The X-Ray - [Swamp Stories] 24. The Arms Race That Won’t End

[Swamp Stories] 24. The Arms Race That Won’t End

03/29/21 • 14 min

More than $1 billion worth of unaccountable "dark money" flowed into the 2020 election at the federal level. This secretive spending by groups with anonymous donors has a corrosive influence on American politics and leaves voters and candidates in the dark about who is attempting to influence their votes and the outcome of an election.

As Congress considers campaign finance and other political reforms, Weston chats with two experts about how this undisclosed cash is thriving and why both political parties should join together to promote greater transparency in campaign spending.

Guests:

Michael Beckel, Research Director at Issue One
Anna Massoglia, Investigative Researcher at OpenSecrets

To learn more about Democracy in Danger, another show in the Democracy Group podcast network, visit: https://medialab.virginia.edu/democracyindanger

Guests:

Michael Beckel, Research Director at Issue One
Anna Massoglia, Investigative Researcher at OpenSecrets

To learn more about Democracy in Danger, another show in the Democracy Group podcast network, visit: https://medialab.virginia.edu/democracyindanger

Previous Episode

[Swamp Stories] 23. The Most Secure Election Ever

The 2020 election was called "the most secure election in American history" by the federal government's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Against the backdrop of a worldwide pandemic, running the election was no small task. Across the country, state and local election officials worked tirelessly to administer safe, free, and fair elections.

In episode 23, Weston chats with three of these officials about how they helped make the 2020 election successful despite the numerous challenges they faced.

Guests:

Jocelyn Benson, Michigan Secretary of State
Adrian Fontes, Former Maricopa County Recorder
Shane Schoeller, Missouri’s Greene County Clerk

Next Episode

[Swamp Stories] 25. The Funnel

We're following up on the last episode of Swamp Stories by taking a deeper dive into the world of "dark money" and examining a once rare strategy that's used to funnel this unaccountable cash through 501(c)(4)s and into the hands of super PACs — all while keeping the identities of the original donors in the shadows.

With the help of his guests, Weston shines a light on how this strategy works and explores legislative steps that Congress could take to make dark money less secretive.

Guests: