In the largest known political advocacy donation in U.S. history, industrialist Barre Seid funded a new group run by Federalist Society co-chair Leonard Leo, who guided Trump’s Supreme Court picks and helped end federal abortion rights.
By Andrew Perez, The Lever, and Andy Kroll and Justin Elliott, ProPublica
An elderly, ultra-secretive Chicago businessman has given the largest known donation to a political advocacy group in U.S. history — worth $1.6 billion — and the recipient is one of the prime architects of conservatives’ efforts to reshape the American judicial system, including the Supreme Court.

Through a series of opaque transactions over the past two years, Barre Seid, a 90-year-old manufacturing magnate, gave the massive sum to a nonprofit run by Leonard Leo, who co-chairs the conservative legal group the Federalist Society.
Recent Posts
Top Democrats are fighting a billionaire tax in California. Their voters are on the other side
October 31, 2026
Take Action Now The unprecedented measure has enormous potential nationwide. The clash exposes the party’s corporate-progressive divideBy Norman…
The 10 Worst Congressional Excuses for Voting for More Military Spending
October 30, 2026
Take Action Now Here are 10 popular categories of excuses that have proven effective through the past quarter-century.By David Swanson, World…
Rachel Maddow’s Conspicuous Refusal to Cover Israelgate
October 30, 2026
Take Action Now Israel has spent $1 billion to influence US politics and is directly paying for ads promoting MAGA. Why isn’t MSNOW’s “foreign…
In a Country That Needs Heroes, Here Are a Few Standouts This Election Season
October 29, 2026
Take Action Now Right now, the United States is unhappy enough to need a lot of heroes – and during this election year, many have emerged. Here are…




