President Trump stood tall at a National Day of Prayer event in 2025, situated in the White House Rose Garden. Interestingly, some controversies were unveiling behind the scenes. Surprisingly, two nonprofit organizations, repositories of Democratic partisanship, took it upon themselves to file ethics complaints against lawyers who had dared defend Trump. Their goal? To have these attorneys disbarred or disciplined. An investigation, however, unveiled a different reality. Very few of the lawyers they targeted received any public discipline in subsequent years after these complaints were made.
These nonprofits were found to have unsettling links with the Democratic party. They were being managed by Utah attorney Michael Teter, a long-time Democratic campaign runner. The 65 Project and the Legal Accountability Center, both under Teter’s charge, openly talk about holding lawyers accountable if they supported what they called ‘anti-Democratic activity.’ Their belief: lawyers involved in challenging the 2020 presidential election results and supporting such activities knowingly brought forth false lawsuits and propagated disinformation.
Yet, their claims lacked substance. Following a review of about 80 complaints filed by The 65 Project during 2022 and 2023 across various states, it was evident that only three led to public discipline against the lawyers. It remained unclear if these actions were set into motion as a consequence of allegations made by the nonprofit.
In an ironic twist of events, America First Legal, a nonprofit law firm that supports conservative perspectives, filed an ethics complaint in 2024 against Teter pertaining to The 65 Project’s undertakings. Surprisingly, the Utah State Bar association records showed no action on this complaint even a year post-filing. Unsurprisingly, Teter and his organizations dodged all inquiries regarding their accomplishments and their partisan modus operandi.
The 65 Project’s list of accused attorneys includes 15 former and current Republican state attorneys general. These were professionals against whom the organization felt compelled to file complaints. However, despite their best efforts, these individuals remained in good standing, devoid of public discipline. The complaints came across as nothing more than politically motivated claims that were, quite rightfully, dismissed.
In an unexpected turn of affairs, both The 65 Project and the Legal Accountability Center were found showing reluctance towards making their tax returns public, as is generally expected of organizations holding federal nonprofit status. The irony was not lost that for availing benefits such as tax exclusions and write-offs, transparency is a must. A majority of nonprofits make these details accessible to the public while these groups seemed to prefer the shadowy path.
Searching both organizations’ 990 tax returns led to a dead end. More intriguingly, The 65 Project claims to be a ‘fiscally sponsored project of Global Impact.’ This implies its relevant 990s are associated with its fiscal sponsor. The Legal Accountability Center’s website indicates that they are a 501c(4) nonprofit, which allows campaigning while it isn’t their main activity. Ironic, isn’t it?
Perhaps in an attempt at relevance, the LAC has filed three complaints against Trump Department of Justice attorneys. At the same time, they are also representing California’s Governor, Gavin Newsom, in a defamation lawsuit which accuses Fox News of libel involving a staggering sum of $787 million. Fox News, however, is contesting Newsom’s complaint but refrained from comment about the LAC’s role in this theatrical saga.
Thickening the plot, Teter had been connected to Perkins Coie, a firm he was associated with between 2006 and 2008. This is the same law firm that was targeted by a Trump executive order because of its involvement with Hillary Clinton on the contentious Steele Dossier. Furthermore, this firm had faced accusations of discriminatory hiring practices by implementing DEI programs which were caught in Trump’s crosshairs.
Considering the text on The 65 Project’s website, it appears their goal is to hold lawyers accountable who challenge election results while also working to protect from future such endeavors. This sends a chilling message of coercion and inhibits the right to question and challenge authority.
These attempts to silence dissent iiiand undermine democracy, however, do not go unnoticed. Tom Jones, an executive director of the conservative American Accountability Foundation, has also shed light on these ill-aimed intentions. He was quoted stating that such complaints simply harass attorneys and force them to needlessly spend money on their defense simply because the organizations in question disagree with their stand.
It appears that the overarching agenda of groups like The 65 Project is to silence those who raise voices against illegitimate election results by employing threat of legal proceedings. Their openly stated intentions seem deceptive in trying to establish a rule-based system ‘to prevent future attempts’ at challenging their secured positions.
The implications of these actions are serious. The objective is frighteningly clear – to deter those who wish to hold them accountable. The intended outcome, it would seem, is to strengthen their positions by presenting these attempts as measures for upholding accountability and deterrence.
The lesson here is that the actions of these organizations reflect more about their agenda than their rhetoric does. While preaching about accountability and transparency, they allegedly intimidate those who raise their voice against their actions. The incredibility and lack of coherence between their stated goals and their actions paint a clear picture of the current state of these Democratic-leaning nonprofits.
The post Democratic Nonprofits Attempt to Silence Dissent, Backfires Tremendously appeared first on Real News Now.
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