Havas Wires Clock Tower X $6 Million in Eight Days; Clock Tower X Sends $3.5 Million to SparkFire, Portman Road, Salem and Others in Same Window
The registrant’s sworn supplemental statement (filed 2026-05-18) lists receipts of $3,000,000 from Havas Media Germany GmbH on 2025-12-11 and $3,000,000 on 2025-12-19, each labeled “Payment for Services.” Those follow $1,500,000 payments on 2025-10-24 and 2025-11-17. The First Amendment to the services agreement (filed with the FARA Unit 2025-12-26; text dated “November [ ], 2025”, Form NSD-4 contract date 2025-12-19) replaced the $1.5 million-a-month structure with “US$6,000,000 provided by Client in a single lump-sum disbursement” and added US$3,000,000 for digital advertising, raising the combined pool from $6 million to $9 million.
Disbursements 2025-12-11 through 2025-12-22 (dates are the registrant’s payment dates):
| Recipient | Total | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Portman Road Strategies | $1,613,000 | $1,385,000 Media Placement; $200,000 Consulting; $23,000 advertisement edits; $5,000 splash page |
| SparkFire Technologies | $1,350,000 | All “Direct Engagement” (12/11, 12/12, 12/19: $400,000 each; 12/22: $150,000) |
| Three Tech Managed Services LLC | $140,500 | Content Creation |
| Situation Management Group Inc. | $100,000 | Consulting |
| Salem Media Representatives, Inc. | $100,000 | Advertising |
| SEO Engine | $50,000 | Content Optimization |
The Portman Road and SparkFire figures match The Leah Files’ account ($1.35 million and $1.61 million, including $1.385 million media placement). Whether Mike Shields runs Portman Road is not stated in any FARA filing: Michael Shields filed a short form 2025-10-24 as a “subcontractor” (assumed duties 2025-10-08) and lists an Alexandria, VA business address, but does not name Portman Road. The Intercept (2026-05-28) reports that Portman Road “is run by longtime GOP strategist Mike Shields” (secondary source).
Sources & Citations
The Cascade Ledger. “Havas Wires Clock Tower X $6 Million in Eight Days; Clock Tower X Sends $3.5 Million to SparkFire, Portman Road, Salem and Others in Same Window.” The Capture Cascade Timeline, December 11, 2025. https://capturecascade.org/event/2025-12-11--clock-tower-x-dec-2025-havas-payments-subcontractor-flows/