A Secret Megadonor Is Funding Pro-Trump Election Deniers’ ‘Nerve Center’

An ex-Houston software developer has financially supported a conservative organization that has emerged as the central hub and “nerve center” of the MAGA movement and a dominant force within the congressional power structure, actively denying the outcome of the 2020 election.

The Conservative Partnership Institute has reportedly become a gathering place for former President Donald Trump‘s allies and former employees, such as Mark Meadows, Stephen Miller and lawyer Cleta Mitchell.

The nonprofit organization has been acquiring expensive row houses in the Capitol Hill area and increasing its influence over the House Freedom Caucus. The consolidation of power has been made possible by a generous $25 million donation from a relatively unknown individual, Mike Rydin.

The group employs an array of former Trump staffers who backed Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and are dedicated to advancing Trump’s MAGA political movement.

The CPI was formed in 2017 when former Sen. Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), also the president of Heritage Foundation, was compelled to leave amidst a battle for control.

DeMint gathered several significant staff members from the organization and enlisted support from conservative advocates to establish his own group. Thanks largely to generous contributions from Rydin, CPI swiftly gained prominence as an influential entity.

Rydin remains inconspicuous and doesn’t rank in the top 100 political contributors nationally.

Rydin asserted that he does not know the U.S. Capitol attack or any connections between CPI and Meadows, Mitchell, and other key figures involved in Trump’s efforts to reverse his electoral defeat in 2020.

Despite having a profile with Turning Point USA, a conservative youth organization that transported participants to the “Stop the Steal” rally, Rydin claims ignorance about the event.

Rydin amassed great wealth by developing software tailored to the construction sector, successfully increasing yearly earnings to $100 million before his retirement in 2022. Following the passing of his spouse, whom he initially connected with through a dating service he established, his political contributions experienced a significant surge starting in July 2020.