Who's That Source? Iran Edition
How much thinking really happens at a DC think tank?
EDITOR’S NOTE: Read Matt Taibbi’s introduction of Who’s That Source here. The ratings have been precisely calibrated with Racket’s in-house proprietary shill-o-meter, so please direct gripes to the editor in chief.
Analysts from Washington think tanks and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have appeared dozens of times in the New York Times, Washington Post, CBS, and Bloomberg as subject matter experts on the Iran War — and counting. While they are usually presented as neutral policy experts, their funding structures and advocacy histories are rarely disclosed.
As the United States moves deeper into conflict, the public conversation is increasingly shaped by experts whose institutions are funded by donors with clear interests. The question is not whether these institutions produce substantive research. Many do. The question is whether readers are given sufficient context to understand the financial and political ecosystems in which that research is produced.
While interest groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) have been well studied, and their biases are well known, other more obliquely-named interest groups may be harder to parse.
As more money flows to defense contractors and trickles down to think tanks, and as Gulf states seek to strengthen their position in Washington, discerning who the media regards as subject matter experts will only become more important. This is an evolving document, and will be updated.
Racket News reached out to all organizations for comment and zero replied.
Name: Combating Terrorism Center at West Point
Site: ctc.westpoint.edu
Logo Concept: Watch your head!
Source type: As an offshoot of West Point based out of the New York campus, the CTC provides cadets with the opportunity to minor in counterterrorism. Its core missions are to educate, research, and advise policy.
The Pitch: The Washington Free Beacon reported last month that Iran had ballistic missiles capable of delivering chemical or biological weapons — a claim we haven’t heard a peep about since. To bolster its story, the Free Beacon reported that — per the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point — Iran has for a decade researched and developed "anesthetics used to incapacitate victims by targeting the central nervous system."
The Catch: Though West Point is a federally funded service academy, the CTC’s $11.6 million endowment is completely privately funded. However while most donors are West Point alumni, billionaire and West Point graduate (class of 1977), Vincent Viola, is both CTC’s founder and primary donor. Upon retiring from the army as a Major and earning his juris doctor, he founded Virtu Financial, a global finance firm providing at-the-market (ATM) equity to clients in, but not limited to Canada, Greece, Australia, and Israel. In 2016, Trump planned to appoint him as the Secretary of the Army. However, he withdrew his name from the shortlist due difficulty divesting from conflicts of interest.
“Experts” Yes/No?: Yes. CTC conducts rigorous history and theory based research on some of the most prominent terror groups. Products include the monthly CTC Sentinel, long-form academic reports, and shorter explainers. The CTC also aids policymakers and practitioners including, but not limited to the CIA Director, FBI officials, and commanders in the United States Special Operations Command.
Racket Shill-o-Meter reads: 2%. Of course, a West Point affiliate that closely advises the military and CIA on counterterrorism will adhere to a certain paradigm. Some argue that CTC publications have overestimated the threat of ISIS and underestimated how quickly the caliphate would fall. Some academics believe that the CTC puts too much faith into the reliability of insurgent posts on social media. But the group does not take official policy stances. It touts its financial independence from the federal government as a credibility booster. The Beacon’s sources attempted to bolster the claim of chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction in Iran by dragging in the more limited claim of a credible organization and hoping nobody noticed the sleight of hand.
Name: Foundation For Defense of Democracies
Site: www.fdd.org
Logo Concept: The torch of democracy (regime change) alights the newspaper page.
Source type: Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) is a Washington, DC based 501(c)3 research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy. Though claiming to be nonpartisan, it has a right-wing bias.
The Pitch: Since the lead up to Operation Epic Fury, FDD scholars have been cited in legacy media outlets including CBS, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Much of FDD’s featured analysis has been hawkishly supportive of regime change.
“Dismantling that regime’s nuclear, missile, and terror infrastructure is not a favor to Israel. It is core American national security,” wrote Foundation for Defense of Democracies CEO Mark Dubowitz in the New York Post on March 9. “Iran’s missiles and nuclear program and terror are America’s problem. Those missiles don’t just threaten Israel. They are being fired right now at US forces, American bases, our embassies, and our Gulf Arab allies. Iran is actively developing intercontinental ballistic missiles that could one day reach the American homeland.”
