To hide their identities from public scrutiny, megadonors used the Koch political network’s favorite conduit, DonorsTrust, to funnel $134 million to groups promoting the Right’s culture wars and spreading climate misinformation, Trump’s big lie, and hate, as indicated in IRS filings obtained by the Center for Media and Democracy.
Featured Investigations
New Report Reveals Big Oil’s Playbook to Silence Climate Protests
A new report by Greenpeace USA details the widespread coordination between the public and private sectors to monitor activism, punish protesters both physically and legally, and grease the wheels for proposed anti-protest bills that criminalize civil disobedience.
ALEC’s Stand Your Ground Laws Have Created a Deadly Culture of Shoot-First Vigilantism
In early October, a Florida state senator introduced legislation to repeal the state’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law allowing individuals to use deadly force in self-defense outside their homes. Florida was the first state to enact such a measure, and in the 18 years since its passage, studies have shown that more Floridians are dying because of it.
Koch Industries Forced to Pay $1.2 Million for its Latest Lies
On September 13, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) fined Georgia-Pacific, a subsidiary of Koch Industries, $1.2 million for abandoning a natural gas pipeline without notifying federal regulators and lying about work already completed once it did notify them.
Mock Constitutional Convention Reveals Far Right’s Vision for Rewriting the U.S. Constitution
A troupe of musicians dressed in tricorne hats and other colonial-era attire escorted a parade of Republican legislators and activists to a conventional hall in Colonial Williamsburg, where they would embark on an “immersive experience” — rewriting the U.S. Constitution.
Lawmakers à la Carte: How ALEC Sells Access to State Legislators
It’s no secret that the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) offers its corporate sponsors a variety of options for buying access to state lawmakers. Now, new documents reveal just how much — or little — it costs.
Democrats and Republicans Need to Strike a Deal to Sideline the Far-Right House Caucus Holding America Hostage
Our first branch of government in the United States has been paralyzed and thrown into chaos — again — by a small cadre of far-right MAGA members of the House Freedom Caucus. It’s not by fluke or flaw, but rather the disciplined execution of a plan.
MAGA Makes Its Move to Capture House Speaker Position
A key Trump ally who worked to overturn the 2020 election results and has deep ties to a dark-money MAGA group is still in the running for the next speaker of the House, a position third in line for the presidency.
Progressive Groups Protest ALEC’s “50 Years of Harm”
A coalition of progressive groups gathered in front of the National Portrait Gallery yesterday to protest the 50th anniversary celebrations of the American Legislative Exchange Council and draw attention to its “#50YearsofHarm.”
Parent Company of Taco Bell & KFC Pivots to Funding Right-Wing Causes
The fast food giant Yum! Brands has reversed its 2012 decision to stop funding the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and started paying annual dues to an association of right-wing attorneys general, according to its most recent voluntary financial disclosure.