Dark Money

Karl Rove

Watchdogs to IRS: Reject Rove Group’s Tax Application

Crossroads GPS said it would stay out of elections. Then was one of 2012's biggest outside spenders.

— By Justin Elliot, ProPublica

| Sat Jan. 5, 2013 4:00 AM PST
voting booths

Dark Money Group Promised the IRS it Would Stay Out of Politics, Then Didn't

Americans for Responsible Leadership, which California officials have accused of "campaign money laundering," promised the IRS it would not engage in elections.

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| Fri Jan. 4, 2013 4:00 AM PST
FreedomWorks

Powerful Tea Party Group's Internal Docs Leak—Read Them Here

FreedomWorks bills itself as a grassroots outfit, but it's bankrolled mostly by big-money donors.

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| Fri Jan. 4, 2013 4:00 AM PST

The New Bipartisan Plan to Drag Dark Money Into the Daylight

The new plan's biggest obstacle: Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Congress' defender of dark money.

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| Fri Dec. 28, 2012 9:28 AM PST

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Jon Tester

How Dark Money Helped Democrats Hold a Key Senate Seat

In Montana, liberals bought ads for a libertarian candidate who likely siphoned crucial votes away from the Republican challenger.

—By Kim Barker, ProPublica

 | Fri Dec. 28, 2012 4:00 AM PST

2016 Presidential Hopefuls Are Already Schmoozing Sheldon Adelson And Other Bankrollers

In the super-PAC era, it's never too early to start schmoozing the political moneymen.

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| Mon Dec. 3, 2012 8:03 AM PST
stack of hundred dollar bills

The Mystery of the Pro-Obama Dark-Money Group

The 2012 campaign's most secretive nonprofit wasn't Crossroads GPS or Americans for Prosperity—it was the Democrats' Priorities USA.

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| Sat Dec. 1, 2012 3:03 PM PST

Koch Brothers: It's Only a Flesh Wound!

What the (fake) Koch brothers might say to their disappointed friends and fellow dark-money donors.

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| Mon Dec. 3, 2012 4:00 AM PST

2012's Most Loved and Hated Attack Ads

The votes are in: Which political ads did viewers think were winners and which ones were total fails?

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| Fri Nov. 30, 2012 4:00 AM PST

2012's Least Horrible Super-PACs

Colbert's funny dark money, grassroots organizers, and deep-pocketed reformers proved that super-PACs don't have to be mud-slinging attack machines.

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| Fri Nov. 30, 2012 4:00 AM PST

Watchdog: Rove-Founded Group Broke the Law By Not Disclosing Certain Donors

Crossroads GPS says the charge is baseless and politically motivated.

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| Thu Nov. 15, 2012 10:44 AM PST

New Group Unveils Its Plan to Get Money Out of Politics

Led by bipartisan reformers, Represent.Us seeks to undo "the worst political corruption in American history."

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| Tue Nov. 13, 2012 4:17 PM PST

The Man Behind Citizens United Says 2012 Has Vindicated Him

James Bopp says the failure of conservative super-PACs proves that "nobody can buy an election."

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| Mon Nov. 12, 2012 4:00 AM PST

This Week in Dark Money

Ticked-off billionaires, the ad that finished Romney, and more from this election-week look at the murky world of political money.

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| Fri Nov. 9, 2012 4:00 AM PST
Sheldon Adelson, left, and George Soros.

Will Republican Megadonors Say Sayonara to Super-PACs?

Liberal bankrollers soured on partisan politics after the 2004 elections. Will Adelson and Co. follow suit after 2012?

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| Fri Nov. 9, 2012 4:00 AM PST
Sheldon Adelson

Sheldon Adelson's Lousy Election Bets

The casino billionaire dropped more than $57 million on super-PACs. Overall, he busted.

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| Wed Nov. 7, 2012 11:31 AM PST
sherrod brown

Sen. Sherrod Brown Fights Off the Dark-Money Machine to Win in Ohio

Brown's win puts Democrats that much closer to keeping their slim Senate majority.

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| Tue Nov. 6, 2012 7:35 PM PST
sheldon adelson

Sheldon Adelson Is Partying With Mitt Romney on Election Night

It's the least Adelson could expect for his $53 million in pro-GOP donations this election cycle.

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| Tue Nov. 6, 2012 8:15 AM PST

9 Incredible Campaign Money Stats

Some quick Election Day stats on Super-PACs, dark money, and…Justin Bieber?!

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| Tue Nov. 6, 2012 4:00 AM PST
money

California's Biggest "Campaign Money Laundering" Scheme, Revealed—Kinda

A bitter fight in California to unmask a secretive donor ends with more questions than answers.

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| Mon Nov. 5, 2012 12:48 PM PST