Delaware’s Corporate Law Firms Throw Serious Cash At Protecting Some Of The Legislature’s Worst Incumbents

This is in addition to these miscreants.  And in addition to the Speaker’s $50 K (so far) slush fund.  Oh, and in addition to the individual bribes paid to Krista Griffith by Richards Layton & Finger.  Tell me again, Krista, how many of Elon Musk’s corporate attorneys does it take to change a lightbulb?  But, I digress.  Sorta.

Kids, have you ever heard of the First State Future PAC?  I hadn’t.  But I bet you’ve heard of these corporate law firms:

Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell

Potter Anderson & Corroon

Richards, Layton & Finger

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP

The lawyers from these firms essentially craft all the changes to Delaware’s Corporate Code every year, and then present it to the General Assembly as if they are some sort of neutral update of the Code to keep the Delaware Court of Chancery in a preeminent national position.  More on that later.

Here’s the story–these five law firms have pooled their resources to create the First State Future PAC and are already spending it to defend some of the worst Democratic incumbents in Dover.  Each of the five law firms have ponied up $190,000 to fund the PAC.  Meaning, they’ve raised $950,000.  That’s serious money.

Here’s how they’re spending it, according to their own Campaign Finance Report:

$46,500 for research and polling

$13,000 for focus group

$9771.78 for Digital Advertising Opposing Shane Nicole Darby (to be fair, it’s difficult to find something positive to say on behalf of Nnamdi)

$6486.07 for Digital Advertising Supporting Ed Mulvihill (the liquor store guy running to replace Deb Heffernan)

$9771.79 for Digital Advertising Supporting Krista Griffith

$6321.79 for Digital Advertising Supporting Frank Cooke

$6790.93 for Digital Advertising Supporting Kim Williams

$5226.64 for Digital Advertising Support Kerri Harris

$12,771.79 for Digital Advertising Supporting Dan Cruce

$7236.07 for Digital Advertising Supporting Ray Seigfried (now, that’s money pissed down the drain, right there)

$8486.07 for Digital Advertising Supporting Nicole Poore

$7236.07 for Digital Advertising Supporting Kyra Hoffner

I invite you to see for yourselves.  Here’s how:

Go to this website:

https://elections.delaware.gov/index.html

Click on the Campaign Finance Reporting icon

Click On ‘View Filed Reports’

Click on ‘Continue’

In the Committee Name box, type in ‘First State Future PAC’, then hit ‘Search’

Then click on ‘Original Financial Statement’.  It’s all right there.

The PAC was formed in April, and here we are.

With that out of the way, let’s state the obvious–This PAC is supporting people that it has in its pocket. Meaning, not to put too fine a face on it, they can always count on Nnamdi Chukwuocha, Ed Mulvihill, Krista Griffith, Frank Cooke, Kim Williams, Kerri Harris, Dan Cruce, Ray Seigfried, Nicole Poore and Kyra Hoffner to consistently and enthusiastically do whatever they want them to do.

Among those items, in addition to distorting Delaware corporate law on behalf of Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, is the rubber-stamping of the annual package of corporate law bills.

The Corporate Law section of the Delaware Bar doesn’t want people asking questions about those bills.  That’s why they’re all virtually inscrutable, are presented merely as appropriate updates to the Code, and are rushed through with no meaningful questions being asked year after year.

Here, kids, are but a few of the corporate clients and individuals these firms represent:

The Weinstein Company (as in Harvey): Richards, Layton & Finger

Insys Therapeutics: Richards, Layton & Finger

Fox Corporation/Rupert Murdoch: Richards, Layton & Finger

RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company: Richards, Layton & Finger

Elon Musk/Tesla: Richards Layton & Finger, and Morris Nichols

Larry Ellison: Young, Conaway

Mark Zuckerberg: Potter Anderson

Peter Thiel: Potter Anderson

Palantir: Wilson Sonsini

Candace Owens: Richards Layton

Vince McMahon: Potter Anderson

United Health: Morris Nichols

Howard Lutnick: Young Conaway

Amerisource Bergen:  Potter Anderson

Walmart: Wilson Sonsini

Live Nation: Wilson Sonsini

Now, we have an intelligent readership.  The same attorneys representing this Rogue’s Gallery of Undesirables are the same attorneys who annually revise Delaware’s Corporate Code.  Do any of you really think that they’re representing the public interest as opposed to their clients’ interest?

For the first time, these and the other Delaware Way denizens have woken up to at least the possibility that their free ride is over due to a slate of outstanding challengers.

That is why they’re throwing so much money at some of Delaware’s worst public officials.  They’ve always owned them, but now the bribes must increase exponentially.

I think this is a news story, and an important one.  Will anybody from the press follow up on this?