Yesterday, Will Holden at KDVR covered a report by the Center for Western Priorities and called the organization “nonpartisan”. We just wanted to correct the record. CWP is not actually nonpartisan, and has ties to our favorite villain, Michael Bloomberg.
CWP tells Fox 31 and others that it’s “nonpartisan.” CWP is a project of the New Venture Fund, which is a $36.5 million foundation based in Washington, D.C. The president of the NVF (and therefore CWP) is Eric Kessler, a former Clinton administration official and former operative with the League of Conservation Voters (the same group running attack ads against Cory Gardner).
But, here’s the best part. Kessler is also the president of the Sixteen Thirty Fund, also based in Washington, D.C. As we previously reported, Sixteen Thirty gave $35,000 to fight the recall of State Sen. Angela Giron (D) last year. And, Arabella Advisors – the consultancy led by Kessler that runs both NVF and Sixteen Thirty – is a big supporter of Michael Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns, as we also reported.
So, the guy that put $35,000 behind Democrats in a recall election over gun control is the same guy who is funneling money into the anti-fracking campaign in Colorado through the Center for Western Priorities. Besides that, CWP’s first executive director was Trevor Kincaid, former comms director for U.S. Sen. Michael Bennett (D).
So, nonpartisan? Hardly.