Right-wing ‘government accountability’ group ignores lobbyist's 'unauthorized spending'

The Foundation for Government Accountability says its mission is, in part, promoting “public policies based on the principles of transparency.”

But the conservative group with a $13 million budget — which advocates to curtail voting, promote child labor and cut holes in the social safety net, among other priorities — proved defiantly unaccountable when asked repeatedly by Raw Story about the “unauthorized expenses” of one of its directors.

Raw Story reported last week that Margaret A. (Maggie) Harrell, the Foundation for Government Accountability’s federal affairs director, who used to be deputy chief of staff for Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), reimbursed Roy’s campaign committee for nearly $40,000 in February for “unauthorized expenses.”

When Raw Story reached Harrell by phone, she said she was at work and unavailable to discuss the issue.

RELATED ARTICLE: Far-right Texas congressman's ex-staffer paid back nearly $40K in ‘unauthorized charges'

Harrell did not return subsequent voicemail and text messages. Her professional biography remained on the Foundation for Government Accountability’s website as of Monday afternoon.

Roy, a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, failed to explain the nature of the unauthorized expenses in two statements issued by his office to Raw Story.

"Upon a review of all transactions made in previous cycles, our campaign discovered some debit card transactions not officially authorized by the campaign, self-reported those charges to the FEC, and those reimbursements were made,” one of the statements said.

Roy also did not answer questions about whether he considers the matter theft or whether the Roy campaign reported it to law enforcement.

This secrecy extended to the Foundation for Government Accountability, which has government accountability in its name.

Numerous voice and email messages were not returned by Foundation for Government Accountability president Tarren Bragdon, chief operating officer and general counsel Jonathan Bechtle, vice president of communications Nick Stehle and communications director Adam Gibbs.

The Foundation for Government Accountability, located in Naples, Fla, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit with a lobbying wing called the Opportunity Solutions Project. The Foundation for Government Accountability does much of its work at the state level, influencing Republican legislatures, although Harrell is a registered federal lobbyist representing the Opportunity Solutions Project in Washington, D.C., according to federal lobbying records.

According to nonpartisan research organization OpenSecrets, the Foundation for Government Accountability has received almost $18 million since 2013 from a foundation controlled by Richard “Dick” Uihlein, a shipping supply billionaire and descendant of a founder of Schlitz beer. Uihlein is a prominent funder of election denial efforts.

Uihlein spent millions in a losing effort to thwart an Ohio constitutional amendment allowing abortion.

The Foundation for Government Accountability works to limit such “direct democracy” efforts by raising the threshold for such measures to succeed at the ballot box.

"America is the greatest country in the history of the world because we value personal liberty, and FGA’s work is tangibly improving people’s lives by preserving and expanding freedom," Harrell is quoted as saying on the group's website. "I’m grateful to be part of a team dedicated to freeing individuals from government dependency so they can achieve their unique version of the American Dream."

Bragdon, the group’s president, received $426,369 in total compensation in 2021, according to public tax records. Bechtle, the COO and general counsel, was paid $313,633.