NewsTrust - Lobbying - Most Recent Stories: News (Independent)

Barack Obama's campaign says it doesn't accept lobbyist donations

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

PolitiFact - By Louis Jacobson - Jan. 04 (Fact Check) - In late December, President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign made a fundraising pitch that, among other things, touted the measures his campaign is taking to distance itself from lobbyists: "We don't take a dime from D.C. lobbyists or special-interest PACs -- never have and never will." A reader pointed out this claim and asked us if it’s true. First, we checked with the Obama campaign, and a spokeswoman confirmed that the campaign does not accept money from federally registered lobbyists, either making direct donations themselves or serving as "bundlers" who solicit and package donations from others. To enforce that policy, the campaign continually reviews the federal lobbyist registry. On the surface, the Obama campaign’s claim seems plausible. But we think it’s important to add some context about how this pledge is phrased. A key issue is how you define the word "lobbyist."

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For Hire: Lobbyists or the 99%?

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

publicampaign.org - Dec. 16 (Special Report) - This report builds on a recent report on corporate tax dodging by Citizens for Tax Justice by examining lobbying expenditure data provided by the Center for Responsive Politics. We also look at publicly available data on job creation, federal campaign contributions, and executive compensation, to understand how these corporations have been spending their cash.

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Bank spending on lobbying on pace to hit record high again this year

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

www2.journalnow.com - Dec. 02 (News) -

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Spreading Freedom: Google And The War For The Web

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Ryan Grim, Zach Carter, Paul Blumenthal - Sep. 25 (Special Report) - [Google] is now giving money to the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the Republican Governors Association, the GOP firm The David All Group, Crossroads Strategies, the Republican Attorneys General Association and the Republican State Leadership Committee, among others. On Thursday, Google and Fox News cosponsored a Republican presidential debate.

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Corruption? 5400 Lawmakers Have Become Lobbyists in the Last Decade

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

AlterNet - By Julianne Escobedo Shepherd - Sep. 13 (Special Report) - More proof that Washington is corrupt? A new Legistorm study reveals there is a "revolving door" between Congress and lobbying firms, showing that almost 5400 lawmakers have jumped from the government to lobbying firms in the last decade.

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Mitt Romney Raised More Campaign Cash From Lobbyists Than All Other 2012 GOP Candidates Combined

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Paul Blumenthal - Aug. 10 (News Report) - While other GOP presidential candidates race to win Saturday's Ames Straw Poll, Mitt Romney is quietly racking up support among Washington power brokers and heavyweights in the Republican party. His early lead in fundraising with lobbyists, Wall Street donors, and bundlers who raised money for George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is testament to this strategy. According to disclosure reports filed at the end of July, 61 registered lobbyists and five lobbyist-linked political action committees contributed $137,650 to Romney's campaign between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2011. The former Massachusetts governor raised more money from lobbyists during this period than all of his competitors combined.

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Democrats Increasingly Scared Of Angering Deep Pockets, Survey Says

Thu, 12 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Dan Froomkin - May. 12 (Poll) - Democratic congressional staffers are increasingly wary of alienating corporate lobbyists for fear of inciting a massive advertising blitz against their bosses, according to an informal survey by the consumer watchdog group Public Citizen.

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After approving NBC buyout, FCC Commish becomes Comcast lobbyist

Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Ars Technica - May. 11 (News) - Meredith Attwell Baker is leaving the FCC, but she won't be going far. Months after approving the Comcast/NBC deal, she will become one of the new company's top DC lobbyists.

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The DeVos Family: Meet the Super-Wealthy Right-Wingers Working With the Religious Right to Kill Public Education

Tue, 10 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

AlterNet - By Rachel Tabachnick - May. 10 (Investigative Report) - By now you've surely heard of the Kochs. Meanwhile, the powerful, wealthy DeVos family has remained largely under the radar, while leading a stealth assault on America's schools.

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House GOP criticizes White House visitor logs

Thu, 05 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

iWatch News - By Fred Schulte - May. 05 (News) - House Republicans criticized the Obama administration for failing to disclose the names of thousands of visitors to the White House and suggested Obama staff met with lobbyists in nearby coffee shops to avoid listing their names in the official records system.

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Koch buys online advertising to attack report on its lobbying influence

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Center for Public Integrity - By Cole Goins - Apr. 18 (News Report) - Koch Industries has launched an online advertising campaign to rebut a Center for Public Integrity report about its lobbying activities that it refused to respond to when the story was published last week. The story, headlined “Koch’s Web of Influence” by John Aloysius Farrell, outlined Koch’s multimillion-dollar lobbying network in Washington and its attempts to influence Congress and federal agencies. The Center sought comment from Koch Industries repeatedly while the story was being reported, including 11 emails and phone calls to several Koch communications and lobbying officials. Koch’s only response then was an email on the eve of publication from Melissa Cohlmia, director of corporate communications.

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US Chamber’s Lobbyists Solicited Hackers To Sabotage Unions, Smear Chamber’s Political Opponents

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Think Progress - By Lee Fang - Feb. 11 (Investigative Report) - ThinkProgress has learned that a law firm representing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the big business trade association representing ExxonMobil, AIG, and other major international corporations, is working with set of “private security” companies and lobbying firms to undermine their political opponents, including ThinkProgress, with a surreptitious sabotage campaign.

