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July 29, 2021

This week in money-in-politics

Tom Barrack’s foreign agent charges aren’t his first brush with foreign influence allegations

Last week’s arrest of Tom Barrack, a real estate investor who chaired former President Donald Trump’s 2017 presidential inaugural fund, isn’t his first dust-up over foreign influence operations.

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Ten Olympic sponsors committed to reevaluating their political contributions. Only some have kept their promise.

Ten of the Olympic Games’ sponsors pledged to suspend, review or eliminate political contributions following Jan. 6, but many have reneged on that promise.

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Senate committee endorses massive defense spending bill while defense lobbying spending decreases

The defense industry spent significantly less on lobbying in the second quarter of 2021 as the Senate Armed Services Committee endorsed raising defense spending.

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National Democratic fundraising committees catch up with GOP, reversing recent history

National Republican Party committees have consistently dominated fundraising. But in the first six months of 2021, Democrats have started to catch up.

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As Senate brings infrastructure deal to the floor, lobbying groups spend big

The vote comes after 16 of 23 organizations that supported the bill spent a combined $29.5 million on lobbying in the second quarter this year.

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Ohio special election could be most expensive House race in 2021

Candidates in the special election for Ohio’s 11th Congressional District have raised over $6 million, making it currently the most expensive special House election in 2021.

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Trump-backed Susan Wright trails in fundraising ahead of Texas-6 runoff

Texans in the state’s 6th Congressional District went to the polls on Tuesday to determine who will replace the late Rep. Ron Wright.

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OpenSecrets in the News

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

Brother of top Biden advisor lobbied Executive Office of the President on behalf of GM (CNBC)
The NSC is chaired by the president himself, and the council’s meetings can be attended by the vice president, the secretary of State, the Treasury secretary, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the director of national intelligence, and other senior administration officials. Ricchetti Inc., the firm Jeff and Steve Ricchetti founded together, had not lobbied the National Security Council until now, according to data from OpenSecrets.

Washington is a lobbying boom town under Biden (Roll Call)
It’s worth noting that individual contribution limits, which adjust for inflation, are $2,900 per election this cycle. But even adjusted for inflation, House candidates of both parties are ahead this year when compared with fundraising at this stage in previous cycles, said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan group that tracks campaign finance and lobbying money.

NRA Spending on Lawyers Is on Pace for Record This Year (Bloomberg)
In 2016, revenue was $367 million, and that year the NRA was the largest contributor to Donald Trump’s successful run for president. As the NRA’s legal troubles have mounted, the group hasn’t been as big a spender on candidates, according to Anna Massoglia, an investigative researcher with OpenSecrets, formerly the Center for Responsive Politics.

Reuters

Salon

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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