Arizona Political Nonprofit Group Reveals Donors are All Other Nonprofits

A group at the center of a political scandal was forced to reveal donors

Citizens United has struck again. This time an obscure Arizona nonprofit organization is in the middle of a legal battle over $11 million in secret political contributions and fighting not to reveal its donors.

On Monday the group released the identity of its contributors, but none of them were people; they were all other nonprofit political organizations.

The LA Times reports that the Arizona group, Americans for Responsible Leadership, revealed that money was passed from Americans for Job Security to the Center to Protect Patient Rights to Americans for Responsible Leadership, according to state authorities. From there, the money was sent to a California campaign committee fighting Gov. Jerry Brown's tax-hike plan, Proposition 30, and pushing a separate ballot measure to curb unions' political influence, Proposition 32.

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The Fair Political Practices Commission has been attempting to audit the group to determine whether it is improperly hiding the identities of its donors. It looks like the group is going to try to take its fight not to reveal donors all the way to the Supreme Court.

Derek Cressman of Common Cause, which originally filed the complaint against Americans for Responsible Leadership, called the group "irresponsible, cowardly money launderers."

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