Extortion: How Politicians Extract Your Money, Buy Votes, and Line Their Own Pockets

by Schweizer, Peter

  18. Jamie Crawford, “Obama Makes Stop in Los Angeles, Wraps Up Campaign Swing,” CNN, April 22, 2011.

  19. Seema Mehta and Maeve Reston, “Obama Makes His Case in California,” Los Angeles Times, April 21, 2012; Jackie Calmes and Brooks Barnes, “Obama Makes His Case in Mostly Friendly Territory,” New York Times, April 21, 2012.

  20. Calmes and Barnes, “Obama Makes His Case in Mostly Friendly Territory.”

  21. Michael O’Brien, “DNC Raises $12.4 Million in April,” The Hill, May 20, 2011.

  22. Govtrack.us, “S. 968 (112th): Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011,” May 12, 2011, http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/s968 (accessed May 5, 2013).

  23. Greg Sandoval, “Senate Panel OKs Controversial Antipiracy Bill,” CNet News, May 26, 2011, http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20066456-261.html (accessed May 5, 2013).

  24. Gautham Nagesh, “Google Chairman Says Online Piracy Bill Would ‘Criminalize’ the Internet,” The Hill, December 12, 2011.

  25. Richard Verrier and Jim Puzzanghera, “Piracy Legislation Pits Hollywood Against Silicon Valley,” Los Angeles Times, December 5, 2011.

  26. Declan McCullagh, “Senate Bill Amounts to Death Penalty for Web Sites,” CNet News, May 12, 2011, http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20062398-281.html (accessed May 6, 2013).

  27. John Carey, “Scott and Bill Went Up the Hill,” BusinessWeek, March 5, 1998.

  28. Timothy P. Carney, “How Hatch Forced Microsoft to Play K Street’s Game,” Washington Examiner, June 24, 2012.

  29. Microsoft News Center, “Microsoft Brings Innovation and Excitement of Kinect for Xbox 360 to Policymakers and Families on Capitol Hill,” June 24, 2011, http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2011/jun11/06-24FamilyGameNightPR.aspx (accessed May 5, 2013).

  30. “Party with a Purpose, Lobbying Lobby Squawks About Limits on Largesse,” St. Louis Post Dispatch, April 16, 2012.

  31. Ibid.

  32. Carney, “How Hatch Forced Microsoft.”

  33. Janie Lorber, “Influence: GOP Woos High-Tech Industry,” Roll Call, January 30, 2012.

  34. Brent Lang, “MPAA Chief Chris Dodd Makes Top Level Appointments,” The Wrap, September 15, 2011, http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-post/ mpaa-chief-chris-dodd-makes-top-level-appointments-31006?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20thewrap%2Flatest-news%20(The%20Wrap%20RSS) (accessed May 5, 2013).

  35. “Executive Profile: Michael O’Leary,” Bloomberg Businessweek, http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=53569702.

  36. Jonathan Allen and Jennifer Martinez, “Generation X Joining K Street,” Politico, March 25, 2012.

  37. Alex Ben Block, “Why Both Sides of the Piracy Issue Applaud SOPA Delay (Analysis),” Hollywood Reporter, December 16, 2011.

  38. Jennifer Martinez, “Shootout at the Digital Corral,” Politico, November 16, 2011; David Goldman, “SOPA and PIPA Attract Huge Lobbying on Both Sides,” CNN Money, January 25, 2012.

  39. Martinez, “Shootout at the Digital Corral.”

  40. Viveca Novak, “SOPA and PIPA Spur Lobbying Spike,” Opensecrets.org, January 26, 2012, http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2012/01/sopa-and-pipa-create-lobbying-spike.html (accessed May 6, 2013).

  41. Viveca Novak and Michael Beckel, “Lobbying Expenditures Slump in 2011,” Opensecrets.org, January 26, 2012, http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2012/01/lobbying-expenditures-slump-in-2011.html (accessed May 6, 2013).

  42. U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, “Majority Members,” http://www.commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Committee Members.

  43. Opensecrets.org, “Lugar Hellman Group,” http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/firm_reports.php?id=F27967&year=2011 (accessed May 6, 2013).

