Norman L Eisen

DIVE Hollywood connection Goldblum& CREW founder RAW DATA

1. How a U.S. ambassador helped inspire ‘Grand Budapest Hotel ...

[Link]
Jan 13, 2015 · There’s a local connection behind one of the films that snagged a Golden Globe on
Sunday. Norm Eisen, the former U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic, helped director Wes
Anderson do research ...
o Author: Emily Heil
2. ‘Wonderful’ Jeff Goldblum praised as he accepts Walk Of ...
[Link]
Jun 15, 2018 · Before the star was unveiled, Goldblum’s friend Eisen praised the actor as “deeply
moral” and a “wonderful friend”.
1. The Last Palace by Norman Eisen: 9780451495792 ...
[Link]
“As America’s Ambassador in Prague, Norman Eisen had an extraordinary relationship with the Czech
Republic and its history: his mother said the Nazis took her family out in boxcars and her son came back
on Air Force One.
2. [PDF]

Wes Anderson and Norman Eisen: Two Americans in Prague

[Link]
Today had started at five in the morning, when Ambassador Eisen drove actor Jeff Goldblum to the
airport. The ambassador and the filmmakers did not sleep much.
3. Norm Eisen — Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2
[Link]
Jan 28, 2011 · Norman L. Eisen (born November 11, 1960) is board chair of Citizens for Responsibility
and Ethics in Washington (CREW). He is an attorney who previously served as White House Special
Counsel for Ethics and Government Reform and later United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic.
He is also a senior fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution.

[Link]

Website: [Link]/

Location: WASHINGTON, DC

Tax ID: 03-0445391

Tax-Exempt Status: 501(c)(3)

Budget (2016): Revenue: $1,928,131

Expenses: $1,995,677
Assets: $735,315

Formation: 2002

[Link]
washington/ 501C3

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a David Brock-aligned

501(c)(3) advocacy group that markets itself  as  a “nonpartisan” watchdog directing
litigation against government corruption in an effort to advance the public interest. The
group is part of Brock’s network of organizations including Democratic-aligned
opposition research Super PAC American Bridge and media criticism organization
Media Matters for America that form Brock’s campaign to oppose Republican
officeholders.[1]

The organization has been recognized as having “played instrumental roles in building a
stronger, more integrated progressive infrastructure” by the Democracy Alliance.[2]
CREW has received funding from left-of-center foundations, including financier George
Soros’ Open Society Foundations and singer Barbra Streisand’s Streisand Foundation.[3]

CREW has been criticized for the appearance of pay-for-play advocacy on behalf of for-
profit universities.[4]

History and Founding

In 2001, prominent Democratic Party operatives founded CREW as a rejoinder to right-

leaning legal advocacy groups such as Judicial Watch, the Rutherford Institute and the
National Legal and Policy Center. The organization’s founding directors were: Louis
Mayberg, a Democratic party donor, and co-founder of the Maryland-based ProFund
Advisors LLC; Daniel Berger, another Democratic party donor who in 2004 made a
$100,000 contribution to America Coming Together; and Mark Penn, a fellow at the
New Politics Institute, and a Democratic strategist who worked on President Bill
Clinton’s 1996 re-election campaign and on Hillary Clinton’s 2000 U.S. Senate
campaign. Norm Eisen, another Democratic Party operative, played a role in the group’s
2001 founding, although, he was not listed as a director. [5]

When they initially conceived of CREW, both Eisen and Mayberg said that the
organization was intended to even the playing field against conservative legal groups
that had weakened the political position of President Bill Clinton during the 1990s. [6]
Melanie Sloan, another longtime Democratic operative, was listed as the executive
director on the 2013 990 form with an annual salary of $260,699. She is no longer with
the organization.

