While serving as governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem received $80,000 from a dark money nonprofit called American Resolve Policy Fund to her personal LLC, Ashwood Strategies, which she failed to disclose on federal ethics forms before her confirmation as DHS Secretary. The payment structure …
Trump’s pardon attorney Ed Martin explicitly politicized the presidential pardon power, announcing a strategy of pardoning political allies and supporters. This included pardoning Scott Jenkins, a former sheriff convicted of taking over $75,000 in bribes, signaling a dramatic shift in how …
Donald TrumpEd MartinScott Jenkinspardonpolitical-corruptionjustice-weaponizationexecutive-power-abuse
House January 6th Committee’s second hearing revealed Trump raised $250 million post-election through fraudulent “Official Election Defense Fund” that never existed. Committee found Trump’s team sent up to 25 fraudulent fundraising emails daily, raising $100 million in first …
Donald TrumpTrump CampaignSave America PACHouse January 6th CommitteeZoe Lofgren+1 morefraudcampaign-financekleptocracyjanuary-6-committeebig-lie+2 more
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) released the Pandora Papers, the largest offshore data leak in history, containing 11.9 million files from 14 financial services companies across multiple jurisdictions. The investigation exposed the secret offshore affairs of 35 …
International Consortium of Investigative JournalistsKing Abdullah II of JordanAndrej BabišSebastián PiñeraVolodymyr Zelensky+3 morecorruptionoffshore-financetax-avoidancepandora-paperskleptocracy+2 more
The FBI launched an investigation into Postmaster General Louis DeJoy over allegations that he orchestrated an illegal straw donor campaign finance scheme at his former company, New Breed Logistics. Former employees told the Washington Post that DeJoy pressured them to make political donations to …
Louis DeJoyFBICarolyn MaloneyJohn SarbanesCampaign FinanceFBI InvestigationDeJoyUSPSPolitical Corruption+1 more
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, fundamentally transforming American campaign finance by allowing corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts on elections. The decision struck down key provisions of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, ruling that …
Citizens UnitedFederal Election CommissionAnthony KennedyJohn RobertsAntonin Scalia+2 morejudicial-capturesupreme-courtcorporate-influencecampaign-financecitizens-united+1 more
Jack Abramoff and Ralph Reed executed a sophisticated multi-stage scam against the Tigua Tribal Nation, first coordinating to close their El Paso casino through targeted religious opposition, then charging the tribe $4.2 million to lobby for its reopening. Century Strategies, Reed’s firm, led …
Jack AbramoffRalph ReedCentury StrategiesTigua Tribal NationMichael Scanlon+1 morepolitical-corruptiondouble-dealingnative-american-exploitationconservative-movement-corruptionlobbying-fraud
Vice President Al Gore attends a fundraising luncheon at the Hsi Lai Buddhist temple in Hacienda Heights, California, organized by longtime Democratic fundraiser Maria Hsia and DNC fundraiser John Huang. The event raises $166,750 for the Democratic National Committee through illegal contributions …
Al GoreMaria HsiaJohn HuangDemocratic National Committeecampaign-financeillegal-donationspolitical-corruptionelection-interferencemoney-laundering
Documents revealed in February 1997 show that President Bill Clinton and top aides orchestrated a broad fundraising operation during his first term, explicitly using overnight stays in the White House Lincoln Bedroom and other perks to woo and reward major donors. President Clinton personally …
Bill ClintonDemocratic National CommitteeMajor Donorscampaign-financepolitical-corruptioninfluence-peddlingfundraising-scandalwhite-house
Jack Abramoff, working for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, successfully mobilized a network including Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform and House Majority Whip Tom DeLay to defeat a Congressional bill that would have imposed unrelated business income tax (UBIT) on Native …
Jack AbramoffGrover NorquistTom DeLayRalph ReedBill Archer+2 morelobbying-corruptionregulatory-capturepolitical-corruptionnative-american-affairstax-policy
Pursuant to the newly reauthorized Ethics in Government Act, a special three-judge division of the D.C. Circuit Court appoints Kenneth Starr, former U.S. Solicitor General under George H.W. Bush, as independent counsel to continue the Whitewater investigation, replacing Robert Fiske. The Special …
Attorney General Janet Reno appoints Robert Fiske, a moderate Republican and former U.S. Attorney, as special counsel to investigate the Whitewater controversy involving President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton. The investigation focuses on the Clintons’ 1978 investment in the …
Bill ClintonHillary ClintonRobert FiskeJanet Renowhitewaterinvestigationpolitical-corruptionreal-estatearkansas
The Senate Ethics Committee launched an investigation into five senators (McCain, Glenn, Cranston, Riegle, and DeConcini) for their improper intervention with federal regulators on behalf of Charles Keating’s Lincoln Savings and Loan Association. The investigation was initiated after …
John McCainJohn GlennAlan CranstonDonald RiegleDennis DeConcini+1 morepolitical-corruptionbanking-scandalsenate-ethicscampaign-financeregulatory-capture