Paid protest CEO urges Congress to pass law exposing who funds demonstrations
Diana FalzoneUpdated: Nov 12, 2025 / 10:34 AM CST
How does paid protesting work? Crowds on Demand CEO explains | NewsNation Prime
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(NewsNation) — The CEO of a company that provides paid protesters for events is asking members of Congress to pass a “Transparency in Political Demonstration Act” that would expose the groups hiring demonstrators to attend events around the U.S.
Adam Swart is the head of Crowds on Demand, a company that, according to its website, provides services “for impactful advocacy campaigns, demonstrations, PR stunts, crowds for hire and corporate events.” NewsNation has obtained the letter Swart wrote to Congress on November 11 demanding greater transparency over who hires protesters.
CEO of paid protest company says it works with both sides of the aisle
Swart wrote in part:
Swart said his proposed “Transparency in Political Demonstrations Act,” which he calls a “bipartisan effort to protect free speech while ensuring accountability and safety,” is needed for the American people to have full knowledge who is funding and facilitating political demonstrations.
Protesters clash with police at Turning Point USA event
According to Swart’s letter, the TPDA would:
- Require disclosure of funding sources behind demonstrations exceeding a defined number of participants
- Establish a “Public Accountability Portal” where highly funded and heavily attended protest operations must disclose sponsors and subcontractors involved in planning, staffing or logistics
- Ensure foreign entities and intermediaries cannot covertly fund or coordinate demonstrations intended to destabilize domestic institutions
- Hold funders and organizers to a strict nonviolence standard, disqualifying organizations that promote or tolerate violence from certain federal benefits or nonprofit protections
Paid protest company CEO: We work with both Democrats and Republicans
In July, Swart told NewsNation he turned down $20 million to provide demonstrators for the “Good Trouble Lives On” protests.“I’m rejecting it not because I don’t want to take the business but because, frankly, this is going to be ineffective,” he said. “It’s going to make us all look bad.”
Swart told NewsNation in August that Crowds on Demand receives requests for both conservative and liberal causes, saying his company works “on causes that align with common-sense values. Democrats are hiring our company and so are Republicans.”
On Tuesday, he said his proposed legislation would “establish ground rules for activism to preserve our basic freedoms while putting a stop to the idea that malign actors can attack our system using opaque funding networks. Most concerningly, these funding networks can be used to hide support for violent activities.”
Swart tells NewsNation he’s making this proposal to Congress “because peaceful protest is supposed to be protected speech — not a business model for dark-money networks or foreign actors trying to destabilize our democracy.”
“This isn’t about stopping protest; it’s about protecting it,” he continued. “The First Amendment only works when Americans know who’s paying.”
