Money, influence and public power
Follow reporting on political money, business interests and government decisions. Shared people or institutions do not by themselves establish coordination or wrongdoing.
Listed by source report date. This is a selected collection, not a complete record of coverage.
Politics
Two Rogers campaign consultants are registered for Israel-linked work, Drop Site reports
Source report: 2026-11-01 · Event: Date not established
Two communications consultants working on Mike Rogers’s Michigan Senate campaign are also registered for Israeli government communications work, Drop Site News reports. Abigail Ronson and Jesse Stokes work through campaign vendor Convergence Media; the foreign work runs through Clock Tower X and Havas. The campaign previously disputed describing Ronson as a staffer, although she has spoken for it. Registration is a disclosure requirement, not a finding of wrongdoing, and the reporting does not establish that Israel directs the Rogers campaign.
Read original reporting ↗Elections
Musk poured more than $445 million into federal political committees ahead of the midterms
Source report: 2026-10-30 · Event: Date not established
Elon Musk contributed more than $445 million to federal political committees through mid-October, according to CNN's review of campaign disclosures. The money made him a central financial backer of Republicans' effort to hold Congress. Public Citizen separately tallied about $445 million in super PAC contributions during the 2026 cycle, far ahead of other donors in its analysis.
Read original reporting ↗Government
Abbott wins pause of order granting Hinojosa access to his Musk emails
Source report: 2026-10-28 · Event: 2026-10-27
A Texas judge ordered Greg Abbott's office to let state Representative Gina Hinojosa inspect unredacted communications involving Elon Musk and his companies. Abbott appealed, and the Fifteenth Court of Appeals confirmed that the inspection order was automatically stayed. The dispute concerns a lawmaker's access to government records, not an order releasing the emails to everyone.
Read original reporting ↗Money & power
Matthew Cole's Kushner investigation draws a categorical denial from Kushner
Source report: 2026-10-25 · Event: 2026-10-25
Matthew Cole's new book alleges covert financial arrangements involving Jared Kushner and Gulf leaders. Kushner denies the allegations; his response page predates the listed book release. The publication and denial document a public dispute. They do not establish that the alleged transfers occurred.
Read original reporting ↗Money & power
Garcia asks Kushner for investment records as his diplomatic role overlaps with Affinity's holdings
Source report: 2026-10-05 · Event: 2026-10-05
House Oversight's ranking Democrat Robert Garcia requested Kushner's investment records, safeguards against conflicts and meeting schedules in an October 5 letter. The letter is a request for records, not a finding of corruption. The wider Saudi context includes ODNI's assessment that Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation to capture or kill Jamal Khashoggi. That assessment does not establish that Kushner participated in the killing or exchanged policy for investment.
Read original reporting ↗Money & power
Trump reported $233 million from 59 companies created after his election, CREW finds
Source report: 2026-08-28 · Event: 2026-08-28
Donald Sherman told House Oversight Democrats that Trump had created 59 companies since winning the 2024 election and reported at least $233 million in 2025 revenue from them. CREW's broader analysis put his total reported 2025 revenue above $2.2 billion. The figures describe revenue, not take-home profit, and document a president expanding his businesses while holding office.
Read original reporting ↗Government
Piro built Israel-funded Hanover Institute to shape how chatbots discuss Gaza
Source report: 2026-08-17 · Event: Date not established
Communications firm Piro created the Hanover Institute for Public Policy on behalf of Israel's government advertising agency, Responsible Statecraft reported. The site presented reports without named authors in the style of an independent research institute. Piro also markets a service designed to make its clients' narratives more visible in AI answers, bringing a foreign-funded communications campaign into the sources chatbots may use.
Read original reporting ↗Government
Trump-linked World Liberty wins conditional approval for a stablecoin trust bank
Source report: 2026-08-14 · Event: 2026-08-14
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted World Liberty Trust Company preliminary conditional approval on August 14. The Trump-linked venture proposes issuing USD1 stablecoins and providing digital-asset custody from Florida. The decision raised conflict-of-interest concerns because the administration would supervise a business connected to the president. Final authorization to begin business required additional steps.
Read original reporting ↗Government
Brad Parscale's Israel contract calls for shaping chatbot responses
Source report: 2026-07-28 · Event: 2025-09-18
A foreign-agent filing for Brad Parscale's Clock Tower X includes a commitment to deploy websites and content to influence GPT conversations. Drop Site later documented the firm's Israel-funded network and examples of chatbots citing its sites. Its reporting places the work within a $46.5 million contract, distinct from Piro's Hanover Institute project.
Read original reporting ↗