The disgraced New Hampshire prep school teacher who admitted to sexual misconduct with two female students and has been disavowed by Democrat Maggie Hassan’s campaign is a frequent donor to a major feminist organization.
Former Phillips Exeter history teacher Rick Schubart donated nearly $1,000 to EMILY’s List, one of the largest pro-abortion political action committees in the country. Records published by the National Institute on Money in State Politics show that Schubart made 13 contributions totaling $850 to the group, which is dedicated to "electing more pro-choice Democratic women to national, state and local office."
Four of those donations came after he was forced to leave his teaching post of nearly 40 years in the wake of a sex scandal involving students.
EMILY’s List did not return email seeking comment, nor did it respond to questions about whether the group planned on returning the donations.
EMILY’s List was one of the nation’s top outside spending groups in 2014, pumping more than $8 million into the midterm elections with all of that money going to Democrats. The group’s PAC spent nearly $45 million more during that cycle.
EMILY’s List was an early supporter of New Hampshire Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan’s campaign against freshman incumbent Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R., N.H.). Hassan has cashed $9,000 in checks from the pro-abortion group, making her the single largest recipient so far in 2016, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
"Maggie Hassan is a tireless champion for New Hampshire women and families," EMILY’s List president Stephanie Schriock said in an October 2015 release. "With control of the Senate in the balance, the stakes could not be higher for New Hampshire and for women across the country—and the EMILY’s List community of over three million members is thrilled to stand with Maggie Hassan."
The governor and EMILY’s List share a common supporter in Schubart, who has given 12 donations to Hassan worth $675 and served on her 2012 gubernatorial campaign’s Rockingham County Steering Committee.
The Boston Globe revealed in March that Schubart had admitted to having sex with two students from the 1970s and 1980s. Hassan’s husband, former Phillips Exeter Academy principal Tom Hassan, forced Schubart to retire and move off-campus when the teacher admitted to a relationship in 2011, but allowed him to retain emeritus status with the school.
Principal Hassan did not inform the public of the allegations, and Gov. Hassan claimed that her husband failed to inform her of the incident before touting his support on the campaign trail.
Both Hassans have since apologized for their dealings with Schubart.
Schubart and his wife Caren, a fellow school teacher, have donated more than $5,000 to Democratic candidates and special interest groups since 2002, according to the institute. The couple made more than 80 contributions to Democratic candidates through Act Blue, a Democratic clearinghouse for national and state liberal candidates. Emily’s List was the largest recipient.
The Hassan campaign pledged to donate $1,000 to a charity aiding victims of sexual abuse in the wake of the Boston Globe report and has apologized for not properly vetting Schubart before naming him to the Rockingham County Steering Committee in March 2012—about five months after he was forced to retire from Phillips Exeter and move off campus. Other candidates have since distanced themselves from the disgraced teacher.
The New Hampshire Democratic Party, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D., N.H.), Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern, who is running for governor, and former Rep. Carol Shea-Porter all told NH1 News that they will donate past campaign contributions from Schubart to charity.
The Washington Free Beacon attempted to reach Schubart by phone on Thursday, but received no answer. The voice mailbox is full.