Jake Johnson
01/05/23
(Common Dreams) Why is a billionaire-funded super PAC aligned with Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy playing a role in talks over who will become the next speaker of the House? Democratic lawmakers and campaign finance watchdogs raised that question Wednesday after the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) and the Club for Growth—another right-wing organization bankrolled by billionaires—announced a deal under which CLF won’t spend any money on “open-seat primaries in safe Republican districts,” a key demand of McCarthy opponents who felt their preferred candidates have been snubbed by the deep-pocketed super PAC. “Interesting that an independent super PAC that isn’t supposed to coordinate with members of Congress comes to an agreement to benefit a specific member of Congress,” responded Adam Smith, action fund director of End Citizens United.