The Daily

Millions of Dollars, Thousands of Robocalls and 1 Legal Loophole

May 25, 2023

David A. Fahrenthold, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, unveils a scandal where Republican operatives raised $89 million via deceptive robocalls, masked as support for veterans and first responders. He examines how the funds were largely funneled back to the firms making the calls, exploiting legal loopholes. The discussion highlights the unsettling reality of political nonprofits, revealing a cycle of emotional manipulation and accountability gaps that deceive donors while benefiting insiders.

25:35

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Episode guests

David A. Fahrenthold

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Unmasking Deceptive Fundraising Tactics

11min

Examining the Gray Area of Political Nonprofit Fundraising

3min

Navigating Campaign Finance Loopholes

7min

Exploring the Cynical Nature of Campaign Finance Loopholes

2min

Geopolitical Tensions and Cybersecurity Concerns

2min

A New York Times investigation has found that a group of Republican operatives used robocalls to raise $89 million on behalf of veterans, police officers and firefighters.

David A. Fahrenthold, an investigative reporter for The Times, explains how they actually spent the money and the legal loophole that allowed them to do that.

Guest: David A. Fahrenthold, an investigative reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading:

A group of conservative operatives using sophisticated robocalls raised millions of dollars from donors. Instead of using the money to promote issues and candidates, nearly all of it went to pay the firms making the calls and the operatives themselves.
How “scam PAC” fund-raisers skirt election rules and deceive donors.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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