"The Hidden Financier Fueling the MAGA Movement's Powerhouse"
Mike Rydin, a retired Houston software developer, has been revealed as the largest donor to the Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI), a conservative nonprofit known as the "nerve center" of the MAGA movement. Rydin has provided tens of millions of dollars to CPI, fueling its rapid expansion and purchase of prime real estate on Capitol Hill. Despite his significant contributions, Rydin claims ignorance about CPI's ties to figures involved in Donald Trump's attempt to overturn the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. His donations account for more than half of CPI's revenue in 2021 and have helped establish the organization as a prominent backer of the far-right Freedom Caucus.