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.
Seven Ways Koch Industries Is Monetizing The Fracking Business
Ever notice the endless procession of television ads praising the value of fracking, or the amazing number of D.C.-based “institutes” and “foundations” promoting the controversial drilling method, despite growing scientific evidence that this sort of natural gas extraction is poisoning the water table and leaking carcinogenic chemicals into the environment? Many of the pro-fracking think
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VIDEO: Congressman Kline Faces Town Hall Anger Over Insider Trading, Suggests Ethics Investigation Into Chairman Darrell Issa
A few weeks ago, Congressman John Kline (R-MN) was confronted by voters over congressional insider trading. Like many lawmakers who have tried to deflect the issue, Kline claimed that no such problem exists. “I don’t know that it’s being done,” said Kline, seemingly unaware of insider trading allegations against Spencer Bachus, Lamar Smith, and other
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VIDEO: After Referring To Countrywide Scandal As Bribery, Darrell Issa Refuses To Say Republicans Who Received VIP Loans Were Bribed
Last Friday at the California Republican Party’s spring convention in Burlingame, CA, Republic Report caught up with Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA), who has been leading the investigation into the massive Countrywide bribery scandal. To Issa’s credit, his subpoena requests have revealed that members from both parties received heavily discounted mortgages, waived fees, and other special
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Congressman Holden Voted To Deregulate Fracking, Now Says ‘We Need To Keep An Eye On It’
Last weekend, Congressman Tim Holden sat down for an interview with the Sam Lesante Show to talk about an array of issues facing voters. Holden, a member of the pro-big business Blue Dog coalition of Democrats, faces a primary challenge from the left in his recently redistricted seat in eastern Pennsylvania. At one point during
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As Voters Take Aim At Corruption This Year, Will Congressman Tim Holden’s History Catch Up With Him?
A look at recent political advertising reveals a reoccurring trend this election cycle: attacks on politicians for being too close to K Street. The Republican-affiliated Americans for Prosperity group has featured lobbyist donations from energy companies in attack ads against President Obama. Similarly, Mitt Romney’s allies have launched attacks on Newt Gingrich for accepting lobbying
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AUDIO: Congressman Kevin McCarthy Compares The Occupy Movement ‘In Our Parks’ To The Soviet Union
On Friday, Republic Report attended the California Republican Convention in Burlingame. Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) closed the dinner with a speech comparing the problems faced by America in 1980 to today. He said that in 1980, we faced a threat from Soviet communism. McCarthy then said that today the country faces a similar threat from
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Broadcasters Lobbying Against Electronic Disclosures Of TV Political Ads
In a post-Citizens United era with little to no transparency, many political attack groups have skirted the few mandatory disclosure laws still on the books. In 2010, NPR’s Peter Overby and Andrea Seabrook noted that attack ad groups appeared to be refusing to fill out forms with local broadcasters required by the FCC. The paperwork,
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Occupy Wall Street Rallies Monitored By Dow Chemical
Last night, Wikileaks revealed a massive trove of e-mails from the firm Stratfor. The e-mails show that the company, working on behalf of chemical giant Dow Chemical, closely monitored news coverage of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Stratfor relayed the activities of people seeking redress for the 1984 Dow Chemical/Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal,
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