Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Foreign Billionaire-Backed Climate Org Pressuring Broadcasters To Censor Ads Critical Of Biden’s EV Mandate
Daily Caller News Foundation ^ | February 17, 2024 | Nick Pope

Posted on 02/17/2024 7:01:32 PM PST by george76

A green nonprofit that is indirectly funded by a foreign billionaire is pressuring broadcasters to drop advertisements that criticize the Biden administration’s massive electric vehicle (EV) agenda.

Climate Power wrote to numerous broadcasters this week demanding that they stop airing American Fuel and Petrochemicals Manufacturers (AFPM)-funded advertisements in swing state markets that rail against President Joe Biden’s plans to impose widespread EV adoption in the coming years. The charitable organization affiliated with Hansjorg Wyss, a Swiss health care mogul and billionaire philanthropist, donates millions of dollars to the Fund for a Better Future, which was the fiscal sponsor for Climate Power until 2023, a spokesperson for Climate Power previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

AFPM launched its seven-figure ad campaign designed to highlight and criticize the administration’s EV policies on Tuesday. The ads, which describe Biden’s policies as an EV mandate, are airing in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, Arizona, Ohio, Montana and Washington, D.C.

Climate Power’s warning letter to local affiliates states that the broadcasters “must remove these ads from the air immediately” because “there is no pending federal ‘car ban,’ and to claim otherwise is patently false and intentionally misleading.” The letter suggests that AFPM’s ads could be in violation of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules, and instructs the broadcasters to contact Climate Power — an Internal Revenue Service-recognized 501(c)4 that is spending more than $80 million to tout Biden’s climate policies ahead of the 2024 presidential election — to confirm that the ads are no longer running on their stations

...

Climate Power strongly disputes that the Biden administration is imposing EV mandates, but the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed tailpipe emissions standards would effectively require 67% of all light-duty vehicles sold after model year 2032 to be electric, according to the agency. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also proposed its own aggressive update to fuel economy standards that would force manufacturers to substantially increase the fuel efficiencies of their fleets to an extent that effectively makes the policy an “EV mandate,” Senior Research Fellow for the Institute for Energy Research Dan Kish previously told the DCNF.

“These ads are filled with lies meant to scare Americans about a ‘car ban’ that doesn’t exist – and they should be taken off the air,” Climate Power Executive Director Lori Lodes said in a Tuesday statement. “The Biden administration isn’t banning gas-powered cars or appliances – they’re fighting against corporate polluters to make our air and water cleaner and give Americans more affordable alternatives to fossil fuel. Big Oil knows that and is intentionally misleading Americans to protect their obscene profits.”

...

Since 2021, the Berger Action Fund, a 501(c)4 affiliated with Wyss, has given about $40 million to the Fund for a Better Future, a grantmaking organization that shells out funds to support a wide range of left-of-center causes and organizations, according to Politico. The Berger Action Fund has also given more than $77 million to the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a “dark money” organization managed by the for-profit consultancy Arabella Advisors that does not have to disclose its donors, since 2021.

Because Wyss is a Swiss citizen, he is not allowed by law to directly donate to American political candidates or political committees, but the activities of his nonprofit and associated organizations have allowed him to quietly become one of the most influential individual donors in American politics today, according to The Associated Press.

In May 2021, Americans for Public Trust — a government watchdog and transparency group — filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that Wyss, his nonprofits and affiliated organizations have “violated fundamental compliance and transparency rules” governing political spending by foreign nationals.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Arizona; US: District of Columbia; US: Michigan; US: Montana; US: Nevada; US: Ohio; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: advertisements; arizona; automotive; bergeraction; bigtech; censorship; climatepower; democracyalliance; ecofascism; election; electionfraud; electionintegrity; electric; electricvehicle; electricvehicles; ev; evagenda; evmandate; evmandates; evs; firstamendment; fraud; fundforabetterfuture; hansjorgwyss; interference; johnpodesta; mandate; mandates; michigan; montana; nevada; newworldodor; ohio; pennsylvania; riggedelection; stolenelection; swiss; switzerland; terroristfunding; vehicle; votefraud; voterfraud; votingfraud; wef; wisconsin; wyss

1 posted on 02/17/2024 7:01:32 PM PST by george76
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: george76

How much does the big guy get?


2 posted on 02/17/2024 7:05:01 PM PST by Mark17 (Retired USAF air traffic controller. Father of USAF Captain & pilot. Both bitten by the aviation bug)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2020/05/climate-power-2020-launches-campaign-change-politics-climate

self promoted news.


3 posted on 02/17/2024 7:10:24 PM PST by PeterPrinciple (Thinking Caps are no longer being issued but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

This country is in deep doo doo when our government thinks it’s ok to go to companies and have them censor anyone or anything they don’t like. And quite frankly I think the companies will do it! How anyone can think that is the government’s right or job needs a wake up call.


4 posted on 02/17/2024 7:11:14 PM PST by Trumpette1954 (Live laugh love!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

This is literally election interference. Such adds criticizing his EV initiative is by nature critical of his prompted polices he runs on for election.

Such censorship encourage by a foreign national amounts to outside election interference of a nature as to be a very serious crime.


5 posted on 02/17/2024 7:15:42 PM PST by Skwor
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

“ Hansjorg Wyss, a Swiss health care mogul and billionaire philanthropist”

From the land of the “you vill eat ze bugs” crowd.

How convenient.


6 posted on 02/17/2024 7:15:49 PM PST by packagingguy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

America used to be attacked via money form the KGB - now it is liberal billionaires.

Both from outside and inside the US. Gates. Soros, et al.


7 posted on 02/17/2024 7:19:29 PM PST by ASOC (This space for rent)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

And so America falls, not with a bang but with a censor. Millions and millions of censors.

The evil rot in America can’t stand the truth being told. It’s their narrative and only their narrative or else.


8 posted on 02/17/2024 8:00:29 PM PST by Boomer (The Long Winter is coming...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76
The charitable organization affiliated with Hansjorg Wyss, a Swiss health care mogul and billionaire philanthropist, donates millions of dollars to the Fund for a Better Future, which was the fiscal sponsor for Climate Power until 2023, a spokesperson for Climate Power previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

STOP the insanity of 'nonprofits'...

9 posted on 02/17/2024 8:06:12 PM PST by GOPJ (Mayorkas reeks of that 'CIA (Creepy Thug Assh*le') mentality. Ashli Babbit's killer was promoted..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: george76

The EV and other green scams are dead. The problem is that the scammers which includes the Fedgov and billionaire elites won’t give it up.


10 posted on 02/17/2024 8:14:22 PM PST by shanover (...To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.-S.Adams)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Skwor

“Democrats will force EVs”

https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4218168/posts?page=9#9

ADDITIONAL INFO:

1- https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4217818/posts?page=70#70
2- https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4217818/posts?page=71#71
3- https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4217818/posts?page=72#72
4- https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4217818/posts?page=73#73


11 posted on 02/17/2024 9:27:06 PM PST by UMCRevMom@aol.com (Pray for God's intervention to stop Putin's invasion of Ukraine 🇺🇸 )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: packagingguy

Hoping America gets the chance to remove this vermin and others like him


12 posted on 02/18/2024 2:52:46 AM PST by ronnie raygun
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson