Covid Hucksters Made a Killing
$118,000,000
Covid was a financial boon for the four most prominent nonprofits that spread misinformation.
A 2020-2022 tax record analysis by The Washington Post found a significant increase in donations, $118 million in total, for Children's Health Defense, Informed Consent Action Network, Front Line Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance, and America's Frontline Doctors.
This fundraising haul also contributed to the personal wealth of leaders in these organizations. Robert Kennedy Jr., for instance, worked for Children's Health Defense and saw his salary double to $510,000. He's now running for president as an independent. (And, as we pointed out last week, not supported by AVC.)
Simone Gold had a salary of $581,000 in 2022 from America's Frontline Doctors, but is now being sued by the organization she founded for allegedly using donations to purchase a $3.6 million home, luxury cars, and other wealthy-lifestyle purchases.
In addition to promoting misinformation about Covid vaccines, these groups promoted alternative treatments, especially Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, with no evidence that these treatments help. Many got sick from taking Ivermectin and at least one proponent died after taking daily doses.
One of the largest contributors to these four groups was a donor-advised fund called The National Christian Foundation, which specializes in raising money for churches and other Christian ministries, according the The Post.
Over 1 million people have died from Covid-related illness in the US alone. It's difficult to say how much these four groups contributed to those deaths. The pandemic would've certainly been awful regardless. But some of our loved ones might still be with us today if these groups hadn't been so successful in misleading people.
Do you know someone who still believes misinformation about Covid or vaccines? Showing the con behind this misinformation might at least introduce some doubt in their minds about what they believe. Let us know if you've tried this and found it helpful or not.
Tell Your Pastor!
Do you know a Christian pastor or ministry leader who has experienced political and cultural divisions in your church and community? Are you concerned about increasing polarization in an election year? AVC has a new project especially for them!
J29 Coalition will help pastors and ministry leaders disciple their congregations through our current challenges by connecting them with experts on these topics and putting them in fellowship with other pastors experiencing the same challenges. Our first J29 Cohort starts in April and is limited to 50 pastors. We'll meet online throughout the year and at an expenses paid trip to Chicago in September. To learn more, sign up on our email list and join one of our online informational sessions on Feb. 29 at 12:30pm Eastern, March 8 at 11am Eastern, or March 19 at 2pm Eastern.
What Else We're Reading
Ryan Burge: "Has Christian Nationalism Intensified or Faded?"
It's all happened so fast that it's hard to get our arms around a pretty basic question in the discussion about Christian Nationalism - are those sentiments increasing or decreasing in the general public? Well, now I can answer that with a great deal of specificity.
AP: "Ex-FBI informant charged with lying about Bidens had Russian intelligence contacts, prosecutors say"
A former FBI informant charged with making up a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden, his son Hunter and a Ukrainian energy company had contacts with Russian intelligence-affiliated officials, prosecutors said Tuesday.
David French: "MAGA’s Violent Threats Are Warping Life in America"
But the tsunami of MAGA threats is different. The intimidation is systemic and ubiquitous, an acknowledged tactic in the playbook of the Trump right that flows all the way down from the violent fantasies of Donald Trump himself. It is rare to encounter a public-facing Trump critic who hasn’t faced threats and intimidation.
The threats drive decent men and women from public office. They isolate and frighten dissenters. When my family first began to face threats, the most dispiriting responses came from Christian acquaintances who concluded I was a traitor for turning on a movement whose members had expressed an explicit desire to kill my family.
Read the whole thing (gift link).
What Else We're Watching
60 Minutes: Trump fake elector in Wisconsin describes how he says he was tricked
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