Democrat Operative for Soros-Funded Group Arrested for Assaulting Republican Campaign Manager

Zachary Stieber
By Zachary Stieber
October 18, 2018Politics
share
Democrat Operative for Soros-Funded Group Arrested for Assaulting Republican Campaign Manager
Michael Stark, an operative for the liberal super PAC American Bridge 21st Century, was arrested for allegedly assaulting a female Republican campaign manager in Las Vegas, Nevada on Oct. 16, 2018. (Las Vegas Department of Public Safety)

An operative for American Bridge 21st Century, a group founded by David Brock and funded by billionaire George Soros, was arrested on Oct. 16 after the campaign manager for a Nevada Republican candidate said he grabbed and yanked her arm so hard that she was left with bruises.

Kristin Davison, the campaign manager for Adam Laxalt, the state attorney general running for governor, said the assault left her “terrified and traumatized.”

“Politics is a little bit aggressive these days, but this is just insane. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Davison, 31, told Fox News.

Davison said that the operative, later identified as Wilfred Michael Stark, burst into a room where she and Laxalt were talking after a campaign event on Tuesday.

She said that Stark, armed with a camera, quickly became physical.

“We’re used to trackers, but this guy was very physical—pushing me, pushing into members of my staff, screaming,” Davison said. “This man was physically almost body-checking me. I was getting nervous for my safety, so we left, and went into an open room.”

Stark followed them into the room and soon grabbed her arm, Davison said. She said he also pulled her head into his chest, bruising her neck.

The Las Vegas City Marshals confirmed that Stark was arrested based on the report by Davison and was booked into jail on an assault charge. A photo published by the Las Vegas Review-Journal showed Stark in handcuffs. A city spokesman told the Washington Times that Stark was released Wednesday on bail.

American Bridge

According to Mike Stark’s LinkedIn page, he was a reporter for American Bridge. “Covered DC politics and competitive federal and state governor races throughout the United States,” a description of the job reads. He had also worked for Huffington Post in the past.

American Bridge is a liberal super PAC that conducts opposition research to aid Democratic candidates and organizations and was founded by David Brock, the founder of Media Matters.

Brock’s network of groups was detailed extensively in Sharyl Attkisson’s book “The Smear.”

Soros has contributed millions of dollars to the super PAC, including $300,000 in February. An American Bridge official who didn’t want to be named told CNN that Stark was fired after the alleged assault.

Chris Sloan, campaign manager for Laxalt’s Democratic opponent, Steve Sisolak, told the Review-Journal that Stark isn’t affiliated with Sisolak’s campaign.

“This individual is not affiliated with the Sisolak campaign in any way. No one should ever feel unsafe at a political event and the type of physical violence reported is beyond the pale. We strongly condemn this violence,” Sloan said.

ntd newsletter icon
Sign up for NTD Daily
What you need to know, summarized in one email.
Stay informed with accurate news you can trust.
By registering for the newsletter, you agree to the Privacy Policy.
Comments