Prior to joining CREW, Sloan served as the nominations counsel for the Senate
Judiciary Committee, chaired by then-Sen. Joe Biden (D-Delaware), in 1993. She was
also counsel for the crime subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee under then-
U.S. Representative Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) in 1994 and served as minority counsel
for the House Judiciary Committee under Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan) from 1995
to 1998.[7]
Leadership and Financial Support

As of the end of 2015, CREW reported assets of about $820,000 and total annual
revenue of about $2.3 million.[8]

In August 2014, liberal political operative David Brock, founder of the liberal media
watchdog group Media Matters, was elected as CREW’s board chairman. Sloan then
announced that she would resign as a soon as a new executive director was named. [9]
Noah Bookbinder, who previously served as a U.S. Department of Justice prosecutor
and a chief counsel for the U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee, was tapped to become the
new executive director in March 2015.[10]

In December 2016, Brock announced that he would be stepping away from CREW’s
board after serving for two years. Eisen, the Democratic attorney who helped co-found
CREW in 2001, returned to the organization as the new board chairman after serving as
a legal counsel in the Obama White House and as U.S. Ambassador to the Czech
Republic. Richard Painter, formerly an ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush, is
now the vice chairman.[11]

Since its inception, CREW has received financial support from several left-leaning
foundations and organizations including the Arca Foundation, the David Geffen
Foundation, Democracy Alliance, the Mayberg Family Charitable Foundation,  George
Soros’s Open Society Institute, the Sheller Family Foundation, the Streisand
Foundation, the Tides Foundation, the Wallace Global Fund, and the Woodbury Fund.[12]

CREW’s ties to late progressive funder John Sperling, founder of the University of
Phoenix, led to criticism in the early 2010s. CREW had engaged in aggressive attacks on
critics of for-profit universities during debates on Obama administration student-aid
rules that would hurt for-profit colleges like the University of Phoenix, leading some to
speculate that they might be receiving funding from Sperling to engage in the hostile
campaign.[13] A subsequent analysis of tax returns found that Sperling’s Aurora
Foundation had routed money into pass-through nonprofits associated with a
Sacramento Democratic political consultancy that subsequently funded CREW. [14]

CREW does not reveal its donors, so the money trail cannot be decisively confirmed.
CREW faced additional criticism when then-executive director Melanie Sloan
announced her intention to join the public affairs firm of controversial lawyer and
consigliere to the Clinton family Lanny Davis. Davis conducted advocacy on behalf of
for-profit universities during the period CREW attacked the industry’s critics while
allegedly receiving funds from Sperling.[15]

CREW Primarily Targets Republicans

CREW’s efforts at “accountability” and “ethics” have been criticized as a partisan
vendetta against conservatives and Republicans.[16]  An attorney who represents
nonprofit groups said in an interview with the Hill that obvious one-sided slant of
CREW’s IRS complaints could potentially jeopardize the group’s standing. [17]

In 2004, CREW circulated a letter to House members in an effort to identify someone

willing to pursue ethics allegations against then Majority Leader Rep. Tom Delay (R-
Texas). CREW soon joined forces with former U.S. Representative Chris Bell (D-Texas),
who had lost an election in the Democratic primary. Sloan worked in concert with Bell
to fill an ethics complaint against Delay with the House Committee on Standards of
Official Conduct. CREW’s role in this effort was in violation with House rules that said
non-members could not file ethics complaints. The committee dismissed Bell’s
accusations against Delay.[18]

CREW’s and progressives’ vendetta against Delay ultimately ended in criminal charges
filed by the highly partisan Travis County District Attorney’s Office. After several years
of trials, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals reversed Delay’s lower-court conviction,
and one legal commentator called the charges “politically motivated.” [19]

An analysis by the Center for Organizational Research and Education suggests CREW
claimed impartiality was contrary to the facts through at least the first 18 months of the
Obama administration. CREW filed 29 complaints with the Federal Election
Commission in the period between March 2004 and September 2010. Breaking down
these complaints, 76 percent were trained on Republicans and right-leaning groups, but
a list of cases from the FEC shows only 40 percent of the civil penalties of $50,000 the
agency levied since 1980 were actually against Republicans or Republican Party
supporters. Additionally, all of CREW’s complaints to the IRS concerning 501(c)
statuses  as of 2010 targeted conservative groups. The IRS itself was much more even
handed: Between 2005 and 2009 only half of the charitable organizations that had their
tax-exempt status revoked by the IRS were connected with the right. [20]

