September 22, 2023

Prosecutors allege pressure tactics after Trump’s political operation paid over $44 million to witness lawyers

Prosecutors are probing Trump’s political operation after it shelled out over $44 million to lawyers and law firms that have also represented witnesses in cases against him.

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.

Arizona Senate races heats up as venture capitalist Blake Masters mulls another run

The venture capitalist lost his first Senate bid in 2022 despite his personal wealth and rich benefactors

$8 million casino referendum in Virginia breaks state record

Out-of-state developers have poured a record $8.1 million into a referendum campaign to allow the construction of a resort casino in Virginia's state capital, far-and-away the highest sum for a local election. 

This story was published in collaboration with the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO.

OpenSecrets' Chart of the Week

Dive deeper into the data behind the headlines

This week, the Wall Street Journal reported on the outsized influence of billionaire Jeff Yass on the American political system. He and his wife were the third-largest conservative donors nationally in the 2022 election cycle, chipping in about $49 million to support conservative candidates and causes.

Yass and his wife were considered "guardian angel" donors in the 2022 election midterms for being both the biggest donor to a super PAC and for their giving making up 40% or more of the contributions to a political committee.

Notably, Yass poured $15 million into School Freedom Fund, a super PAC closely aligned with conservative group Club for Growth. During the 2022 election cycle, School Freedom Fund paid nearly $1.5 million spent attacking former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, who lost the primary to now Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.). 

Yass also found himself under scrutiny when a ProPublica investigation in June 2022 found that the billionaire had avoided paying $1 billion in taxes. Click below to read more about the political spending from Yass and the rest of the top ten 'guardian angel' donors.

See our media citations from outlets around the nation this week:

Republicans Lead Race for Private Equity’s 2024 Dollars (WSJ)

The Republican Party is leading the Democratic Party in campaign contributions from employees of private-equity firms for the first time since the 2016 elections, according to data from nonpartisan OpenSecrets, a nonprofit group in Washington that tracks political spending. 

Katie Porter and the politics of real life (Washington Post)

Her 2022 House campaign was buoyed by small donations (each less than $200) that added up to nearly $14.3 million, five times the average total haul for House members that cycle, according to OpenSecrets.

AFP Action backs 5 GOP House candidates in primaries (Politico)

AFP Action also has deep pockets, which allowed it to spend almost $80 million in 2022. So far this cycle, the group has raised almost just as much, according to Open Secrets, and it says it aims to bring more people into the GOP primary voting process.

‘Tired of Losing’: Pennsylvania G.O.P. Aims to Avoid Senate Infighting (New York Times)

The race last year to replace the retiring Senator Patrick J. Toomey ended up costing more than $360 million, according to OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan group. Similar amounts could be spent in 2024, when Pennsylvania — unlike Montana and West Virginia — will double as a top battleground in the presidential race.

WSJ

CNBC

Financial Times

Georgia Public Broadcasting

Sludge

Wisconsin State Journal

Cleveland.com

The Messenger

The Guardian

Reuters

New York Times

Virginia Public Media

Fortune

Roll Call

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