A nonprofit organization led by prominent Trump critic Norm Eisen quietly assisted Democratic attorneys general and prosecutors in efforts targeting supporters of President Donald Trump who challenged the 2020 election, according to internal memos, contracts and public records released under open records laws.
The documents reveal that Eisen’s States United Democracy Center (SUDC) provided legal assistance, strategic guidance and, in at least one case, attorneys formally appointed by a state attorney general to aid investigations and prosecutions involving alternate electors and attorneys connected to Trump’s post-election challenges.
Legal experts argue the arrangement blurred the line between government prosecutions and outside political advocacy groups.
“This is highly inappropriate for left-wing nonprofits to become the prosecutors against their political enemies,” Mike Davis, a former Senate Judiciary Committee lawyer and founder of the Article III Project, told Just the News.
SUDC describes itself as a nonpartisan organization focused on protecting elections and the rule of law. However, critics point to the group’s connections to Democratic political organizations and its founder’s public campaign against Trump.
Eisen, a former ambassador in the Obama administration, has been one of Trump’s most outspoken critics and publicly supported efforts to prosecute the president. He also co-authored a 2023 New York Times essay titled “How to convict Trump.”
According to tax filings, SUDC paid more than $100,000 to Democratic attorney Marc Elias’ law firm as an independent contractor. The organization also traces its origins to the Voter Protection Program, which was launched as an initiative of the Progressive State Leaders Committee.
Tax records show the Progressive State Leaders Committee has extensive ties to the Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA.)
The documents detail how Democratic attorneys general in several states worked with SUDC as investigations into Trump electors and election-related legal challenges intensified.
In Minnesota, Attorney General Keith Ellison formally appointed SUDC Senior Vice President of Legal Christine Sun and the organization itself as “Special Attorneys to serve at the pleasure of the Attorney General specifically to provide legal services to the Attorney General.”
Under the arrangement, SUDC attorneys were required to comply with state transparency laws and were prohibited from speaking publicly about their work without approval from the attorney general’s office.
The appointment effectively placed donor-funded outside lawyers into an official law enforcement role within the state government.
In Arizona, records show Attorney General Kris Mayes’ office accepted an offer from SUDC to provide pro bono legal assistance related to election matters.
The organization’s involvement became public after an internal memorandum was inadvertently disclosed to attorneys representing Arizona electors.
According to a December 2024 email from Senior Litigation Counsel Kimberly Hunley, a July 2023 SUDC memorandum had been attached to several search warrant applications.
Hunley acknowledged that the state “did not intend to provide the July 25, 2023, memorandum” and instead meant to provide only a publicly available document from States United.
The 47-page memorandum reportedly analyzed potential criminal violations related to Arizona’s alternate electors and outlined possible defenses that could be raised by those under investigation.
Documents from Michigan and Nevada also indicate SUDC coordinated with state attorneys general through common-interest agreements and provided legal assistance related to election litigation and investigations.
In Michigan, records previously obtained through public records requests showed communications between SUDC attorneys and state officials concerning election-related legal strategies.
In Nevada, Attorney General Aaron Ford signed an agreement allowing SUDC to provide pro bono legal services through 2025.
Supporters of SUDC have maintained that the organization provides lawful legal assistance to public officials seeking to uphold election laws and democratic institutions.