July 11, 2008

Adelson-Funded Freedom’s Watch Donates to Pro-McCain Vets Group

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Pro-war advocacy group Freedom’s Watch has made a “significant” contribution to support a planned $10 million ad campaign by the pro-McCain Vets for Freedom, National Journal‘s Peter Stone reports (sub. only):

The group [Vets for Freedom] expects to spend close to $10 million on a four month advertising and grassroots drive to make the case that the Bush administration’s policies in Iraq and Afghanistan are making significant progress, says its chairman, Pete Hegseth. Vets for Freedom boasts some 25,000 members. The first part of the campaign is a two-week, $1.5 million ad buy this month in five battleground states. According to a GOP consultant familiar with the group, it received a “significant” donation from Freedom’s Watch, which is largely funded by Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson. Freedom’s Watch has also helped the veterans group find large donors to bankroll its operations, according to the consultant.

Several members of the Vets for Freedom advisory board, among them ret. US Army Lt. Col. John Nagl and the Brookings Institution’s Michael O’Hanlon, recently departed the group’s advisory board, because of its partisan activities.

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We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

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