Correct The Record (CTR)

Correct The Record (CTR)

Overview

* Subsidiary of David Brock’s American Bridge 21st Century
* Was established to lay the groundwork for a potential 2016 presidential run by Hillary Clinton
* Produces talking points designed to rebut and discredit criticisms of Mrs. Clinton


Established in November 2013 as a subsidiary of David Brock‘s American Bridge 21st Century, Correct The Record (CTR) serves as a “strategic research and rapid response” operation designed to counter the “relentless attack strategy” employed by Republicans seeking to derail a potential 2016 presidential run by Hillary Clinton. According to OpenSecrets.org, CTR is a hybrid Political Action Committee (PAC) / Super PAC.

CTR’s staff consists of approximately 20 employees. The leaders of the organization’s day-to-day operations are Burns Strider, who served as director of faith-based outreach for Mrs. Clinton’s 2008 White House bid, and Susie Tompkins Buell, a longtime leading donor and fundraiser for Mrs. Clinton. Other key financial backers of CTR include Steve Bing, software entrepreneur Paul Egerman, Rob McKay, the scandal-plagued Democrat donor Bernard Schwartz, and Democratic Party fundraiser Barbara Stiefel.

One of CTR’s chief priorities is to produce talking points that rebut and discredit any and all criticisms of Hillary Clinton. For example, the organization maintains that the deadly terrorist attacks against the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi on September 11, 2012 were not in any way attributable to Clinton’s failure, as Secretary of State, to provide adequate security for that facility during the weeks and months prior to the violence. Nor does CTR hold Mrs. Clinton accountable for her subsequent mischaracterization of the attacks as spontaneous, unplanned protests that erupted in response to an obscure anti-Muslim video produced in the United States. Instead, CTR contends that a “transparent” Mrs. Clinton decisively “took action” in the aftermath of the attacks by appointing an Accountability Review Board to trace the roots of the tragedy, and praises her determination “to leave the State Department and our country safer, stronger, and more secure.”

In a similar spirit, CTR impugns the “right wing” for its “shameful” suggestion that Mrs. Clinton’s enormous speaking fees ($250,000-per-event) prove that “she is out of touch” with the economic circumstances of average Americans. “The reality,” says CTR, is that Hillary Clinton “came from a middle-class background in middle America,” has “spent decades advocating for a level playing field,” and is “fighting … hard to make sure the American Dream is a real possibility for every child and every family across our nation.”

Moreover, CTR credits Mrs. Clinton for a host of achievements she enjoyed both as a senator and as Secretary of State, such as:

  • her “tough, smart, and consistent approach on Iran,” in particular her “tireless” efforts to prevent that nation from obtaining nuclear weapons;
  • her voice as “a powerful advocate for women,” “an outspoken defender of a woman’s right to choose,” and a supporter of increased public expenditures on early childhood education;
  • her “dedication to our nation’s servicemen and women,” as exemplified in her efforts to “expand health care for National Guard members and reservists,” and the role she played in “bringing one war [Iraq] to an end and planning for the end of another [Afghanistan]”;
  • her efforts to “pass the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform” which would provide a path-to-citizenship for millions of illegal aliens;
  • her success in “restor[ing] America’s leadership and standing in the world during a time of global challenges and changes”;
  • her “arduous” efforts to “advance American interests with Russia,” most notably through the “integral role” she played in facilitating the signing of the New START Treaty—a deal that, as attorney and constitutional scholar Phyllis Schlafly explains, actually placed the U.S. at a great disadvantage militarily;
  • her support for “the raid that brought Osama bin Laden to justice”;
  • her purported success in helping to “avert war in Gaza by negotiating a ceasefire between Israelis and Palestinians”;
  • her skill in “build[ing] the coalition to oust [Muammar] Qadhafi and stop massacres in Libya”;
  • her promotion of a variety of programs designed to improve “education for women and girls around the world”;
  • her determination “to raise women’s issues at all international economic forums”;
  • her repeated calls for “paycheck fairness,” rooted in her belief that “pay discrimination continues to result in women earning less than men for performing the same job”
  • her efforts to promote “college affordability” by: (a) introducing legislation designed to “boost awareness of student financial aid through outreach programs”; (b) fighting “to allow student borrowers to make monthly loan payments that are fair percentages of their income”; and (c) introducing legislation to increase funding for Pell Grants;
  • her commitment to “making sure that the American people’s access to energy is secure, reliable, affordable, and sustainable”;
  • her calls for the U.S. to show “leadership” in the fight against “climate change” by “curb[ing] carbon emissions” and providing assistance to “developing countries hit hardest” by global warming’s allegedly catastrophic effects;
  • her efforts to “transform” the State Department by: (a) “expanding LGBT rights and promoting equality for employees” within the Department, and (b) implementing a policy to “explicitly protect against discriminatory treatment of employees and job applicants based on gender identity”; and
  • her calls for the use of “smart power,” which she defines as “choosing the right combination of tools—diplomatic, economic, military, political, legal, and cultural—for each situation.”

An attachment to a December 1, 2015 email that Democrat fundraiser Mary Pat Bonner sent to John Podesta, made it clear that CTR was coordinating directly with the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign; federal law forbids such coordination between a political campaign and a Super PAC. Said the attachment: “In May of 2015, CTR separated from its parent organization, American Bridge, and became its own SuperPAC. This structure allows CTR to retain its independence but coordinate directly and strategically with the Hillary campaign. This work is necessary now more than ever.”

In September 2016, CTR announced the launch of its new “TrumpLeaks” project, which was offering money in exchange for any legally obtained audio or video that could damage the presidential campaign of Republican nominee Donald Trump. “One of the most important things for voters to evaluate in any election is the full measure of a candidate’s views, ideas, and temperament over time,” the CTR website stated. “In making a choice for president, voters must also consider how various candidates present themselves to the public and to the world. There are few things more important in that regard than access to video or audio in the form of prior television or radio interviews or more candid video from events a candidate may have attended.”

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