Eric Petry

Eric Petry

@eepetry.bsky.social

Counsel in the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, working on money in politics, anticorruption, and government ethics. Opinions my own.

787 followers109 following83 posts

Eric Petry reposted

Ian Vandewalker
@ianvan.bsky.social

Over the last 4 midterms, the list of top 40 donors in federal elections has changed radically: Now they overwhelmingly support the GOP. Labor has dropped off, crypto is ascendant. More donors are hidden. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

brennancenter.orgBig Changes to Makeup of the Biggest Midterm DonorsSince Citizens United, the composition of the top 40 donors in the midterms has shifted dramatically: more money, more support for Republicans, less transparency, and new industries like crypto surgin...

Eric Petry reposted

Ian Vandewalker
@ianvan.bsky.social

In a sign that dark money is breaking records, the super PACs affiliated with congressional party leadership all took in more than ever through their dark money arms that keep donors identities secret. On the Senate side, both parties more than doubled their prior record.

Eric Petry reposted

Ian Vandewalker
@ianvan.bsky.social

Replying to @ianvan.bsky.social

SLF PAC is the biggest spender in the midterms. Its unprecedented reliance on secret donors and a prominent megadonor (who holds billions in federal contracts) is a signal that the Citizens United campaign finance system is a disaster.

Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

The secrecy is a huge problem. When people with business before the government can give millions to the president's pet project, and the public can't see who or how much, there's no way to tell whether they're buying access or favors.

Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

Federal law already bars contractors from election spending, but it has big gaps. It doesn't reach donations like these, or spending by a contractor’s owners and executives. Congress should close the loopholes. My @justsecurity.org piece:

justsecurity.orgClosing Pay-to-Play Loopholes: Strengthening the Ban on Federal Contractor Political SpendingTo help curb government corruption, Congress should close the gaps in and expand the ban on contractor political spending.
Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

Last year the White House named some donors, but not how much they gave. Now we know the full scope of fundraising and the concerted effort to keep everything shrouded in secrecy.

Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

Federal contractors like Palantir ($10M), Lockheed Martin ($10M), Microsoft ($10M), and Booz Allen Hamilton ($2.5M) are on the list. So are donors who benefited from regulatory decisions and, in one case, a pardon for a family member, per the Post.

Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

Federal law bars contractors from spending on elections. Elon Musk’s companies have received billions in government contracts and subsidies. Yet he’s spending $366M on the midterms. How is this possible? I explain in my new @justsecurity.org piece. www.justsecurity.org/159734/closi...

justsecurity.orgClosing Pay-to-Play Loopholes: Strengthening the Ban on Federal Contractor Political SpendingTo help curb government corruption, Congress should close the gaps in and expand the ban on contractor political spending.
View full thread
Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

Voters are fed up feeling like the system is rigged for the wealthy and well-connected. In our poll this summer, more than 9 in 10 said corruption is a big problem in US government, and over 80% said they want stronger limits on contractor political spending. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

brennancenter.orgPoll: Voters Want Solutions for Government CorruptionOverwhelming majorities across parties see corruption as a major problem and back measures to limit self-dealing by officials and the influence of money in politics.
Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

Federal law bars contractors from spending on elections. Elon Musk’s companies have received billions in government contracts and subsidies. Yet he’s spending $366M on the midterms. How is this possible? I explain in my new @justsecurity.org piece. www.justsecurity.org/159734/closi...

justsecurity.orgClosing Pay-to-Play Loopholes: Strengthening the Ban on Federal Contractor Political SpendingTo help curb government corruption, Congress should close the gaps in and expand the ban on contractor political spending.
Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

The existing ban has a narrow reach. The FEC says it covers only the specific person or entity holding the contract. So spending by a CEO, parent company, or major shareholder is treated as separate and legal, no matter how big the contracts.

Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

Contractors also give to inaugurations, presidential libraries, and projects like the WH ballroom. None of that is covered. This isn’t about one billionaire or one party. Contractors and their owners spend tens of millions every cycle, and the payoffs can be huge. academic.oup.com/book/61887/c...

academic.oup.comCampaign Finance and “Real” CorruptionAbstract. In “Campaign Finance and ‘Real’ Corruption,” Nicholas Stephanopoulos surveys empirical literature establishing the continued prevalence of corrup

Eric Petry reposted

Brennan Center
@brennancenter.org

"Money flowing between government contractors and the officials who control their contracts poses an unacceptable risk of corruption," @eepetry.bsky.social wrote in @justsecurity.org. But gaps in federal law do "little to address this risk." Congress can and should act.

justsecurity.orgClosing Pay-to-Play Loopholes: Strengthening the Ban on Federal Contractor Political SpendingTo help curb government corruption, Congress should close the gaps in and expand the ban on contractor political spending.
View full thread
Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

This pattern reveals an increasingly broken system that seems to reward wealth, access, and influence rather than innovation and efficiency. Even if none of these arrangements are illegal, the appearance of favoritism undermines public confidence. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

brennancenter.orgPoll: Voters Want Solutions for Government CorruptionOverwhelming majorities across parties see corruption as a major problem and back measures to limit self-dealing by officials and the influence of money in politics.
Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

Congress must step in to fix it. Lawmakers can require more transparency, improve oversight to root abuse fraud and waste, and eliminate corruption by preventing insiders from using their access and influence to profit.

Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

The president has extensive control over defense spending under the Defense Production Act and other statutory authorities. While discretion sometimes might be necessary for national security, we’re also seeing how it can open the door to favoritism and self-dealing.

Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

Since Trump returned to office, his sons have invested in or been named board members, directors, or advisors to a number of companies that subsequently won huge contracts from the federal government.

