Inference Investigation

Claim investigated: To research political giving patterns of Valar Ventures personnel, individual searches for known partners (Peter Thiel, Andrew McCormack, James Fitzgerald) in FEC database would be required Entity: Valar Ventures Original confidence: inferential Result: CONFIRMED → PRIMARY

Assessment

The claim is methodologically accurate but trivially self-evident: FEC records are filed by individuals, not corporate employers, so searching for any venture firm's personnel requires knowing individual names. The claim correctly identifies three Valar principals (Thiel, McCormack, Fitzgerald) as required search targets, though it underspecifies that FEC records may list various employer names and addresses that could reveal additional Valar-affiliated donors beyond known principals.

Reasoning: The claim's core assertion—that individual searches are required—is directly confirmed by FEC filing requirements (11 CFR 100.12), which mandate contributor name, address, occupation, and employer disclosure. FEC's public database structure confirms corporate entity searches do not aggregate employee contributions. Peter Thiel's extensive FEC record (Established Fact #21) demonstrates the search methodology works. The claim can be elevated to PRIMARY because the FEC database structure itself is the primary source confirming the required search methodology.

Underreported Angles

• FEC records include employer name as a required field—searching 'Valar Ventures' as employer (not contributor) could surface additional personnel beyond the three named principals who may have listed Valar as their employer when making contributions
• Andrew McCormack and James Fitzgerald's individual FEC contribution histories appear to be undocumented in the established facts, representing a gap in the political giving analysis despite being named co-founders
• Thiel's FEC contributions may list different employer names across filings (Thiel Capital, Founders Fund, Clarium Capital, Palantir) making it difficult to attribute donations to his Valar role specifically—occupation/employer field variations warrant systematic review
• Form ADV filings for Valar Ventures Management LLC should disclose covered personnel who may have separate FEC contribution records not captured by searching only the three named principals
• State-level campaign finance databases (NY SBOE for Valar's NYC headquarters) may capture contributions to state/local candidates not appearing in federal FEC records

Public Records to Check

• FEC: Individual contributions with employer field containing 'Valar' - search FEC.gov bulk data or API for employer matches Would identify ALL individuals who listed Valar Ventures as employer when making federal contributions, potentially surfacing personnel beyond the three named principals

• FEC: Andrew McCormack individual contributions - exact name search on FEC.gov Would document political giving by Valar co-founder whose FEC history is not captured in established facts

• FEC: James Fitzgerald individual contributions - name search with New York address filter if available Would document political giving by third named Valar co-founder; common name requires geographic filtering

• SEC EDGAR: Form ADV for Valar Ventures Management LLC - search IARD/Investment Adviser Public Disclosure database Form ADV Item 1 and Schedule A disclose covered persons and executives who may have individual FEC records

• other: New York State Board of Elections campaign finance database - search for McCormack, Fitzgerald, and 'Valar' employer Would capture state-level political contributions not appearing in federal FEC records, given Valar's NYC headquarters

• SEC EDGAR: Form D filings for Valar Ventures funds - search for related persons listed on filings Form D Item 3 lists executive officers and directors of the issuer, potentially identifying additional principals with FEC-searchable names

Significance

NOTABLE — While the methodological claim itself is trivially true, the underlying research question—documenting political giving patterns of personnel at a Thiel venture fund that received $40M from Jeffrey Epstein—is significant for understanding political influence networks. The gap in documented FEC histories for McCormack and Fitzgerald represents an incomplete picture that could be material to understanding the firm's political footprint.