Billionaire conservative philanthropist Leonard Leo, who operates a vast network of conservative nonprofits, called on his groups to start “weaponizing” their ideas, something he said the left has been championing over the years.
A letter sent to groups supported by Leo’s 85 Fund on Wednesday said it would be undergoing a “comprehensive review” of entities it supports, and “will be adjusting the extent to which it funds ideas and policy development.” The goal, according to Leo’s letter, is to ensure their philanthropic efforts are not overly focused on “ideation,” or as Leo describes it, “the development of and education about conservative ideas and policies.” Rather, Leo wants his groups to adopt more aggressive tactics that “weaponize” their ideas and produce more tangible results, something he suggested liberals have championed effectively for their causes.
“The Left built powerful networks of activists, academics, journalists, and philanthropists, along with professionals from other disciplines, who could collaborate to influence public attitudes and generate political pressure on public officials,” Leo said. “They invested in talent pipelines to populate the power centers inside government, where policy would be implemented. They incubated litigation as a means of leveraging the law to produce change. And, beyond politics and law, left-wing philanthropy built or took over enormous infrastructure to control various cultural chokepoints.”
“In contrast,” Leo continued, “vastly insufficient funds are going toward operationalizing and weaponizing [conservative] ideas and policies to crush liberal dominance.”
Leonard Leo speaks at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., on April 23, 2019.
Leo’s letter cited the George Soros-funded Tides Foundation and the Hansjörg Wyss-backed Arabella Advisors as examples of groups that “incubate action-oriented campaigns.” He pointed to their support of nationwide NGOs like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). SJP has been at the forefront of drumming up anti-Israel sentiment at college campuses across the country since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack that killed over a thousand innocent Israelis and took hundreds hostage. Meanwhile, WPATH has been at the forefront of the transgender movement, publishing standards of care that doctors and public officials alike have used to justify “gender-affirming care” for minors.
“With donors like Hansjörg Wyss and the Arabella Advisors network having billions at their disposal, the left is able to significantly outspend the conservative movement to shift American society,” Leo told Fox News Digital. “Consequently, we need to do more with less, focusing on leveraging the conservative movement’s talent to have impact, if we want to be successful.”
Leo is the co-chairman and former executive vice president of the Federalist Society, a group focusing on advancing the principles of a limited, constitutional government, particularly in the legal world. He has been credited with transforming the Federalist Society into the powerhouse lawfare organization it is today with more than 70,000 members. Meanwhile, Leo has also been considered one of the foremost influences on former President Trump’s Supreme Court nominations. Prior to Trump’s selection of Federalist Society-backed Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, Leo drew up a list of potential judges that Trump released during his 2016 campaign.
LEONARD LEO WARNS BIDEN-HARRIS EFFORTS TO RADICALLY OVERHAUL SUPREME COURT COULD ‘BACKFIRE’
From left: Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson attend a private ceremony for late Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in the Great Hall at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 18, 2023. (Jacquelyn Martin-Pool/Getty Images)
After Trump was elected, Leo stepped away from his daily duties with the Federalist Society, but remained its co-chair. Meanwhile, in 2022, Leo’s Marble Freedom Trust received a $1.6 billion gift from American businessman and GOP donor Barre Seid. Leo still has roughly $1 billion left to spend, the Financial Times reported this week after analyzing public financial disclosures. A representative for Leo declined to share how many total NGOs receive financial support from the 85 Fund.
“[W]e need to do more with less, focusing on leveraging the conservative movement’s talent to have impact, if we want to be successful.”