  44. David Levinthal and Anna Palmer, “Huge Day on Campaign Finance Playing Field—Newt Shaking K Street Money Tree—House Administration Committee Gets Its Documents,” Politico, December 1, 2011.

  45. Opensecrets.org, “Lobbying Profile: Gephardt, Richard,” http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/lobbyist.php?id=Y0000033482L&year=2011 (accessed May 5, 2013); “Lobbying Profile: Molinari, Susan,” http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/lobbyist.php?id=Y0000040464L&year=2012 (accessed May 5, 2013); Cecilia Kang, “Google Names Former GOP House Member Susan Molinari to Head D.C. Office,” Washington Post, February 24, 2012.

  46. Abby Goodnough, “Susan Molinari, Out of Congress and on Camera,” New York Times, September 14, 1997.

  47. Kim Eisler, “People and Politics: Hired Guns: The City’s 50 Top Lobbyists,” Washingtonian (June 1, 2007).

  48. Opensecrets.org, “Lobbyist Profile: Bill Paxon,” http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/lobbyist.php?id=Paxon%2C%20Bill&id=Y0000040464M&year=2012 (accessed May 6, 2013).

  49. LD-2 lobbying disclosure forms for Gray Global Advisors’ relationship with Comcast for 2011, quarters 1–4, http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/client_reports.php?id=D000000461&year=2011.

  50. LD-2 lobbying disclosure forms for Akin, Gump et al.’s relationship with AT&T for 2011, quarters 1–4, http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/client_reports.php?id=D000000461&year=2011.

  51. See the Madison Group website at: http://www.madisongr.com/; LD-2 lobbying disclosure forms for Madison Group’s relationship with Google, Inc., for 2011, quarters 2–4, http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/client_reports.php?id= D000022008&year=2011.

  52. Lonnae O. Parker, “Ron Brown and Michael A. Brown: Amid a Father’s Legacy, a Son’s Own Path,” Washington Post, March 30, 2011; Opensecrets.org, “Lobbyist Profile: Michael Arrington Brown,” http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/lobbyist.php?id=Brown%2C%20Michael%20Arrington&id=Y0000037265L&year=2012 (accessed May 6, 2013).

  53. LD-2 lobbying disclosure forms for Dutko Graylings’s relationship with Google, Inc., for 2011, quarters 1–4, http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/client_reports.php?id=D000022008&year=2011.

  54. Grayling, “Our People,” http://us.grayling.com/OurPeople (accessed March 20, 2013); Wayne Barrett, “New York’s Bush Boys,” Village Voice, January 23, 2001.

  55. Google Finance, “Podesta Group, Inc.” http://www.google.com/finance? cid=3338214 (accessed May 6, 2013).

  56. The White House, “Visitor Access Records,” http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/disclosures/visitor-records (accessed May 6, 2013).

  57. Opensecrets.org, “Podesta Group,” http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/firmsum.php?id=D000022193 (accessed May 6, 2013).

  58. Opensecrets.org, “FIRST Group,” http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/firmlbs.php?id=D000061270 (accessed May 6, 2013).

  59. Anna Palmer, “GOP Aides Head to K St. for Tech War,” Politico, December 8, 2011.

  60. MapLight, “U.S. Congress—Find Contributions: Legislator, Debbie Wasserman Shultz; Date, April 27–May 2, 2011” (see ch. 1, n. 2; accessed May 6, 2013).

  61. “Standing Committees of the House” (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2011), p. 426, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action?collectionCode=CDIR&browsePath=112%2F2011-12-01&isCollapsed=false&leafLevelBrowse=false&ycord=0; Govtrack.us, H.R. 3261—112th Congress: Stop Online Piracy Act (2011),” http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/hr3261 (accessed March 20, 2013); MapLight, “U.S. Congress—Find Contributions: Legislator, Lamar Smith; Date, June 1–December 31, 2011” (see ch. 1, n. 2; accessed April 21, 2013).

