[8][9] Leo has said that the fund-raising prowess of Arabella Advisors, a liberal consulting firm, was an inspiration for the 85 Fund to serve a similar function on the right.
[2] Politico reported in August 2023 that Attorney General for the District of Columbia Brian Schwalb was investigating Leo and his network of nonprofit groups.
Leo told The Washington Post, "As an advisor to JEP I have long been supportive of its opinion research relating to limited government, and The Polling Company, along with Ginni Thomas's help, has been an invaluable resource for gauging public attitudes."
[10][19] The Accountability and Civics Trust Project filed a complaint to the Office of Special Council to investigate Jennifer Granholm, the current United States Secretary of Energy.
[10] In 2020, The 85 Fund donated $2 million to the Government Accountability Institute, a group founded by former White House strategist Steve Bannon and investigator Peter Schweizer and chaired by Rebekah Mercer.
"[20] In April 2020, the Honest Elections Project (HEP) announced it was launching a week-long $250,000 digital and television ad campaign on Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN against mail-in voting.
It has argued the doctrine in amicus briefs to the United States Supreme Court, which in June 2022 decided to hear a case brought by North Carolina Republicans during its next session beginning in October 2022.
Critics of the doctrine said it might allow state legislatures controlled by one party, commonly made possible through gerrymandering, to decide the outcome of federal elections against the will of the majority of voters.
[25][26] HEP is a member of the advisory board of Project 2025,[27] a collection of conservative and right-wing policy proposals from the Heritage Foundation to reshape the United States federal government and consolidate executive power should the Republican nominee win the 2024 presidential election.