May 1, 1997

Party Faithful

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Party Faithful

His passions are religion, Republicans, and raising money.

by Suzanne Herel

#14 Foster Friess, 57, Jackson, Wyo. Party: R. $321,200 total contributions.

View Friess’ itemized contributions.

Republican Foster Friess’ Delaware investment fund is so successful that even the state Democratic Party chairman — himself an investment banker — belongs. But Friess breathes more than business. “The most important thing in his life is his belief in Christ as his savior,” says friend Art Brosius, who met Friess at Bible study.

And faith influences his politics. He’s vice president of the Council for National Policy, the secretive group headed by former Attorney General Edwin Meese that includes Oliver North and Pat Robertson and influenced the fundamentalist planks in the GOP’s 1996 platform.

Friess helped raise more than $1 million for unknown politico Raymond Clatworthy’s failed 1996 bid to unseat Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), persuading investment bankers nationwide to contribute $1,000 each. His $260,000 in donations to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, headed by Sen. Al D’Amato (R-N.Y.), drew criticism because they began pouring in days after D’Amato resurrected a bill that will save the mutual fund industry billions by lifting state regulations. Friess shrugs it off: “I have never talked to anyone about the bill.”

As for his future calling, Friess has weighed a presidental bid. But, he says, “I then would have to worry about my wife, who is very attached to making chocolate chip cookies.”

Photo Credit: Ted Wood

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

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