“The Falkirk Center, to me, represents everything that was wrong with Liberty when Jerry was there,” said Karen Swallow Prior, a professor at Liberty for 21 years who left at the end of last school year. But it prompts an angry response from many other university stakeholders, who saw Falwell’s work during his final years at Liberty as out of step for a supposedly nonpartisan university. The think tank retains support from some of the university’s most politically involved leaders, including the 75-year-old acting president, Jerry Prevo, a retired minister and longtime supporter of conservative causes, one of the people who speaks with Liberty board members said. You can’t really call something a think tank, and yet it doesn’t put out academic research, or papers, or any kind of scholarship.” Other board members, however, think Liberty should shut down the Falkirk Center, the person said, and “don’t think it helps the school in maintaining a high academic standard. “There are those who want the school to be part of the conservative political conversation.” “The board is split,” said one person in contact with board members. But according to interviews with three people who have been in recent communication with board members, trustees are divided over whether to maintain Liberty’s role in conservative politics or refocus on the university’s evangelical roots. The trustees have kept a veil of secrecy over their deliberations since Falwell’s departure, and are skeptical of the media, which many see as anti-evangelical. Now, Liberty’s board of trustees appears torn over his use of Liberty resources for political activities. But I don’t feel like it was ever so agenda-driven as it was in the last four of five years.”įalwell resigned from his post in August, in the wake of a series of reports about his and his wife’s personal lives and use of university funds on businesses associated with friends and family members. “Obviously the school is conservative, yes. “The apparatus of the university has turned more and more towards political ends and concerns,” said Marybeth Baggett, a Liberty graduate who taught at the school from 2003 until this past spring. Liberty’s actions also go well beyond the traditional role of a university as a politically neutral institution of higher learning. Liberty’s actions, detailed for the first time by POLITICO, suggest the university is pushing the boundaries of its status as a nonprofit organization under Section 501c(3) of the federal tax code, which forbids spending money on political campaigns. “Be a radical for our republic,” said another Facebook ad that ran over the summer with a photo of a beaming Madison Cawthorn, the rising GOP star and congressional candidate from North Carolina who spoke at Trump’s convention. Adav has appeared on broadcasts such as The Rachel Maddow Show, Anderson Cooper 360, NBC Nightly News, and National Public Radio's Morning Edition, and he has been cited in publications nationwide, including the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Politico, Slate, and Reuters.“Pray For Our President,” declared one, featuring a photo of Trump with his hands clasped in prayer. In addition to his litigation and policy practice, Adav regularly provides expert analysis for television, radio, and print journalism. He is admitted to the bars of New York and the District of Columbia. Adav has also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.Īdav is a graduate of New York University School of Law (J.D.), Georgetown University (M.A.L.S.) and the University of Pennsylvania (B.A.). From 2007 to 2012, as acting assistant general counsel and an attorney in the FEC’s Litigation Division, he litigated campaign finance matters, including the landmark cases of Citizens United v. From 2013 to 2017, as associate general counsel for policy, Adav oversaw all legal recommendations regarding the FEC’s regulations and advisory opinions. Prior to joining CLC, Adav served for more than 10 years in several capacities within the Office of General Counsel of the Federal Election Commission. Adav has conducted dozens of constitutional cases in district courts, courts of appeals and the United States Supreme Court.
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