Saudi-Tied Businessman Resigns From Republican ‘Dark Money’ Board

Isaac Applbaum had been a member of the American Action Network's board of directors since its founding in 2009.

Saudi-Tied Businessman Resigns From Republican ‘Dark Money’ Board
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 19: Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) talks to reporters during a news conference in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol on July 19, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

A founding board member of House Republicans’ top “dark money” group, who has ties to the government of Saudi Arabia, has resigned.

Isaac Applbaum, a member of the board of directors of the American Action Network (AAN) since the group’s founding in 2009, tells Sludge that he has stepped down from the board, though he has not offered an explanation for his decision. The AAN is a Washington D.C.-based issue advocacy group that has been the largest funder of House Republicans’ re-election efforts in recent years. In the 2022 cycle, it contributed more than $39 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC endorsed by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) that supports House Republican campaigns.