ST. LOUIS – American Dream PAC today launched a new ad, “Zuckerbucks,” which follows the millions Jay Ashcroft took from Mark Zuckerberg, opening the door for election interference in Missouri, and highlighting Ashcroft’s refusal to support President Trump’s voter integrity efforts.

“Jay Ashcroft cannot be trusted to protect the integrity of Missouri elections,” said Rich Chrismer, a spokesperson for American Dream PAC.  “Our elections should not be for sale, but when millions of dollars in Zuckerbucks were dangled in front of him, Jay Ashcroft took the money and paved the way for election interference in Missouri.”

Transcript of “Zuckerbucks” ad:

Okay, let’s follow the money.

As Secretary of State, Jay Ashcroft opened the door for election interference, taking big money from Mark Zuckerberg to conduct the election, allowing millions of “Zuckerbucks” to flood Missouri elections.

Then, Jay Ashcroft told Missouri voters to ignore Trump’s voter integrity concerns.
 
And Ashcroft supported mail-in ballots.
 
Just another establishment politician.
 
That’s Jay Ashcroft. Taking in ZuckerBucks, Taking down President Trump.
 
Paid for by the American Dream PAC.

“Zuckerberg” Ad Fact Check:

CLAIM: “As Secretary of State, Jay Ashcroft opened the door for election interference, taking big money from Mark Zuckerberg to conduct the election…”

FACTS: In 2020, Ashcroft’s Office Accepted A $1.4 Million Grant From The Mark Zuckerberg-Funded Center For Election Innovation & Research (CEIR). “Election agencies in St. Charles and Lincoln counties have received grants from a national nonprofit group to help cover coronavirus-related expenses, officials said Friday. The grants from the Chicago-based Center for Tech and Civic Life, funded largely by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, are similar to those facing legal challenges from conservative groups in four other states. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, Missouri’s chief election official, has accepted a $1.4 million grant from a separate nonprofit that also got a big donation from Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan. … The separate grant of $1.4 million to Ashcroft’s office came from the Washington-based Center for Election Innovation and Research, which got a $50 million contribution from Zuckerberg and Chan. Nationally, that group’s grants are going for public information campaigns explaining mail voting and logistics. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 10/9/20)

  • CEIR Was 1 Of 2 Groups Through Which Zuckerberg Directed Over $400 Million To Election Agencies During The 2020 Election Cycle. Top Republicans, Including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Have Condemned “Zuckerbucks” As A Partisan Scheme To Help Democrats.  “A bombshell report that suggests Mark Zuckerberg effectively ‘bought’ the 2020 presidential election by funneling more than $400 million to local boards of election under the guise of a ‘non-partisan’ effort has prompted outrage and calls from officials for reform. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blasted the billionaire Facebook founder during a news conference at which he said a recent election reform law had ‘banned Zuckerbucks’ in the Sunshine State. ‘So, Zuckerberg, he spent over $400 million through these, quote, nonprofits to, quote, help with election administration,’ DeSantis said Tuesday. ‘But what they would do is they would require certain things to be done like mass mail balloting, ballot harvesting, and they would focus on partisan voter turnout, basically. That was totally unacceptable.’ Sen. Ron Johnson told The Post, ‘I continue to question whether Mark Zuckerberg’s highly partisan 2020 election spending was even legal.’ … On Wednesday, Sen. Rand Paul retweeted a report about the investigation, adding: ‘Are our elections for sale? Did Mark Zuckerberg purchase the Wisconsin Presidential election?’ Zuckerberg’s money was supposed to augment government funding and ‘promote safe and reliable voting’ amid the COVID-19 pandemic so that ‘every eligible voter can participate in a safe and timely way and that their vote is counted,’ according to a September 2020 press release announcing the plan. … Earlier this year, an analysis by the conservative Foundation for Government Accountability found that in the battleground state of Georgia, about $29 million of Zuckerberg’s money went to counties that President Biden later won, at a rate of $7.13 per registered voter. By contrast, the Peach State counties that former President Donald Trump carried received a total of $2.3 million — at a rate of just $1.91 per voter, the FGA said. In a prepared statement, a Zuckerberg-Chan spokesman acknowledged the donations to the tune of $350 million to the Center for Tech and Civic Life and $69.5 million to the Center for Election Innovation and Research.” (The New York Post, 10/13/21)

