Politics

Anti-Trump Protesters To Begin Soliciting Donations

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One of the leading anti-Trump protest groups will soon begin soliciting donations to help activists “resist” the Trump agenda.

The leaders of Indivisible, an activist organization responsible for interrupting Republican town halls across the country, are launching a non-profit in order to help fund their efforts, the group recently announced on its website.

The anti-Trump organization is already soliciting donations through liberal fundraising website ActBlue, although those donations are not deductible as charitable contributions. Launching a non-profit, the activists say, will allow them “to provide shared tools to help groups organize events, communicate with each other, and share best practices and resources.”

What the group refers to as “events” are oftentimes anti-Republican protests.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: A protester sits by a fire in the street as police and demonstrators clash in downtown Washington following the inauguration of President Donald Trump on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. Washington and the entire world have watched the transfer of the United States presidency from Barack Obama to Donald Trump, the 45th president. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: A protester sits by a fire in the street as police and demonstrators clash in downtown Washington following the inauguration of President Donald Trump on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A group of liberal activists launched Indivisible in the aftermath of Trump’s electoral victory and started out distributing how-to guides on anti-GOP activism. The group now helps coordinate protests around the country. (RELATED: In Their Own Words: Anti-Trump ‘Resistance’ Leaders Say They Want To Make America ‘Ungovernable’)

Liberal media outlets reacted with skepticism to Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz’s suggestion that liberals are funding anti-GOP protests around the country. New York magazine, for example, argued that there is “no evidence” to back up Chaffetz’s argument.

But the fact that Indivisible, which has targeted Chaffetz with protests, is soliciting donations would appear to lend credence to Chaffetz’s claim that the people interrupting him at a recent town hall represented “a paid attempt to bully and intimidate.”

Chaffetz will be speaking at a February 18 fundraiser for a local Republican group in Fort Worth, Texas. A local Indivisible chapter is planning a “peaceful demonstration” at the fundraiser, which isn’t open to the public.

Indivisible isn’t alone in seeking tax-free funding for its anti-GOP protests. (RELATED: Anti-Trump Protests Funded By Left-Wing ‘Charity’)

The Act Now To Stop War & End Racism (ANSWER) Coalition, a left-wing activist group that began organizing “emergency protests” immediately after Trump’s election, employs a similar method.

ANSWER is funded by the Progress Unity Fund, a left-wing charity whose states mission is to “provide a progressive alternative to mainstream charities.” Progress Unity Fund is registered as a tax-exempt 501(c)3 organization — the same classification as the Red Cross.

Correction: An earlier version of this article said the donations to Indivisible would be tax-deductible. Unlike Progress Unity Fund, Indivisible’s non-profit will be a 501(c)4 organization, making donations to the group not tax-deductible.

Follow Hasson on Twitter @PeterJHasson