Paid protest CEO urges Congress to pass law exposing who funds demonstrations

Newsnation ^

[Tench_Coxe]

(NewsNation) — The CEO of a company that provides paid protesters for events is asking members of Congress to pass a “Transparency in Political Demonstration Act” that would expose the groups hiring demonstrators to attend events around the U.S.

Adam Swart is the head of Crowds on Demand, a company that, according to its website, provides services “for impactful advocacy campaigns, demonstrations, PR stunts, crowds for hire and corporate events.” NewsNation has obtained the letter Swart wrote to Congress on November 11 demanding greater transparency over who hires protesters.

(snip)

Swart wrote in part:

“The right to peacefully assemble is one of America’s most sacred constitutional protections. Protests have long advanced justice and reform — but in recent years, we’ve seen the line between authentic civic expression and paid political manipulation blur beyond recognition.

“Across the country, peaceful activism has too often been replaced by coordinated influence campaigns. Most concerningly, many of these campaigns result either intentionally or unintentionally in violence, property destruction, and the mass disruption of American cities through unpermitted road closures.

“While these demonstrations are branded as ‘grassroots,’ evidence increasingly shows large-scale organization and financing behind them, often routed through opaque nonprofit networks designed to conceal true funders—some of whom may be foreign entities with nefarious intentions.”

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TOPICS: Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: domesticenemies; r; subversion

[Tench_Coxe]

His organization did turn down $20 million back in July 2025 from some anti-Trump organization. But I wonder if this is more of a way to innoculate himself from prosecution if Bessant and Patel truly are digging into the money flows for the rent-a-mobs.

I have suspected for a long time (along with others here) that most of what we have seen from 'the Left' for the last few decades is not organic, but organized and financed.

Most of what is being talked about is foreign sources, but I would not be surprised, if it ever is revealed, that certain US entities have been directing and financing the disruptions--2020 looked suspiciously like a domestic color revolution, and with USAID largely shut down, to me it looks like a lot of mischief has, at least for now, been stymied.

[Singermom]

I thought dems wanted TRANSPARENCY - Well? You want to release the Epstein files? Do the same here. Let’s see who the treasonous funders are. (like we don’t already know).

[ClearCase_guy]

How much funding comes from CIA black budgets? And would a transparency law reveal funding from a black budget? Are taxpayers paying for anti-American protests?

[dljordan]

“How much funding comes from CIA black budgets?”

I would like to know who the CIA is actually loyal to.

[mlitefan]

Are taxpayers paying for anti-American protests?

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Yes...yes we are.

[PeterPrinciple]

According to Swart’s letter, the TPDA would:

Require disclosure of funding sources behind demonstrations exceeding a defined number of participants

Establish a “Public Accountability Portal” where highly funded and heavily attended protest operations must disclose sponsors and subcontractors involved in planning, staffing or logistics

Ensure foreign entities and intermediaries cannot covertly fund or coordinate demonstrations intended to destabilize domestic institutions

Hold funders and organizers to a strict nonviolence standard, disqualifying organizations that promote or tolerate violence from certain federal benefits or nonprofit protections

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It is an interesting proposal with some specifics.

But it would be easy to ignore, more govt to administrate, and hard to enforce.

Maybe a smart businessmen trying to get rid of his problem customers? But knows someone will take them on.

[PeterPrinciple]

asking members of Congress to pass a “Transparency in Political Demonstration Act”

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Just a reminder that all this legislation causes more harm than good. Do you need examples?

But is sure sounds good to the ears doesn’t it.

Sometimes you just have to have the fight and get it over with.

[UnwashedPeasant]

The only rationale I see (for the “Crowds on Demand” guy calling for transparency) is damage control. He is pretending not to be part of the seditious conspiracy.

[Terabitten]

I would like to know who the CIA is actually loyal to.

The CIA is loyal only to itself. Period.

[rlmorel]

I traveled down to Washington DC often (sometimes up to three times a year) to counter-protest (against the likes of Code Pink and MoveOn.org) and to protest for things like Gathering of Eagles and the Tea Party.

There were always large contingents of Leftists there, and we could see row after row of large Greyhound-style buses lined up on streets. The protesters on the Left had relatively few individually hand-made signs, most of them were pre-printed signs that were made for them and handed to them by organizers.

I did an analysis of a couple of pictures I took to show the difference as shown in these two pictures below:

This obvious contrast is 100% typical. This image below showed the standard example of a defaced American flag and some rare Leftist hand-made signs. The age and demeanor of the young people there does reinforce the valid impression these young people were enticed in some way to be there instead of at home smoking weed and playing video games...

