A report released Tuesday by the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund (LELDF) alleges that the Wren Collective, a liberal consulting group focused on criminal justice reform, helped write policies and shape public communications, legal strategy and campaign work for at least 40 progressive prosecutors across 22 states.
LELDF, a pro-police nonprofit based in Virginia, said its study — titled "Outsourcing Justice" and compiled from public records and open-records requests — includes roughly 50,000 pages of emails and text messages, campaign finance filings and tax documents. The report states that Wren staffers were "embedded" in numerous prosecutors' offices and provided model policies and direct assistance "without any billing or publicity." One email cited by the report allegedly offered to help on areas including bail, diversion, intake, probation, plea guidelines, fines and fees, prosecutions related to policing, Brady lists, conviction integrity units, juvenile transfer, and case backlog reduction, adding, "these policies will be yours, not ours."
The report alleges Wren provided services beyond general advice: joining regular strategy meetings, assisting with communications during crises, drafting policy language for offices and coordinating access between prosecutors and well-connected donors or activists. LELDF characterizes some of that activity as an "influence-peddling operation," saying the materials show certain elected prosecutors' actions were shaped "at the behest" of a small number of outside organizations and donors.
Wren Collective was founded in 2020 by attorney Jessica Brand and operates as a for-profit consultancy, according to material cited in the report and the group's public statements. The organization describes itself on its website as seeking solutions to crime and safety "grounded in evidence and compassion." LELDF names as examples of prosecutors tied to Wren "hatchlings" such as former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, former Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon and Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza.
LELDF said its findings are based on 23 fulfilled open-records requests out of 65 submitted, plus previously released documents. The report points to a June 2020 email from a Wren lawyer to Multnomah County (Portland) District Attorney-elect Mike Schmidt and a policy adviser that included model policies on abolishing bail and reducing jail populations that the group said it "wrote for Virginia commonwealth attorneys," along with a long list of potential ways it could help the incoming office.
The report also includes examples of other direct intervention. In 2022, LELDF obtained a copy of a non-disclosure agreement it says was executed between Wren and the Travis County District Attorney's Office that describes a one-year consulting contract for policy and communications support and states Wren would keep materials confidential and be bound by the office's ethical rules. The report says Wren staff later coached Garza for a CNN interview.
LELDF further cites communications in which Wren offered crisis communications support to Loudoun County Commonwealth's Attorney Buta Biberaj after a highly publicized sexual assault case and the ensuing protests and school-board controversy. The report says a Wren staffer emailed Biberaj on Sept. 19, 2022 offering communications help, and that the office accepted assistance. Biberaj, whose campaign had backing from a PAC funded by liberal donor George Soros, lost her 2023 re-election to Republican challenger Bob Anderson.
LELDF asserts that many newly elected progressive prosecutors lack prior experience running prosecutorial offices and thus turn to outside groups for guidance; the report says those outside groups often include the same organizations that supported their campaigns financially. The report links that dynamic to campaign consulting, media communications and coordination with allied political action committees.
Wren's executive director, Jessica Brand, responded to inquiries quoted by Fox News Digital, saying Wren has "spent five years proudly working with prosecutors and law enforcement on policies that reduce crime and improve community safety." Brand criticized the LELDF report, saying Wren's work "is no secret" and is described on the organization's website. She said it was odd that LELDF would focus on Wren "rather than how to help officers" amid recruitment and mental health challenges in law enforcement.
LELDF describes itself as a pro-police nonprofit and framed the study as exposing what it said were the policy-shaping mechanisms of left-wing organizations. The report also refers to campaign ties and donor influence, alleging that a "handful of left-wing social justice organizations, with significant ties to campaign donors, hold immense influence over these prosecutors through The Wren Collective’s consulting service."
Critics of the named prosecutors and their policies include conservative lawmakers and police organizations that have accused some progressive DAs of being soft on crime. The report said public backlash and electoral losses have followed in some places: Oregon voters replaced Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt with a former Republican in 2024, and other previously elected progressive prosecutors have faced defeats or strong challenges in subsequent elections.
Fox News Digital reported that it reached out to the offices of Jose Garza, Buta Biberaj and to Schmidt and Boudin in their post-office roles; the report did not include responses from all those contacts. LELDF's study is likely to fuel ongoing debate about the role of outside groups in shaping local prosecutorial policy, campaign activity and the boundaries between advisors, consultants and elected decision-makers.
The findings add to a broader national conversation about prosecutorial independence, campaign funding and the influence of advocacy groups on criminal justice reform. Wren and defenders of progressive prosecutors say outside expertise can help inexperienced officeholders implement evidence-based reforms while critics argue such partnerships can dilute accountability to voters and local stakeholders.
The LELDF report and the documents it cites have not been subject to independent judicial review; the report frames its conclusions around the records it obtained and the connections it says those records reveal. Wren Collective disputes the report's characterization of its relationships with prosecutors and maintains that the group's work is public-facing and aimed at improving safety and justice outcomes.
Fox News Digital contributed reporting to the LELDF study's publication.