Robert Creamer (political consultant)

Community organizing and political consultancy

Creamer began his organizing career in 1970 working with Chicago's Citizen Action Program (CAP). During his tenure, CAP successfully campaigned to reduce the sulfur dioxide in Chicago's air by almost two thirds. Creamer founded the Illinois Public Action Council (later known as Illinois Citizen Action) in 1974. It became Illinois's largest consumer advocacy organization, advocating for lower utility rates, environmental concerns, and legislation benefitting senior citizens.^[17] Creamer directed the organization for 23 years.^[18]

In 1997, Creamer co-founded the Strategic Consulting Group, a political consulting firm that works with issue campaigns. His clients have included MoveOn.org, Americans United for Change, and USAction. He organized a successful campaign to stymie the privatization of Social Security. He has acted as a consultant for campaigns geared towards ending the Iraq War, enacting comprehensive immigration reform, and passing universal health care legislation. Creamer has worked on numerous Democratic Party campaigns.

Strategic Consulting Group, led by Creamer, and other progressive consultants across the country organized into a larger group practice of political consulting firms, forming Democracy Partners in 2011^[2]

Creamer spoke at the 2010 America's Future Now Conference.^[19] Creamer signed The Progressive Agenda to Combat Income Inequality, an initiative launched by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on May 12, 2015.^[20]

Bank fraud and failure to pay withholding tax convictions

On March 11, 2004, Creamer, then the former executive director of the Illinois Public Action Fund, was indicted in federal court on 16 counts of bank fraud involving three alleged check-kiting schemes in the mid-1990s, leading several banks to experience temporary shortfalls of at least $2.3 million.^[21] Though the check kiting was widely reported in 1997, the Justice Department did not seek an indictment until 7 years later.^[22] In August 2005, Creamer pleaded guilty to one count of failure to collect $1,892 in withholding tax and one count of bank fraud, for writing checks with insufficient funds. All of the money was immediately repaid from the organization's receivables. His wife, Jan Schakowsky was not accused of any wrongdoing,^[23] although she served on the organization's board during the time the crimes occurred,^[24] and signed the IRS filings along with her husband.^[25] The U.S. district judge noted that Creamer was not a typical bank fraud defendant and that he had no intention of causing a loss.^[26] He went on to note that no one suffered "out of pocket losses," and Creamer acted not out of personal greed but in an effort to keep his community action group going without cutting programs^[27], though prosecutors argued that Creamer paid his own $100,000 salary with fraudulently obtained funds.^[28] More than 200 people wrote letters of support on Creamer’s behalf, including U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Cook County Clerk David Orr, consultant David Axelrod, and Rev. Jesse Jackson.^[26]

On April 5, 2006, Creamer was sentenced to five months in prison and 11 months of house arrest.^[29] Creamer served his five-month incarceration at the Federal Correction Institute in Terre Haute, Indiana and was released on November 3, 2006.^[30]

Feud with Glenn Beck

In December 2009, conservative Fox News host Glenn Beck criticized Creamer for accompanying his wife, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, to a November 2009 state dinner at the White House (the same dinner was noted in the media for its security breaches).^[31] On his show, Beck highlighted Creamer's convictions and called Creamer's book a "prison manifesto", claiming that it had been the basis for the Affordable Care Act. Creamer later retorted that "[t]his is a man who lies about everything"^[31] and called Beck a part of a "new McCarthyist movement of the far right."^[32]

Project Veritas Action videos

In October 2016, activist James O'Keefe's Project Veritas Action released hidden-camera videos showing Creamer and others who worked for firms hired by the Hillary Clinton campaign engaging in conversations about voter registration. The videos have together garnered over 12 million views as of October 2016. One clip in the video shows Creamer meeting with an undercover activist posing as potential donor. After the actor suggests finding a way around voter registration laws, Creamer responds "my fear is that someone would decide that this is a big voter fraud scheme."^[33]

They also discussed using operatives in Donald Duck costumes to remind voters that Donald Trump had not released his tax returns, and referred to the scheme as something Clinton wanted.^[34][35] A subordinate seemingly discussed tactics for baiting supporters into violence at Trump rallies.^[6][35][36]

As a result of the video, Creamer announced he was stepping back from his firm's contract with the Democratic National Committee.^[37] Creamer's Democracy Partners released a statement on October 18, 2016:

Our firm has recently been the victim of a well-funded, systematic spy operation that is the modern day equivalent of the Watergate burglars. The plot involved the use of trained operatives using false identifications, disguises and elaborate false covers to infiltrate our firm and others, in order to steal campaign plans, and goad unsuspecting individuals into making careless statements on hidden cameras. One of those individuals was a temporary regional subcontractor who was goaded into statements that do not reflect our values.^[33]

Creamer described the contractor's statements in the video as "unprofessional and careless hypothetical conversations" and said that the schemes discussed had not taken place. Former interim democratic chairperson Donna Brazile similarly said, "We do not believe, or have any evidence to suggest, that the activities articulated in the video actually occurred."^[6]

Trump senior communications adviser Jason Miller said in a statement, "In a totally disqualifying act that is a violent threat to our democracy, Hillary Clinton directly involved herself in inciting violence directed at Trump supporters." The statement demanded an investigation into the matter.^[35]

The Clinton campaign said that Project Veritas has "been known to offering misleading video out of context."^[6] They denied that the Donald Duck costumes were Clinton's idea, stating that:

While Hillary Clinton can't claim credit for coming up with a duck to highlight how Donald Trump is refusing to release his tax returns, she certainly was amused watching him ride up and down Trump Tower's escalator.^[34]

In June 2017, Creamer, and Democracy Partners filed a lawsuit against O'Keefe and his organization, Project Veritas, seeking a million dollars in damages for various violations of DC and Federal law. The case is currently pending in Federal Court in Washington, DC.^[10]