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Following The Money Behind The Capitol Insurrection

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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, front, followed by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., walk from the House Chamber following a Senate procession carrying boxes holding Electoral College votes to the House Chamber for a joint session to confirm the Electoral College votes. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo)
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, front, followed by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., walk from the House Chamber following a Senate procession carrying boxes holding Electoral College votes to the House Chamber for a joint session to confirm the Electoral College votes. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo)

Listen to Indi Samarajiva on the consequences of America's 'stupid coup' here.


The rally before the attack on the Capitol. Who funded it? How much did they spend? Who are they funding now? We talk dark money and the insurrection.

Guests

Meredith McGehee, executive director of Issue One, a non-profit focused on political reform and reducing money in politics. (@IOMcGehee)

Mike Spies, reporter at ProPublica. (@mikespiesnyc)

Also Featured

Karl Evers-Hillstrom, money-in-politics reporter for OpenSecrets.org. (@KarlMEvers)

From The Reading List

Axios: "Hawley rakes in grassroots cash after Capitol attack" — "January was Sen. Josh Hawley's best fundraising month—by far—since his 2018 election, with a flood of small-dollar donations more than eclipsing the corporate cash he lost after leading an effort to block certification of President Biden's Electoral College win."

ProPublica: “Text Messages Show Top Trump Campaign Fundraiser’s Key Role Planning the Rally That Preceded the Siege” — "In the week leading up to the Jan. 6 rally in Washington, D.C., that exploded into an attack on the Capitol, a top Trump campaign fundraiser issued a directive to a woman who had been overseeing planning for the event."

Opensecrets.org: "Trump has $105 million in the bank to influence intra-GOP battles" — "Former President Donald Trump has $105 million in the bank among four political committees he controls, a massive sum he could use to influence intraparty battles over the future of the Republican Party."

Medium: "I Lived Through A Stupid Coup. America Is Having One Now" — "Two years ago, I lived through a coup in Sri Lanka. It was stupid. The minority party threw chili powder at everyone in Parliament and took over by farce. Math, however, requires a majority and the courts kicked them out. They gave in. We’d been protesting for weeks and yay, we won."

Wall Street Journal: "Jan. 6 Rally Funded by Top Trump Donor, Helped by Alex Jones, Organizers Say" — "The rally in Washington’s Ellipse that preceded the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol was arranged and funded by a small group including a top Trump campaign fundraiser and donor facilitated by far-right show host Alex Jones."

Roll Call: "Kevin McCarthy taps Trump donors in seeking to retake House majority" — "House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is relying on the brand and grassroots network of his party’s ex-president to gin up donations in Republicans’ quest to retake the majority in the chamber in 2022."

Opensecrets.org: "Exploring the top donors to GOP Electoral College objectors" — "Hours after an angry mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol building Wednesday — a violent insurrection that forced lawmakers to evacuate, delayed the democratic process and led to the death of a Capitol Police officer — 147 Republican lawmakers objected to the Electoral College results on behalf of the president’s baseless allegations of fraud."

Vox: "Rep. Adam Kinzinger’s new PAC hopes to pull the GOP away from Trump" — "Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL)has been one of former President Donald Trump’s loudest — and only — critics among Republicans in Congress. Now, after recently voting to impeach the former president for a second time, Kinzinger is launching a political action committee to support anti-Trump Republicans and purge the GOP of Trump’s influence."

This program aired on February 5, 2021.

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