Earlier this week, an oil and gas company lobbying group began airing radio ads featuring a recorded message from Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-CO). During the ad, Hickenlooper says that there has never been a recorded incident of groundwater contamination associated with fracking or drilling in his state. This record and the state’s existing fracking regulations,
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Every week, Republic Report calls attention to the “Sell Out Of The Week,” a feature that highlights politicians and public officials who have sold out their values and become corrupted. Our first week was President Obama for his super PAC reversal, followed by Democratic operative Joe Trippi for working for the regime in Bahrain, and
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Last week, the Sunlight Foundation’s reporting blog responded to a post I wrote about my experience as a lobbyist convincing members of Congress not to impose a retroactive tax on inverted companies, including my then-client, Tyco. Inverted companies are those who reincorporate overseas, primarily to avoid paying US corporate taxes. Tyco was actually purchased by
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Earlier this week, Republic Report investigated legislation being pushed by Utah Rep. John Mathis (R) to criminalize the documentation of farm abuse in his state. Mathis has been rewarded lavishly by campaign contributors for the bill, and he even invited them to testify in its favor, calling them his “good friends.” Similar “Ag Gag” bills
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It’s not just NASCAR.  Mitt Romney’s “great friends” tend to be owners of things, owners who can make large contributions to his campaign and associated Super PAC. Large donations are troublesome because they suggest the donor will have outsized influence on the politician if elected. It’s more troublesome when these great friends own businesses that
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Last month, we broke the story about military industry money pouring into the campaign coffers of Patricia McKeon, the wife of Buck McKeon (R-CA), the powerful congressman who serves as chairman of the Armed Services Committee. The McKeons have largely ducked questions about this unusual arrangement. The congressman even fled from Republic Report’s Zaid Jilani
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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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 Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) runs the Mountaineer Political Action Committee (PAC). The Mountaineer PAC is a leadership PAC, and is used by Rockefeller to support fellow Democratic Party candidates. Last night, Rockefeller hosted a fundraising party for the Mountaineer PAC at his mansion in Rock Creek Park.  The Sunlight Foundation’s Party Time obtained a copy
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