Peter Overby

IRS Hearings Highlight Ambiguity Of Nonprofits In Politics

Peter Overby — Sat, 25 May 2013 09:55:00 +0000

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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News, I'm Scott Simon. In the two weeks since the Internal Revenue Service scandal erupted, the acting commissioner has been ousted, the head of the relevant section has been put on administrative leave.

IRS Official's Silence Riles House Committee Members

Peter Overby — Thu, 23 May 2013 08:38:00 +0000

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

The IRS has admitted to targeting conservative groups seeking tax exempt status. And yesterday at a House hearing the IRS director of exempt organizations said, quote: "I have not done anything wrong." She then declined to testify.

Battle Lines Harden In Debate Over Blame For IRS Controversy

Peter Overby — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:32:00 +0000

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LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

Lawmakers are demanding to know what went wrong and who is to blame at the IRS. Two Senate committees held hearings yesterday on the agency's aggressive handling of applications from conservative groups who were seeking tax-exemption. A top IRS official facing a House committee, today, intends to invoke her Fifth Amendment right not to testify. NPR's Peter Overby reports.

PETER OVERBY, BYLINE: Lois Lerner heads up the section on tax-exempt organizations.

Highly Charged IRS Case Pulls In Political Agendas

Peter Overby — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:23:00 +0000

NPR's Peter Overby reports on the Congressional testimony of IRS officials in response to the scandal over special scrutiny of tea party groups. Underneath all the politics, there's a policy question that hasn't been addressed.

Some Lawmakers Want Big-Budget Groups Included In IRS Debate

Peter Overby — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:01:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l2s_q_kfrU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdYjp8-RMwA

Political Intelligence Firms Expected To Face Changes After SEC Focus

Peter Overby — Mon, 13 May 2013 08:21:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And let's turn now to the topic of political intelligence. This is the business of collecting highly detailed information from Congress and the regulatory agencies and then using it to make it money on Wall Street. The Securities and Exchange Commission is now investigating this practice.

After Targeting Conservative Groups, IRS Apologizes

Peter Overby — Fri, 10 May 2013 21:45:00 +0000

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

From NPR News this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

And I'm Robert Siegel. After more than a year of denials by the IRS, a director at the agency apologized today for its targeting of Tea Party and patriot groups. As NPR's Peter Overby reports, the apology has reignited a political controversy.

PETER OVERBY, BYLINE: Some Tea Party groups have long accused the IRS of going after them with unfair harshness.

Why Lobbying Is Now Increasingly In The Shadows

Peter Overby — Fri, 03 May 2013 07:24:00 +0000

While ideological gridlock continues to immobilize Capitol Hill, another of Washington's institutions is morphing behind the scenes.

The lobbying industry is becoming more secretive — reversing a trend that dates back to the 1990s. And campaign money now looms ever larger as a critical element in the persuasion business.

Ever since Congress strengthened the lobbying disclosure laws in 1995, most lobbyists have routinely registered and filed their quarterly disclosures of clients, issues and fees.

FEC: DOMA Limits Political Donations By Gay Married Couples

Peter Overby — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:36:00 +0000

Maybe it's not your first thought after saying "I do," but federal election law gives married couples some advantages in making political contributions. The Federal Election Commission tried Thursday to make those same breaks available to couples in same-sex marriages — but commissioners said they're thwarted by the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

True, President Obama's Justice Department no longer defends DOMA, and the Supreme Court is weighing whether to get rid of it. But the FEC didn't want to get too far out in front.

Remembering Bob Perry, Who Funded Political Attack Ads

Peter Overby — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:17:00 +0000

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MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

The Texas multimillionaire Bob Perry died this past Saturday. Perry made his money building suburban homes. He then spent much of it in ways that changed American politics.

NPR's Peter Overby tells us more.

PETER OVERBY, BYLINE: Bob Perry died at age 80. He never said much in public about his politics. The money spoke for him.

IRS To 'Social Welfare' Groups: Show Me The Political Ad Money

Peter Overby — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 16:51:00 +0000

There are still unanswered questions about the politically active 501(c)(4) "social welfare" groups. The anonymously funded entities' multimillion-dollar ad budgets helped to clog the airwaves last year.

How much did they really spend to intervene in the 2012 campaign? What kinds of sources supplied their money?

Thieves Target Political Ad Consultants On New FCC Site

Peter Overby — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 18:41:00 +0000

Poke into the obscure corners of the Federal Communications Commission's website, and you can find one of the deepest disclosures in campaign finance.

An FCC database, which the government just approved last April and began making public in August, posts documents that reveal which politicians and advocacy groups buy TV ads on major-market network affiliates, and how much they pa

For Some Conservatives, It's Homecoming Week

Peter Overby — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 01:51:00 +0000

The American conservative movement has its homecoming this week: the Conservative Political Action Conference, where everyone from politicians to peddlers is out to inspire the faithful.

Last year, one of the headline speakers was former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who harked back to the second-ever CPAC in 1975, when Ronald Reagan laid out a vision for a conservative Republican Party.

She invoked his image of a banner of bold colors, not pale pastels.

"And ever since then, CPAC has been the rally for conservative action, and that's why I am glad to be here today with all of

After Tough 2012, Conservative Koch Brothers Regroup

Peter Overby — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 22:39:00 +0000

The network of political groups headed by conservative industrialists David and Charles Koch spent millions of undisclosed dollars in last year's elections. Now, after failing to help Republicans win the White House or the Senate, the Koch brothers are re-examining the network, its goals and strategies.

The Koch brothers rank among the most influential money men in conservative circles. Twice a year, they convene other wealthy conservatives to strategize and pledge money.

