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.
Republic Report’s Lee Fang And Zaid Jilani Discuss Stories Of The Week
Last Monday, Republic Report broke the news that astroturf lobbyist Rick Berman appeared in his own anti-union ad that ran during the Super Bowl. Our story was picked up and covered at CREW, Brave New Films, ThinkProgress, and other outlets across the Internet. Republic Report’s Zaid Jilani discussed the story on the Alyona Show. View
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The Mortgage Settlement Deal As A Continuation Of Bush, Obama Admin Deference To The Banks
As reports revealed this week, the 50-state attorney general settlement with the five largest mortgage banks has been finalized. The federal government negotiated a deal that delivers approximately $26 billion dollars worth of aid to states and homeowners in exchange for broad immunity for many for fraudulent foreclosure processes allegedly perpetrated by the banks across
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David Koch Now Gives To The U.S. Chamber Of Commerce
Recently posted financial disclosure reports reveal that David Koch now contributes to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the big business lobbying federation. The disclosure shows that Koch’s foundation gave $100,000 to the Chamber for its “Free Enterprise” public relations campaign in 2010 (view full document here): In recent years, the Chamber, which represents large companies
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Petition To Fix The Federal Elections Commission Gains Enough Signatures To Be Reviewed By The White House
A White House petition sponsored by an array of good government groups has gained 25,000 signatures, enough to be reviewed by the Obama administration with an official response. The text of the petition reads: We expect candidates for federal office to follow our campaign finance laws, but the FEC – the agency charged with enforcing
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John McCain’s 08 Campaign Manager Concedes: Occupy Wall Street Could Seriously Impact 2012 Race
While President Obama and his campaign allies have now embraced big money politics as their savior in the 2012 election, a surprising voice argues that the people-powered Occupy Wall Street has the most potential to disrupt the race. At a talk last month in Washington DC, veteran Republican campaign operative Steve Schmidt, who managed John
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Romney’s $1 Million Haul Raised With Help From TSA Scanner Company Lobbyist, K-12 Privatization Politician
Last night, Mitt Romney’s campaign raised an estimated $1 million from a “policy” fundraiser in Washington DC. Attendees paid at least $10,000 each to hobnob with the men and women helping to write Romney’s policy plans (view an invitation here). The behind closed doors event has been assailed by the press already for featuring a
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At Conservative Conference, Retired Police Officer Explains How Lobbyists Profit From Marijuana Prohibition
Interview conducted by Republic Report’s Zaid Jilani and Suzanne Merkelson. Yesterday at CPAC, the conservative convention held this week in Washington D.C., Republic Report ran into retired police officer and anti-drug war activist Howard Wooldridge. We were interested in his take on the role of money in politics in the government’s crusade against marijuana. He
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Cruise Line Industry, Middle East Dictator, Have Relied On The Same DC Lobbying Firm For Public Relations
Following the Costa Concordia disaster near Italy, cruise line business practices have generated headlines from NPR to the New York Times and beyond. In addition to safety concerns, the wake of the Concordia shipwreck has stirred debate around a whole host of cruise line issues: from abusing workers to avoiding regulations while operating in international
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