Extortion: How Politicians Extract Your Money, Buy Votes, and Line Their Own Pockets

by Peter Schweizer

Overview

“Schweizer names guilty parties . . . He exposes powerful figures in politics, law firms, and corporations.” — Forbes

Washington is no longer about lawmaking, it’s about moneymaking

Conventional wisdom holds that Washington is broken because outside special interests bribe politicians. The reverse is true: politicians have developed a new set of brass-knuckle legislative tactics designed to extort wealthy industries and donors into forking over big donations — cash that lawmakers often funnel into the pockets of their friends and family.

Inside this best-selling bombshell of a book, Schweizer reveals the exorbitant secret “fees” each political party charges politicians for top committee assignments; how fourteen members of Congress bagged hundreds of thousands of dollars using a little-known self-loan loophole; how politicians use PACs to bankroll lavish lifestyles; and much more. Washington’s extortion racket has gone unreported — until now.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544103306
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/22/2013
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	471,141
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

PETER SCHWEIZER is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and he is the founder and director of the Government Accountability Institute. He has written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Newsweek/Daily Beast, and elsewhere. His books include Throw Them All Out, which exposed congressional insider stock trading and led to the passage of the STOCK Act.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction: "Throw Fear" 1

2 America's Most Expensive Tollbooth 21

3 Protection: For a Price 39

4 The Underground Washington Economy 57

5 The Double-Milker: You May Not Be Interested in Washington, but Washington Is Interested in You 79

6 Slush Funds 101

7 Trust Me: You're Gonna Need to Pay Me 111

8 Protection for a Price: What About a Washington Corrupt Practices Act? 127

9 It's a Family Affair 151

10 Conclusion: Protection for the Rest of Us 171

Appendix 1 Republican Party Dues Lists, 2013, and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Member Dues, 2013-2014, 2011-2012 181

Appendix 2 Leadership PAC Spending on Other Candidates During 2012 Election Cycle 202

Notes 203

Index 239

Acknowledgments 250