The Republican Party, led by Newt Gingrich, Tom DeLay, and Grover Norquist, launched the K Street Project to fundamentally restructure Washington lobbying. By creating an explicit pay-to-play system, they pressured lobbying firms to hire Republican staff, track employee political affiliations, and …
Newt Gingrich, Tom DeLay, and Grover Norquist officially launched the K Street Project, a systematic effort to pressure Washington lobbying firms to hire Republicans in top positions and reward loyal GOP lobbyists with access to influential officials. Gingrich deputized Majority Whip Tom DeLay to …
The Republican Party, led by Newt Gingrich, secured a decisive victory in the 1994 midterm elections, ending 40 years of Democratic congressional control. By campaigning on the ‘Contract with America’, Republicans gained 54 seats in the House and 8 seats in the Senate, fundamentally …
Republicans achieved an unprecedented victory in the 1994 midterm elections, gaining control of both the House and Senate for the first time in 40 years, ending four decades of Democratic dominance in Congress. Led by Rep. Newt Gingrich, who became Speaker of the House, the GOP united under the …
Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell declares the Clinton administration’s Health Security Act dead, with the bill never coming to a vote in either chamber of Congress. The failure represents a devastating defeat for comprehensive healthcare reform after an intense lobbying campaign by …
On her final day as Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Wendy Gramm approves a regulatory exemption allowing Enron to trade energy derivatives without CFTC oversight. The exemption, granted on January 14, 1993 (some sources cite January 21, the final day of the George H.W. Bush …
The Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) of 1992 fundamentally restructured FDA drug approval financing by creating a direct financial relationship between pharmaceutical companies and regulators. The Act mandated drug companies pay fees to fund FDA drug reviews, which eventually comprised up to …
The Senate Ethics Committee concludes its Keating Five investigation with formal reprimands and rebukes, documenting systematic corruption where five senators traded regulatory intervention for $1.5 million in campaign contributions from Charles Keating. Senator Alan Cranston (D-CA) receives the …
In May 1990, Vladimir Putin transitioned from active KGB service to local government, becoming an international affairs advisor to St. Petersburg Mayor Anatoly Sobchak. This pivotal moment marked a complex personnel migration from intelligence services into emerging democratic administrative roles, …
The Federal Reserve Board continues its incremental erosion of Glass-Steagall Act restrictions, approving expanded securities underwriting capabilities for JP Morgan & Co. Following a 3-2 vote in 1987 to ease regulations, the Fed systematically reinterprets Congressional banking separation laws. …
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 …
The Global Climate Coalition (GCC) was formed as a project of the National Association of Manufacturers to represent fossil fuel producers and oppose regulation to mitigate global warming. Founding members included major oil companies like Phillips Petroleum, Shell, Texaco, Amoco, trade associations …
The Federal Reserve Board dramatically expands Section 20 subsidiary powers, approving underwriting of corporate debt securities and increasing the revenue limit from bank-ineligible activities from 5% to 10%. This decision allows JP Morgan to become the first commercial bank to underwrite a …
On August 4, 1987, the Federal Communications Commission voted 4-0 to abolish the Fairness Doctrine, a 1949 policy requiring broadcast license holders to present controversial issues of public importance in a manner that fairly reflected differing viewpoints. The elimination of this fundamental …
Five U.S. Senators—Alan Cranston (D-CA), Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ), John Glenn (D-OH), John McCain (R-AZ), and Donald Riegle (D-MI)—meet with Federal Home Loan Bank Board officials to pressure them to halt regulatory investigation of Charles Keating’s Lincoln Savings and Loan. The senators had …
On October 22, 1986, President Reagan signed the Tax Reform Act of 1986, the centerpiece of his second term domestic agenda. The legislation dramatically lowered the top individual income tax rate from 50% to 28% - the largest single drop in the history of the federal income tax - while reducing the …
In 1985, Rupert Murdoch orchestrated a pivotal expansion of his media empire through strategic acquisitions and regulatory maneuvering. Key developments include acquiring 50% of 20th Century Fox in March for $162 million and purchasing Metromedia television stations for $3.5 billion in May. Most …
