Democratic Committee Digs Deeper Into Opposition Research

The Democratic National Committee, which considers opposition research it obtains on Republicans as a core function for the Democratic campaigns, has been buying reams of material from an outside group started by a close ally of Hillary Clinton.

The party committee’s most recent filings with the Federal Election Commission show a $144,000 payment to American Bridge 21st Century, an opposition research-focused “super PAC” that was founded in the 2012 presidential cycle by David Brock, Mrs. Clinton’s tormentor-turned-defender on the left.

The purchase came as Mrs. Clinton’s campaign is increasingly reviewing core functions of the party committee such as research and communications, which whoever wins the Democratic nomination will use to augment their message and their efforts to shape criticism of the Republicans.

The task has become more urgent as the Republican presidential primary has moved away from where many of Mrs. Clinton’s aides originally saw it heading, with a likely nomination of former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Gov. John Kasich of Ohio or Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. Instead, the race is a tossup, with insurgents like Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and the New York real estate magnate Donald J. Trump either at the top or on the rise in most polls.

The Clinton campaign already coordinates on communications with another of Mr. Brock’s groups, Correct the Record, which developed as an offshoot of American Bridge.

Correct the Record has handled research about Mrs. Clinton and has done some tracking of other Democratic candidates, while American Bridge has handled research about the Republicans. Correct the Record was paid $275,000 by the Clinton campaign earlier this year, records show.

In an emailed statement, the party committee’s research director, Lauren Dillon, said, “We collect research materials from a large variety of sources and it is incumbent upon us to use every resource available in our efforts to win the presidency. Gathering as much material as possible is simple due diligence. If we didn’t seize the opportunity to access additional resources when given the chance, quite frankly, it would be malpractice.”