Increased Partisanship under Brock

While CREW’s alleged impartiality was always overstated, it took a hit when Brock
assumed a leadership in CREW. CREW’s “Most Corrupt” and “Worst Governors” lists,
which occasionally mentioned the misdeeds of Democrats, were discontinued during his
watch.[21]

CLINTON FAMILY TIES

Brock’s close ties with the Clintons and his own personal political agenda ultimately
worked to undermine CREW’s ability to objectively investigate certain organizations.
Bloomberg reported that “Some former staffers say that Brock, who has moved into the
vice chairman role, has pulled the watchdog into a partisan agenda and, in doing so,
weakened its impact.”[22]

Bloomberg News reported that this affected CREW’s interactions with Brock’s sponsors
and allies in the Clinton family: “[CREW] walked away from a spat over Hillary Clinton’s
treatment of e-mails as secretary of state, even after an U.S. State Department Inspector
General found that CREW’s public records request had been improperly denied.” [23]
CREW’s December 2012 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the State
Department inquiring about the former secretary of state’s email records was discussed
at length and the Inspector General determined that department staff members did not
conduct a search for these records.[24]

Anti-Trump Administration Efforts

In keeping with the agenda of its former board chairman David Brock, CREW has been
an aggressive opponent of the Trump administration. The so-called “Brocktopus,” which
includes CREW, declared an intention to spend upwards of $40 million to oppose the
Trump administration in 2017. CREW was reported to be “a particular locus of
activity.”[25]

Just a few weeks into President Trump’s administration, CREW filed an “open records
request of all communication between White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and
FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and/or FBI Director James Comey concerning
improper communication about the pending criminal investigation of Russia’s attempts
to influence the 2016 election and links between Russian officials and associates of
Donald Trump.”[26]

CREW has also called for investigations of Trump’s business and interests and potential
conflicts of interest. The watchdog group claims Trump’s business interest may violate
the Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution.[27] CREW claims that Trump is
operating in violation of the Foreign Emoluments Clause because he continues to
maintain ownership in business ventures such as hotels where foreign governments and
businesses are customers.

CREW also filed complaints against Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president.
Conway’s apparent endorsement of Ivanka Trump’s products violated federal ethics
regulations, according to a complaint CREW filed with the Office of Government Ethics
and White House Counsel’s Office.

In 2020, CREW co-signed a letter addressed to president Donald Trump which

advocated for hiring Federal Election Commission (FEC) Commissioners to reach
quorum and to enforce election laws.
Support of H.R.1

In 2019, Norman Eisen, current chair of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in
Washington (CREW) and former US ambassador to the Czech Republic, and Fred
Wertheimer, founder and president of Democracy 21, wrote an op-ed for Politico
together entitled “How to Fix America’s Broken Political System.” [28]

The article discusses the introduction the H.R.1 bill in the House of Representatives in
2019. The bill consists of a package of democracy reforms introduced by Rep. John
Sarbanes on behalf of the Democratic House majority. The bill addresses election
security reforms, establishing standards for election vendors, providing assistance to
states to protect their election systems, and enhancing federal initiatives to respond to
threats to election systems.

The legislation addresses Russian President Vladimir Putin’s violations of United States
campaign finance laws. In 2016, when Russian agents spent money on campaign
advertisements in the United States, they violated a U.S. ban on foreign governments
making expenditures to influence local elections. H.R.1 includes disclosure provisions
that would allow American citizens to know which advertisements are sponsored by
foreign governments.

The H.R.1. bill also seeks to expand the access of voters in the United States to ballots.
Voting reforms include requiring states to register voters automatically, to offer online
and same-day voter registration options, to expand voting rights to ex-criminals that are
no longer serving a sentence, and to establish Election Day as a national holiday.

