Former SC Gov. Nikki Haley to sue NY attorney general over leak of ‘dark money’ donors

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley plans to sue the New York Attorney General’s office over a leaked tax filing that revealed the names of donors to her policy advocacy group, Stand for America, Inc.

The leaked document, which was obtained by Politico via the government watchdog organization Documented, showed Haley’s nonprofit had received major donations from several prominent GOP megadonors and billionaire financiers in 2019.

Politico said the disclosure provided insight into how Haley, a possible 2024 presidential candidate, was “cultivating a secret network of high-dollar contributors” and illustrated the deep connections she’d forged within the highest levels of the Republican Party.

The original source of Stand for America’s filing has not been revealed, but it bears the stamp of the New York state attorney general’s charities bureau, which Haley and others have said implicates that office.

“This is bigger than an attack on my team — it’s an attack on ALL conservatives,” she tweeted Sunday. “Liberal AGs have weaponized their offices to target pro-life groups, NRA, Trump, and many other conservative groups.”

Haley, who served as U.N. ambassador during the Trump administration, said Monday on Fox News she was in the process of filing a lawsuit against the New York state attorney general over the disclosure and would be asking U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate New York Attorney General Letitia James for violating federal tax law.

“The buck stops here,” said Haley, who tweeted that James had “messed with the wrong girl.”

Stand For America, which Haley launched shortly after stepping down as U.N. ambassador, raised $9.3 million in 2020, according to the group’s most recent tax filings.

The organization is a 501 (c)(4), a type of politically active nonprofit sometimes called a “dark money” group because it does not have to disclose the source of its funding. According to its website, Stand for America’s mission is to promote public policies that strengthen America’s economy, culture and national security.