The Trump administration's tariff policies are getting their day in the highest United States court. The Supreme Court is deliberating V.O.S. Selections v. Trump, a case filed by a coalition of small businesses that claim President Donald Trump's tariff policy is increasing their operating costs, doing great harm to their ability to conduct business. A coalition of small businesses alone does not have the juice to take on challenges to the federal government, so they are getting major help.
Ahead of last week's oral arguments in this case, the money backers of this tariff legal challenge were revealed to be mostly conservative-leaning organizations, including some linked to conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo.
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The cases on which the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments were brought by small businesses, which argue that Trump’s tariffs have harmed them by raising their costs. Standing behind them, however — and paying for some of the high-priced legal talent — is the Liberty Justice Center, a nonprofit group with a libertarian-leaning agenda that has previously challenged public-sector unions and sued to prevent the ban on TikTok from taking effect.
Liberty Justice Center does not disclose the names of its donors, but a Washington Post analysis of tax filings found that since 2020, it has received money from Donors Trust, the Walton Family Foundation and the Bradley Foundation, all of which have been prominent conservative donors. Donors Trust is a fund that receives money from wealthy donors whose identities are not disclosed and steers it toward conservative causes. The group has frequently backed organizations associated with Federalist Society co-Chairman Leonard Leo, who counseled Trump on judicial picks during his first presidential term, but whom Trump denounced in May, in part because of the tariff case.
Additionally, Leo has donated tens of millions of dollars to Donors Trust via Marble Freedom Trust, for which he is trustee and chairman.
As has been reported, Trump is none too happy with his former adviser and ally, blaming him for the appointment of the judges who are now opposing his tariff policy. Trump called Leo a “real ‘sleazebag’” and “bad person who, in his own way, probably hates America."
Is Trump right, or is this just Trump being Trump? It is interesting to note that Leo's money was also behind former Vice President Mike Pence's Advancing American Freedom advocacy and policy group, which attacked the confirmation of Trump's pick for HHS Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Obviously, these efforts failed, but one does wonder which side Leo's bread is buttered on. As RedState's Becky Noble noted, "If other conservative financiers like Leo see that what he is doing is getting results in pushing what he called in his letter 'the conservative vision,' would they jump on board, creating an entire network of conservative funding?"
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Admittedly, I do not know enough about tariffs to have an opinion one way or another, but this much is clear: Where Leo once worked in concert with the Trump administration to further his agenda, now Leo appears to be working behind the scenes to provide funding and personnel to undermine Trump's agenda. Coincidence? I think not. While a conservative George Soros, like Leonard Leo, might seem ideal to fund and promote a more conservative vision, how does this differ from the Deep State, where people we don't elect and cannot control dictate government policy and also work to undermine Trump's agenda?
Looking at the implosion of certain formerly august conservative organizations because they have taken questionable stances against Israel, how do we know that a Leo-backed organization won't begin to fund and advocate for ICE operations to be rolled back significantly, or instead of mass deportations, try to push for an Amnesty-for-All plan like the one that was sold to former president Ronald Reagan? How is a coalition of conservative billionaires dictating what Americans should follow and how we should live any different than the World Economic Forum?
Too many slippery slopes, and too much at stake in what is a battle between advancing conservative ideals and the leftist insanity that has been foisted upon us for decades. Instead of relying on the vagaries of billionaire funders, perhaps citizen engagement — including where, how, and to whom we give our dollars— coupled with a commitment to hold government's feet to the fire, may still be the only solution to restore sanity, constitutional liberties, and leadership.
Editor’s Note: After more than 40 days of screwing Americans, a few Dems have finally caved.
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