On October 30, 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984, fundamentally deregulating the cable television industry and setting the stage for massive media consolidation. Written and championed by conservative Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona, the act amended …
Charles Keating, through American Continental Corporation, purchases Lincoln Savings and Loan for $51 million. Exploiting the deregulated environment created by Garn-St Germain, Keating rapidly expands Lincoln’s assets from $1.1 billion to $5.5 billion over four years through high-risk real …
A federal jury convicts EPA official Rita Lavelle of perjury for lying to Congress about her handling of the $1.6 billion Superfund toxic waste cleanup program. Lavelle, who headed the Superfund division, is found guilty on four of five felony counts for false testimony regarding her knowledge that …
Interior Secretary James Watt announces his resignation after describing a department panel as having “a black, a woman, two Jews and a cripple,” mocking affirmative action. Watt resigns within three weeks of the September comments amid bipartisan condemnation. His controversial 33-month …
Anne Gorsuch Burford resigns as EPA Administrator after becoming the first cabinet-level official in American history held in contempt of Congress. Gorsuch had refused to turn over Superfund records related to a $1.6 billion hazardous waste cleanup program, citing executive privilege on …
President Reagan signs the Garn-St Germain Depository Institutions Act in the Rose Garden, calling it “the most important legislation for financial institutions in the last 50 years.” The Act removes Depression-era constraints on thrift asset holdings, allows S&Ls to make high-risk …
President Reagan appoints James Watt, former president of Mountain States Legal Foundation (funded by Coors and oil companies), as Interior Secretary. Watt immediately opens federal lands to mining and drilling, reverses environmental protections, and staffs the department with industry executives. …
The Reagan administration launches systematic dismantling of environmental protections through regulatory capture: appointing industry advocates to lead EPA and Interior, slashing enforcement budgets, weakening Clean Air and Water Act regulations, and opening public lands to resource extraction. EPA …
The Heritage Foundation publishes “Mandate for Leadership,” a comprehensive 3,000-page policy blueprint containing over 2,000 specific recommendations for conservative governance. Reagan distributes copies to every Cabinet member at their first meeting and the administration implements …
Large commercial banks launch a coordinated, multi-pronged campaign to systematically dismantle the Glass-Steagall Act’s financial regulations. This strategic effort involves regulatory capture through administrative reinterpretations, academic influence to discredit Depression-era banking …
ALEC’s executive director actively sought funding from the Tobacco Institute trade group, beginning a lucrative partnership that would provide legislative influence for the tobacco industry. This early corporate capture model would become the template for ALEC’s expansion into multiple …
Senior Exxon scientist James Black delivered a sobering message to company executives about carbon dioxide warming the planet, marking the beginning of documented internal knowledge at Exxon about climate change risks. Internal research from 1977-1982 created remarkably accurate climate models …
In the landmark Buckley v. Valeo decision, the Supreme Court fundamentally reshaped campaign finance law by ruling that expenditure limits are unconstitutional. The Court distinguished between direct campaign contributions and independent expenditures, creating a legal framework that would enable …
David Rockefeller, chairman of Chase Manhattan Bank, founded the Trilateral Commission in July 1973 as a private organization to foster cooperation between the United States, Western Europe, and Japan. The initiative was led by Rockefeller and Zbigniew Brzezinski, who became the commission’s …
Agha Hasan Abedi established the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) in Luxembourg, creating an international bank with initial capital from Bank of America and Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. BCCI rapidly expanded to become the seventh-largest private bank in the world before being …
On August 23, 1971, Lewis F. Powell Jr. delivered his confidential memorandum ‘Attack on American Free Enterprise System’ to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, providing a strategic blueprint for corporate political mobilization. The 34-page document outlined a comprehensive strategy for …