AUDIO: During An October 2020 Interview, Ashcroft Appeared To State His Appreciation For The 7-Figure Grant From CEIR. Q: “I don’t know if you’ve been following this issue, but there’s like a non-profit group that’s been giving local jurisdictions money, and some conservatives have said, well, this is a scheme for ballot harvesting or whatever. But I think that there is an issue about whether like local election authorities can accept money from non-profit groups to do election-related things. What do you know about that issue, or am I telling you something that you can’t talk about?” Ashcroft: “Unfortunately, everything has become politicized. And, I think, anytime you’re dealing with elections, it becomes even more politicized, and the fact that we’re 19 days out of the election right now. I’m watching that very closely, but, as you know, local election authorities do not report to me, and I actually have no authority over them with regard to how they operate. … Ashcroft: “You know, I think transparency of how those funds are used or accepted will really help people with the fact that private funds are going to elections. Our office received about $1.2 million from a very similar group – I think an offshoot – of that same group, and we used that to send out a mailing to every household where there was identified that there had been a registered voter in the last 10 years. … And we appreciated being able to use the private foundation’s money instead of the taxpayer’s dollars.”  (St. Louis Public Radio, Politically Speaking, 10/20/20; 13:10Mark)

CLAIM: “As Secretary of State, Jay Ashcroft opened the door for election interference, taking big money from Mark Zuckerberg to conduct the election, allowing millions of ‘Zuckerbucks’ to flood Missouri elections.”

FACT: In April 2022, The Foundation For Government Accountability’s Sarah Coffey Stated That A Zuckerberg-Funded Group Poured $9 Million Into Missouri During The 2020 Elections. “Nationwide, and more specifically right here in the Show-Me State, we saw a billionaire with a political agenda infiltrate and manipulate our elections. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg funneled more than $400 million from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative through the Center for Tech and Civic Life to 2,500 election offices nationally. Calling them COVID-19 response grants, these ‘Zuckerbucks’ were supposed to be primarily used to purchase personal protective equipment for poll workers. Missouri received $9 million of this grant money. However, less than 5 percent of the money was spent on PPE. Rather, the funds were disproportionately distributed to left-leaning districts with the effect of boosting voter turnout. Missouri’s 2nd congressional district received one of the largest grants in the state, and the results were profound: Republican Congresswoman Ann Wagner received fewer votes in St. Louis and St. Charles counties than she received in 2018, while the Democratic voter turnout for the race increased by a stunning 32 percent over the previous election cycle. Yet, right next door in Jefferson County — which received no Zuckerbucks grants — vote margins conspicuously followed past political trends.” (Foundation For Government Accountability Editor Sarah Coffey, The Missouri Times, 4/28/22)

CLAIM: “Then, Jay Ashcroft told Missouri voters to ignore Trump’s voter integrity concerns …”

FACT: In September 2020, Ashcroft Encouraged Missouri Voters To Ignore Then-President Donald Trump’s Claim That Mail-In Ballots Would Lead To Fraud. “… Ashcroft is encouraging voters to ignore national stories and trust their local election officials. On the same day President Donald Trump again claimed that mail-in ballots would lead to fraud and questionable election results, the fellow Republican was traveling around Missouri advocating a safe process. ‘What local election authorities have done and continue to do is run nonpartisan administration of elections. When it comes right down to it, elections are local,’ Ashcroft said on Thursday while meeting with election officials in Phelps County. ‘I had some unhappiness with the national post office sending out a letter telling people that their election mail would be taken care of in six or seven days,’ Ashcroft said. ‘Local Postal Service employees have been doing a good job of helping us.'” (St. Louis Public Radio, 9/24/20)

CLAIM: “And Ashcroft supported mail-in ballots.”

In June 2020, Ashcroft Said He Opposed A State Bill To Expand Mail-In Voting Due To A Separate Provision, And He Said Mail-In Voting Would Be “A Safe And Convenient Way To Vote.” He Also Said The Bill “Increases The Ability Of Missourians To Vote.” “Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said the state and local authorities are planning for a dramatic increase of mail in voting, but not for a corresponding increase in the number of those voting in person. In an interview with the St. Louis Record, Ashcroft, who opposed the passage of the bill [SB 631] because it did not contain provisions relating to voter identification, nevertheless believes it will be ‘a safe and convenient way to vote.’ ‘SB 631 increases the ability of Missourians to vote,’ Ashcroft said. ‘I would say everything is in place for people to start requesting these ballots, and (the ballots) going out at the right time.'” (St. Louis Record, 6/22/20)

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