About: Lee Fang
Bio: Lee Fang is a reporter for The Intercept. He has a longstanding interest in how public policy is influenced by organized interest groups and money. He was the first to uncover and detail the role of the billionaire Koch brothers in financing the Tea Party movement. His interviews and research on the Koch brothers have been featured on HBO’s “The Newsroom,” the documentaries “Merchants of Doubt” and “Citizen Koch,” as well as in multiple media outlets. He was an investigative blogger for ThinkProgress (2009-2011) and then a fellow at the Investigative Fund of the Nation Institute and contributing writer for The Nation. In 2012, he co-founded RepublicReport.org, a blog to cover political corruption that syndicates content with TheNation.com, Salon, National Memo, BillMoyers.com, TruthOut, and other media outlets. His work has been published by VICE, The Baffler, The Boston Globe, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Progressive, NPR, In These Times, and The Huffington Post. His first book, “The Machine: A Field Guide to the Resurgent Right,” published by The New Press, explores how the conservative right rebuilt the Republican Party and its political clout in the aftermath of President Obama’s 2008 election victory. He is based in San Francisco.
Bias in the Campaign Spending Disclosure System Makes Big Business Influence Look Smaller Than It Really Is
Reporting campaign finance can be difficult because much of the action is obscured. Journalists have to rely on fairly unreliable government disclosure websites, many of which only report certain types of spending on an almost arbitrary schedule. To find the true number of television ads purchased in an election, one must literally visit every network
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Boehner Aide Received $100,000 Bonus From Medical Device Lobby Group Before Overseeing Repeal Of Tax On Med Device Industry
Earlier today, the House of Representatives moved to help save $30 million dollars for medical device companies while defunding programs designed to expand health coverage for ordinary Americans. The House took action on legislation to “repeal a 2.3 percent excise tax on gross sales receipts in excess of $5 million for manufacturers and importers of
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Sheldon Adelson May Donate $10 Million To Romney’s SuperPAC
Billionaire Sheldon Adelson, owner of casinos in Macau and Las Vegas, is planning to boost Mitt Romney’s chances for the White House. Yesterday, Politico reported on the ongoing efforts by political operatives to solicit funds from Adelson. A day after his story was published, Ken Vogel disclosed that Adelson may give Romney’s Super PAC as
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Congressman Dan Boren Agrees To Republic Report’s Challenge For Retiring Lawmakers To Disclose Negotiations With K Street
One of the worst forms of bribery that takes place in Washington, D.C. arises when lawmakers retire. As we’ve reported, many lawmakers, once they announce retirement, open themselves up for corruption. These members of Congress will make a special deal or offer an earmarks, and end up taking jobs later at firms that benefit from
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Defense Lobbyists Throw Fancy Ritz-Carlton Party For Buck McKeon, Congressman Responsible For Billions In Wasteful Pork
While government services are being slashed and every American told that they can expect less retirement benefits, Congress is moving to increase the amount taxpayers hand over to defense companies. From the F-35 jet, which will carry a lifetime cost of over $1.45 trillion dollars, to a $594 million“slush fund” of new Pentagon programs, lawmakers
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Romney Quietly Hires Consulting Firm With Sordid History Of Destroying Democratic Voter Registration Forms
Republic Report has covered how political money can corrupt government by influencing the actions of elected representatives. But professional hacks can also disrupt democracy by interfering with the voting process itself. Late last year, Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign began paying Nathan Sproul, a political consultant with a long history of destroying Democratic voter registration forms
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Police Unions And For-Profit Traffic Light Companies Lobby To Set Up Red Light Cameras For Revenue Rather Than Public Safety
Many areas of the country are experiencing a sudden rise in the number of speed and traffic cameras installed near roads. While some cameras have been a welcome development in curbing dangerous driving, many motorists have complained about what they perceive as an effort by authorities to simply extract revenue without community input on such
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Video: VA Democratic Party Chair, A Lobbyist For Predatory For-Profit Schools, Says He Can’t Cut Ties To ALEC
For-profit college companies have been investigated for predatory business practices, providing worthless degrees with high levels of debt, and systematically deceiving tens of thousands of students. Yet these businesses continue to enjoy over $30 billion a year in taxpayer support, thanks to their elaborate use of lobbyists and political consultants. One of the leaders of
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