Government Accountability Institute
About
The Government Accountability Institute (GAI), founded in 2012 by Peter Schweizer and Steve Bannon with funding from Robert Mercer, is a conservative think tank based in Tallahassee, Florida. Its stated mission is to investigate and expose government corruption, misuse of taxpayer funds, and crony capitalism. Although registered as a nonpartisan organization, GAI predominantly focuses on allegations related to the Democratic Party. Peter Schweizer serves as the group's president.
Why was it created?
The Government Accountability Institute was created to funnel partisan opposition research and dirt-digging into mainstream media. Bannon recognized that while reporters were wary of partisan opinions, they were receptive to damaging facts about public figures, regardless of their source. Together with Peter Schweizer, Bannon aimed to produce material that would attract mainstream attention and provoke right-wing outrage, as noted by Jane Mayer in The New Yorker.
Steve Bannon at a Heritage Foundation Bloggers Briefing - October 19, 2010 - Don Irvine, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Activities
The Government Accountability Institute has published several reports and books that have faced debunking, sometimes even before their release. Notable examples include Clinton Cash, a 2015 book making false claims about the Clinton Foundation and the Clintons' financial gains, and a 2012 report alleging that the Obama campaign received illegal contributions, which was disproven by multiple media outlets. Another book, Secret Empires, propagated the false Biden–Ukraine conspiracy theory. Additionally, Bush Bucks, an e-book about Jeb Bush’s post-governorship earnings, raises questions about potential conflicts of interest but has also faced scrutiny for its claims.
Links to Breitbart News
A November 2016 investigation by The Washington Post revealed connections between the Government Accountability Institute (GAI) and the conservative site Breitbart News. Three GAI employees, including co-founder Steve Bannon, were simultaneously compensated by both organizations, raising concerns about the legality of GAI's political advocacy as a 501(c)(3) charity. Bannon received $376,000 for part-time work while serving as executive chairman of Breitbart, while GAI communications strategist Wynton Hall earned $600,000 and became managing editor at Breitbart. GAI president Peter Schweizer was paid $778,000 during this period and also contributed to Breitbart. Additionally, GAI spent over $200,000 on advertising with Breitbart from 2013 to 2015.
