Conservative Partnership Institute

Sen. Whitehouse: "dark money hub for MAGA Republicans". CREW: "described as the “insurrectionists’ clubhouse” and the “nerve center” for the MAGA movement for its role as a hub for Trump administration officials and 2020 election deniers" "The Conservative Partnership Institute serves as an incubator for radical right-wing advocacy groups, many of which are led by former Trumpworld figures. Its Election Integrity Network project engages in efforts to intimidate voters and subvert elections...an “extension of the Trump infrastructure” and “the most powerful messaging force in the MAGA universe.”" In May 2024 the NYTimes reported the organization has paid at least $3.2 million since the start of 2021 to corporations led by its own leaders or their relatives. One was led by the institute’s president, Edward Corrigan, and another by its chief operating officer. At a third contractor, the board members included the group’s senior legal fellow Cleta Mitchell, a lawyer who supported Mr. Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. In 2023, the Conservative Partnership Institute hired a fourth company connected to an insider: a fund-raising firm run by Mr. Corrigan’s brother, Patrick Corrigan. Public filings show the company received a contract three weeks before the firm was legally formed. As the money flowed, the institute’s leaders began to found a series of companies in Delaware. The first was Compass Professional. Its first annual report listed a slate of directors, including Edward Corrigan and Mr. Denton. Next was Compass Legal Services. Its initial filing listed directors, including Ms. Mitchell and Charlotte Davis, one of the institute’s board members. In 2022, a third Delaware company was formed: Compass Property Management. Its corporate filings show Mr. Denton as president. In 2023, the institute also hired a company that was partly owned by Patrick Corrigan, Compass Direct LLC, to a fund-raising contract. Compass Professional and Compass Legal have worked for other clients, including Mr. Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and Gun Owners of America.