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.
VIDEO: GOP Leadership Denies Knowledge of FBI Probe Into Rep. Vern Buchanan, Bribery Scandal Surrounding Rep. Buck McKeon
In the last month, a wave of corruption stories have rocked the Republican House of Representatives. It was revealed that Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX) was among the recipients of a “Friends of Angelo” VIP mortgage from Countrywide. Republic Report also helped break the story that the wife of Congressman Buck McKeon (R-CA), another recently identified
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Romney Boosted By Wall Street Videos Orchestrated By Firm Run By Ex-Clinton Admin Officials
As Democrats rejoice over the sagging Mitt Romney campaign in Michigan, a leading DC influence firm staffed by ex-Clinton officials has quietly orchestrated a media effort that appears designed to defend the beleaguered GOP establishment candidate as he goes into Tuesday’s primary. Two days ago, the Private Equity Growth Capital Council (PEGCC), a lobbying association for private
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Hotel That Helped Coin The Term “Lobbyist” Still A Major Venue For Influence Peddling
In the 19th Century, the term lobbyist was popularized to describe the professional political influence peddlers. As the story goes, President Ulysses S. Grant would often relax at the Willard InterContinental Washington, a Washington D.C. hotel. People hoping to gain special favors would stand in the hotel lobby, hoping to speak with Grant. Since Grant
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Nexus Of Influence: Harold Simmons, Major Donor to Gov. Perry’s Super PAC Won Sweetheart Deal In Texas
Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons is in the news this week after obtaining the distinction of becoming the biggest super PAC donor in the country. USA Today reports that Simmons has funneled $12 million to the Karl Rove group called Crossroads, and has backed super PACs supporting Newt Gingrich and Gov. Rick Perry with millions more.
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Predatory Lending Kingpins Quietly Funnel Massive Donations To Romney’s SuperPAC
Ben Nelson, an intern with the crowd-sourced political transparency website LittleSis, has an interesting look at two donors to Restore Our Future, the pro-Romney super PAC. Nelson notes that the donors used third party corporate entities and foundations to donate hundreds of thousands to the group. Roderick Aycox, one of the donors, is head of
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NYTimes’ Michael Roston Compares Scientist Involved In Heartland Institute Document Leak To James O’Keefe
Last week, ThinkProgress and DeSmogBlog published internal documents from the Heartland Institute. The files contained information about Heartland donors, as well as plans to develop a school curriculum for children that denied dangers of pollution and global warming. While the Heartland Institute advertises itself as a “free market” think tank, the documents suggest that the
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Today, Governors From Both Parties Join Lobbyists To Wine, Dine, And Discuss New NAFTA-Like Trade Deal
Later today, governors from both parties will gather at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington D.C. for an evening with powerful corporate lobbyists and businessmen to discuss a new free trade deal. Trade officials from the Obama administration are expected to brief attendees with information of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, a new trade agreement that
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Political Consultants Take Advantage Of SuperPAC Cash
We’ve covered how unlimited corporate money in elections transforms our democracy into a plutocracy. Billionaire donors, as well as politically active corporations, dump money into campaigns, buying not only access, but sway over important policy decisions. But the Los Angeles Times has a new piece exploring a different type of corruption created by the Citizens
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