Former ’60 Minutes’ producer poses as journalist to uncover information on David McCormick, Pennsylvania’s Democratic Opposition Researcher.

McCormick acquaintances say Marley​ Klaus Dowling has presented herself, alternatively, as ‘fact-checker,’ reporter, and researcher

David McCormick’s Senate Bid

David McCormick hasn’t announced another bid for U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania. In fact, ⁤the Philadelphia Inquirer reported in⁤ early‌ August that the Army veteran and former⁣ Bridgewater‌ CEO, who narrowly lost the 2022 ⁢Republican Senate primary to Mehmet‍ Oz, is ‍”not ⁤in a rush”‍ to declare his​ candidacy to face off against ‍incumbent Democrat⁢ Bob Casey and ⁢is “being cautious ‌about the decision.”

Democratic opposition ⁣researchers? Not‌ so much. ⁢They have hit the ground running in an effort to collect ⁣damaging information on the would-be GOP candidate in what is certain to be one of the most ⁢competitive Senate races of⁤ the 2024‌ cycle.

One of those‌ researchers, former 60 Minutes producer Marley Klaus Dowling, has set off both confusion and alarm bells among McCormick acquaintances, including current and former Bridgewater employees, leaving⁣ some with ⁢the ⁢false‌ impression that she is a working journalist.

Klaus Dowling, herself ⁣a ⁣Democratic donor and the founder of TBD Research, which raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign ​Committee ‍in the 2022‌ election cycle for research ⁣and strategic consulting, has appeared on these people’s doorsteps—presenting herself, ​at various points, as a “fact-checker,” according to one; as a ​researcher, according to another; and as a ⁣reporter,​ according to a third.

The ⁤DSCC ‍has ⁢already ‍shelled out $80,000 to the⁢ firm this year,​ indicating that the⁢ committee’s opposition research efforts are well​ underway—and clearly focused on McCormick’s candidacy, with researchers popping up in several different cities.

Bridgewater,⁢ the ‍world’s largest hedge fund, makes headlines on a ⁤daily ⁢basis. ⁣It is ‌not unusual for the firm’s⁢ employees‌ to receive media ‌inquiries,⁢ and ⁢at least one ​of ⁤the people contacted was left with ⁢the ​impression that Klaus Dowling was ⁣working⁤ on a story or book about the firm. More ⁤unusual,⁤ however, is for a researcher or reporter to materialize unannounced on employees’ doorsteps.

“She identified herself as a fact-checker but was evasive on who she was fact-checking for,” said one former⁣ Bridgewater employee. “She said she was just trying to get to know David McCormick.” The former employee, who said she⁢ rarely worked directly with McCormick and ‍never‌ worked for him, told the Washington Free Beacon ⁤ that she “made it clear to [Klaus Dowling] that I don’t know David that well ⁢and​ I don’t want to talk to⁢ anybody.”

Klaus Dowling persisted in ​a manner that the ​former employee described‌ as “aggressive.”

“She tried to pick up packages on my doorstep and bring them in my house,” this person said. “She started⁢ asking me questions: ‍What was David like as a manager? Was‌ I surprised​ he ran ⁣for office? Was I surprised he became so ⁤right-wing extremist [sic] ‍and started kissing Trump’s ass? She started asking ⁢about the culture at Bridgewater: ‘Sounds ⁣like it was an abusive​ culture…'”

Though the ​mechanics of the business are rarely visible to the public, opposition research ‌is a standard feature of political campaigns. In every campaign cycle, ‍both major parties employ researchers to dig into ⁤the background of the opposing ⁢party’s candidates, looking for⁣ potentially damaging​ information that can be pitched to the ‍media, used in campaign advertisements, or ⁤deployed in ‌debates.

But‍ political operatives say misrepresentation is not just unethical but ultimately harmful to the achievement of⁢ the party’s objectives.

“An operative ‍should either enhance the committee’s⁣ ability to elect ‘our’⁣ candidates or they should be terminated,” said Rob Collins, the⁤ former⁢ executive director⁢ of the National Republican Senatorial ⁢Committee. “This​ is unethical‍ behavior at best.”

In another instance, Klaus Dowling appeared​ three⁣ times at the home of a second former Bridgewater employee, according to a source familiar ⁢with ⁣the situation, though the homeowner said on ‌the first occasion that she‌ was not interested in​ speaking with Klaus Dowling. A third ‍said Klaus Dowling identified herself as a researcher and declined to leave a business‌ card.

Neither Klaus Dowling‍ nor the DSCC responded to a request for comment.

McCormick ‍declined to comment.

The Democrats’ embrace⁤ of aggressive tactics to extract compromising information ‍on their political opponents comes at⁤ a time when ​the methods employed by opposition researchers are ​in the spotlight. A Puck News report in mid-July revealed‌ the lengths to which Democratic operatives went to ⁤use‍ opposition research to drive Peter Thiel—who had bankrolled the Republican Senate⁣ campaigns of Ohio’s J.D. Vance ⁣and Arizona’s Blake Masters—out of politics.

Like the effort ⁢to collect information on McCormick,⁢ reporter Theodore Schleifer⁢ detailed Democratic ​operative ​Jack Bury’s efforts ⁤to “conduct⁤ dozens⁢ of interviews with people who might know ‍Thiel” and to pay millions for ⁣dirt on him. At times, Schleifer wrote, people felt “cornered or misled” ‍about the contours of the ‌project.

Bury had extensive ⁤conversations with⁤ Thiel’s ex-boyfriend, Jeff Thomas, who‍ reportedly became ⁤so⁣ torn about participating in⁣ the project that he emotionally unraveled and in March jumped ⁢to his death from an⁤ apartment in a Miami high-rise.

Prior to founding TBD Research, Klaus ​Dowling served⁢ as ⁢director of communications and media ⁢for the⁢ nonprofit California Endowment and founded her own production company, Ghost Productions. She said on Twitter in February 2022 that she⁤ was changing career paths to “do what I can‌ with the skills I have to protect ​democracy.”

The Pennsylvania⁤ Senate Race

Should McCormick⁣ enter⁤ the race, the matchup will be expensive and closely watched, as Republicans look to take‍ back the Senate ‌majority. The Cook Political Report right now⁤ places‍ the ‌race​ in its “Lean Democrat” column, but with⁣ Democrats defending far⁤ more competitive seats than Republicans, ⁣the party is likely to face tough questions about where to spend money and where to pull back.

Senate⁣ Majority Leader ⁤Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.)⁢ has made clear ‌that the Pennsylvania race is a priority, headlining a fundraiser for Casey earlier⁣ this year ⁢at‍ the Harvard‍ Club in ‌New York City.