Leonard Leo, the influential right-wing activist behind an array of dark-money groups powering the conservative movement, is tired of policy seminars and self-indulgent, big-idea conferences. Now he wants to see some action by the groups he's helped bankroll to "weaponize our conservative vision" and graft it onto key national institutions — or he'll withhold the $1 billion he has stored across his money network.
"Vastly insufficient funds are going toward operationalizing and weaponizing those ideas and policies to crush liberal dominance at the choke points of influence and power in our society," Leo wrote in a grant review letter on behalf of the 85 Fund, a dark-money organization that participated in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. While the letter doesn't call out any groups by name, the message is clearly intended to put slackers on high alert. According to Axios, Leo is now undertaking a "comprehensive review" of his grant-making process.
