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# A pretzel of financial shenanigans
- URL: https://utahpolitics.news/podcasts/podcast-a-pretzel-of-financial-shenanigans/
- Published: 2025-10-31T22:59:36.000Z
- Updated: 2025-12-02T18:57:30.000Z
- Author: Bryan Schott
- Tags: Podcasts

This week in Utah politics: dark money, taxpayer funded PR campaign and a massive homeless campus.

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- [Mega “service campus” for the homeless near SLC airport](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/us/politics/utah-trump-homeless-campus.html?ref=utahpolitics.news): 16 acres, up to 1,300 beds, involuntary commitments, forced treatment. Civil liberties alarms vs. “we have to do something.” Cox does damage control via a friendly outlet, swatting Nazi comparisons.
- [House PR machine on your dime](https://utahpolitics.news/is-utahs-house-speaker-using-taxpayer-money-to-target-judge-in-gerrymandering-case/): Speaker Schultz’s glossy videos produced by a paid outside firm (Northbound Strategy \~$6k/month, >$215k since ’23). Posted first to his personal accounts, then amplified by official channels. ROI? Shrug. Also: his video flirting with threats against the judge.
- [Dark money creeps local](https://utahpolitics.news/pac-linked-to-sen-mike-lees-political-network-jumps-into-utah-school-board-race/): National Liberty Champions PAC drops into an Alpine school board race. The Mike Lee orbit—Thomas Datwyler (treasurer), Dan Hauser (L4 Consulting, lives in-district)—connects the dots. Same network fueled attacks in UT-2 primary via Constitutional Conservatives PAC.
- [Ogden City Council shenanigans](https://utahpolitics.news/pac-routed-14-200-from-christian-nationalist-pastor-to-ogden-city-council-candidate-in-scheme-to-get-around-donation-limits/): Candidate takes \~$15k from “Taxpayers PAC,” blowing past $1,500 limits. Money trace: AZ Christian nationalist pastor/funder → PAC → candidate → consultant. The consultant? He set up the PAC routing the cash back to himself. Illegal overage likely returned.
- Conspiracy-to-policy pipeline: Gold-as-currency schemes pushed by fringe “experts,” and yes—another chemtrails bill incoming.

Heads up: Election Day is Tuesday. If your ballot’s still on the counter, fix that.

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