Heartland Using Document Leak As Excuse For Fundraiser For Its "Legal Defense Fund"
The Heartland Institute is trying to raise money to go after environmentalists and the media for the widespread distribution of documents purported to be its internal budget, fundraising and strategy plans.
A spokesman for the Chicago-based libertarian group said President Joseph Bast sent an email to donors Wednesday soliciting funds as it considers civil and criminal prosecution against the person who originally obtained the materials, as well as blogs and publications that later published them.
features a request for money related to the leaks, which included the group's plan to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors like the Charles G. Koch Foundation and the creation of new school curriculum questioning climate change science. "Heartland Fights Back. Left-wing groups commit fraud, but we’re fighting back! Join our legal defense fund to remove false and defamatory materials and prosecute the true criminals," the site said, with a link to a form suggesting donations of $25 to $5,000 or more for a “Legal Defense Fund.”
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Ross Rice, an FBI special agent in the Chicago field office, said Thursday that "nothing has been reported to our office" from the Heartland Institute. After reviewing some of the media reports, Rice added, "It would appear that the items were given to outsiders under false pretenses as opposed to a breach of their IT system or theft. As such, there would be no legal basis for us to investigate," Rice said.
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Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/73002.html#ixzz1mfFlDkMO
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http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/73002.html
