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August 20, 2020
This week in money-in-politics
COVID Lobbying: How former aides to Trump, congressional leaders lobbied their bosses amid the pandemic
As President Donald Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) negotiated the legislative response to the COVID-19 pandemic, their former aides lobbied them on behalf of deep-pocketed companies.
Over 1,000 clients dispatched lobbyists with close ties to the White House or congressional leaders through the first half of 2020. About 40 percent of those clients reported lobbying on issues related to the pandemic.
Pharmaceutical companies that received massive windfalls from the federal government to swiftly develop COVID-19 vaccines deployed Washington insiders. So did firms tasked with producing ventilators, and businesses in hard-hit industries angling for government aid. Companies that had not lobbied during the Trump administration — or ever before — signed contracts with K Street firms.
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** Who’s funding the virtual Republican National Convention?
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President Donald Trump won’t accept the GOP nomination in a packed stadium in front of a roaring crowd next week. Instead, his keynote speech will come from the White House lawn, and his supporters will watch the event from their homes. The 2020 Republican National Convention, like its Democratic counterpart, will be a virtual affair, with a mix of live speeches and pre-recorded videos. That’s a problem for lobbyists and top donors who normally enjoy access to top officials at in-person conventions.
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** Trump at the center of Oklahoma Republican primary runoff
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Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District Republican primary has come down to a runoff next Tuesday between a Trump devotee and a more moderate candidate. Each candidate has poured most of their campaign funds into the race. In 2016, President Trump carried the district — which encompasses Oklahoma City — with 53 percent of the vote. But in 2018, pundits and observers were surprised when Rep. Kendra Horn (D-Okla.) defeated incumbent Rep. Steve Russell (R).
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** Party operatives steering millions in ‘dark money’ to 2020 election ads
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More than $116 million in political spending and 2020 contributions can be traced back to “dark money” groups aligned with Democratic or Republican party leadership. These political party-aligned dark money groups have largely skirted the FEC’s disclosure rules by pouring millions of dollars into digital advertising, TV ads framed as issue advocacy and funneling money through closely tied super PACs effectively operating as “shadow parties” with close ties to political party leadership.
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Steve Bannon indictment highlights loopholes in political spending transparency
Federal prosecutors charged former White House strategist Steve Bannon and three others with fraud Thursday for allegedly siphoning money from an online fundraising effort meant to build a wall on the southern border for President Donald Trump.
The indictment alleges Bannon, Brian Kolfage, Andrew Badolato and Timothy Shea routed crowdfunded money for the “We Build The Wall” campaign to their personal accounts using a number of nonprofits and shell companies.
The group raised $25 million on GoFundMe, but never disclosed how it was spending its money. Kolfage later launched an identically named 501(c)(4) tax-exempt nonprofit called "We Build the Wall” with a similar stated aim to fund a southern border wall and an ambitious $5 billion goal.
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OpenSecrets in the News
See our media citations from outlets around the nation this week:
* ** 'Climate Donors’ Flock to Biden to Counter Trump’s Fossil Fuel Money (The New York Times) ([link removed])
Hard money climate donations represent a growing counterweight to oil, gas and coal money. Self-identified “climate donors” are a new phenomenon in the 2020 election.
* ** Giffords PAC, gun violence prevention group, endorses Dana Balter for Congress (The Auburn Citizen) ([link removed])
Giffords PAC, the gun control group founded by Gabby Giffords, is getting into in the race for New York's 24th District. The group is backing Democrat Dana Balter over incumbent Republican (and gun industry ally) John Katko.
* ** Does AARP Support the Democratic Party? (Snopes) ([link removed])
A fact-check from Snopes using OpenSecrets data found that no, money paid to AARP through membership dues or donations does not go “directly” to the Democratic party, as a popular meme claims.
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4 star rating for 8 consecutive years
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