The Catch: Originally, FDD was called Emet, the Hebrew word for “truth.” Founded in early 2001, the organization’s intent was to “provide education meant to enhance Israel’s image in North America.” Emet politically aligned itself with Likud — the nationalistic political party of Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu. Two days after 9/11, Emet rebranded as FDD, and shifted from acting as Israel’s American public relations branch to educating the public on terrorism.
FDD was founded by Clifford D. May. Prior to founding the think tank, May was a foreign correspondent with the New York Times. In 2000, he served as the communications director for the Republican National Committee. In 2008, he was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the entity responsible for all US government and government sponsored, non-military, and international broadcasting. In 2016, he was appointed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
As of 2024, FDD had $27,703,934 worth of net assets. According to their website, “FDD does not accept donations from any foreign governments.” Donors include both individuals and charitable foundations including the Herzog Foundation, Abstraction Fund, the Klarman Family Foundation, the Marcus Fund, and the Koret Foundation.
Major individual donors include Paul Singer and Sheldon Adelson. Singer is a hedge fund manager with a net worth of $6.7 billion. He has donated millions to Republican PACs and right-leaning think tanks including the Manhattan Institute. He has also donated to many Jewish organizations including Birthright Israel, Jewish Agency for Israel, and the Jewish Funders Network. The late Adelson was a casino owner with a net worth of $40 billion. He is considered the largest Republican mega-donor in American history. He also donated to a multitude of pro-Israel causes including Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.
The Herzog Foundation is an organization dedicated to advancing Christian K-12 education. They have historically donated to Christian schools, conservative organizations such as the First Liberty Institute, and Freedom Foundation. The Abstraction Fund, Klarman Family Foundation, Marcus Foundation, and the Koret Foundation all continually donate to Israel-aligned philanthropic initiatives including Birthright Israel and Central Fund of Israel.
“Experts” Yes/No?: Yes. The organization employs individuals of varying backgrounds from journalists to intelligence to military. Using open-source intelligence, FDD provides analysis to both policymakers and the media. It has advised the Bush, Obama, Biden, and Trump administrations as well as multiple congressional offices. In 2018, FDD encouraged Trump to withdraw from the JCPOA.
Racket Shill-o-Meter reads: 99.8%
FDD has fallen under scrutiny for promoting overzealous analysis and since deleting it. In April 2002, founder May described Iran and Iraq as “terrorist-sponsoring regimes attempting to develop weapons of mass destruction.” In January 2002, he was cited by the National Review stating that the claim “Saddam still has weapons of mass destruction cannot be seriously doubted.”
And as recently as December 2022, FDD’s FAQ page asserted that “President Bush said he’s going after not only the terrorists but also the regimes that harbor the terrorists. We know Saddam Hussein is making weapons of mass destruction - biological, chemical and nuclear - and remains a serious threat. But other nations that harbor or sponsor terrorists - Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, North Korea, Cuba - also must change their behavior. If we don’t insist on that, we won’t win this war.” According to a Responsible Statecraft report, these documents have since been deleted from the website.
Name: National Endowment for Democracy
Site: www.ned.org
Logo Concept: Globalism, but make it the ugliest color scheme you’ve ever seen.
Source type: The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) was founded by Carl Greshman, Ronald Reagan, and Allen Weinstein in 1983 with the intent of combatting communist influence through soft power. With founders belonging to both Democrat and Republican parties, the group has been historically bipartisan, but presently is led and staffed almost entirely by Democrats. Per its soaring tagline — “supporting freedom around the world” — NED supports the projects of “pro-democracy” NGOs in over 100 different countries including Iran.
The Pitch: NED helps to underwrite at least two U.S. organizations commonly cited in the Western press about Iran: Human Rights Activists in Iran and Center for Human Rights in Iran.