The H.R.1 bill seeks to create financing systems for congressional and presidential
campaigns that allow for candidates to run for office without becoming financially
dependent on large campaign donors. It creates a financing system that matches
contributions to campaigns of up to $200 with public funds at a 6-1 ratio. [29]

People

CREW staff members typically have close ties with the Democratic Party, Democratic
politicians, or other progressive organizations. Noah Bookbinder, the group’s executive
director, was a staff member in the Obama administration and also served on the Senate
Judiciary Committee under Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont). [30] Matt Corley, the group’s
chief investigator, has a history with the Center for American Progress, and Jordan
Libowitz, the communications director, worked as an organizer for the Alaska
Democratic Party. [31] [32]
Melanie Sloan, CREW’s founding executive director, left CREW in 2014. She formed a
public affairs firm, Triumph Strategy(see dig on dannehy).[33] She partnered in
that endeavor with ProgressNow founder Michael Huttner.[34]

Xxxxx

References

1. Debenedetti, Gabriel. “Brock groups set $40 million budget to fight Trump.” POLITICO.
January 21, 2017. Accessed March 21, 2017. [Link]
brock-fundraising-trump-233974 ^

2. Democracy Alliance. “Spring 2014 Democracy Alliance Investment Recommendations.” Pp

54-55. Spring 2014. Accessed March 21, 2017.
[Link]
[Link]#document/p1  ^

3. “Citizens for Responsiblity and Ethics in Washington.” Discover the Networks. N.p., n.d.
Web. 12 Mar. 2017. [Link]
^

4. Elk, Mike. “Why Are Progressives Fighting Student-Loan Reform?” The American Prospect.
October 5, 2010. Accessed March 29, 2017. [Link]
progressives-fighting-student-loan-reform-0#note ^

5. “Citizens for Responsiblity and Ethics in Washington.” Discover the Networks. N.p., n.d.
Web. 12 Mar. 2017. ^

6. “Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington | Funding sources, staff profiles, and
political agenda | Activist FactsActivist Facts.” Activist Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2017. ^

7. “Citizens for Responsiblity and Ethics in Washington.” Discover the Networks. N.p., n.d.
Web. 12 Mar. 2017 ^

8. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Return of Organization Exempt from
Income Tax (Form 990), 2015, Part I Line 12 and Part X Line 16(B) ^

9. Gerth, Jeff . “Her Way.” Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Google Books, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2017. ^

10. “CREW Names Noah Bookbinder Executive Director.” CREW. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.
^

11. Ross, Chuck. “David Brock Leaves Executive Spot At Liberal Watchdog Group.” The Daily
Caller, 8 Dec. 2016. Web. 13 Mar. 2017. ^

12. Citizens for Responsiblity and Ethics in Washington.” Discover the Networks. N.p., n.d.
Web. 12 Mar. 2017. ^
13. Elk, Mike. “Why Are Progressives Fighting Student-Loan Reform?” The American Prospect.
October 5, 2010. Accessed March 29, 2017. [Link]
progressives-fighting-student-loan-reform-0#note ^

14. Carney, Timothy P. “Money trail connects watchdog group CREW to the for-profit colleges it
defended.” Washington Examiner. September 02, 2014. Accessed March 29, 2017.
[Link]
for-profit-colleges-it-defended/article/2552605 ^

15. Downie, James. “Why Do Ethics Stories Still Quote CREW’s Melanie Sloan?” The New
Republic. March 04, 2011. Accessed March 29, 2017.
[Link] ^

16. Knight, Robert. “KNIGHT: Time to disarm partisan CREW.” The Washington Times. July 29,
2011. Accessed March 29, 2017. [Link]
to-disarm-partisan-crew/ ^

17. [Link]
eHill/News/Frontpage/031406/[Link] ^

18. “Citizens for Responsiblity and Ethics in Washington.” Discover the Networks. N.p., n.d.
Web. 12 Mar. 2017 ^

19. Fund, John. “Tom DeLay Saga Ends-Conviction Reversed.” National Review. October 01,
2014. Accessed March 29, 2017. [Link]
saga-ends-conviction-reversed-john-fund ^

