Open question · Research date 2026-09-17
Identity test: Idaho Redbird payee vs. Cothren-controlled Redbird
Recorded status: Unresolved identity lead — name/business-line match only; no legal-entity bridge
This is a dated research record. Its qualifications and open questions are part of the account. Association alone does not establish wrongdoing or control.
Idaho campaign-finance records identify a payee named Redbird Strategies receiving $208,725 from Defend and Protect Idaho on May 13 and May 15, 2026; TransparencyUSA's aggregate Idaho payee index reports $597,302 statewide. A federal court filing in United States v. Casada/Cothren separately states that Cade Cothren controlled a business entity named Redbird Strategies and used it, among other entities, to conceal his identity in political business. A current website at redbird-strategies.com describes REDBIRD STRATEGIES, LLC as a full-service political consulting firm but publicly identifies no principals or address. The shared name and business line create a material lead, but the available public evidence does NOT yet establish that the Idaho payee, the current website, and Cothren's Florida/Tennessee entity are the same legal entity. Required bridge: Idaho transaction-detail address, EIN/vendor identifier, invoice, bank/remittance metadata, or matching domain/business-registration records.
Source references
- Idaho Sunshine — Browse Expenditure Data — Search results for payee Redbird Strategies; Defend and Protect Idaho transactions dated 2026-05-13 and 2026-05-15
- TransparencyUSA — Idaho Payees — Payee index, Redbird Strategies
- United States v. Casada/Cothren — Government Response to Motions in Limine — Document 278, pages 5–7 / PageID 18646–18668
- Redbird Strategies website — Home and Contact sections