Why doesn’t Hawaii media report on The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT), the source of Congressman Kahele’s ethics probe? I spent literally 5 minutes online… which led to the below. And this particular rabbit hole is dirty and goes deep if you want to follow it.
No matter what happens now, FACT and the individuals who were first to whisper in their ear the idea of going after Kahele…have accomplished their goal and achieved the headlines they sought.
According to The Center for Media and Democracy’s “Source Watch” https://bit.ly/3eMYMbI :
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) is a group that says it was founded in 2014 and has been described as “a conservative counterweight”…
In 2014, FACT’s funding came entirely from DonorsTrust. The group was led by Matthew Whitaker — who served as Trump’s acting United States Attorney General…According to Slate, FACT reports on what it sees “as ethical lapses by prominent Democrats and requested that government agencies and law enforcement investigate them—especially if they were Hillary Clinton.”…
“FACT’s origins and the source of funding” remain “obscure” according to the Washington Post …Some of the people listed as members of the board for FACT’s alleged predecessor say that they “never agreed to join” or “did not remember anything about the group.” One person listed as a board member said “the organization only existed on paper and didn’t do anything at all.” The actions of FACT, which were “overwhelmingly focused on Democrats,” may have violated its tax-exempt status, according to the Associated Press.
My note: Google DonorsTrust…and you will find…the Donors organizations are advertised as a way for very wealthy people and corporations to remain hidden when “funding sensitive or controversial issues,”
Another “can’t make this stuff up” note: Google Neil Corkery the current treasurer of FACT…and you can spend hours reading about his deep connections to hard-core right-wing groups, dark money…and more.
To be clear I do not know what exact complaints have been made against Congressman Kahele, nor whether he has violated any ethics rules.
Media reports seem to say the complaint is that he “co-sponsored” 4 bills that benefited the airline industry and his employer Hawaiian Airlines. I have no idea as to the actual nature or substance (or not) of the allegations against him but his type of ethical situation is a common one as every bill has some impact on everyone…Changes to regulations governing airlines impact airports and impact travelers etc etc etc
It seems likely that this comes down to whether there was a “direct and tangible impact that was specific to only his employer” or was the employer just part of a “class or broader group of beneficiaries (such as all airlines and the airline industry) who were targeted by the legislation. Another factor is whether or not any potential conflict was disclosed. It seems that Kahele’s employment with Hawaiian Airlines was common knowledge so it seems difficult to believe that failure to disclose would be a problem.
My point in posting this is that it’s important to know the facts “beyond the headlines” and the source of the complaint. In this case, the organization that planted the complaint that generated the media, FACT, is clearly biased and has a history involving dark money in support of conservative hard right causes.
As I said at the start of this piece: No matter what happens now, FACT and the individuals who were first to whisper in their ear the idea of going after Kahele…have accomplished their goal and achieved the headlines they sought.
It’s disgusting really.
Gary Hooser
*written in a bit of a rush…apologies for typos and grammatical stuff
GaryHooser's Blog 
The problem is not that the voting public does not have access to the facts outlined in the original post (thank you once again Mr. Gary) — the problem is that we’ve reached a point where the amoral capitalists have more than enough money to overwhelm the dialog. This allows them to exploit the darker side of human nature that seeks refuge from fear through hate and rage. I think we need a charismatic leader/hero who can cut through that and bring us back up to our higher selves — and we need it NOW.
Well said “The amoral capitalists have more than enough money to overwhelm the dialog. This allows them to exploit the darker side of human nature that seeks refuge from fear through hate and rage.”….But the need for a “charismatic leader” part…I am not so sure. Yes, we need leaders and yes some degree of charisma or the ability to inspire is essential. But relying on a single person to lead us out of this mess, I think also is problematic as well. Perhaps it is a collective of leaders whose collective synergy provides both the leadership and the checks and balances are what is needed. In today’s world…and perhaps it has always been this way…heroes become targets and targets that get taken down by the same forces of money and darkness. Look at what they did to Ben Cayetano. They shredded him publically…he won in court yes…but they targeted him, threw millions of $ at him, and didn’t care if it was true or not true… because he threatened their profit agenda. Any single hero or charismatic leader will suffer the same or worse…The attacks would be relentless and always hang on at least a tiny thread of truth as all leaders and candidates are imperfect and have flaws. I’m thinking multiple heroes…charismatic and otherwise…multiple heroes on multiple fronts. I ramble…but thank you for stimulating the thoughts…
Re: multiple leaders/heros . . . when I wrote the comment suggesting we need a charismatic leader/hero, I actually considered changing it to the plural. But I was envisioning a once in a generation figure like a Gandhi, a Dr. King, a Franklin Delano Roosevelt — so I left it singular.
My focus on the individual is based on what I perceive in the human condition as a psychological need for such a figure and that these figures seem to stand apart in history as individuals.
It’s also painfully true that these figures don’t exist in isolation and without officers and foot soldiers they are just criers in the wilderness.
Depending on how the next few election cycles play out, Joe Biden could be seen by historians to be in that conversation. As someone of a similar age, I am awed by his accomplishments and devotion to the high road. But being of a pessimistic bent, I fear his leadership may be too little, too late.
Gary have you really researched Hillary Clinton yourself if you would know the truth about her didn’t you read wikilinks in 2016. You’ve got some stuff really right but you some hot times are way off in left field in the dark.
April K. Lee, Broker RB-19294, BA, CCIM, ABR, E-Pro Kohala Real Estate & 2nd Home Services In beautiful Hawi, Hawai’i Cell: 808-989-5995 Sent from my iPhone
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Thanks for the note April. The point I was trying to make is not really about the plusses and minuses of Hillary Clinton… but that this group FACT is a distinctly partisan organization funded by dark money and ran by political operatives on the far right.
Unfortunately for the good Democrats those at the top have completely poisoned affective Ness of what once was our saving-grace party… as the lesser of the two evils and now they’re both so evil, The future lies in organized groups of individuals who point out facts like you but don’t mix in with those fax references to people who are some of the darkest that ever walked the halls of Congress. Their shadows still suck in those who could have the inner stamina fortitude and courage to act on the behalf of others; especially those who are now forgotten completely like: the aged, the handicapped, the scientists & docs who spoke out against the evil medical system and the murderous injection fraud, mentally or emotionally ill, insane, unwed mothers, and those who could never afford the criminal student loans to continue in the educational system & those who are incarcerated because they were a virile, black male (to name a few). The desperation of our country because the value of money is over the value of life now only leaves us to know how to protect ourselves and understand the inner workings of evil so that we can sit here and fight I have a meaningful fight.
There is a group called “for our rights.org” and they’re going to have a meeting at Christmas dinner on 12 December I hope you go meet these people if you haven’t already it’s at the Olympic café on Monday at 5:45 and you can get information at info@forourrights.org
You guys would be good for each other I will send you their last email from a different address my proton email address‼️🦋⚖️💖‼️ April K. Lee, Broker RB-19294, BA, CCIM, ABR, E-Pro Kohala Real Estate & 2nd Home Services In beautiful Hawi, Hawai’i Cell: 808-989-5995 Sent from my iPhone
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Thanks again for the note April, I am familiar with the forourrights.org group and I think we will have to agree to disagree on this one. I actually believe that COVID was real and that the government’s actions to deal with it were necessary…sometimes too much…and sometimes not enough. I would rather err on the side of caution and willingly wear my mask in situations that call for it. I am also fully vaccinated and did so on the advice of my family physician who has cared for my family’s medical needs for the past 40 years…and who I trust completely.