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Today, government watchdog Accountable.US filed a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia against the Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI) and Personnel Policy Operations (PPO), an organization launched and financed by CPI. The complaint alleges multiple potential abuses of the groups’ nonprofit status. If successful, the complaint would result in the immediate dissolution of the groups under DC law.

The new complaint follows reporting this morning revealing that Mark Meadows’ employer — the Conservative Partnership Institute — helped form and fund Personnel Policy Operations, which paid Meadows’ legal bills via a third organization, the Constitutional Rights Defense Fund, as he was under investigation for his involvement in attempts to overturn the election. Previous reporting exposed CPI’s shady arrangement, which may allow the group to bypass typical nonprofit regulations to engage in political activity and service primarily Republicans. 

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The Conservative Partnership Institute apparently believes it exists above the law as it operates a shady network of groups to seemingly get around clear nonprofit restrictions and move large sums of money without typical transparency requirements. Even further, this flow of money raises serious questions about whether CPI may be using its funds to provide legal defense for its indicted leaders, which would be a clear violation of its nonprofit status. The Conservative Partnership Institute and its leaders must be held accountable.”

Accountable.US president Caroline Ciccone

As the complaint states, “CPI has been operating exclusively for the benefit and advantage of the Republican Party and its members since its inception. The IRS and the United States Tax Court have previously denied tax exempt status to an organization that purported to provide training and support for campaign professionals, where the evidence indicated the organization’s true purpose was to provide campaign support to Republican candidates and organizations.”

The complaint continues: “CPI is in violation of the prohibition on private inurement…no employee is more highly compensated than Mark Meadows — CPI’s “Senior Partner,” whose compensation totaled $846,887 in 2022…The fact that PPO received a grant from CPI, and then granted almost the exact same amount to a 501(c)(4) organization, casts further suspicion over whether these grants were designed to mask the true beneficiary of the funds: CPI “insider” Mr. Meadows.”

Read the full complaint here.

Learn more about the Conservative Partnership Institute and other groups making up the far-right dark money network at Accountable.US’s MonitoringInfluence.org.

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