Companies Run by Insiders Received Millions from Nonprofit Allied with Trump
TL/DR –
The Conservative Partnership Institute, a nonprofit allied to President Donald Trump, has paid at least $3.2 million since 2021’s start to corporations led by its own leaders or their relatives. The nonprofit’s three highest-paid contractors were all connected to insiders, with one led by the institute’s president, Edward Corrigan, another by its chief operating officer, and a third contractor’s board members included the group’s senior legal fellow. This practice is raising concerns about self-dealing and potential overpayment, as there is no third party to determine whether the insider-led companies were charging a fair price.
The Trump-Connected Conservative Partnership Institute’s Internal Transactions of Over $3.2 Million
Records show that the Conservative Partnership Institute, a nonprofit associated with President Donald Trump, has allocated at least $3.2 million to corporations controlled by its own leaders or their relatives since 2021. According to its latest tax documents, the top three highest-paid contractors were affiliated with insiders. Legal experts have raised concerns about potential self-dealing within the organization.
Though the nonprofit applied to the IRS as a tax-exempt organization, its funds are legally required to serve the public good. However, it has pushed those limits by aligning closely with one political faction and paying high salaries to ex-Trump officials. Michael West, a lawyer at the New York Council of Nonprofits, expressed concerns over the nonprofit’s lack of checks and balances.
Insider Connections and Opaque Financial Transactions
Last year, the Conservative Partnership Institute contracted a company run by Mr. Corrigan’s brother Patrick Corrigan, weeks before it was legally formed. The institute’s president, Edward Corrigan, did not respond to questions regarding the steps taken to ensure fair pricing.
The nonprofit’s major donors include several Republican political campaigns and conservative businesspeople. Records show the $3.2 million in funding was directed towards companies where the institute’s top leaders or family members served, though the exact distribution of funds is unclear.
Founding of Additional Companies and Financial Implications
Increased fundraising led to the establishment of several Delaware-based companies linked to the institute’s leaders. Notably, Compass Professional and Compass Legal provided professional services to the institute. These transactions, while legal, prompt caution from legal experts about potential misuse of charity funds.
As the Institute was paying these companies, institute leaders like Corrigan and others remained conspicuously silent on whether they took steps to mitigate risks. Penalties for improper benefits to insiders could include fines or revocation of the nonprofit’s tax exemption in severe cases.
Emergence of More Insider-Connected Companies
In 2022, a third Delaware company, Compass Property Management, was founded with Mr. Denton as president. That year, the institute paid the three insider-connected companies a combined $2.6 million, but it’s unclear how much went to insiders on the vendors’ boards.
Compass Professional and Compass Legal also worked with other clients like Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and Gun Owners of America. Despite changes in board members, institute leaders or their family members remained on the boards of each company.
Controversial Contract With Insider-Owned Company
In 2023, institute also hired Compass Direct LLC, a company partly owned by Patrick Corrigan, to a fund-raising contract, paying $180,000 over the next year. Interestingly, the contract started before the company was officially formed. Upon inquiries, Patrick Corrigan updated North Carolina filings showing his relation to the nonprofit’s leader, his brother Edward Corrigan.
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