Noble surveyed the field and found virtually no organization set up in early 2009 to take aim at Obama on the issue. Or at least none that was a 501(c)(4), the IRS code for a tax-exempt “social welfare” group that can participate in politics so long as it’s not the group’s primary focus. Unlike conventional political organizations, such nonprofits can hide the identities of their donors from the public, reporting them only to the IRS. Noble knew these so-called dark-money groups were especially appealing to wealthy individuals who wanted to influence politics without public attention, like the
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