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August 10, 2023
Lobbying surges around the largest merger in videogame industry history
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Companies ramped up lobbying around Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Call of Duty developer Activision Blizzard, the biggest gaming deal in history.
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United leads soaring airline industry lobbying spending
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United Airlines reported massive second quarter lobbying expenditures, nearly quadrupling their expenses from the previous quarter.
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Trump political operation steers about $130 million in donor money to cover legal fees
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Trump’s political network has reported paying $130 million to cover the cost of lawyers and law firms as legal fees soar — with donors footing the bill.
This article is part of a series that is funded in part by a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism that follows the money around Jan. 6, 2021, and the spread of election misinformation.
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OpenSecrets' Chart of the Week
Dive deeper into the data behind the headlines
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This week's chart of the week comes from our story on Trump's $130 million in donor money spent covering legal fees as the former president faces mounting legal issues.
Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign is the most directly tied to Trump but the operation has also included his leadership PAC, joint fundraising committees and super PACs run by Trump allies.
Trump's political operation collectively spent about $27 million on lawyers and other legal costs during the first half of 2023, according to OpenSecrets’ analysis. Trump’s political operation has doubled-down on its legal spending every year since 2021.
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OpenSecrets in the News
See our media citations from outlets around the nation this week:
Orlando Magic draws criticism for donating $50,000 to Desantis super PAC (CBS News) [[link removed]]
A review of contributions by sports organizations going back to the early 1990s by OpenSecrets - a nonpartisan organization that tracks money in politics - underscores how unusual it is for a sports team to deliver a direct donation to a candidate's super PAC.
GOP presidential candidates avoid discussing climate change on campaign trail (PBS News Hour) [[link removed]]
According to the money tracking group OpenSecrets, the top 20 oil, coal and gas donors gave out over $80 million in campaign contributions in the last two years. That money went almost exclusively to Republicans and conservative groups.
Clarence Thomas’ 38 Vacations: The Other Billionaires Who Have Treated the Supreme Court Justice to Luxury Travel (ProPublica) [[link removed]]
Between 1998 and 1999, Huizenga’s holding company spent $500,000 lobbying federal agencies that regulate the automotive industry, according to OpenSecrets data. Over the years, the Huizenga family and companies gave millions to state and federal Republican candidates and once threw a fundraiser for the Florida GOP that helped keep the party afloat for months.
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