The Catch: Both foreign countries and bipartisan think tanks have likened NED to an extension of the CIA and the American government’s “white glove.” NED served as a node of the Censorship Industrial Complex, funneling U.S. tax dollars to a British anti-speech organization called the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) that generated blacklists of conservative news organizations in order to choke off advertiser dollars. NED meanwhile “categorically rejects claims that it has supported censorship of Americans or targeted U.S. media outlets.”
NED has funded initiatives in Iran since 1991. Much of their work supports Iranian media. The organization funds initiatives that document abuses at the hands of the authoritarian regime. Additionally, it funds news outlets that abide by a pro-democracy narrative. Most recently, they sent over 200 Starlinks to Iran during the January protests.
NED funds numerous Iranian civil society and media initiatives that are then cited in legacy media, but grant-level transparency does not allow independent confirmation of which specific outlets receive funding.
At a House committee hearing earlier this month, NED CEO Damon Wilson insisted he couldn’t share grant details, citing a “duty of care,” a policy announced some three months into the second Trump administration.
This conflicts with the organization’s stated mission to “stand proudly in the spotlight … where it belongs,” in the words of NED founding president Ronald Reagan.
Critics of U.S. foreign policy have flagged that federal funding for these organizations is rarely disclosed.
“Experts” Yes/No?: No. Unlike think tanks mentioned in this piece, NED does not have experts cited in the news. It instead funds organizations in both adversarial and developing countries.
Racket Shill-o-Meter reads: 72%. NED funding is a red flag signaling that U.S. interests could be shaping the narrative. But NED-funded organizations do not always fall precisely in line with U.S. government policy. Human Rights Activists in Iran said in a March 3 statement that it “condemns in the strongest terms the ongoing conflict between the United States/Israel, and Iran.” By contrast, the statement of the Center for Human Rights in Iran simply calls for “all parties” to “do everything possible to protect civilian lives in all of the countries affected by the ongoing conflict.”
Name: CODEPINK
Site: www.codepink.org
Logo Concept: It’s in the name.
Source type: CODEPINK is a women-led grassroots social justice movement that was founded in 2002 to protest the American invasion of Iraq. Its founders include Gael Murphy, Medea Benjamin, and Jodie Evans. The group is historically anti-interventionist, whether it be Iraq, arming Israel against Hamas, or involvement with Iran. One of their key strategies is to cause disruptions against the unaligned. CODEPINK additionally runs a campaign called “China is Not Our Enemy” and offers organized trips to the country.
Originally from Paris, France, Murphy is a former Peace Corps volunteer and Foreign Service Officer. In 2004, she was arrested for protesting outside the Republican National Convention.
Benjamin is also the cofounder of human rights group Global Exchange. As president of the Arc of Justice (formerly known as the Benjamin Fund), she has contributed to a multitude of social justice causes including the People’s Hub, One DC, and the Social Good Fund. When registered as the Benjamin Fund, Arc of Justice donated to a number of pro-Palestinian causes such as American Muslims for Palestine and the United States Campaign for Palestinian Rights.
Before entering the activism sphere, Evans previously worked for former California Gov. Jerry Brown as both a campaign manager and director of administration. Staunchly anti-Iraq involvement, she once referred to insurgents attacking American soldiers as “cool.”
The Pitch: Media outlets including BBC and the New York Post have covered their protests, as have we here at Racket. The Washington Post’s coverage of a Washington, DC, protest on Feb. 28 prominently featured Ermiya Fanaeian, whose socialist armed security organization Armed SLC Queers received intense media scrutiny in September 2025 after the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Orem, Utah. The Post did not mention this connection, though it is not clear that Fanaeian has any direct tie to CODEPINK other than as a co-organizer of the protest.
The Catch: Evans is currently married to Neville Roy Singham, a millionaire and self-proclaimed Marxist with ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Within the 2022-23 financial year, CODEPINK’s total income was $1.2 million, and a New York Times investigation indicated that at least a quarter of CODEPINK’s funding since 2017 has come from Singham.
In 2025, Senator Tom Cotton requested that Pam Bondi look into the group for suspected CCP ties and affiliation with foreign terrorist organizations.