They were also often given box lunches by the organizers, which was easily seen by the huge volume of trash that Leftists ALWAYS left behind them. We were set up at the Arlington Circle once as shown below, and the Leftists came over the bridge towards us.
You can see us in the foreground with the large banner and USMC flag.

It was a large Leftist crowd, no expense spared obviously, and when they were gone, we went back over the bridge towards the Lincoln Memorial after they passed, the volume of trash was astonishing. Everything you can think of, with the boxes that that the lunches they were given scattered everywhere, along with discarded signs, and everything from soda cans and candy wrappers to disposable diapers...used, of course.

I always found this contrast between Leftists and Conservatives jarring. At every protest I ever attended, without fail, Leftists always left behind a landscape of litter. And also, without fail, Conservatives minimized their trash footprint. When it was done, Conservatives (many with military backgrounds) would police the area to ensure no trash larger than a chewing gum wrapper was left behind. When Conservatives did leave trash such as discarded signs, they would deposit it at pubic trash receptacles. Granted, they were massively overflowing, but things like signs were always brought there and stacked next to the overflowing receptacles.

Things like that made me realize in a different way that I was fighting on the right side.

On a humorous note, at one of the demonstrations near Arlington, we had a group of young Marines home on leave from Iraq, and they came over (in civvies) and asked if they could stand with us. (They had been visiting the grave of one of their buddies in Arlington who had been KIA in Iraq.)

We were honored. We always brought along some extra signs in case people joined us, so we handed them out to the guys.

As we were standing there in advance of the Leftists arrival, a white van drove up fast, and screeched to a halt across from where we were standing, which got the attention of these Marines, as you can imagine. The doors flew open, and people jumped out with a bunch of cardboard boxes and ran down the embankment under the bridge across the river out of our sight, and returned without the boxes.

We were all speculating what was going on there, but the Marines there were on a pretty agitated state of alert. As the van sped away, two of the Marines ran across the street while their buddies yelled after them "What are you guys doing? Those could be bombs! Get back here!" as they disappeared down the embankment. A few minutes later, they came running back up and re-crossed George Washington Memorial Parkway towards us, grinning broadly as they ran!

We were curious and they told us they were boxes of Leftist pamphlets, obviously left there for distribution, and the guys, still grinning with glee, said: "We pissed all over them!" which delighted us! I had visions of them going to retrieve the soggy materials, and wondering if they had been rained on or something!

But I have always wondered who was behind those rows and rows of buses, pre-printed signs, and box lunches handed out. There was a lot of money there.

[rlmorel]

I hear what you are saying (and I hate even MORE legislation from people who exist to legislate) but in the last several decades, the amount of dark, untraceable money coming into the American political system is astonishing, and it is almost 100% on the Left, which means it is being used to destroy America.

I believe the time has come for some way to run this kind of thing down.

[PeterPrinciple]

and I hate even MORE legislation from people who exist to legislate)

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My unsaid point is that there are many ways to fight.

We so quickly go to Federal legislation to solve problems because we think it is easy. Remember Hillary and the easy button.

The better plan of attack is local and state as our founding fathers designed. That is not perfect either but better protects freedom and responsibility.

We need to focus on state govt, Trump is trying to take away the power of the fed govt. MAGA Lets help him with that endeavor.

[HartleyMBaldwin]

The only rationale I see (for the “Crowds on Demand” guy calling for transparency) is damage control.

I was thinking he's trying to eliminate his competition via legislation.

[rlmorel]

I get your point, I just don’t think states will do it even if they pass legislation. And since it impacts the political process, and the Left is the typical benefactor of those monies, especially in the Presidential elections, I believe it should be at the Federal level.

I feel the same about Election Law, specifically for Federal elections, that those should be wholly standardized and regulated. There is no reason, none whatsoever, to have 50 different sets of laws that can be twisted and mutilated.

[whitney69]

Why make a bill. There are already laws on the books that if you pay someone to cause harm to people, and depending on how and who, that reaches the level of a felony for you. Arrest, try, and jail. And if someone gets killed, accessory to murder.

Where did those laws disappear to?

wy69

[thegagline]

I thought dems wanted TRANSPARENCY. Well? You want to release the Epstein files?

1) Nowhere in the article does it say that Democrats are against a proposed law exposing those who hire protesters.

2) The Crowds on Demand CEO said that both Republicans and Democrats have paid for protesters.

3) There is a major difference between transparency regarding the taxpayer funded government, and private businesses. Moreover, in the case of Epstein, by refusing to release the Epstein files, the government is protecting pedophiles and sex traffickers.

I

[griswold3]

Are taxpayers paying for anti-American protests?
Exhibit “A”. - Teachers Unions