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.
Multimillionaire Lobbying Consultant Rick Berman Plays A Blue Collar Mechanic In Super Bowl Anti-Union Ad
This morning, Republic Report published a post revealing the backers of an anti-union ad that ran during the Super Bowl. We realized after publication that one of the actors playing a disgruntled union mechanic was actually Rick Berman, the consultant advising the anti-union lobbying campaign. A call to Berman and Company confirmed that Berman, who
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Big Businesses Lobbying Group In Florida Has Received $300,000 In Taxpayer Subsidies
On Saturday, the Orlando Sentinel reported that Workforce Central Florida, a taxpayer-supported regional agency, provided $300,000 in grants to the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce since 2005. The latest grant, a $50,000 check from last year, has sparked outrage in the community, and criticism from both parties: State Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, and
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Shadowy Lobbying Campaign Airs Political Ad During The Super Bowl
During the Super Bowl yesterday, the Center for Union Facts ran an ad in support for Senator Orrin Hatch’s “Employee Rights Act,” a bill that would make it much harder for workers to join unions, and easier for union-busting campaigns to decertify currently organized work places. The Center for Union Facts is one of two
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Senate Ethics Committee Looked Into Only Five Issues Last Year, Zero Disciplinary Action
Earlier this week, the House and Senate Ethics committees released their report summarizing activity from 2011. Roll Call reports that the committees looked into very few ethics issues. In the Senate, out of the five that were pursued, none resulted in any disciplinary action: The Senate’s annual report shows that its Ethics panel received 77
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E-Mail Reveals Coordination Between Congressman Rehberg’s Pro-Child Labor Letter, Big Ag Lobby
Last August, two teenagers handling a large grain auger had their legs severed while working at the Zaloudek Grain Co. in Oklahoma. The Department of Labor has proposed rules that might have prevented this tragedy. The rules, designed to curb dangerous child labor in agriculture, were finally unveiled after a long delay. The labor changes
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Senator Opposing Stock Act Says No Member Of Congress Would Use Insider Trading
Two days ago, the STOCK Act, bipartisan legislation to ban insider trading by members of Congress, passed the Senate by 96-3. The Senate bill now includes a provision to cover some federal employees, a 30 day disclosure requirement for lawmakers, and forces covered officials to disclose the details of their mortgage. Senator Tom Coburn of
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Private Equity Titans Launch Pro-Tax Loophole PR Blitz; Only Finds Stock Image Supporters
Wealthy private equity managers pay a lower tax rate than many middle income Americans because of the “carried interest” tax loophole. With the revelation that Mitt Romney, through his investments in private equity firm Bain Capital, receives a windfall profit every year that benefits from the loophole, Wall Street lobbyists are stepping up the campaign
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VIDEO: Anita Dunn Defends Her Dual Role As White House Advisor, Influence Peddler
Though President Obama lashed out at the influence of lobbyists in his State to the Union address, a current advisor to his campaign and administration, former White House communication director Anita Dunn, runs one of fastest growing corporate “public affairs” firms in Washington DC. Dunn left her post as a public servant in late 2009
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