Other donors include Medea Benjamin’s Benjamin Fund and Global Exchange, the Threshold Foundation, New Priorities Foundation, Tides Foundation, and the Barbara Streisand Foundation.
The Threshold Foundation is in turn connected to activist funds such as the Emergent Fund and environmental justice causes such as Amazon Watch. The New Priorities Foundation donates to a multitude of environmental groups. The Tides Foundation donates to a multitude of boycott, divest, and sanction organizations including Palestine Legal and the Adalah Justice Project. The Barbara Streisand Foundation donates to a multitude of left wing causes ranging from Planned Parenthood to Natural Resources Defense Council.
“Experts” Yes/No?: No. Though Benjamin has written 11 books, including Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control, CODEPINK’s emphasis is on spectacle.
Racket Shill-o-Meter reads: 99.8%. CODEPINK’s opposition to American foreign interventionism and human rights abuses is unwavering. Just don’t ask about the Uyghurs.
Name: Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Site: www.washingtoninstitute.org
Logo Concept: Wordy, Washington. If white noise were a logo.
Source type: The Washington Institute is a DC-based 501(c) 3 organization founded in 1985 with the support of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Its founding president, Barbi Weinberg, is considered the “mother of modern AIPAC”. The think tank is center-right with pro-Israel and pro-interventionist leanings. Their mission is “to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them.”
The Pitch: As per their website, “many times a day, Institute scholars and associates are quoted in major American or international media, appear on the op-ed pages of elite newspapers, or are interviewed on network television and radio news programs.” Regarding Iran, fellows at the Washington Institute have recently been cited at the Washington Post, the New York Times, and Bloomberg.
The Catch: While the organization makes clear that it is funded by American citizens, corporations, and institutions, it goes to great lengths to keep donors’ identities private. The vast majority of their approximately $24.4 million worth of revenue goes to paying salaries, keeping the think tank operational, fundraising, and executive compensation. Major institutional donors include the Jewish Communal Fund, William Davidson Foundation, Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County, Fidelity Investments and Charitable Gift Fund, and the Koret Foundation.
The William Davidson Foundation primarily donates to community projects in Detroit and organizations that promote Israel and Judaism, including raising over $22 million in support of Israel following October 7th. Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund (Fidelity Charitable) is the largest public charity in the United States. It has heavily funded right-wing causes including the Alliance Defending Freedom and lobbying for abortion bans. The Koret Foundation has funded AIPAC-backed trips for Congress members to Israel.
“Experts” Yes/No?: Yes. The Washington Institute’s scholars produce policy briefs and long-form academic analysis. They brief Congress, the executive branch, and the intelligence community, and present at academic symposiums. Their focus includes Salafism, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and Russian influence in the Middle East. Most of their scholars come from academia or the government, including the State Department.
Racket Shill-o-Meter reads: 87%. Though much of their work has a clear pro-Israel bias, their language is analytical rather than inflammatory. Their largest controversy is their AIPAC affiliation. Al Jazeera once accused the organization of funding “Muslim-baiting.” The Washington Institute has not failed a fact check within the past five years.
Which NGOs and think tanks did we forget? Submit your additions to this guide to tipline@racket.news.
Caden Olson contributed to this report.
 | A guest post by
|
I'm confused. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy has not failed a fact check in five years but rates 87% because Qatari-funded Al Jazeera doesn't like it? That's just marginally better than Code Pink, which is a Maoist organization dedicated to dismantling the west.
This was good in concept, but I'm not finding it useful. Racket is publishing more content, but I'm reading less of it.
The Combating Terrorism Center - West Point is essentially a propaganda channel for the Uniparty. All of its studies will be of course vetted by the Pentagon (as long as Hegseth/Gabbard can't control it), the American Intelligence Community and the GOP RINOs in the legislative branch. IMHO they may not be shills as you have defined it, but they are certainly misleading readers to a Uniparty policy line. They are certainly not friendly towards the Trump White House strategy, subtly undermining it when it does not match the Uniparty strategy.