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“Watchdog” flatly denies getting money from Illinois Policy Institute, but group funded 98 percent of budget

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Illinois

When former Chicago City Council Inspector General Faisal Khan launched his not-for-profit anti-corruption group close to two years ago, he insisted it was independent and nonpartisan.

At the time, Khan refused to disclose who was funding the organization, which he called Project Six — a reference to the group of civic leaders who led the fight against Al Capone during Prohibition. […]

The most recent federal tax filing for the Illinois Policy Institute shows it gave $623,789 to Project Six in 2016 — 98 percent of the group’s first-year budget. The records don’t reveal — and Project Six officials haven’t said — where the rest of its money comes from.

The Illinois Policy Institute, in turn, has received extensive support from foundations tied to some of the country’s biggest Republican contributors, including the Koch, Mercer and Uihlein families, as well as Gov. Bruce Rauner and first lady Diana Rauner’s charitable foundation. […]

In the interviews, Khan offered shifting accounts of Project Six’s financial support. He initially denied the Illinois Policy Institute was among his group’s primary funding sources.

“We’re not getting the money from IPI,” he said. “We get money from all sorts of donors, but we don’t release their names because they fear reprisal from the city of Chicago.”

Who’s watching the watchdogs? The Sun-Times.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 9:51 am

Comments

Like most of Illinois’ “watchdog” groups, Project Six seems more interested in shallow, sensational, gotchya investigations than substantive, significant investigations.

Comment by Just Observing Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 9:53 am
Wow. What a liar. And a real bad one, at that.

Given that, the hookup with IPI makes perfect sense.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 9:55 am
Add Project Six to the list of Illinois Policy Institute disgraces and failures.

Comment by anon Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 9:56 am
The Hardy Boys are still waiting to hear back from IPI.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 9:58 am
We need a Project Seven to investigate Project Six. Is Khan pronounced Con?

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 10:07 am
Great reporting. I’m glad someone called them on that.

Comment by Boone's is Back Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 10:08 am
Perfidy.

Comment by JS Mill Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 10:08 am
Not surprised Rickert’s fingerprints are all over this. Remember how she “exposed” all the ghost payrolling etc. in the Governor’s office — but only after being shown the door. Then claimed she resigned lol.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 10:09 am
The wrath of Khan.

Comment by Generic Drone Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 10:09 am
Foolish denial. Seems as though the data miners got trapped in their own mine.

Comment by City Zen Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 10:12 am
Another anti-corruption group turns out to be 98% corrupt. Why does this not surprise me?

Comment by DuPage Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 10:16 am
Talk about expensive worthless investments.

Comment by Touré's Latte Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 10:27 am
==Talk about expensive worthless investments.==

But they totally busted Marty Quinn for that snow plow purchase!

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 10:28 am
Well that’s a nice way to completely destroy your credibility. #Sad

Comment by Chicago Cynic Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 10:31 am
Now that IPI “claims” that it won’t fund Project Six going forward, Faisal may have to get a real job.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 10:41 am
This is why Eisendrath’s ownership bid was so important.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 10:43 am
So Khan’s claim that he couldn’t reveal donors because they feared reprisals is complete a lie, since IPI is already taking public positions on candidates and policies without fear. Just another shoddy cover-up.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 10:48 am
Kahn’s blatant lying here should call into question his time as Inspector General. Just because someone is bestowed the title of inspector general doesn’t make them honest. I’ve seen some real questionable investigations from some of these I.G.’s. Sometimes it seems like the fox is guarding the chicken coop.

Comment by David Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 10:53 am
David, the city ethics commission rejected many of his recommendations as not supported by law or fact. He accomplished nothing at the city. When he left, he claimed he turned over evidence of wrongdoing to the FBI, but two years later nothing has come of it. All BS.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 10:56 am
While it’s intersting on its face, and important to clarify who is funding or where the funding is derived…

… two things are far more glaring than just the IPI revelation.

1) How far down the IPI brand has fallen being connected to Rauner in so many ways..

2) How toxic the brand is, that even saying IPI is included in the funding is just too much to bare.

===…“We’re not getting the money from IPI,” he said. “We get money from all sorts of donors, but we don’t release their names because…”===

Was Rasmussen and Rickert worth “losing” to the Rauner Administration… now tainting both IPI and Rauner, in retrospect?

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 10:58 am
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the watchdogs were an independent media. In illinois, it was a statehouse media that was well-staffed and investigative. But that media has been bullied, bought out, and their independent journalists have either been let go or over worked out of doing the jobs they are passionate and good at.

The “watchdogs” don’t exist much anymore. Instead groups like IPI are creating “unconnected” arms to serve as media….and serve themselves in the process. And they’re closely guarding a system of laws that protects them from revealing who generates their revenue and funds their operations.

Until the statutes catch up with these folks, there will be more tentacles of the IPI / “free market” and contempt-for-government (or Democrats) monopoly.

Has the Illinois Radio Network sifted through documents trying to identify who finds these kinds of policy/public opinion groups? No. They’re more interest in supplementing the efforts to drop foia demands on school districts to get names and addresses of teachers to help erode collective bargaining.

If you bankroll the watchdogs, the watchdogs won’t highlight your questionable associations or actions.

They’ve just about dismantled the true watchdogs - journalists. And their next big prize in illinois is to destroy the network of those who give money-changers (Hedge fund billionaires) their biggest fits…organized labor.

It’s a well-planned operation. And Democrats and Republicans all know it. We all know it. But, it’s hard to speak out against your owner, ain’t it?

Your independence Rich, regardless of what accusations or opinions or disagreements people have, is important. It’s appreciated.

Comment by Carhartt Union Negotiating Team Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 11:10 am
Project Six?

