(Crossposted at Daily Kos)

American Future Fund is a 501(c)(4) fronted by Republican operatives. To date, American Future Fund has run a television ad supporting Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) and a Roll Call print ad urging the House to pass the Senate version of the FISA bill. Mike Allen of Politico recently reported that American Future Fund staff have been spotted in New Hampshire.

Last week, Peter Stone in the National Journal confirmed  that Karl Rove is actively involved in organizing independent political groups. According to Stone, "One new group being cobbled together includes old associates of Rove from the lobbying and communications firm DCI Group, including Tom Synhorst."

My research uncovered a number of links between American Future Fund, the DCI Group and former Iowa congressman, Jim Nussle. Nussle was appointed Executive Director of the Office of Managment and Budget in September 2007 after a failed gubernatorial bid in 2006 and a brief stint as a consultant to Rudy Giuliani's campaign in early 2007.

I previously posted about American Future Fund (AFF) and its affiliates, Iowa Future Fund (IFF) and Iowa Progress (IPP) in the TPM Cafe here and here.

Known Republican operatives involved in AFF, IFF and IPP:

AFF:

Nicole Schlinger
David Kochel,
Nicholas T. "Nick" Ryan
Alex N. Vogel
Jill Holtzman Vogel
Ben Ginsberg
Edward  T. Tobin III
Philip A. Musser 
Larry McCarthy
Jan Van Lohuizen

IFF/IPP:

David Kochel
Gary Grant
Kathy Pearson

American Future Fund (AFF) and Iowa Future Fund were registered with the Iowa Secretary of State on 8/7/07 by Jessica Young of Holtzman Vogel. <b>Alex N. Vogel</b> and his wife, <b>Jill Holtzman Vogel</b> both served as legal counsel to the Republican Party in various high level capacities.

The names of the AFF directors and officers with one exception have not been publicly disclosed.

<b>Nicole Schlinger</b>, an Iowan, is AFF president. Schlinger, a former executive director of the Iowa Republican Party, is the owner of Capital Resources Inc. which raises money for Republicans and manages events but does not maintain a website. Senator Charles Grassley and former congressmen Jim Nussle and Jim Leach are among Schlinger's clients.

Schlinger and <b>David Kochel</b> registered Mission Control Partners Inc. in Iowa on 2/29/08:

MISSION CONTROL PARTNERS, INC.
Filing date: 2/29/2008

Registered Agent:

Nicole Schlinger
700 E Pleasant St
Brooklyn, IA

Filing #: 359618

Officers, Directors:

NICOLE SCHLINGER
DIRECTOR
700 E PLEASANT ST
BROOKLYN, IA 52211

MARK V HANSON
317 6TH AVE STE 1200
DES MOINES, IA 50309-4195
INCORPORATOR

DAVID KOCHEL
DIRECTOR
319 7TH ST STE 404
DES MOINES, IA 50309

David Kochel acknowledged to Paul Kiel at TPM Muckraker that he is involved with AFF in a "limited capacity". Kochel is also the spokesperson for Iowa Future Fund and president of Iowa Progress Project.

Kochel owns and operates JDK Marketing and Public Affairs which specializes in direct mail and print advertising for political campaigns. He was the treasurer of Mitt Romney's Iowa Commonwealth PAC and past executive director of the Iowa and Michigan Republican parties. He was also a direct-mail consultant to Romney's 2002 gubernatorial campaign.

Between 1998 and 2002, Kochel was an executive president of the DCI Group.

Both Schlinger and Kochel were paid consultants to Romney's presidential campaign. Another Romney consultant was Iowan <b>Brian Kennedy</b>, a DCI executive.

In 2004, Kennedy campaigned unsuccessfully in a primary race for an Iowan congressional seat. Kochel was one of his paid consultants as was Holtzman Vogel.

Brian Kennedy is well-known as the co-founder of 527,  Progress For America.

DCI Group partner, <b>Steven P. Greiner</b>, was an advisor to Jim Nussle's gubernatorial campaign. Greiner was Nussle's chief of staff in the '90s. After Nussle's loss, he and Greiner formed a consulting firm, Navigating Strategies, which advised the Giuliani campaign.

DCI Group chair <b>Thomas J. Synhorst</b> got his start working in the 1980s as an aide for Senator Grassley.

Last month, Minnesota Democrats filed an FEC complaint against AFF which included AFF contact information from a television ad buy. Nicole Schlinger was listed as AFF president but the post office box was one used by <b>Nicholas T. "Nick" Ryan</b>, Nussle's long time campaign director. 

Nick Ryan now works for Bruce Rastetter, a wealthy Iowan businessman who briefly considered running against Tom Harkin this year. As outlined in my other TPM Cafe posts about AFF and IFF, another Rastetter employee, <b>Eric Peterson</b>, is the likely president of IFF.

Although I have not yet verified a direct connection between American Future Fund and the DCI Group, all signs are pointing that way. The other question is whether Jim Nussle's appointment, given the timing, is in some way linked to AFF's mission.