Eric Petry reposted

Ian Vandewalker
@ianvan.bsky.social

This deeply researched piece has jaw-dropping allegations of pay-to-play deals where tens of thousands in political donations are made right before a company gets tens of millions in contracts for products the DOD didn't want. www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...

propublica.orgThe FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the WayAfter the FBI caught a defense contractor’s CEO making illegal campaign contributions, it sought to launch a sweeping political bribery probe involving Collins and others. Then the second Trump admini...

Eric Petry reposted

Brennan Center
@brennancenter.org

The Trump admin-backed Freedom 250 Grand Prix, a race that attracted big corporate sponsors, raises serious ethical concerns, @eepetry.bsky.social told @politico.com. The event potentially created a venue for companies to "pay money for access" to federal officials.

politico.comThe race for power, money and influence at Washington’s IndyCar eventThis weekend’s race is another example of the Trump administration’s blurred lines between the private sector and federal government.
Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

The Journal’s reporting is a reminder that our campaign finance system hasn’t kept pace with modern fundraising. If we want to restore trust in government, we need reforms that curb the influence of big money.

Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

They see how corporations and ultra-wealthy donors buy access and influence by writing enormous checks, and how that prevents government from addressing the issues that matter most to them.

Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

The narrative among political elites blaming small donors for ruining politics misses this point completely. It’s true that individual donors (big & small) gravitate to ideological candidates. But small donors have to band together to move the needle. They can't swoop in with a $50M or $100M check.

Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

According to the Journal, Trump has raised more than $800 million since returning to office while personally soliciting corporate contributions as large as $25 or $50 million. Many of the companies involved have pending regulatory matters, seek federal contracts, or lobby the executive branch.

Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

This is exactly the kind of system that fuels public distrust. Earlier this summer, Brennan Center polling found that voters across the political spectrum are fed up by corruption and want solutions. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

brennancenter.orgPoll: Voters Want Solutions for Government CorruptionOverwhelming majorities across parties see corruption as a major problem and back measures to limit self-dealing by officials and the influence of money in politics.

Eric Petry reposted

Ian Vandewalker
@ianvan.bsky.social

As the midterm congressional elections heat up, the richest political committee in the US is, of course … the super PAC controlled by a president who’s not on the ballot and is constitutionally barred from ever running again.

Eric Petry reposted

Dan Weiner
@danw329.bsky.social

BREAKING: Today Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is introducing legislation that would create a powerful new federal enforcement agency to fight political corruption.

Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

Two stories this week point to the same pattern: private money flowing into the executive branch, including from companies seeking contracts or favorable decisions in matters pending before regulators.

View full thread
Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

Outrage at excesses and abuses during the Gilded Age and Watergate sparked sweeping reforms that helped clean up government. We're at a similar moment now: 92% of voters across parties call corruption a big problem and want big solutions. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

brennancenter.orgPoll: Voters Want Solutions for Government CorruptionOverwhelming majorities across parties see corruption as a major problem and back measures to limit self-dealing by officials and the influence of money in politics.
Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

Two stories this week point to the same pattern: private money flowing into the executive branch, including from companies seeking contracts or favorable decisions in matters pending before regulators.

View full thread
Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

When private money and public power fuse so extensively, it breeds corruption and undermines public trust in government. This isn't new. But good news: we can fix it.

Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

Two stories this week point to the same pattern: private money flowing into the executive branch, including from companies seeking contracts or favorable decisions in matters pending before regulators.

Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

Reporting from @wsj.com details the "unprecedented fundraising blitz" from wealthy donors and companies funneling over $781 billion (that we know of so far) to Trump using super PACs, his inauguration and library foundation, the Kennedy Center, and other vehicles. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

wsj.comThe Mystery Money Powering Trump’s Second TermThe president and his allies have built a network of groups financed by wealthy donors and businesses that is advancing his priorities with little public disclosure.

Eric Petry reposted

ProPublica
@propublica.org

NEW: Months after FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty cast a decisive vote approving Paramount’s historic $8 billion merger with Skydance Media, she and a guest accepted Kennedy Center gala tickets from the company worth more than $12,000.

propublica.orgFCC Officials Took Pricey Gifts From Paramount as the Company Needed Approval for Billion-Dollar DealsAccepting tickets to the Kennedy Center honors gala compromised the commissioners’ impartiality, ethics experts told ProPublica. FCC Chair Brendan Carr has been gifted at least $63,000 worth of ticket...
Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

Another day, another story detailing how Trump's businesses are profiting from his presidency. The White House says the president wasn't involved in the specifics, but this same pattern keeps emerging, from crypto, to real estate, to other ventures. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/14/u...

nytimes.comTrump Paid $2 Million by South Korean Company Facing Trade InvestigationThe payment illustrates the minefield Mr. Trump has created by maintaining personal financial ties with foreign businesses while he is in office.
Eric Petry
@eepetry.bsky.social

The egregious slush fund is on ice, and courts have shown they'll enforce the basic ethical rules that apply to all lawyers (including government attorneys!) to prevent abuses. But Trump's IRS immunity deal still hasn't been rescinded. We shouldn't lose sight of that. apnews.com/article/trum...

apnews.comJudge says Trump IRS lawsuit was filed for 'improper purpose,' refers lawyer for possible disciplineA federal judge says President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over his leaked tax returns was filed for an “improper purpose” as she referred one of his attorneys for possible disciplinary act...

Eric Petry reposted

Brennan Center
@brennancenter.org

For decades, Congress has ceded its authority to presidents and the judiciary and failed to pass long-overdue reforms to repair our warped campaign finance system. A Supreme Court ruling this week must be a wake-up call for lawmakers. bit.ly/4b5yJ9H

brennancenter.orgSupreme Court Continues to Dismantle Anticorruption LawsIts latest decision to strike down campaign finance limits underscores the need for Congress to pass popular anticorruption reforms.