A former domestic worker for a major Democratic donor and socialite has accused her husband of sexual harassment.
Bilguudei Ganhuyag, 24, has accused John Landrum Bryant, husband of real estate heiress and liberal activist Patricia Bauman, of firing him for refusing to engage in a sexual relationship, according to DNAInfo.com. He is suing the power couple for $6 million.
The suit would put only a small dent into the Bauman family fortune, and the $100 million foundation Bauman uses to influence liberal circles.
Bauman has contributed nearly $300,000 to Democratic candidates and causes since 2008, and has financing some of liberalism’s largest organizations.
She contributed $10,000 to American Bridge 21st Century, a Super PAC that performs opposition research against Republican candidates. The Bauman Foundation also gave a total of $6,300 to President Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns.
The Bauman Foundation has given millions of dollars more to liberal organizations over the past decade. Patricia Bauman also has tied to the secretive Democracy Alliance, which directs tens of millions of dollars into select progressive coffers each year, including the Center for American Progress, Media Matters, and the Obama affiliated Super PAC Priorities USA.
The Alliance is an association of wealthy liberal donors that directs political giving to a handful of "favored organizations." It has also partnered with a number of foundations, giving it access to hundreds, rather than tens, of millions of dollars in liberal philanthropy.
"When you include foundations, the left has a far higher reach into big money than the right," said Jacob Laksin, author of The New Leviathan. "They wield a lot of influence in Democratic circles … the Democracy Alliance is part of that."
The Alliance does not handle any of the donations directly, which allows members to avoid disclosure. It did not respond to emails and calls seeking comment.
Alliance member Anne Bartley sits on the Bauman Foundation’s board of directors and has helped forge a partnership between the two groups. It is unclear if Bauman is a member of the group, which forbids members from publicly speaking about the group’s inner workings.
Bauman did not return calls and emails seeking comment.