National Republican Trust PAC

The National Republican Trust PAC is a political action committee founded in September 2008. It describes itself as "an independent organization to help promote American values and support federal candidates for Congress, Senate and the Presidency who share those values" and "committed to continuing the legacy of Ronald Reagan." Scott L. Wheeler is executive director, and Peter Leitner (a former Pentagon adviser and president of the Higgins Counterterrorism Research Center, which trains law enforcement personnel on counterterrorism) is treasurer. The PAC is not affiliated with the Republican National Committee.

Funding
Dick Morris has repeatedly promoted and encoraged donations to the PAC while failing to disclose his own apparent financial ties to the group. The PAC has paid a firm apparently affiliated with Morris, Triangulation Strategies, at least $24,000 since October 2008, mostly for "Email Communication."

Attacks on Barack Obama
During the 2008 presidential campaign, the PAC spent $8.19 million on ads attacking Barack Obama.

An October 2008 ad produced by the PAC asserted that Obama would "gives a driver's license to any illegal who wants one." PolitiFact.com said of the ad: "So this group is guilty of some serious hyperbole. It took words of support from Obama for the concept of granting drivers' licenses to illegal immigrants and portrayed them not just as a specific plan, but as one that would hand licenses out like candy. We find it Barely True."

Another PAC ad, which falsely claimed that Obama "gives illegals Social Security benefits," was called "of the sleaziest false TV ads of the campaign" by FactCheck.org.

The PAC also spent $2 million on a campaign ad attempting to link Obama to Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

The PAC has continued to attack Obama, and has also vowed to oppose Republican members of Congress who voted for Obama's stimulus package.

Georgia Senate runoff, November 2008
The PAC spent more than $631,000 in support of Republican Saxby Chambliss and in opposition to his Democratic opponent, Jim Martin, during a Senate runoff election in Georgia. Ads it ran included one that called a vote for Martin a vote for "Obama's radical agenda."

New York special Congressional election, March 2009
The PAC supported Republican Jim Tedisco over Democrat Scott Murphy in a special election to fill the congressional seat vacated by Kirsten Gillibrand. The PAC spent more than $819,000 on ads supporting Tedisco and attacking Murphy. Polls suggested that negative ads on Tedisco's behalf, like those run by the PAC, made voters less likely to support Tedisco.

When a New York TV station asked the PAC to provide documentation to support claims in one ad attacking Murphy, the PAC reportedly pulled the ad. The PAC denied the claim, and Wheeler asserted that it had provided documentation to the TV station. According to FactCheck.org, the publications Wheeler cited as evidence for a claim in the ad that Murphy created 1,000 jobs in India do not support the claim.

Personnel

 * Scott L. Wheeler - Executive Director
 * Peter Leitner - Treasurer

Contact information
National Republican Trust PAC 2100 M St. NW Suite 170-340 Washington, DC 20037-1233 Website: http://nationalrepublicantrust.com/

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Our Country Deserves Better
 * Scott L. Wheeler

External resources

 * Summary data for National Republican Trust PAC, OpenSecrets.org.