About The Foundation
The Sunlight Foundation was founded in 2006 with the goal of using technology to enable citizens to learn more about what their elected representatives are doing, to help reduce corruption, ensure greater transparency and... [more]
Join Our Mailing List:
Sunlight's RSS feeds:
Sunlight's Project feeds:
Help Spread Sunlight:
We're Social:
Sunlight's Reform Agenda
Sunlight has updated and refined our legislative priorities in order to generate greater change and a more transparent Congress.
[Full Memo | Top Priorities]
Search our Archives
User login
Land Deals
Concrete legislative favors unclear in Rep. Renzi case
Written by Paul Blumenthal on February 26, 2008 - 10:56am.
Read more: Land Deals | Rick Renzi (see all terms)
Read more: Land Deals | Rick Renzi (see all terms)
Source Name
The Hill
Snippit
Throughout the 26-page indictment of Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) and his business associates, federal prosecutors allege that the lawmaker made a series of legislative promises in exchange for proposed land deals.
Rick Renzi Indicted
Congressman Rick Renzi was indicted today for a land swap in his state of Arizona. The Politico's Ben Smith reports:
Republican Rep. Rick Renzi of Arizona was indicted Friday morning on charges connected to a land deal in his home state, according to the Associated Press.
The indictment comes one day after Renzi, who had already announced his intentions to step down from Congress at the end of the year, buried his father, Army Maj. Gen. Eugene Carmen Renzi.
For more on the background of the investigation into Renzi read this section of his Congresspedia page.
Written by Paul Blumenthal on February 22, 2008 - 11:04am.
Read more: Land Deals | Rick Renzi (see all terms)
Real Estate Boom for McHenry
Written by Paul Blumenthal on October 22, 2007 - 10:27am.
Read more: Land Deals | Patrick McHenry | personal financial disclosure (see all terms)
Read more: Land Deals | Patrick McHenry | personal financial disclosure (see all terms)
Source Name
Roll Call
Snippit
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) took to the House floor late last spring and ripped into Democrats for blocking his proposal requiring Members to disclose the existence and value of their personal residences.
Inside Rep. Weller's Nicaragua land deal
Written by Paul Blumenthal on September 7, 2007 - 2:21pm.
Read more: Jerry Weller | Land Deals (see all terms)
Read more: Jerry Weller | Land Deals (see all terms)
Source Name
Chicago Tribune
Snippit
The rolling surf of the Pacific Ocean crashes onto white sand beaches below a lush hillside in southwest Nicaragua, a picture of tropical paradise by anyone's definition. These days, paradise is for sale. Contact the seller, Rep. Jerry Weller (R-Ill.).
Miller Trucks on Despite Land Deal Probe
Written by Paul Blumenthal on February 23, 2007 - 10:24am.
Read more: Gary Miller | Land Deals (see all terms)
Read more: Gary Miller | Land Deals (see all terms)
Source Name
AP
Snippit
Rep. Gary Miller grew up poor. Even though he's now worth more than $13 million, he says he's still worried about his family's financial security. So, while federal authorities investigate some of his real estate transactions, he says he'll keep on making deals.
Rep. Miller helped pursuit
Written by Paul Blumenthal on February 9, 2007 - 10:26am.
Read more: Gary Miller | Land Deals (see all terms)
Read more: Gary Miller | Land Deals (see all terms)
Source Name
The Hill
Snippit
For over two years, Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.) helped members of a southern California city council in their pursuit of federal and state funds for a wilderness preserve project that included the purchase of 165 acres that he owned. The FBI is looking into whether Miller violated tax laws.
Rep. Miller Tells GOP He's Innocent in Land-Sale Investigation, Sources Say
Written by Paul Blumenthal on February 8, 2007 - 10:14am.
Read more: Gary Miller | Land Deals (see all terms)
Read more: Gary Miller | Land Deals (see all terms)
Source Name
Politico
Snippit
Rep. Gary G. Miller, R-Calif, under federal investigation over several land sales he made, told a closed-door meeting of his fellow House Republicans on Tuesday that he was not guilty of any wrongdoing and attacked reporters for digging into his personal financial dealings, according to GOP lawmakers and aides.
Rep. Miller insists his land deals were done legally
Written by Paul Blumenthal on February 6, 2007 - 10:16am.
Read more: Gary Miller | Land Deals (see all terms)
Read more: Gary Miller | Land Deals (see all terms)
Source Name
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Snippit
Looking back on the land deals now under review by federal authorities, Rep. Gary Miller maintains he did nothing wrong, but admits he would do one thing differently. The Diamond Bar Republican said he never should have turned to campaign contributor Lewis Operating Corp. when looking for an investment to shelter the proceeds from a 2002 land sale in Monrovia.
Miller tied to ’92 conflict-of-interest fine
Written by Paul Blumenthal on February 6, 2007 - 10:14am.
Read more: Gary Miller | Land Deals (see all terms)
Read more: Gary Miller | Land Deals (see all terms)
Source Name
The Hill
Snippit
Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.) last week blamed an FBI review of his land deals on a media smear campaign. But this is not the first time government agencies have scrutinized his real estate transactions. In 1992, the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), a state government entity that regulates political activity and investigates conflict-of-interest allegations, levied a $1,750 fine against Covina City Councilman Christopher Lancaster for accepting $8,000 from Miller before voting in favor of a resolution Miller sponsored.
A deal in the desert for Sen. Reid?
Written by Paul Blumenthal on January 29, 2007 - 5:23pm.