20. “CREW’s Disproportionate Attacks on Republicans.” CREW Exposed. N.p., n.d. Web. 27

Mar. 2017. ^

21. Allison, Bill. “CREW’s Watchdog Status Fades After Arrival of Democrat David Brock.”
[Link]. April 11, 2016. Accessed March 29, 2017.
[Link]
life-with-partisan-roommates  . ^

22. Allison, Bill. “CREW’s Watchdog Status Fades After Arrival of Democrat David
Brock.” [Link]. Bloomberg, 11 Apr. 2016. Web. 13 Mar. 2017. ^

23. Allison, Bill. “CREW’s Watchdog Status Fades After Arrival of Democrat David Brock.”
[Link]. April 11, 2016. Accessed March 29, 2017.
[Link]
life-with-partisan-roommates  . ^

24. U.S. State Department Inspector General Report . Digital image. OIG Evaluation of State
Department FOIA Process . N.p., Jan. 2016. Web. 28 Mar. 2017. ^

25. Debenedetti, Gabriel. “Brock groups set $40 million budget to fight Trump.” POLITICO.
January 21, 2017. Accessed March 29, 2017. [Link]
brock-fundraising-trump-233974 ^

26. “CREW Files Open Records Request Seeking Communication Records Between Chief of Staff
Reince Priebus and FBI.” CREW. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2017. ^
 27. “Non-Profit Lawsuit Alleges Trump Violates The Constitution.” NPR. NPR, 23 Jan. 2017.
Web. 12 Mar. 2017. ^

28. Eisen , Norman, and Fred Wertheimer. “How to Fix America’s Broken Political System.” In
The Arena. Politico Magazine. 9 Jan. 2019.
[Link]
bill-223758 ^

29. Eisen , Norman, and Fred Wertheimer. “How to Fix America’s Broken Political System.” In
The Arena. Politico Magazine. 9 Jan. 2019.
[Link]
bill-223758 ^

30. “Noah Bookbinder.” CREW. Accessed July 31, 2019. [Link]

member/team-member-4/ ^

31. “Matt Corley.” CREW. Accessed July 31, 2019. [Link]

member/team-member-2/ ^

32. “Jordan Libowitz.” CREW. Accessed July 31, 2019. [Link]

member/jordan-libowitz/ ^

33. Gale, Rebecca. “Melanie Sloan Settles in With New Crew: Triumph Strategy.” Roll Call.
February 03, 2015. Accessed March 29, 2017. [Link]
sloan-triumph-strategy ^

34. Wilson, Megan R. “CREW founder Sloan starts new venture.” TheHill. January 07, 2015.
Accessed March 29, 2017. [Link]
crew-founder-starts-new-venture ^

Xxx Related Profiles

NON-PROFITS

1. Campaign for Accountability

OTHER GROUPS

1. Democracy Alliance (DA)

Directors, Employees & Supporters

1.
 Evan McMullin
BOARD MEMBER

2.

Melanie Sloan
FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

3.

David Brock
SUPPORTER

4.

Richard Painter

5.

Noah Bookbinder

Coalition Memberships

1. Declaration for American Democracy

Donor Organizations

1. Arca Foundation (Non-profit)

2. Bauman Family Foundation (Non-profit)
3. Bohemian Foundation (Non-profit)
4. Carnegie Corporation of New York (Non-profit)
5. David Geffen Foundation (Non-profit)
6. Dwoskin Family Foundation (Non-profit)
7. Dyson Foundation (Non-profit)
8. Flora Family Foundation (Non-profit)
9. Foundation to Promote Open Society (FPOS) (Non-profit)
10. Gill Foundation (Non-profit)
11. Leland Fikes Foundation (Non-profit)
12. Marisla Foundation (Non-profit)
13. Mertz Gilmore Foundation (Non-profit)
14. Resources Legacy Fund (Non-profit)
15. Rockefeller Brothers Fund (Non-profit)
16. San Francisco Foundation (Non-profit)
17. Silicon Valley Community Foundation (Non-profit)
18. Stephen M. Silberstein Foundation (Non-profit)
19. Wallace Global Fund (Non-profit)
20. Wellspring Philanthropic Fund (Non-profit)
21. Western Conservation Foundation (Non-profit)

