AFPI Affiliates Reported to Census Bureau Included Election Denier and Policy Staffers

Several people connected to the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) appear on a list of individuals whose details were reported to the U.S. Census Bureau, according to documents reviewed by WIRED.

AFPI Staffers Included on Census Bureau List

The names include Max Kosek, a research fellow in AFPI’s Office of Fiscal and Regulatory Analysis, and Ryan Montgomery, who AFPI lists as a program assistant in the same office. Montgomery’s LinkedIn profile currently describes him as a “research engineer” at AFPI.

Thomas Lane, AFPI’s director of secure election policy, is also listed. Lane is a former Trump campaign staffer and election denier. A summons was issued as part of a Justice Department investigation launched in 2022 into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Lane was not charged by law enforcement.

Thomas Lane’s Role in the Arizona Fake Elector Effort

In a 2020 video posted by the Arizona Republican Party, a man wearing a jacket with the name “Lane” asked voters to sign papers certifying that they were “duly elected” and “qualified.” The group was involved in an effort by fake electors to deliver Arizona’s electoral votes to Donald Trump.

Politico identified the man as Lane. In 2024, CNN reported that Lane was prepared to serve as a primary elector for the same group.

Lane Linked to Save America Act Proposals

Earlier this year, Democracy Docket reported that Lane said he helped write an early version of the Save America Act while serving on the Republican-controlled House Administration Committee.

The legislation would require voter identification for voter registration. Parts of that proposal are included in another Save America Act that, if passed, would require proof of citizenship to vote. Experts say such measures could lead to greater disenfranchisement. The Brennan Center for Justice estimates that 20 million people could be affected.

Kosek, Montgomery and Lane did not respond to requests for comment.

Other AFPI-Linked Individuals on the List

David Peterson, whom AFPI lists as a research engineer with expertise in “computing, machine learning, and advanced software architecture,” also appears on the list. Jackson Mejia, an AFPI fellow and assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin who holds a PhD in economics from MIT, is listed as well. Mejia’s research focuses on the tax system, according to his MIT profile.

Peterson and Mejia did not respond to requests for comment.

Michael Corey, another person identified as an AFPI IPA, is also included in the agency’s group. AFPI does not list Corey as a staff member on its website, although an AFPI email bearing Corey’s name appears to exist. AFPI has not confirmed whether Corey is currently affiliated with the think tank.

Questions About AFPI’s Census Role

Dana Boyd, a Cornell University professor who studies the census, said agencies such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science can bring multiple Intergovernmental Personnel Act participants, or IPAs, into organizations such as the Census Bureau.

Boyd questioned whether AFPI has the institutional structure needed to conduct independent statistical research, describing it as “a partisan group with a purpose.”

According to documents reviewed by WIRED, all AFPI members are listed under the same project. The project focuses on “ad hoc data analysis” in response to questions from senior officials at the Census and Commerce departments.

The project is believed to be led by Michael Rachanski, the agency’s recently appointed deputy director for data, policy and science. Rachanski is a political appointee and a former fellow at the Claremont Institute, a conservative think tank with ties to the Trump administration.

All AFPI study subjects appear to have the “special sworn status” required to access sensitive census data.