Investigations
Follow the money. In-depth reporting on the donors, PACs, lobbyists, and networks that shape American policy — with every dollar amount sourced from federal filings.
PowerMap investigations follow the money from donor to politician to policy outcome. Each investigation is built on public filings, FEC data, lobbying disclosures, and government contract records — cross-referenced and analyzed to reveal the hidden connections between wealth and power.
Our team has traced over $15 billion in political spending across the 2024 cycle, identifying patterns of influence that traditional reporting misses. From quid pro quo arrangements hidden behind layers of PACs to revolving-door officials who write rules for their future employers — these investigations expose the machinery of modern political corruption.
Currently tracking 23 investigations across 6 categories. New investigations are published as patterns emerge from the data.
Elon Musk's $250 Million Bet
How the world's richest man spent a quarter-billion dollars to elect a president — then was handed oversight of the agencies that regulate his companies.
From PayPal to the Vice Presidency
How Peter Thiel built a political machine that put his protégé in the Vice Presidency and doubled Palantir's government contracts to nearly $1 billion.
The $548M Koch Machine
Inside the most sophisticated private political operation in America — from AFP to i360, the Koch network spent $548 million in a single cycle to reshape American policy.
$1.9 Billion in Shadows
Tracking the explosion of untraceable political spending — from Marble Freedom Trust's $1.6 billion war chest to Arabella Advisors' $1.7 billion empire on the left.
The AI Lobbying Explosion
Meta spent $26.3 million — more than any company in any industry. OpenAI's lobbying surged 7x. Inside Big Tech's race to write the rules of artificial intelligence.
Crypto Buys Congress
Fairshake PAC spent $133 million with a 91% win rate. Now it has a $193 million war chest for 2026. How cryptocurrency became one of the most powerful forces in American politics.
Miriam Adelson's $120M and What She Got
From a $95 million single donation to Preserve America PAC to shaping Middle East policy and Cabinet picks — the anatomy of a mega-donor's influence.
AIPAC's $100M Primary Machine
How AIPAC's United Democracy Project and a network of secretive pop-up PACs spent $100 million to defeat progressive Democrats — and reshape the party's politics.
The Soros Network in Transition
George Soros transferred $18 billion to Open Society Foundations. Now his son Alex is reshaping the empire — making it more political, more aggressive, and more focused.
How Pharma Kills Drug Pricing Reform
The pharmaceutical industry spent a record $387 million on lobbying in 2024 — surpassing even its spending during the ACA fights. Here's how the money translates to policy.
The Revolving Door: 500+ Officials Now Lobby for Their Former Bosses
How 80% of retiring generals and admirals go to work for defense contractors, creating a $1.06 trillion feedback loop between the Pentagon and the companies it awards contracts to.
Trump's Pay-to-Play: From Donor to Ambassador
Inside the $400 million White House ballroom where 37 megadonors secured ambassadorships, regulatory favors, and direct policy influence in exchange for their contributions.
Silicon Valley's Political Split: Tech Money Goes Both Ways
Reid Hoffman versus Marc Andreessen, David Sacks, Peter Thiel, and Elon Musk — how Silicon Valley's political civil war poured billions into both parties and reshaped American politics.
Private Equity's Quiet Power: Schwarzman, KKR, and Carried Interest
How the $13 trillion private equity industry spends $400 million annually on lobbying and campaign contributions to protect the carried interest loophole — saving billionaire fund managers billions in taxes.
The $400 Million Ballroom: 37 Donors and What They Got
A donor-by-donor investigation of the 37 individuals and corporations who each gave $1 million or more to Trump's record-shattering inaugural fund — and the government favors that followed.
Oil Money in the White House: From Koch Donors to Energy Secretary
How Chris Wright — a Koch network donor and fracking CEO — became Energy Secretary, and how fossil fuel money reshaped American energy policy from the inside.
The NRA's Decline: From $29M to $10M
How internal corruption, legal scandals, and leadership failures brought the most powerful lobbying organization in America to its knees — and what replaced it.
Google's $13M Lobbying Machine: Fighting Antitrust on K Street
How Google spends $13 million a year on lobbying to fight the biggest antitrust case since Microsoft — while a federal judge has already ruled it an illegal monopoly.
Meta: $26M — The Most Lobbying of Any Company in America
Meta Platforms spent a record $26.2 million on federal lobbying in 2024 — more than any other company — while facing antitrust lawsuits, content moderation battles, and youth safety legislation.
Defense Tech's Rise: Palantir, Anduril, and the New Military-Industrial Complex
A new generation of Silicon Valley defense startups — led by Palantir, Anduril, and Shield AI — is disrupting the traditional military-industrial complex with AI-powered weapons, autonomous drones, and billions in Pentagon contracts.
$452M vs the Public: How Pharma Kills Drug Pricing Reform
The pharmaceutical industry spent a record $452 million on lobbying in 2024 — deploying 1,883 lobbyists to fight drug pricing reform while Americans pay 2-3x more than any other country for prescription medications.
The Foreign Influence Map: $5B in Foreign Lobbying
Foreign governments and corporations have spent over $5 billion lobbying the U.S. government since 2017, with Saudi Arabia, China, and Japan leading the pack — all tracked through FARA disclosures.
David Sacks: 449 Companies, 1 Conflict of Interest Waiver
How the White House AI & Crypto Czar holds investments in 449 AI and technology companies — the most extensive conflict of interest portfolio of any government official in history — while making policy that directly affects their value.