As the cache of internal State Department cables released by Julian Assange and Wikileaks.org amply demonstrates, U.S. government officials offer frank opinions about the leaders, policies and political developments in other countries. Another treasure trove of documents, disclosure of which is required by the Foreign Agents Registration Act, shows how foreign governments use Washington lobbyists to challenge those judgments and plead their case in Washington. The Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group, thanks to a grant from ProPublica.org, has digitized and made searchable data from FARA filings. To see all the data, click here.
Disclosures filed in 2009 show ...
International influence: Agents of foreign clients report thousands of lobbying contacts, millions in fees
In 2009, lobbying, public relations and other firms that represent some 328 clients —foreign governments, political parties and government-controlled entities including some for-profit corporations—reported receiving more than $60 million in fees—down by about $25 million from the total in the previous year, an analysis of disclosures required by the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) shows. The Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group has digitized and made searchable data from FARA disclosures.
While some countries continued their lobbying efforts from previous years, including a group of African nations working towards receiving better trade benefits, others pushed for earmarks or attempted to ...
Continue readingCoups, nuclear deals and Gitmo detainees featured in 2009 FARA filings
Denounced by their Latin American neighbors, the Obama administration and world opinion following the removal from power and immediate exile of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, the acting Honduran government turned to Washington lobbyists to launch a media and lobbying campaign on Sept. 19, 2009, to regain legitimacy in the United States.
Two months earlier, President Manuel Zelaya, who was democratically elected, was deported after the country’s Supreme Court endorsed a lower court order finding a referendum Zelaya called for would violate the country’s constitution. The Supreme Court ordered the military to remove Zelaya, and Roberto Micheletti, the next ...
Continue readingOrszag to Citigroup?
Bloomberg.com is reporting that Peter Orszag, formerly director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Obama administration, is in talks with Citigroup to join its investment banking division. Orszag wouldn't be the first former government official to land at Citigroup, as our friends at the Center for Responsive Politics show.
The Bloomberg article makes for interesting Poligraft fodder.
Continue readingTwo groups file as Super PACs
The mid-term elections are over and the 2012 contest is 23 months away, but the independent groups that played an outsized role in the former are already gearing up for the next contest. Protecting America's Retirees and America's Next Generation filed letters last month with the Federal Election Commission declaring their intent to take unlimited contributions from any source.
Protecting America's Retirees, which an AFL-CIO blog post identifies as an "independent project of the Alliance for Retired Americans," disclosed modest expenditures of $157,000 in the midterms aimed at six House races, backing the winner in three ...
Continue readingA history of discipline in the House
According to the Congressional Research Service, 35 members have been censured, reprimanded or expelled in the history of the House of Representatives. Here's a breakdown, according to a 2005 report:
Censures
| Date | Member | Conduct |
|---|---|---|
| July 11, 1832 | William Stanbery (Ohio) | Insulting the Speaker of the House. |
| March 22, 1842 | Joshua R. Giddings (Ohio) | Resolution introduced by Member relating to delicate international negotiations deemed "incendiary." |
| July 15, 1856 | Lawrence M. Keitt (S.C.) | Assisting in assault on a Member. |
| April 9, 1864 | Benjamin G. Harris (Md.) | Treasonous conduct in opposing subjugation of the South. |
| April 14, 1864 | Alexander Long (Ohio ... |
In defense of Charlie Rangel: Does everybody do it?
Rep. Charles Rangel faces an adjudicatory hearing before the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct--better known as the House Ethics Committee--this morning. We'll are covering the whole hearing on Sunlight Live, delving into the charges of violations of ethics rules that in some cases go back years. Rangel stands accused of everything from soliciting donations to a nonprofit center that bears his name from interests with business before the Ways and Means Committee, which he chaired at the time, to abusing his parking privileges in the House garage. (A full list of charges is available here).
The ...
Continue readingNew GOP wave could slow the pace of healthcare reform
House Republicans will begin planning their agendas this week. Many of these candidates made their opposition to the President's health care law a central issue in their campaigns. But to what extent will Tuesday's elections actually affect the course of reform?
Likely Speaker of the House John Boehner has been an outspoken proponent of the "repeal and replace" approach, telling reporters yesterday that he wants to begin "lay(ing) the groundwork" to repeal the law. But overturning health care reform would require a two-thirds majority to beat an Obama veto, a mark the GOP falls far short of ...
Did outside money pay off?
More than $400 million in outside money was spent in the general elections for House and Senate this year. Here's a look at the top outside spenders and how much they spent in races where each party won.
Continue reading
Big spenders: How candidates backed by outside groups fared
Yesterday’s big win for the Republicans was also a major victory for some the outside groups that have spent liberally on the election.
American Crossroads, the conservative-leaning group advised by Karl Rove was the night’s biggest winner, helping Republicans take control of the House and narrow the margin in the Senate.
The Super PAC spent money on 43 candidates, and racked up 28 wins and 15 losses. Some of those losses include the Nevada Senate race between Majority Leader and Tea Party candidate Sharron Angle and the Colorado Senate race between Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Ken Buck ...
59063
