About: Zaid Jilani
Bio: Zaid Jilani is a reporter for The Intercept. He is the former Communications and Outreach Coordinator for United Republic and the former Senior Reporter-Blogger for ThinkProgress. His work has also appeared in outlets including Salon and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2009 and moved shortly after to Washington to work to make America a more just and free place.
Who Has Been Paying GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Pat McCrory? It’s Anybody’s Guess!
As we’ve shown here at Republic Report time and time again, the U.S. political system’s rules for disclosure, well, suck. It’s very difficult to know who is actually lobbying the government — a lot of people do it without ever registering as lobbyists — or exactly how and when money changes hands. That’s a huge
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VIDEO: Pro-Disclosure Democrats Were Anti-Disclosure In 2006
The DISCLOSE Act failed to overcome a Republican filibuster again last night, dooming the bill in the Senate. Democrats are pushing the bill to help reveal the donors of outside special interest groups that are dumping millions of dollars into the election anonymously. Republicans unanimously oppose the bill. But in 2006, things were very different. The two
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VIDEO: After Attacking Opponent’s Lobbyist Fundraising, Dewhurst…Fundraises With D.C. Lobbyists
There’s a populist revolt against Big Money, and one place where you can see this on full display is in Texas. Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst is running against former Solicitor General Ted Cruz for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate, and each side has accused the other of being beholden to lobbyists. Dewhurst, who is widely
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In Georgia, Tea Party And Progressives Go On Bus Tour To Fight Lobbyists
We’ve been continually reporting on the tea party-progressive movement in Georgia to demand a lobbyist gift cap so that lobbyists can no longer give any gifts to lawmakers that cost more than $100 (Georgia is today one of three states where lobbyists can give unlimited gifts to legislators). At least 130 sitting state lawmakers or
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Med Students Fighting To Keep Big Pharma Bribes Out Of Doctors’ Offices
If you’ve ever been to a doctor’s office, chances are you’ve seen pharmaceutical advertisements or even samples of the latest wonder drug. In 2011, ProPublica published a landmark database that showed how widespread the practice is of major pharmaceutical companies paying doctors to promote their drugs; some estimates of these payments find that as many
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Breaking: Senate Will Hold Vote On The DISCLOSE Act Next Week
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) has just announced this afternoon that Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has said that there will be a vote on the DISCLOSE (Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections) Act on Monday. The DISCLOSE Act helps make election spending more transparent, by requiring the disclosure of donors to
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In Between Hill Stints, Connie Mack Chief Of Staff Was Paid By Foreign Lobbying Interests, Anti-Chavez Groups
President Obama made what should be an uncontroversial statement the other day. He told a Spanish language television station that Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez does not pose a serious threat to the United States. Unless flamboyant language is considered a threat, there’s little to argue with Obama’s statement. Venezuela has not engaged in or threatened
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Nebraska GOP Senate Candidate Deb Fischer Puts Out Bold Plan For Ethics Reform
Deb Fischer shocked political observers recently when she came from behind and won the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate in Nebraska. Although an endorsement from GOP icon Sarah Palin probably helped, it’s worth noting that Fischer has also been campaigning on a strong proposal to reform the ethics and lobbying laws in Congress. Here’s a
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