Because Plan Nine from Outer Space was already taken.

Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 11:14 am
Khan is the same guy who acted like it was a SCANDAL that an alderman’s COS at times used her married name and at other times used her maiden name.

He’s a guy who had a huge budget while working for the City and accomplished zero.

The real scandal is that anybody pays him for his “work.”

Comment by Gooner Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 11:25 am
“Project Six is coming off as an independent investigative body that gets press,” Moreno said. “But it’s a right-wing, agenda-driven organization with dark money that is anything but independent.”

Replace “Project Six” with “CTBA” and “right” with “left” and it applies just the same.

All these think-tanks report facts and conduct investigations with an inherent bias towards who funds them, otherwise they wouldn’t be around. But if you can’t be upfront about it and your entire business model is around transparency and exposure in what you’re investigating, then you’re in the wrong business.

Comment by City Zen Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 11:30 am
It wasn’t hard to guess that IPI, Rauner, Proft, Uihlein were all behind Project Six from the word go. But kudos to the Sun-Times for piecing it all together.

i would disagree with their characterization of the IPI as “right-leaning,” but other than that, it is an incredible piece.

I can only hope the Sun-Times editorial board lays into him, and every news editor will set their spam filters accordingly.

As for Khan:

His denials are sad, very sad. If there were as many documented ties between a city official’s actions and a donor’s interests as there are between Khan’s activities and the IPI agenda, Khan would be calli for criminal charges. What he and IPI are doing is legal, but that doesn’t make it right.

And so, I hope Khan enjoys spending the rest of his brief career defending his ties to child molester and slavery defender Roy Moore.

Comment by Juvenal Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 11:40 am
Everyone is funded by someone. The Sun-Times is owned by the Chicago Federation of Labor.

Comment by Farm boy Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 11:46 am
I never understood why Khan has left his family in New York for five plus years. Is he unemployable there or do they not want to be with him here?

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 11:52 am
City Zen: there’s a false equivalency in your argument. It’s not just that Six is right and CBTA is left, but Six lied about their donors, lied about why the donors were secret, and lied about his i institutional affiliation. CBTA lists their board and donors, and their reputation reflects their origin. They’re far more transparent than Six, and that’s why they’re (at least somewhat) more credible.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 12:23 pm
===Your independence Rich, regardless of what accusations or opinions or disagreements people have, is important. It’s appreciated. ===

Seconded with emphasis

Comment by New Guy Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 12:29 pm
I can’t find their nee Form 990 for 2016. Rich (or anyone else) are you able to post it here?

Comment by Seeker Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 12:48 pm
**“Project Six is coming off as an independent investigative body that gets press,” Moreno said. “But it’s a right-wing, agenda-driven organization with dark money that is anything but independent.”

Replace “Project Six” with “CTBA” and “right” with “left” and it applies just the same.**

Two things:
1 - CTBA isn’t a watchdog group. Their a policy shop. Big difference.

2 - CTBA doesn’t hide its allegiances/donors.

Comment by JoeMaddon Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 12:51 pm
It’s revealing that IPI wished to conceal its bankrolling of Khan.

Did they think his work would be discredited as biased, unreliable and shady if their relationship was known?

If so, they’re demonstrating an unexpected level of self-awareness.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 12:52 pm
Hello Justice Department?

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 12:53 pm
I remember listening to a WBEZ piece on Khan & Project Six. Man did they ever give him a platform. Not that they could’ve known then, but I bet in hindsight this fluff piece for Khan and Project Six doesn’t look as great.

“We’re [Project Six] not bound by the same archaic ethics laws as I was as IG…”

Obviously.

https://www.wbez.org/shows/morning-shift/ousted-city-council-ig-faisal-khan-continues-to-fight-corruption/b4c66836-b0fd-4215-be85-6ed1748400c5

Comment by Chicago_Downstater Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 1:23 pm
==CTBA lists their board and donors, and their reputation reflects their origin==

==CTBA doesn’t hide its allegiances/donors.==

No donor list on the website. The tag line for CTBA claims “bi-partisan”. They may not be hiding it, but they’re certainly not forthright about it either.

Comment by City Zen Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 1:44 pm
IPI/Liberty Justice Institute/Project Six sounding more and more like a criminal organization.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 2:16 pm
Everyone knew that Project Six was IPI. If you didn’t know that, you must have been living in Roy Moore’s basement.

Comment by theyknew Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 3:29 pm
Thank you, Mick Dumke and ProPublica Illinois.

Comment by TinyDancer(FKASue) Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 4:26 pm
Tronc awful quiet about this.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 5:11 pm
Let’s not forget to give credit to Mihalopolous too.

And Scott Fornek, who could not have found it easy to green light this piece.

Don’t kid yourselves, Khan is out of a job. You can’t put yourself out there as a reformer when you have been running a dark money organization for the Koch brothers.

Comment by Thomas Paine Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 5:24 pm
“We are very proud to have supported Faisal in his efforts to bring transparency to Chicago and the state of Illinois in an effort to end public corruption,” said John Tillman, the Illinois Policy Institute’s chief executive. “Faisal and Project Six remain an independent organization.”

How can it “remain” independent when it has never been lol?

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 6:07 pm
–“We are very proud to have supported Faisal in his efforts to bring transparency to Chicago and the state of Illinois in an effort to end public corruption,” said John Tillman, the Illinois Policy Institute’s chief executive.–

Maybe taking dark money from special interests and lying about it isn’t the best way to promote transparency and fight corruption.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 6:45 pm
==ProPublica Illinois==

Pot, have you met kettle?

Comment by City Zen Thursday, Jan 18, 18 @ 8:27 pm