Future Retirement Success
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks

Future Retirement Success

Investing

Missouri AG Investigates Private Group’s Advocacy

by December 18, 2023
December 18, 2023
Missouri AG Investigates Private Group’s Advocacy

Walter Olson

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a conservative, has sent a letter to left‐​leaning advocacy group Media Matters notifying them that he has placed them under legal investigation for having published criticisms of X, the Elon Musk social media site formerly known as Twitter, in such a way as to cause the site to lose advertisers. In doing so, Bailey would appear to be following in the ignoble footsteps of other elected officials who’ve sought to investigate and punish private advocacy on issues of public interest.

Longtime readers of this site will recall the disgraceful episode in the 2010s in which liberal attorneys general from a number of states investigated supposed wrongful advocacy by nonprofits and businesses on climate change issues, the First Amendment notwithstanding. (The enforcement action that went furthest, against Exxon over claimed misstatements to investors, fell flat on its face in a New York courtroom.) The campaign also included harassing subpoenas directed at nonprofit groups that had supposedly put out misleading or one‐​sided studies on climate matters.

What law does Bailey think he has on his side? While Elon Musk himself may have standing to file a civil suit claiming that his business was defamed, a state has no standing (nor should it) to file its own piggyback libel actions on behalf of celebrities it may admire.

Instead, Bailey writes, “I have reason to believe that your firm’s alleged actions may have violated Missouri consumer protection laws, including laws that prohibit nonprofit entities from soliciting funds under false pretenses.” Under this theory, supposedly wrongful advocacy by a private nonprofit on issues of public concern becomes a matter for state criminal enforcement, if the nonprofit repeats the claims in its fundraising.

Bailey thus evinces concern for the well‐​being of Media Matters donors, whom he paints as the victims on behalf of whom he is acting. This is every bit as convincing as former New York AG Eric Schneiderman’s insistence that in bringing a securities fraud case over Exxon’s climate statements he was deeply concerned for the welfare of Exxon’s shareholders. 

In the most risible bit of the letter—better than satire, really—Bailey claims to be standing up for free speech by menacing his private target with legal punishment for its speech.

You really have to wonder, though, whether Bailey has thought even one step ahead in the “What if the other side tries this?” calculation. By information and belief, groups on his own conservative side of the culture war raise a large volume of revenue from direct‐​response campaigns, which frequently repeat assertions that some future unsympathetic law enforcer could portray as misleading or flat wrong. Does Bailey really want to start down a road in which states crack down on fundraising by right as well as left advocacy groups this way?

0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
High Costs of Low-Income Housing
next post
Top 4 sites to get free Instagram followers

You may also like

Officials Resign En Masse at Justice Department After...

February 14, 2025

Trump’s Gold Card Plan Has Benefits But Legal...

February 26, 2025

There’s Still No Economic Case for New Tariffs

November 18, 2024

CFPB Targets Currency Devaluations, Just Not Government-Caused Devaluations

June 3, 2024

What is Causing Nicotinophobia?

January 23, 2024

Business Subsidies and State Tax Climates

May 20, 2024

Trade in Barbieland!

September 21, 2023

Getting the Word Out On Podcasts

October 24, 2023

Texas Embraces Medical Talent—Unless You’re from the “Wrong”...

May 30, 2025

Brazil’s Judicial Authoritarians Ban X, Punish Their Citizens,...

September 4, 2024

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free

    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • Trump’s Debanking Order Calls for Investigation, Something Tennessee Should Have Done

      August 9, 2025
    • How Europe’s car industry can survive the Chinese EV challenge

      August 9, 2025
    • Hiring Software & JavaScript Developers: Skills, Costs, and Best Practices

      August 9, 2025
    • Rakhi Butani on Skincare, Cooking, and the Power of Balance

      August 9, 2025
    • Jeremy Clarkson warns of ‘catastrophic’ UK harvest as farmers battle extreme weather and rising costs

      August 9, 2025
    • Reform UK urges energy industry to abandon net zero and focus on nuclear and gas

      August 9, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (8,728)
    • Investing (2,191)
    • Politics (16,344)
    • Stocks (3,228)
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: futureretirementsuccess.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 futureretirementsuccess.com | All Rights Reserved