Pop-up pro-Clinton group fades after scrutiny

Introduction

A purportedly pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC known as Time for Hillary — which was launched in August by individuals with long histories of financial woes — appears to be partway through a vanishing act.

For months, the Time for Hillary super PAC advertised pro-Clinton apparel for sale on its website, which was little more than an online store.

One tweet in the group’s early days thanked the “hundreds who have donated by purchasing shirts or donating directly.” Another apologized for being “sold out” of pink pro-Hillary t-shirts, promising to “restock asap.”

And as recently as Oct. 1, the group boasted on Twitter that “The government may be shut down but @Time4Hillary is still up and taking orders so you can show your support for @HillaryClinton.”

Yet the super PAC’s website is no longer operational, and a campaign finance document submitted Thursday to the Federal Election Commission says the group didn’t raise or spend a penny in 2013.

The Time for Hillary super PAC — which said its ultimate aim was to register more than 1 million voters — is connected to Leigh Angelle Gibson and her husband, John A. Gibson, Jr., who may have been using the alias J.R. Worthington in connection with the group.

Leigh Gibson went through Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings in 2012, and that same year, a California court ruled that John Gibson owed a developmentally disabled man roughly $10,000. A private investigator has been attempting to find Gibson in relation to that case since March 2013.

“I am still looking for him,” said Mike Pirouzian, the private investigator. “He’s hiding.”

The Center for Public Integrity first highlighted the Gibsons’ connection to the pro-Clinton super PAC in September. Since then, not only has the group’s website gone dark, but several Facebook and Twitter accounts linked to the Gibsons have also been deleted or had their privacy settings increased.

Because super PACs are relatively easy to create and easily branded as vehicles that support popular politicians, they can be attractive ventures not just for political professionals and grassroots activists but also grifters.

Gibson, whose previous business ventures include food trucks, car rental companies, a financial self-help book and an illustrated e-book inspired by the “Power Rangers,” did not respond to emails requesting comment.

One of the last publicly available tweets from a Twitter account linked to him, however, offers this assessment: “Money money money we all need it so why not learn how to manage it.”