With the Media Fixated on Trump, the Koch Brothers Flex Corporate Cash

Koch money goes into all sorts of foundations, business lobbying groups, dark-money groups, higher-education and high school groups.

Jim Hightower
By Jim Hightower
Kock Brother Campaign Contributions Dark Money

Multibillionaires Charles and David Koch want nothing less than to supplant America's core democratic principle of majority rule -- the will of The People -- with their core plutocratic principle of inviolable property rights, also known as domination by the wealthy minority. Their notion is that "property" (accumulated wealth and the means to get

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Trump’s Secretive ‘Deep Industry’ Teams Hired To Roll Back Regulations

Trump, who spent his business career on the other side of government regulations, has put an emphasis on cutting old rules.

Robert Faturechi
Danielle Ivory
By Robert Faturechi
And Danielle Ivory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt holds up a hardhat he was given during a visit to Consol Pennsylvania Coal Company's Harvey Mine in Sycamore, Pa., Thursday, April 13, 2017. (AP/Gene J. Puskar)

President Trump entered office pledging to cut red tape, and within weeks, he ordered his administration to assemble teams to aggressively scale back government regulations. But the effort 2014 a signature theme in Trump's populist campaign for the White House 2014 is being conducted in large part out of public view and often by political

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Without Explanation, Supreme Court Rejects Wisconsin Corruption Case

“Today’s decision means that, for now, the people of Wisconsin will not know what special interests are secretly bankrolling their politicians.”

Nadia Prupis
By Nadia Prupis
Former presidential candidate Scott Walker. Photo: Morry Gash/AP)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal to re-launch a John Doe investigation into Republican Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and conservative organizations in the state. Wisconsin Public Radio writes that the order, quietly issued without explanation, "would seem to mark the end of the road for the case known in Wisconsin as John

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House Passes Koch-Backed Bill Aimed At Opening Doors To Foreign Donors, Dark Money

‘The Republican majority believes the more hidden money in politics, the better,’ proclaimed a prominent Democratic opponent of the bill, which is likely to stall in the Senate or face President Obama’s veto.

Kit O'Connell
By Kit O'Connell
David Koch, Executive Vice President of Koch Industries, Inc., attends The Economic Club of New York, Monday, Dec. 10, 2012.

WASHINGTON --- Rather than following the lead of prominent advocates for campaign finance reform, the House of Representatives recently voted to make American politics less transparent than ever. The issue of the influence of so-called “dark money” on politics -- hidden, high-dollar donations made possible by reforms to campaign finance law like

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Internal Memos Show Conservative Effort To Hide Campaign Donors

In internal memos, groups opposing tighter state campaign finance rules coach their local supporters on how to battle disclosure of political donors.

ProPublica
By ProPublica
money_in_politics

How do you stop states and cities from forcing more disclosure of so-called dark money in politics? Get the debate to focus on an "average Joe," not a wealthy person. Find examples of "inconsequential donation amounts." Point out that naming donors would be a threat to "innocents," including their children, families and co-workers. And never

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There’s A New Front For Post-Citizens United Dark Money: State Judges

Around 85 percent of state judges must stand for election, yet these elections are often surrounded in public indifference and ignorance. Since the Citizens United decision opened the floodgates to dark money in politics, it’s had significant impact on judicial elections, too.

Carey L. Biron
By Carey L. Biron
Tennessee Supreme Court t

Members of the Tennessee Supreme Court take their seats Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014. In Tennessee, a record $1.5 million in TV spending was pumped into three Supreme Court retention races in which Justices Cornelia Clark, Sharon Lee, and Gary Wade retained their seats. Photo: Mark Humphrey/AP WASHINGTON --- It’s been a half-decade since the U.S.

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