THREAD READER POST: read: [Link] re

NORM EISEN

(Full text pasted below)

𝐃𝐫
𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐲+ Your Authors @CarrollQuigley1
Crowdsourced OSINT research & analysis | Subscribe to my YouTube channel ⬇️for
more content. Dec. 04, 2019 1
min read
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter

One of the star "witnesses" in the impeachment circus is the co-founder of [CREW] and
a senior fellow at Brookings. David Brock, John Podesta, and George Soros are once
again pulling the strings. For starters, take a look into Brock's immediate plan after the
2016 election.

Norm was also a Harvard Law classmate of his future White House boss Barry
Soertero.

Here's an excerpt from an interview Eisen gave regarding a book he wrote after serving
as one of Obama's politically appointed ambassadors. "Trump is on every page of my
book though his name never appears."Keep reading...
[Link]
metaphor-jewish-survival …#TDS
Direct quote from Eisen:
BTW, for those who criticize Trump for his hires...Eisen was a lifelong friend and
bundler for Obama. [Link]
ethics-lawyer-norma/ …
Not like he has any skin in the game...right Joe?White House ethics czar.
Eisen & Robert Kagan on the Never Trump Resistard Brookings book tour. Who is
Kagan married to again?
Oh that's right, Victoria Nuland. What was she up to in Ukraine?
[Link] …
Go ahead and read the Brock plan for yourself. It was leaked in early [Link]'s a
whole section dedicated to the Crew 2020 plan.
[Link]
Fighting-Trump …
Here's a few pages to get you started. Brock stepped down as chairman and handed
Crew to Eisen & Painter who have combined for hundreds of op-eds & interviews to
push this agenda.
My bad. I referred to Eisen as a witness. He's actually the Dems attorney. Still important
to know his background.
Here @Cernovich provides a nice takedown of one of the actual witnesses.
And here we have more from Tim regarding Eisen.
Solid start on this nutjob.
Oh my. This lady was considered for SCOTUS?We must never let the Dems take
control again.
You can follow @CarrollQuigley1.

FULL TEXT PASTE OF THREAD:

One of the star "witnesses" in the impeachment circus is the co-founder of
[CREW] and a senior fellow at Brookings. David Brock, John Podesta, and George
Soros are once again pulling the strings.
[Link]

For starters, take a look into Brock's immediate plan after the 2016 election.
Norm was also a Harvard Law classmate of his future White House boss Barry Soertero.

Here's an excerpt from an interview Eisen gave regarding a book he wrote after serving as one of
Obama's politically appointed ambassadors.

"Trump is on every page of my book though his name never appears."

Keep reading...
[Link]/2018/09/21/pol…

#TDS
Direct quote from Eisen:

BTW, for those who criticize Trump for his hires...

Eisen was a lifelong friend and bundler for Obama.

[Link]/news/2010/04/t…

Not like he has any skin in the game...right Joe?

White House ethics czar.

Eisen & Robert Kagan on the Never Trump Resistard Brookings book tour.

Who is Kagan married to again?

Oh that's right, Victoria Nuland.

What was she up to in Ukraine?

[Link]/news/world-eur…
Go ahead and read the Brock plan for yourself. It was leaked in early 2017.

There's a whole section dedicated to the Crew 2020 plan.

[Link]/document/33753…
Here's a few pages to get you started.

Brock stepped down as chairman and handed Crew to Eisen & Painter who have combined for
hundreds of op-eds & interviews to push this agenda.
My bad. I referred to Eisen as a witness. He's actually the Dems attorney.

Still important to know his background.

Here @Cernovich provides a nice takedown of one of the actual witnesses.

And here we have more from Tim regarding Eisen.

Solid start on this nutjob.

Oh my.

This lady was considered for SCOTUS?

We must never let the Dems take control again.

You can follow @CarrollQuigley1.

____