Supreme Court Will Not Hear Campaign Finance Case On Corporate Donations

Peter Overby — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:27:00 +0000

The Supreme Court says it won't hear a case that would have let candidates solicit money from corporations. By doing so, the court is reaffirming one strict ban on corporate political money, three years ago after easing other limits in its controversial Citizens United ruling.

Congress outlawed corporate contributions to candidates back in 1907.

Liberal Watchdog Group: 'Fix The Debt' Movement More Astroturf Than Grassroots

Peter Overby — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 14:35:00 +0000

The liberal watchdog group Center for Media and Democracy says Fix the Debt — a key unit in philanthropist Pete Peterson's corps of organizations to battle the national debt — is a pro-business effort masquerading as a grassroots movement.

In a conference call with reporters Friday, CMD director Lisa Graves called Fix the Debt "an Astroturf supergroup that is exceedingly well funded." The term "Astroturf" refers to groups that appear to be citizen-organized but actually have their roots at consultants' offices inside the Capital Beltway.

A spokesman for

Supreme Court Takes Case That Could Puncture A Key Campaign Cash Limit

Peter Overby — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 22:30:00 +0000

Barely three years after the Supreme Court's landmark Citizens United ruling, which liberated corporations to spend freely in elections, the justices say they'll take up another campaign finance case — this time aiming at one of the limits on the "hard money" that goes directly to candidates and party committees.

The court decided Tuesday to hear arguments in McCutcheon v.

How New Jersey's High-Flying Sen. Menendez Ran Into Turbulence

Peter Overby — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 21:20:00 +0000

These should be good times for Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez.

New Jersey voters re-elected him last fall in a landslide, and he became chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee a few weeks ago. But along the way, Menendez has come under scrutiny by the Senate Ethics Committee and perhaps other government investigators — and certainly the media — for his connections to a longtime friend and generous campaign donor.

In July, Menendez called two Obama administration officials to his Foreign Relations subcommittee to explain why Washington wasn't sticking up for U.S.

Obama's Record On Political Money One Of Ambivalence

Peter Overby — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 22:28:00 +0000

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

Something that President Obama is not likely to dwell on tonight is the feeble state of campaign finance laws. It was three years ago that he used the State of the Union to challenge the Supreme Court on its Citizens United decision, which encouraged more corporate money in politics. This year, though, he has his own tax-exempt social welfare group backed with corporate contributions to help advance his agenda.

Even Without Earmarks, Tax Breaks And Special Deals Fill Bills

Peter Overby — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 08:33:00 +0000

Congress likes to say it no longer does earmarks, the provisions that direct federal dollars to serve local interests or campaign supporters.

Bloomberg Puts Millions Behind Gun-Control Push

Peter Overby — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 22:02:00 +0000

Congress faces a battle over gun laws that could be the biggest in a generation.

Leading the charge for gun rights is the National Rifle Association, with its huge budget and grass-roots operations. On the other side, a new leader has emerged in recent years: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is not only outspoken on gun control, he has also opened his substantial wallet for the cause.

President Obama, who has proposed big changes in federal gun laws, mentioned them only obliquely in his inaugural speech Monday.

Critics Decry Looser Rules For Inauguration Fundraising

Peter Overby — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 08:24:00 +0000

A week from Monday, President Obama is to take his public oath of office for a second term.

The inauguration will be marked by celebratory balls and other festivities, sponsored by the privately financed Presidential Inaugural Committee. The first Obama inauguration had strict fundraising rules.

Lobbying Battle Over Hagel Under Way Before Obama's Nod

Peter Overby — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 08:32:00 +0000

Weeks before President Obama officially nominated Chuck Hagel to be secretary of defense, the lobbying battle was well under way. The fight might be bigger than any other Cabinet nomination in history as the former Republican senator's friends and foes prepare for modern combat on TV and the Internet.

As important as confirming a defense secretary might be, this Senate vote will come wrapped in all sorts of other issues, too.

Conservatives Invoke NAACP Case In Fight For Secret Donors

Peter Overby — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 10:10:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tva7BGdMkoU

NRA: 'Only Thing That Stops A Bad Guy With A Gun Is A Good Guy With A Gun'

Peter Overby — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 22:06:00 +0000

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

Today also brought the first detailed response to the Newtown shootings from the nation's largest gun rights group, the National Rifle Association. At a media event here in Washington, the group's CEO took a defiant stance and took no questions. NRA leaders had promised meaningful contributions on how to prevent more mass killings. As NPR's Peter Overby reports, they recommended more, not fewer, guns.

PETER OVERBY, BYLINE: NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre skipped the constitutional arguments for the Second Amendment.

Financial Ties Bind NRA, Gun Industry

Peter Overby — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 23:05:00 +0000

Leaders of the National Rifle Association plan to break their weeklong silence Friday and make their first public comments on the mass shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn.

They say they will be speaking for the NRA's 4 million members. But they will also be speaking for the gun industry, which has close financial ties to the association.

The NRA and the gun industry are reeling after last week's massacre.

Single-Issue Solidarity Behind NRA's Clout

Peter Overby — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 08:50:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJo2xlmT29I

DeMint And Heritage: Playing Off Each Other's Strengths

Peter Overby — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 23:12:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7D0d7ztLY0

Obama, Romney Each Raised More Than $1 Billion

Peter Overby — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 21:24:00 +0000

The final fundraising numbers from this election season were filed on Thursday.

How To Oust A Congressman, SuperPAC-Style

Peter Overby — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 13:54:00 +0000

After spending millions of dollars in the presidential and Senate campaigns with little to show for it, many superPACs and other outside groups are still tending their wounds. But it's too soon to write off superPACs as a waste of wealthy donors' money.

Consider, for instance, this upset in a congressional race outside Los Angeles.

U.S. Rep. Joe Baca was first elected in 1999 in what's called the Inland Empire, a group of counties east of Los Angeles.