  62. Gibson Group, “About Us,” http://gibsongroupdc.com/about.shtml (accessed March 20, 2013); LD-2 lobbying disclosure form regarding Gibson Group’s relationship with Clear Channel Communication Holdings for 2011, quarters 1–4, http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/client_reports.php?id=D000059056&year= 2011.

  63. MapLight, “U.S. Congress—Find Contributions: Legislator, Lamar Smith; Contributor, Clear Channel; Date, March 25, 2011” (see ch. 1, n. 2; accessed May 6, 2013).

  64. Martinez, “Shootout at the Digital Corral.”

  65. MapLight, “U.S. Congress—Find Contributions: Legislator, Lamar Smith; Inte
rest Group, Communications and Electronics Industry; Date, 2010, 2012” (see ch. 1, n. 2; accessed May 6, 2013).

  66. Federal Election Commission (FEC), “Candidate and Committee Viewer: Longhorn PAC,” http://www.fec.gov/fecviewer/CandidateCommitteeDetail.do.

  67. Zach Carter, “SOPA Vote Delayed, Allowing for More Corporate Fundraising from Censorship Bill,” Huffington Post, December 16, 2011.

  68. La Toya Gratten, “SOPA Fundraisers,” Political Party Time, January 27, 2012, http://politicalpartytime.org/blog/2012/01/27/sopa-fundraisers; Govtrack.us, “S. 968—112th Congress: Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011,” May 12, 2011, http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/s968 (accessed March 20, 2013); U.S. Government Printing Office, “Standing Committees of the Senate,” p. 375, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action?collectionCode=CDIR&browsePath=112%2F2011-12-01&isCollapsed=false&leafLevelBrowse=false&ycord=0.

  69. Gratten, “SOPA Fundraisers.”

  70. Ibid.

  71. Alex Ben Block, “Hollywood’s Top Brass Lobby for Anti-Piracy Laws in Washington, D.C.,” Hollywood Reporter, December 7, 2011.

  72. Howard Berman, testimony before the House Judiciary Committee hearings on H.R. 3261, November 16, 2011, pp. 130–35.

  73. Alex Ben Block, “Why Both Sides of the Piracy Issue Applaud SOPA Delay (Analysis),” Hollywood Reporter, December 16, 2011.

  74. Nick Baumann and Siddhartha Mahanta, “SOPA Aftermath: Winners and Losers,” Mother Jones, January 23, 2012.

  75. Jon Swartz, “Obama Attends Private Fundraiser in Silicon Valley,” USA Today, April 21, 2011.

  76. Glenn Thrush, “At California Dinner, President Obama Woos Technology Leaders,” Politico, February 17, 2011.

  77. Carla Marinucci, “Obama Dines with Tech Stars of Silicon Valley,” San Francisco Chronicle, February 18, 2011.

  78. Adam Clark Etes, “Some Perspective on Obama’s Bromance with Eric Schmidt,” The Atlantic Wire, June 24, 2011, http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2011/06/obamas-bromance-googles-eric-schmidt-out-hand/39225/.

  79. Joshua Green, “The Amazing Money Machine,” The Atlantic, June 1, 2008.

  80. Michelle Quinn, “Obama Gets No Bounce from Silicon Valley Boom,” Politico, August 19, 2011.

  81. Thrush, “President Obama Woos Technology Leaders.”

  82. Josh Smith, “Presidential Candidates Gather Silicon Valley Contributions,” National Journal, August 17, 2011.

  83. Jim Brunner, “Obama Will Visit Area for Fundraisers,” Seattle Times, September 22, 2011.

  84. “Lady Gaga Joins Obama’s Silicon Valley Fundraiser,” Silicon Valley Business Journal, September 26, 2011, http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2011/09/26/lady-gaga-joins-obama-valley-fundraiser.html (accessed May 6, 2013).

  85. Devin Dwyer, “Obama Taps Veteran Hollywood Bundlers for Campaign Cash,” ABC News, September 26, 2011.

  86. Govtrack.us, “H.R. 3261 (112th): Stop Online Piracy Act,” October 26, 2011, http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/hr3261 (accessed May 6, 2013).

