(The Center Square) – On the same day watchdog Americans for Public Trust filed a complaint with Missouri’s Attorney General against the ACLU Foundation for allegedly violating the state’s Foreign Influence in Ballot Measures Act, the ACLU Foundation contributed $2 million to a ballot measure committee although it receives foreign donations itself.
Executive director of Americans for Public Trust Caitilin Sutherland told The Center Square that “as the recipient of millions in foreign money, ACLU Foundation is prohibited from spending in ballot issue campaigns in Missouri.”
“Yet, in reckless disregard for Missouri’s law, the foundation took foreign money and then funneled half a million dollars to Stop the Ban” in March 2026, Sutherland said.
Sutherland said “the revelation that the ACLU Foundation continues to funnel foreign money into Missouri the very same day we filed a complaint for their apparent violations demonstrates a brazen and reckless disregard for the law.”
“Missouri’s law is clear: foreign money is banned from directly or indirectly influencing ballot measure campaigns,” Sutherland said.
“We urge Attorney General Hanaway to immediately seek an injunction as she investigates, to ensure foreign money does not taint Missouri’s ballot process,” Sutherland said.
“Given the substantial evidence in our complaint, and Attorney General Hanaway’s work to end foreign interference in Missouri, we have full confidence the state will take swift action against both organizations,” Sutherland said.
“This is yet another illustration of why every state should have laws on the books banning foreign money in ballot campaigns,” Sutherland said.
Americans for Public Trust’s complaint filed with the Missouri Attorney General alleged the ACLU Foundation “knowingly” received foreign donations and “in turn, contributed to a Missouri ballot measure committee, Stop the Ban, in violation of” Missouri’s Foreign Influence in Ballot Measures Act.
After Americans for Public Trust filed its complaint, it soon found out that around that same time the ACLU Foundation contributed another $2 million to Stop the Ban, and so APT sent a supplemental complaint to Hannaway.
In the supplemental complaint, Americans for Public Trust wrote: “With this new influx of money, the ACLU Foundation and Stop the Ban have sent the clear message that they will deal with the legal consequences of pouring foreign money into Missouri’s ballot measure process after the conclusion of their campaign.”
The ACLU told The Center Square: “the ACLU is aware of [the] compliant with this Missouri campaign finance law.”
Stop the Ban campaign director Alessia Modjarrar told The Center Square: “We are in complete compliance with Missouri’s campaign finance laws.”
Modjarrar called Americans for Public Trust’s complaints “the latest attack from anti-abortion special interest groups.”
“It’s all innuendo and kicked-up dust, meant to confuse voters as part of their effort to try to push through this deeply unpopular abortion ban,” Modjarrar said. “They are trying to overturn the will of the people, and this latest attack shows just how desperate they’re getting.”
A spokeswoman for Hannaway told The Center Square that “Missouri law relating to foreign influence in state ballot measure elections imposes strong confidentiality requirements under §130.185 and §105.1500.
“The Attorney General is prohibited from revealing the identity of any entity or tax-exempt donor under investigation unless a final determination confirms a violation,” the spokesman said. “Unlawful disclosure of such information constitutes a violation of Missouri’s Personal Privacy Protection Act (§105.1500).”
“The Missouri Attorney General’s Office remains committed to upholding Missouri law and the integrity of our elections,” the spokesman said.
Missouri banned foreign money from funding ballot issue campaigns in July 2025, The Center Square reported.
As Missouri Sen. Ben Brown told The Center Square at the time, foreign funding of over $4.5 million “prop[ped] up the Amendment 3 campaign that enshrined abortion” into the state’s constitution.
Stop the Ban works to prevent a Missouri ban on abortion.
