern Poverty Law Center in
an attempt to manufacture a controversy that doesn’t exist. Furthermore, Axios should
be transparent in their reporting and reference the fact that the CLC lists ActBlue,
Soros’s Open Society Foundation and the Southern Poverty Law Center on its website’s
donor page.
CLC and its leadership have a long history of anti-Citizens United bias and are all
political adversaries of Citizens United, its affiliate TPC, David Bossie, and President
Trump. In Citizens United v. FEC, CLC’s President Trevor Potter was lead counsel on
an amicus brief at the U.S. Supreme Court opposing Citizens United’s efforts. Another
CLC director, Seth Waxman, who was U.S. Solicitor General under Bill Clinton, argued
the case on behalf of Senators John McCain and Russ Feingold before the Supreme
Court against Citizens United.
For decades, CLC has opposed Citizens United on virtually every matter in which the
two groups have addressed proposed FEC actions, including matters ranging from the
definitions of key campaign finance terms to the issuance of new regulations in light of
the CU v. FEC decision.
Here are the facts. In the first six months of 2019 - an off election year, TPC has spent
20 percent of its net proceeds on political activities, not 8 percent as the left-wing
collaborators would have you believe.
The Presidential Coalition, like so many other groups, has spent the first six months of
2019 building a $4.3 million war chest to support President Trump’s agenda and to
support conservative candidates at the state and local level.
Those activities have already begun with a $325,000 digital ad buy in seven crucial
battleground states highlighting how President Trump’s accomplishments have returned
America to greatness. This media campaign will expand throughout 2019 as TPC will
spend upwards of $3 million in September, October and November - roughly $1 million
per month - that will include a mix of television, digital and radio ads as well as polling
and direct contributions to state and local candidates.
TPC has also made direct contributions to 30 candidates and political committees at the
state and local level totaling over $148,000 - mostly in the handful of states that will hold
elections in 2019.
The Axios-CLC partnership criticizes TPC for spending too much to find donors, but we
are engaging new people in the political process. We introduce them to candidates they
may not know and educate them about the President’s winning agenda. That is very
valuable both to the donors and to the President.

 TPC is a conservative grassroots organization. Seeking out small-dollar donors is
extremely expensive. Our annual membership dues are only $15, but the postage
stamp to find a donor costs the same whether the donor gives $100 or $15.
Obviously our percentage of fundraising costs would be lower if we sought only large
donors. But finding grassroots support is quite valuable because we are engaging
people who are often overlooked by politicians and enlist them as active supporters of
the President’s agenda.
For the past 15 years the Presidential Coalition, an affiliate of Citizens United, has
existed to educate the American public on the value of having principled conservative
Republican leadership at all levels of government. We look forward to continuing our
important mission.

Statement from the Campaign Legal Center in response to David Bossie:
CLC’s founder and president is a Republican former chairman of the Federal Election
Commission, and CLC holds candidates and public officials accountable without regard
for political affiliation.
In the past two weeks alone, CLC sued the FEC over its dismissal of our 2016
complaint alleging illegal coordination between the Clinton campaign and a Democratic
super PAC, and filed a complaint with the FEC against Democratic presidential
candidate Bill de Blasio’s campaign.