  87. House Judiciary Committee, hearing on H.R. 3261, the “Stop Online Piracy Act,” November 16, 2011, http://judiciary.house.gov/hearings/hear_11162011.html (accessed May 6, 2013).

  88. Block, “Why Both Sides of the Piracy Issue Applaud SOPA Delay.”

  89. Josh Richman, “Palo Alto Online: Tech Leaders Meet with Vice President Joe Biden,” January 18, 2012, http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=24016 (accessed May 6, 2013).

  90. Micah L. Sifry, “After SOPA/PIPA Victory, Tech Is Thinking About Tackling Political Reform,” TechPresident, January 24, 2012, http://techpresident.com/news/21674/after-sopapipa-victory-tech-thinking-about-tackling-political-reform (accessed May 6, 2013).

  91. Lou Dobbs, comments on Lou Dobbs Tonight, Fox Business Network, January 19, 2012.

  92. Richard Verrier, “Obama Administration Expresses Concern About Anti-Piracy Bills,” Los Angeles Times, January 14, 2012.

  93. “Lawmakers Withdraw Support of Anti-piracy Bills after Online Protest,” CNN Wire, January 19, 2012, http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/19/tech/sopa-blackouts (accessed May 6, 2013).

  94. Sarah Barmak, “The Day the Web Went Dark; U.S. Anti-Piracy Bills Spark Outrage Online ,” Toronto Star, January 21, 2012.

  95. Matthew Garrahan, “President Taps ‘Hollywood ATM,’” Financial Times, March 9, 2012.

  96. Erica Orden and Peter Nicholas, “Movie Mogul’s Starring Role in Raising Funds for Obama,” Wall Street Journal, September 30, 2012.

  97. Anna Palmer and Robin Bravender, “Chris Dodd’s Debut with Hollywood a Flop,” Politico, January 19, 2012.

  98. Tina Daunt, “Hollywood Moguls: No ‘Obama Boycott’ over Piracy Stance,” Hollywood Reporter, January 18, 2012.

  99. Ryan Nakashima, “AP: Hollywood Warms to China’s New Openness,” Yahoo! News, April 16, 2012, http://news.yahoo.com/hollywood-warms-chinas-openness-211340104.html (accessed May 6, 2013).

  100. Orden and Nicholas, “Movie Mogul’s Starring Role.”

  101. Garrahan, “Obama Taps ‘Hollywood ATM.’”

  102. Robert Herbold, interview with the author.

  103. Opensecrets.org, “Facebook Inc.,” https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=D000033563 (accessed May 6, 2013).

  104. “Silicon Valley is waking up to the fact that we have to be part of the process in Washington,” writes John Battelle. “For too long we’ve treated ‘government’ as damage, and we’ve routed around it.” Alex Howard, “The Week the Web Changed Washington,” O’Reilly Radar, January 20, 2012, http://radar.oreilly.com/2012/01/the-week-the-web-changed-washi.html.

  105. Marketwatch.com, “Google, Facebook Continue to Flood Washington with Cash for Lobbying Efforts; Consumer Watchdog Calls Record Spending Cynical Bid to Buy Influence,” January 23, 2013.

  106. John Allison, interview with the author.

  107. Saki Knafo, “Joe Biden Talks Violent Video Games with Industry Reps in Wake of Newtown Shooting,” Huffington Post, January 11, 2013.

  108. Eric Lichtblau, “Makers of Violent Video Games Marshal Support to Fend Off Regulation,” New York Times, January 12, 2013.

  109. Jeffrey Grubb, “Obama: ‘Congress Should Fund Research into the Effects Violent Video Games Have on Young Minds,’” VentureBeat, January 16, 2013, http://venturebeat.com/2013/01/16/obama-congress-should-fund-research-into-the-effects-violent-video-games-have-on-young-minds (accessed May 6, 2013).

  110. Opensecrets.org, “Entertainment Software Assn,” https://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?id=D000025695 (accessed May 6, 2013).

  6. Slush Funds

  1. FBI.gov, “Famous Cases and Criminals: Al Capone,” http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/al-capone.

