Freedom's Watch organization

This article provides information about the founders and funders of Freedom's Watch.

Staff and plans for expansion
"Freedom's Watch has a few full-time employees and is hiring more, and plans to open an office in the Chinatown area of Washington at Labor Day [2007]."

The group's plans include moving "into a 10,000-square-foot office in Washington, with plans to employ up to 50 people by early [2008]," Don Van Natta Jr. wrote September 30, 2007, in the New York Times. The group plans to raise "up to $200 million by November 2008", which Van Natta wrote, one benefactor said, "will be easy ... adding that several of the founders each wrote a check for $1 million."


 * Matt David, "Freedom's Watch spokesman"
 * Robert Terra (unofficial)

Key players
According to Mike Allen, writing August 22, 2007, in The Politico, the following are Freedom's Watch key players:


 * Bradley A. Blakeman, president and chief executive officer
 * Ari Fleischer
 * Mel Sembler
 * William P. Weidner
 * Matt Brooks

Funding and funders
"Freedom's Watch uses killed and wounded veterans and their families in its advertising, but is not operated or supported by actual veterans. ... Instead, the founders of Freedom's Watch include notable Republican fundraisers...." "Freedom's Watch was organized as a nonprofit organization under IRS rules and is not required to identify its donors or the amounts they give. The group named some of its financial backers but Blakeman said others wished to remain out of the public eye," Jim Kuhnhenn wrote for the Associated Press.

According to Mike Allen, writing August 22, 2007, in The Politico, the following are Freedom's Watch "donors":


 * Mel Sembler
 * Anthony Gioia
 * Kevin Moley
 * Howard Leach
 * Dr. John Templeton, Jr.
 * Edward Snider
 * Sheldon Adelson
 * Gary Erlbaum
 * Richard J. Fox

It should be noted that in November 2005 it was reported that Sembler and Leach both donated to the legal defense fund of I. Lewis Scooter Libby, the now-convicted former Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to Vice President Dick Cheney. Sembler is now Chairman of the Libby Legal Defense Trust. Fleischer testified as a prosecution witness in Libby's trial.

Republican Jewish Coalition
It should also be noted that the following Freedom's Watch founders and funders are associated with the board of directors of the Republican Jewish Coalition:


 * Sheldon Adelson
 * Matt Brooks
 * Ari Fleischer
 * Richard J. Fox
 * Mel Sembler

NewsMax-Freedom's Watch connection hiding in plain sight
On August 23, 2007, Ronald Kessler of the right-wing online publication NewsMax was among the first to introduce Freedom's Watch and its pro-war ad campaign.

As Terry Krepel of ConWebWatch pointed out September 17, 2007, Kessler reported "that 'the total assets of the organization and the largest sources of funds are not being disclosed,' but he made no attempt to explain why (though he attacked George Soros for funding liberal groups)."

On September 7, 2007, as Krepel points out, Kessler again provided no information about Freedom's Watch's founders and funders, although many others in the media had on August 22, 2007. Kessler simply "claimed the group 'has more funding than MoveOn.org and other George Soros operations."

Krepel then informs that one founder's name "should sound quite familiar to NewsMax readers", as John Templeton, Jr. is "the son of John Templeton, whose financial analysis NewsMax has been touting for years -- as far back as 2005". In fact, Krepel informs, NewsMaxs Christopher Ruddy wrote August 17, 2007, in NewsMaxs MoneyNews that his relationship with Templeton went back to a first visit by Ruddy with Templeton in 2004.

"So, there's some linkage here," Krepel wrote, "through Templeton, between Freedom's Watch and NewsMax that NewsMax should have disclosed in some form (though it didn't disclose its funding from Richard Mellon Scaife to its readers until we [CWB] started calling them on it). Kessler, meanwhile, should demonstrate a little less fealty to his conservative buddies and show a little more journalistic initiative."

Donations
The Freedom's Watch "Donate Now" page currently reads


 * "Freedom's Watch is currently in its organizational stage. Please check this page later for details on how to donate. Note that contributions to Freedom's Watch will not be tax-deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes."

Domain name


According to a WHOIS search, the FREEDOMSWATCH.ORG domain name was created June 15, 2007, and expires June 15, 2008.

The Freedom's Watch website is hosted on a dedicated server and its internet provider is Democracy Data & Communications, LLC of Alexandria, Virginia, which is also known to be in the astroturfing business.

DDC and Direct Impact
DDC and Direct Impact, which became a full-fledged subsidiary of Burson-Marsteller in late 2001, "for many years had common ownership, leadership, and even shared office space and telephone numbers," Larisa Alexandrovna and Muriel Kane reported October 17, 2007, for The Raw Story.

"Although there is no apparent current direct link between Freedom’s Watch and Direct Impact, the overlapping of relationships raises questions about the true origin of the 'Freedom’s Watch' grassroots effort and a larger, more political use of domestic organizations to convey a message that mirrors that of the [Bush] Administration," Alexandrovna and Kane wrote.

External articles
Due to the rapid pace at which this article has grown, the chronological listing of articles dating from August 22, 2007, has been subdivided.


 * August 2007
 * September 2007