End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller issued the following statement on a report from Politico Influence detailing how Mike Rogers took $500,000 from dark money groups to advance a corporate agenda—after previously deriding dark money groups:
“Mike Rogers embodies the very worst of Washington hypocrisy. After decrying the lack of disclosure from dark money groups, he turned around and shamelessly lined his own pockets with over half a million dollars from shadowy special interests to push a corporate agenda. This isn’t new for Florida Man Mike Rogers. Throughout his time in office, he took $5 million from corporate PACs and voted to advance their interests, like securing tax handouts to Big Oil and protecting Big Pharma’s ability to gouge Michiganders on prescription drugs. Michigan families deserve someone who stands by their principles and can’t be bought, not someone who will sell their soul for a payday.”
Politico Influence: 500 Gs to deregulate 5G
Daniel Lippman
10/03/24
Key sections:
FIRST IN PI — 500K TO DEREGULATE 5G: Mike Rogers, the Republican running for Senate in Michigan, several years ago received more than a half million dollars from two dark money groups that were in favor of a deregulatory policy on 5G that he advocated in press hits and op-eds, Daniel reports.
— In 2020, the former representative was announced as the chair of 5G Action Now, a group that was urging the Federal Communications Commission to move faster on approving fifth-generation wireless technology. He warned that China was going to be the leader in 5G unless government agencies removed barriers to 5G implementation. Rogers was paid $225,000 by the coalition in 2020, according to a 990 form from the organization seen by POLITICO.
— 5G Action Now described itself as a “501(c)4 advocacy organization that works to educate members of Congress and the American people” about the issue but did not disclose its donors. Rogers declined to tell the Washington Post back in 2020 who was funding the effort but said he expected the group to release more details soon.
— While the group never released its donors, Intelsat, a global satellite provider, was a primary backer of the group, a person directly familiar with the matter told PI. 5G Action Now was pushing for an outcome that Intelsat had a direct financial stake in, allowing a quick sale of its C-band spectrum for 5G. In 2020, Rogers also defended Intelsat’s financial status when asked how its bankruptcy affected the terms of any spectrum sale.
— He was also paid $380,000 by another dark-money group called Keeping America Safe, according to the organization’s 2021 and 2022 990s seen by POLITICO. The 501(c4) group called itself a “coalition of local and state public safety organizations, businesses, and concerned citizens across the nation” that wanted to encourage innovation and investment in wireless networks as well as provide spectrum to wireless providers to make sure that consumers and public safety officials had access to “high-speed, next-generation wireless services.”
— Rogers and his wife also launched a group called Leadership to Ensure the American Dream, which described its top activity as “strategic media placements” and was used by Rogers to message-test his political principles. The group, which didn’t disclose its donors, received more than a million dollars in donations in 2021 and 2022, according to its 990. Rogers didn’t end up running for president.
— Rogers previously said in 2012 that “we ought to get back to full disclosure” when asked about nonprofits funding advertising in the presidential race. “You have no idea where the money is coming from. None. I think that’s wrong.”
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