Category Archives: lobbying

“GOP’s new tax law encourages campaign donor secrecy”

March 15, 2018, 8:22 amcampaign finance, lobbying, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

Ellen Aprill oped in the Hill: As a result of these changes, estimates of the percentage of taxpayers who will itemize has fallen to somewhere between 5 percent and 10 percent. The vast majority of taxpayers will benefit more from… Continue reading

“What We Found in Trump’s Drained Swamp: Hundreds of Ex-Lobbyists and D.C. Insiders”

March 7, 2018, 1:23 pmlobbyingRick Hasen

ProPublica: When the Trump administration took office early last year, hundreds of staffers from lobbying firms, conservative think tanks and Trump campaign groups began pouring into the very agencies they once lobbied or whose work they once opposed. Today we’re… Continue reading

“Companies court lawmakers with charitable giving, but don’t always disclose the funds”

March 5, 2018, 6:45 amlobbyingRick Hasen

CPI: By law, corporations and organizations that lobby the federal government must disclose certain charitable contributions to nonprofits, including ones such as the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation that are intimately tied to lawmakers. They also must disclose spending to “honor”… Continue reading

“K Street Reinvents Itself in the Era of Trump”

February 16, 2018, 7:33 amlobbyingRick Hasen

Roll Call reports.

“Draining the swamp? D.C. lobbying during Trump administration surges to highest level in 7 years”

February 5, 2018, 1:00 pmlobbyingRick Hasen

Fredreka Schouten for USA Today.

“Lobbying’s top 50 pour $540M into influence campaigns”

January 31, 2018, 7:07 amlobbyingRick Hasen

The Hill reports.

“Draining the swamp? D.C. lobbying during Trump administration surges to highest level in 7 years”

January 29, 2018, 7:14 amlobbyingRick Hasen

Fredreka Schouten for USA Today.

“How Hedge Funds (Secretly) Get Their Way in Washington”

January 28, 2018, 10:01 amlobbyingRick Hasen

Bloomberg Businessweek.

“Connections are the Currency of Washington Lobbyists”

January 24, 2018, 7:52 amlobbyingRick Hasen

Legbranch.com reports.

“Lobbyists Ask for Votes. Some Lawmakers Want Much More.”

December 8, 2017, 3:01 pmchicanery, lobbyingRick Hasen

What a lede on this NYT story; Vanessa Alarid was a lobbyist in New Mexico when she asked a lawmaker over drinks one night if she could count on his support for a bill that appeared to be coming down… Continue reading

“Washington’s Legions Of Lobbyists See Danger In Special Counsel’s Indictment Of Manafort”

October 31, 2017, 7:29 amlobbyingRick Hasen

BuzzFeed: The threat of serving hard time for failing to disclose foreign lobbying work is rattling Washington’s multi-billion dollar influence industry following Monday’s 12-count indictment against Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy, Rick Gates. And although… Continue reading

“Mueller Now Investigating Democratic Lobbyist Tony Podesta”

October 23, 2017, 7:32 amlobbyingRick Hasen

NBC: The sources said the investigation into Podesta and his company began as more of a fact-finding mission about the ECMU and Manafort’s role in the campaign, but has now morphed into a criminal inquiry into whether the firm violated… Continue reading

“Trump-Tied Florida Lobbying Firm Made $5.2 Million Windfall Since the Election”

October 6, 2017, 3:41 pmlobbyingJustin Levitt

From the Miami New Times.

“Lobbyists Use of Capitol Meeting Space Raises Questions”

October 3, 2017, 10:50 amconflict of interest laws, lobbyingRick Hasen

Roll Call: A recent panel discussion about alleged governmental corruption in Ukraine, organized by lobbyist and former Rep. Connie Mack, has raised questions about the appropriate uses of meeting rooms under the House speaker’s jurisdiction. It also offers a… Continue reading