WASHINGTON: It looks like Kamala Harris’ political manifesto, but the catchy title Progress 2028 is actually a fake document that a funding watchdog says was produced by a dark money group linked to Donald Trump’s billionaire financier Elon Musk.
Researchers say Progress 2028 — said to be a liberal counterweight to the conservative initiative Project 2025 — is riddled with misinformation and behind a series of Facebook ads that distort the Democratic candidate’s policy positions on key issues like immigration and gun control.
It is backed by a group called Building America’s Future, a conservative dark money network that has reportedly received funding from Musk, the world’s richest man and a powerful campaigner for Republican Trump’s re-election bid.
The operation, shrouded in secrecy, illustrates what investigators describe as a complex web of deception to mislead or alienate Democratic voters in a polarizing election race that is one of the closest in U.S. history.
“The initiative (Progress 2028) really tries to undermine Harris by spreading divisive messages and misleading narratives under the guise of being an ally of Harris,” said Anna Massoglia of Open Secrets, a US non-profit that funds politics follows.
Using a mix of fact and fiction, the site distorts some of Harris’ policy positions in a way that “Democratic voting blocs may not find favorable,” Massoglia told AFP.
Open Secrets said Progress 2028 was registered with the state of Virginia in September by Building America’s Future, and the website was created three days later, citing documents including corporate filings.
Progress 2028 and Building America’s Future did not respond to AFP’s request for comment.