  2. Encyclopaedia Brittanica, “Meyer Lansky,” http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/330022/Meyer-Lansky.

  3. Ken Silverstein, “Beltway Bacchanal: Congress Lives High on the Contributor’s Dime,” Harper’s (March 2008).

  4. Halimah Abdullah, “Whitfield Spent $24,000 from Leadership PAC at Beverly Hills Hotel,” Lexington Herald-Leader, October 4, 2009.

  5. Brody Mullins and Brad Haynes, “Some PACs Run After Politicians Drop Out,” Wall Street Journal, May 6, 2009.

  6. Aaron Blake, “Rep. Joe Kennedy III Launches Political Action Committee,” Washington Post, April 12, 2013.

  7. GenYPack, “Congressman Aaron Schock,” http://genypac.com/about/congressman-aaron-schock.

  8. Marcus Stern and Jennifer LaFleur, “Leadership PACs: Let the Good Times Roll,” Pro Publica, September 26, 2009.

  9. Ibid.

  10. Janie Lorber, “Being in Congress Has Perks,” Roll Call, October 18, 2011.

  11. Corbin Hiar, “Congressional Perks: Lawmakers’ Most Surprising Benefits,” Center for Public Integrity, November 23, 2011, http://www.publicintegrity.org/2011/11/23/7495/congressional-perks-lawmakers-most-surprising-benefits.

  12. Ste
rn and LaFleur, “Leadership PACs: Let the Good Times Roll .”

  13. Federal Election Commission (FEC), “Candidate and Committee Viewer: Republican Majority Fund,” http://www.fec.gov/fecviewer/CandidateCommitteeDetail.do.

  14. Federal Election Commission (FEC), “Candidate and Committee Viewer: America Forward Leadership PAC,” http://www.fec.gov/fecviewer/CandidateCommit teeDetail.do.

  15. Federal Election Commission (FEC), “Candidate and Committee Viewer: Rely on Your Beliefs Fund,” http://www.fec.gov/fecviewer/CandidateCommitteeDetail.do.

  16. Ibid.

  17. Jonathan Tamari, “Andrews’ Wife Vetted Use of Campaign Funds on Trip,” Philadelphia Inquirer, September 12, 2012.

  18. U.S. House of Representatives, Office of Congressional Ethics, “Report,” Review 11–3260, p. 15; and Tamari, “Andrews’ Wife Vetted Use of Campaign Funds on Trip.”

  19. House Office of Congressional Ethics, “Report,” p. 27.

  20. Federal Election Commission (FEC), “Candidate and Committee Viewer: Americans Nationwide Dedicated to Electing Republicans,” http://www.fec.gov/fecviewer/CandidateCommitteeDetail.do.

  21. Ibid.

  22. House Committee on Appropriations, “Full Committee Members,” http://appropriations.house.gov/about/members.

  23. Federal Election Commission (FEC), “Candidate and Committee Viewer: Toward Tomorrow,” http://www.fec.gov/fecviewer/CandidateCommitteeDetail.do.

  24. Federal Election Commission (FEC), “Candidate and Committee Viewer: Impact PAC,” http://www.fec.gov/fecviewer/CandidateCommitteeDetail.do.

  25. Federal Election Commission (FEC), “Candidate and Committee Viewer: Heartland PAC,” http://www.fec.gov/fecviewer/CandidateCommitteeDetail.do.

  26. Stern and LaFleur, “Leadership PACs: Let the Good Times Roll.”

  27. Luke Rosiak and Glenn Thrush, “Rangel’s Son Got Campaign Cash,” Politico, December 4, 2008.

  28. Federal Election Commission (FEC), “Candidate and Committee Viewer: Democratic Future,” http://www.fec.gov/fecviewer/CandidateCommitteeDetail.do; Josh Israel, Aaron Mehta, and Gabriel Debenedetti, “Political Inaction Committees: How Political Action Committees Are Spending Your Donations,” Center for Public Integrity, October 5, 2010, http://www.publicintegrity.org/2010/10/05/2460/political-inaction-committees-how-political-action-committees-are-spending-your.