Michael Swarm
Source: US Senate
A film company founded by President Donald Trump’s nominee to run a federal media agency consigned a commercial fundraising contract with the Claremont Institute, a nonprofit conservative think tank.
The catch is that Trump’s pick to be CEO of the agency was Claremont’s president when the five figure deal was signed.
The unreported contract was signed in 2016 by Duffle’s wife, Gina, who is listed as the vice president of their production company, Manifold Productions, along with Claremont’s then chief direct officer Ryan Williams. The contract shows that Pack not only led Claremont at the time. He was also listed as a commander at Manifold.
Pack’s business dealings could raise concerns among Senate Democrats charged with in the light of his confirmation.
The deal to lead the fund-raising efforts for Claremont was worth $75,000 to Pack’s private film company Sundry, which was paid in $6,250 installments each month.
The document says Manifold’s work was for “charitable purposes,” and filed dinners, telephone solicitation, in person meetings, along with educational and social events.
Claremont’s tax return for budgetary year 2016, from July of that year through June 2017, shows that Manifold Stages helped raise almost $200,000 during that time period. California’s state attorney general also listed Assorted as a commercial fundraiser for Claremont in 2017.
It’s unclear why Manifold was chosen to do fundraising work for Claremont. Calls to Pack’s office were not delivered. Williams, the think tank’s current president, did not return a request for comment. No other affiliated groups saw Manifold carry similar fundraising efforts.
Pack has been nominated to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which was once be versed as the Broadcasting Board of Governors. The group’s board controls U.S. government-funded media companies such as the Voice of America and Portable radio Europe. The current CEO, John Lansing, is a former president of Scripps Network.
The discovery that Pack’s film proprietorship was seeing a benefit from a contract involving a nonprofit that he ran, comes as members of the Senate Foreign Relations Panel review his candidacy and Democrats begin to demand answers.
During a hearing in front of the committee last week, offensive member Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J. brought up what he described as “some issues” and noted that his staff is asking Pack questions nearby his past. He declined to specify what Pack has been asked. The nominee said at the hearing he would move expeditiously to guarantee b make amends for those questions.
A senior Democratic aide on the committee says they have yet to hear from Pack and are now downing additional questions that go beyond their original scope. This person declined to elaborate further on Democrats’ concerns. Representatives of the Senate cabinet did not return a request for comment.
This wouldn’t mark the first time Pack’s charity work seemed to further his own company. Since 2011, his nonprofit, Public Media Lab, sent $1.6 million in grant money to Manifold Products.
There are also rising concerns within the media industry that Pack, who has ties to White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, hand down find a way to disband the current board in a power grab, potentially leading to the creation of “Trump TV,” as one senior media leadership explained.
Read Manifold’s contract with Claremont: