VIDEO: Does Campaign Disclosure Deserve An Up Or Down Vote? Senator Mike Enzi Says: “I Don’t Know”
Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent using undisclosed front groups to influence political campaigns and elections. This trend has been aggravated by the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, with many corporations preferring undisclosed nonprofits as the vehicle to deliver hard-hitting, and often deceptive, television advertisements against lawmakers. But a simple measure to allow
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Congressman Schock Violated Earmark Ban With Tariffs Exemption Requests To His Campaign Contributors
On March 19 at Finish Line Ford in Peoria, Illinois, Representative Aaron Schock (R-IL) hosted a big fundraiser with Mitt Romney. Tickets cost $250 or $500 per person, or $5,000 for a table of 10 and a guarantee of a photograph with Schock and Romney. At least 8 employees of Caterpillar inc., according to FEC filings, were in attendance. Four gave
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Bigger Than Countrywide? Bribes To Lawmakers Coordinated By The Mortgage Bankers Association
The Countrywide VIP scandal has rocked Capitol Hill. Initial reports showed that Senators Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Chris Dodd (D-CT) were the most high profile politicians to accept special cut-rate mortgages from the troubled subprime lender. Now, it has become clear that dozens of lawmakersand high-ranking officials were recipients of these bribes. The scandal has
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E-Mails Show Congressman Buck ‘Drone’ McKeon And His Wife Accepted Bribes From Mortgage Giant Countrywide
Armed Services Committee Chairman Congressman Buck McKeon (R-CA) is best known today as the weapon industry’s go-to lawmaker for expanding the use of domestic drones in America. But in 1998, the congressman accepted a discounted mortgage from subprime mortgage giant Countrywide as part of the company’s wide-ranging efforts to bribe public officials. (No one has
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Freshman Rep. Mulvaney (R-SC) Won His Seat With Koch Industries Support, Now Offers Earmarks To His Benefactor
Freshman Congressman Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) received a great deal of help in his first election two years ago. Though he took on one of the most senior Democrats in office at the time, Budget Committee chair John Spratt (D-SC), Mulvaney had help from thousands of dollars from the Koch Industries political action committee, and hundreds
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Eric Cantor’s Aide Departs For Bank CEO Lobbying Group
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) has led every major pro-bank legislative drive in recent years: He rallied supporters of the bank bailouts, killed efforts to cap banker bonuses, fought measures to allow those under foreclosure to renegotiate the terms of their mortgage, and marshaled opposition to the sweeping reforms known as Dodd-Frank. Now, a
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As States Act To Shut Down Deceptive Website, Durbin Says For-Profit Colleges “Own Every Lobbyist” In DC
On Wednesday, 20 state attorneys general announced a court settlement with QuinStreet Inc., a marketing company working for for-profit colleges, that will shut down the deceptive website GIBill.com and turn that web address over to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. GIBill.com, until recently, looked a lot like a government website. But people who went
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A ‘Fast And Furious’ Hypocrisy: Members Behind Holder Contempt Vote Receive Lots Of Campaign Cash From The National Rifle Association
One person who is probably happy about the attention the Supreme Court is getting for its pending Obamacare decision is Attorney General Eric Holder, who, by any measure, is having a really bad week. Later today, the House of Representatives is likely to hold him in contempt of Congress because he has refused to hand
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