The Wolves of K Street Podcast

Wolves of K Street Podcast #25: Larry Lessig on his Supreme Fight Over Super PACs

Super PACs have given billionaires unprecedented control over U.S. elections.
A little over a decade ago, the wealthiest Americans contributed just 0.3 percent of the money in American elections.
Today, billionaires account for 20 percent of the money.
Harvard Professors and campaign-finance lawyer Larry Lessig joins us to talk about how to change that.
Lessig also says the Supreme Court’s infamous Citizens United decision did not create super PACs – but a different, little-known case that he is now trying to overturn.

Wolves of K Street Podcast #24: Big Comanies v Small Companies

Chris Jones joins us to talk about efforts by smaller companies to use antitrust policy in Washington to create more competitive markets.
Jones runs a lobbying firm and an industry association that are together working to advocate for people and companies on the wrong side of the erosion of antitrust laws, including independent grocery stores, community pharmacists, farmers, and small businesses.
He says that most lobbying firms will not take on these fights because the clients they want to land are the same dominant players whose market power is at issue.

Wolves of K Street Podcast #23: J.D. Vance, Railroad Regulations and the 2028 Presidential Race

Bloomberg reporter Ted Mann tells us how J.D. Vance’s efforts to enact new  railroad safety regulations shows how he is positioning himself for the 2028 presidential election.
Despite the opposition of most Republicans in Congress, Vance is trying to enact a sweeping package of regulations that he believes will make the railroad industry safer.
Why is Vance trying to impose new regulations on a major Republican friendly industry?
Ted Mann tells us.

Wolves of K Street #22: Foreign Agents and Congressional Investigations

Sam Neel is one of small group of Washington lawyers who business executives turn to for help when congressional investigators come calling.
Sam Neel talks with Luke and I about what to do when corporations find themselves in the crosshairs of congressional oversight investigation – something that many companies will face if Democrats win control of the U.S. House in the November elections.

Wolves of K Street Podcast #21: The Raid on Courtovich's House

An Easter Sunday tip.
A stakeout in Kalorama.
U.S. Marshals arrive.
Luke Mullins describes witnessing the armed raid of Jim Courtovich’s house.

Wolves of K Street Podcast #20: Crypto Super PACs

Crypto companies have become major players in today’s elections.
The industry is re-writing the playbook for corporate influence in elections by using super PACS to spend tens of millions of dollars to help elect candidates they support – and defeat those they oppose.
We talk with star Bloomberg reporter Emily Birnbaum about the crypto industry’s strategy – and whether it is working.

Wolves of K Street Podcat #19: The Civil War Inside the DoJ

“If you don’t approve this settlement, I will destroy you. I will destroy your job at the DOJ.”
That’s what a top Republican fixer told Donald Trump’s chief antitrust enforcer last year, according to an explosive recent story in The Wall Street Journal.
In this episode of The Wolves of K Street podcast, Luke and I talk with one of the authors of the story – Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Rebecca Ballhaus – about how corporate lobbyists are influencing the government’s merger-review process.

Wolves of K Street Podcast #18: Opposition Research: The Content Creators for Political Campaigns

Geoff Embler joins us on The Wolves of K Street podcast to uncover the secretive world of opposition research.
Embler calls opposition researchers the ultimate “content creators” of political campaigns who are responsible for finding stories and developing narratives that define political opponents, business rivals and other adversaries.  
“Good opposition research is the mother’s milk of a successful election campaign,” Embler says.
In another analogy, Embler says the opposition research shop is like the “ammo factory” for a campaign, manufacturing the bullets that a campaign uses to blast opponents.

Wolves of K Street Podcast #17: Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer Explains Rise of Extremism

Former Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer joins us to talk about the unintended consequences of Jan. 6 for American businesses, the rise of super PACs and a new financial-services coalition he's running.
Luetkemeyer explains how key changes in how lawmakers pay fo their reelection campaigns has incentivized Republican and Democratic lawmakers to become more extreme – resulting in the fraying the pro-business center that had existed in since the 1970s.
“The right gets farther to the right – and left goes farther left,” Luetkemeyer says.
Most Republican and Democratic lawmakers once got the largest share of their campaign funds from corporate PACs. Today, they are relying on small donors and the support of super PACs.
That change was accelerated by the Jan. 6 riots and the vote to challenge the 2020 election results.
When companies and trade associations decided to stop donating to Republicans after Jan. 6, many Republicans – including Luetkemeyer – turned against the business lobby.
Luetkemeyer tells us how he blackballed lobbyists from companies who stopped donating to him.
Luetkemeyer also talks about his new coalition, the American Consumer and Investor Institute, and his effort to overhaul federal rules for proxy advisory firms.

Wolves of K Street Podcast #16: Don't Tell the President

Brody and Luke sit down with lobbyist-turned-author Tom Collamore to talk about his new book, Don’t Tell the President, which documents the highs and lows of the anonymous life of presidential advance men (and women).
Collamore tells us about his hilarious and insightful book – and shows how presidential advance underscores the importance of loyalty in politics.
He also describes the behind-the-scenes moments that led to some of the most unforgettable moments in presidential history, including what led Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis to strap on an oversized military helmet and ride around in a tank while TV cameras rolled.
He also described what it was like to be with President George W. Bush on Sept. 11, 2001, and discussed the emotional moment when President Barack Obama visited Sandy Hook after the mass shooting.
Plus, don’t miss the incredible story of the Queen of England’s famous “purple hat” speech in the White House.