Congresswoman Claudia Tenney Again Presses Partisan Center for Tech and Civic Life to Disclose Information on Election Interference
Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22), co-chair of the House Election Integrity Caucus, today sent a follow-up letter to Tiana Epps-Johnson, Executive Director of the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), seeking the immediate release of financial records from the left-leaning non-profit that distributed more than $350 million in private funds to Democratic-leaning election precincts during the 2020 election.
Tenney introduced the End Zuckerbucks Act after learning that during the 2020 cycle, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg funneled $350 million through CTCL to Boards of Elections without accountability or oversight from state legislatures or local governments. Tenney’s legislation, which has 19 cosponsors including Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, would shore up the integrity of American elections by prohibiting private 501(c)(3) tax exempt organizations from providing direct funding to official public election organizations in the future.
Tenney first sent a letter to CTCL in June 2021, requesting this information after news of the organization’s election interference operations was exposed. That letter was joined by 12 members.
“The American people are deeply concerned over how last year’s elections were conducted. Many questions remain unanswered after state legislatures across the nation hurriedly implemented changes to election rules, creating an unprecedented storm of chaos leading up to election day. At the forefront of this chaos is the undue and unprecedented partisan influence exerted by outside organizations like CTCL, much of which remains opaque,” Tenney said.
A signed copy of the letter can be found here and complete text is below.
On June 21 of this year, 13 of my House Colleagues joined me in sending you a letter regarding the ways in which the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL) distributed more than $350 million to election officials throughout the 2020 election cycle. Unfortunately, we have not yet received a reply to our inquiry, despite the passage of over five months. CTCL’s practices in our nation’s elections have been the subject of broadly shared concern and the need for transparency into the organization’s activities cannot be disregarded.
As you well know, many of the American people share deep worries over how last year’s elections were conducted. Many questions remain unanswered after state legislatures across the nation hurriedly implemented changes to election rules, creating an unprecedented storm of chaos leading up to election day. At the forefront of these is potential influence exerted by outside organizations, including CTCL, much of which remains opaque.
In my previous letter, I highlighted the lack of transparency and accountability from CTCL. To date, while anecdotal information has emerged, Congress and the American people still do not know where the organization’s massive amounts of grant money were funneled and on what activities and operations they supported. I am disheartened in your lack of openness, and the absence of a response to my previous inquiry only leads me to question why that is.
As mentioned in the June 21, 2021, letter, CTCL is legally obligated, as a registered 501(c)(3) organization, to publish its financial 990s for public review. I am following up today to request that you make these records available immediately. With the end of the year quickly approaching, and another election season forthcoming, it is critical that Congress and our constituents receive these answers to understand how outside groups are influencing elections.
Voting is one of our most sacred rights as Americans, and I strongly oppose efforts to erode this right, either by overreaching federal legislative efforts, or by affording outside organizations, like CTCL, undue influence over government agencies.
I would appreciate a reply to this letter no later than December 22, 2021. I look forward to your prompt attention to this matter.