On June 27, 2018, CfA launched the BlackRock Transparency Project to investigate the influence of BlackRock – the world’s largest asset manager – on governments, public policy, and our everyday lives. As a part of the launch, CfA has released three new reports tracking BlackRock’s efforts to influence government.
On June 27, 2018, CfA called on the Office of Special Counsel to investigate whether Secretary Ryan Zinke violated the Hatch Act by wearing a pair of socks bearing the likeness of President Trump and his campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again”, while participating in the Western Governors’ Association’s annual meeting.
On June 26, 2018, CfA released the results of a new poll showing voters support increased regulation of internet and technology companies. The poll also found that Americans believe internet and technology companies have a negative impact on many aspects of society, particularly privacy.
On June 21, 2018, Campaign for Accountability (CfA), a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog group focused on public accountability, filed a complaint with the Senate Select Committee on Ethics against U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) for failing to disclose his wife’s income from his leadership PAC on his 2017 financial disclosure report. CfA previously filed an FEC complaint against Sen. Crapo for failing to disclose any payments for the use of a lobbyist’s Capitol Hill condo for fundraising activities.
Today, the Supreme Court of Georgia unanimously sided with CfA in our open records lawsuit against the Consumer Credit Research Foundation (CCRF), a payday lending nonprofit that funded a favorable academic study by a professor at Kennesaw State University.
On June 5, 2018, CfA called on Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine to investigate two crisis pregnancy centers, Elizabeth’s New Life Center and Heartbeat of Toledo, for engaging in deceptive business practices in violation of Ohio’s Consumer Sales Protection Act.
On May 30, 2018, CfA released a new report, “The Lobbyist in the Garage,” revealing that Engine, a San Francisco-based nonprofit claiming to represent the “voice of startups in government,” is little more than an apparent AstroTurf lobbying group created by current and former Google employees to advance Google’s interests.
On May 7, 2018, CfA filed a supplemental complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Vicki Hart, the lobbyist owner of a Washington, D.C. condominium, for knowingly and willfully failing to disclose improper in-kind contributions in violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) and FEC regulations.
On May 3, 2018, CfA asked the Senate Select Committee on Ethics and the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate whether two senators and 12 representatives violated congressional rules and criminal law by accepting campaign contributions from the payday lending industry shortly before or after taking official actions in support of the industry’s priorities.
On April 24, 2018, CfA called on attorneys general in Arizona, Nevada, and New York to investigate rooftop solar companies with an emphasis on Vivint Solar.