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New House Leaders Have Familiar Ties to Business, Revolving Door

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Josh Israel - Nov. 04 (Special Report) - First, the top contenders are all men. Nearly all are white. Most have deep ties to the business community or the industries they will soon oversee. Some have former staffers who now work in the lobbying world and could seek influence before their committees. And many have gotten the lion's share of their campaign monies the past two election cycles from special interest political action committees.

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Koch, Chamber, Glenn Beck, Big Business Leaders Meet to Plot 2010 Election

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

AlterNet - By Lee Fang, Salvatore Colleluori, Riley Waggaman, Ben Kaldunski - Oct. 20 (News Report) - In 2006, Koch Industries owner Charles Koch revealed to the Wall Street Journal’s Stephen Moore that he coordinates the funding of the conservative infrastructure of front groups, political campaigns, think tanks, media outlets and other anti-government efforts through a twice annual meeting of wealthy right-wing donors. He also confided to Moore, who is funded through several of Koch’s ventures, that his true goal is to strengthen the “culture of prosperity” by eliminating “90%” of all laws and government regulations.

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7 Ways the Koch Bros. Benefit from Corporate Welfare

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0700

New York Observer - By Yasha Levine - Sep. 01 (Investigative Report) - Koch Industries is America's second-largest private corporation, with revenue of $100 billion in 2009, and 80,000 employees in 60 countries. How libertarian are they? The short answer...not very. For the past fifty years, through its Matador Cattle Company subsidiary, Koch Industries has been quietly milking a New Deal program that allows ranchers to use federal land basically for free.

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K Street and the Status Quo

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Miller-McCune - By Melinda Burns - Aug. 10 (Special Report) - An unprecedented 10-year study’s surprising verdict: The real outcome of most lobbying is … nothing. Until the right party or person comes to power. Who can forget Jack Abramoff, the super-lobbyist? In a pleasant operation called “Gimme Five,” he took

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Puff, Puff, Give: Lobbyists Plying Hill Staffers Through Congressional Cigar Association

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Ryan Grim - Jul. 21 (Investigative Report) - Lobbyists for major banks, insurers, pharmaceutical firms, energy companies and at least one foreign government have been helping organize lavish gatherings of staffers and members of Congress since early 2009, funneling K Street money through an

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Conflicts of Interest – New York Style

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0700

DC Bureau - By Allison Sickle - Jun. 02 (Investigative Report) - The same year a powerful republican New York state senator endorsed industry-drafted revisions to gas drilling laws, his law firm represented the largest natural gas producer in the state. When asked whether he found his actions to be a conflict of interest, state Senator George Winner (R-NY) responded, “Not at all.”

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Goldman Sachs Publicly Supports Financial Reform, But Fights It With Lobbyists

Tue, 18 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Huffington Post - By Adele Hampton - May. 18 (Investigative Report) - For all of Goldman Sachs' professed support for an overhaul of financial regulations, the megabank hasn't exactly withdrawn its army of lobbyists. Far from wearing...

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Telecoms’ Secret Plan To Attack Net Neutrality: Target Video Gamers And Stoke Fear Of Chinese Censorship

Wed, 12 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Think Progress - By Lee Fang - May. 12 (News Report) - Net neutrality, a guiding principle for preserving a free and fair Internet, means that Internet service providers are not allowed to discriminate based on content for its customers. However, telecommunications firms — like AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and others — are firmly against net neutrality because they would like to increase their profits by deciding which websites customers can see, and at what speed. The telecom industry has dumped hundreds of millions of dollars into a lobby campaign against net neutrality. As the FCC now takes up net neutrality rule making, the industry is pushing an “outside approach” of hiring front groups and astroturf operatives.

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How Lobbyists and Lawmakers Bond During Springsteen Concerts

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700

ProPublica - By Marcus Stern, Sebastian Jones, ProPublica - Apr. 17 (Investigative Report) - Weak campaign disclosure laws let politicians hold fundraisers in luxury skyboxes rented from groups with business before their committees.

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How Senator Vitter Battled the EPA Over Formaldehyde’s Link to Cancer

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700

ProPublica - By Joaquin Sapien - Apr. 15 (Investigative Report) - When Sen. David Vitter persuaded the EPA to agree to yet another review of its long-delayed assessment of the health risks of formaldehyde, he was praised by companies that use or manufacture a chemical found in everything from plywood to carpet.

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Secrets of the Tea Party: The Troubling History of Tea Party Leader Dick Armey

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700

In These Times - By Beau Hodai - Mar. 26 (Investigative Report) - As chairman of FreedomWorks, the group credited with mobilizing the Tea Party movement, Dick Armey is the movement's de facto leader. Yet Armey's years spent lobbying for a group recognized by the State Department as being a terrorist organization--should give Tea Partiers pause.

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With Heavy Washington Presence, Pay-Day Lenders Sway Lawmakers, Attack Critics

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Talking Points Memo - By Zachary Roth - Mar. 17 (News Report) - The weakening of the Senate proposal on financial reform unveiled this week, after lobbying from the pay-day lending industry, should come as little surprise. In recent years, the industry has built a sophisticated Washington lobbying and public relations operation, which it has used to promote its interests, savage its critics, and shape the public debate

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Higher Corporate Spending on Election Ads Could Be All but Invisible

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800

ProPublica - By Chisun Lee - Mar. 10 (News Report) - The Supreme Court recently freed [1] corporations to spend more money on aggressive election ads. But if businesses take advantage of this new freedom, the public probably won't know it, because it's easy for them to legally hide their political spending.

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