Read more: Harry Reid | Land Deals (see all terms)
Read more: Harry Reid | Land Deals (see all terms)
Source Name
Los Angeles Times
Snippit
It's hard to buy undeveloped land in booming northern Arizona for $166 an acre. But now-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid effectively did just that when a longtime friend decided to sell property owned by the employee pension fund that he controlled.
Current Projects
Fortune 535 Running the numbers on congressional wealth
PublicMarkup.org An experiment to open bills to online, public review.
Where Are They Now? Former Congressional Staffers head through the Revolving Door on to K Street.
Punch Clock Map: Putting congressional transparency on the map
Earmark Watch: Bringing Citizen Oversight to Congressional Spending
Wiki the Vote: Giving constituents the ability to report on candidates running for the House and Senate
A word from our Sponsor
Ongoing Projects
Realtime Investigations: Follow along as Bill and Anu detail their investigative reporting adventures.
LOUIS is the beginning of a comprehensive, completely indexed and cross-referenced depository of federal documents.
The OpenHouse Project: Working to identify areas where Congress can open up and improve access to relevant and timely information.
OpenCongress: Bringing together official government information with news and blog coverage to give you the real story behind what's happening in Congress.
Past Projects
Visualizing Earmarks: Select Visualizations of 2005 OMB Earmark Data.
Mashup Congress and Win:
And the Winner is... Unfluence! We received more than a dozen entries to Sunlight's first Web 2.0 Mashup Contest.
Congressional Web Site Investigation:Employing citizen oversight to find out if we are getting our money’s worth from congressional Web sites.
Today's Ethics Watch
No money coming to Young’s legal defense: Alaska congressman Don Young (R) is having trouble getting contributions to his legal defense fund. A document filed with the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct shows “no activity” since the fund was approved by the committee on Jan. 9. (The Hill)
Seats of Power: A Return to Skybox Lobbying?: Not long ago, lobbyists regularly entertained lawmakers and their aides in skyboxes at local sports arenas. But after a series of scandals on Capitol Hill, the law was changed to forbid congressional officials from accepting anything of value from lobbyists without repayment -- let alone the best seats in the house. (Washington Post)
Companies Start to Lift Veil on Political Spending: Ever wonder how much companies really spend to influence government through trade associations? Well, a few corporations are coming clean, or at least cleaner. (Washington Post)
Dems, GOP together nix Murtha earmark: Democrats and Republicans joined together to strip a pet project of Rep. John Murtha’s (D-Pa.) from the 2009 intelligence authorization bill — the same project Democrats defended last year. (The Hill)
NAPA launches collaboration Web site: If you’ve ever wished your federal agency could adopt wikis, use YouTube or delve into the virtual world but feared the security, technology and political barriers were too high to overcome, take heart. You’ve got supporters, and they have success stories. (NextGov)
Jefferson lawyers cite race case in change of venue request: Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-La.) lawyers have asked a federal judge to reconsider a ruling denying a change of venue for his corruption trial. (The Hill)
Jefferson Tries New Argument: Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) has asked a federal court to use an international criminal law treaty to force the depositions of three people in Nigeria who have been implicated in corruption charges levied against him. (Roll Call)
Foreign Gifts Test Rules: Even as new ethics restrictions have made it difficult for Members and staff to accept gifts — aside from token baseball caps or T-shirts — one area remains where lawmakers and their staffs can collect trinkets more or less guilt-free: foreign travel. (Roll Call)
K St.’s ‘Max Out’ Crowd: The 20 top K Street donors this election cycle have handed federal candidates nearly $1.8 million in personal cash. The majority of that money, $1.3 million, has gone to help Democrats as the party in charge of Capitol Hill looks to expand its majority. (Roll Call)
Senator’s Ties to Real Estate Draw Criticism: He has made millions as a title insurance executive, landlord and real estate developer in this college town, where the economy, despite trouble nationwide, is still growing nicely. Now, as a United States senator, with the mortgage mess fueling a national economic slowdown, Richard C. Shelby has more say over the revamping of housing finance laws than almost anyone else in Congress. (New York Times)
Oil Lobby Reaches Out to Citizens Peeved at the Pump: Faced with a national outcry over the high price of gasoline and soaring profits for energy companies, the oil and gas industry is waging an unusually pricey campaign to burnish its image. (Washington Post)
[ More in the Archive ]
Seats of Power: A Return to Skybox Lobbying?: Not long ago, lobbyists regularly entertained lawmakers and their aides in skyboxes at local sports arenas. But after a series of scandals on Capitol Hill, the law was changed to forbid congressional officials from accepting anything of value from lobbyists without repayment -- let alone the best seats in the house. (Washington Post)
Companies Start to Lift Veil on Political Spending: Ever wonder how much companies really spend to influence government through trade associations? Well, a few corporations are coming clean, or at least cleaner. (Washington Post)
Dems, GOP together nix Murtha earmark: Democrats and Republicans joined together to strip a pet project of Rep. John Murtha’s (D-Pa.) from the 2009 intelligence authorization bill — the same project Democrats defended last year. (The Hill)
NAPA launches collaboration Web site: If you’ve ever wished your federal agency could adopt wikis, use YouTube or delve into the virtual world but feared the security, technology and political barriers were too high to overcome, take heart. You’ve got supporters, and they have success stories. (NextGov)
Jefferson lawyers cite race case in change of venue request: Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-La.) lawyers have asked a federal judge to reconsider a ruling denying a change of venue for his corruption trial. (The Hill)
Jefferson Tries New Argument: Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) has asked a federal court to use an international criminal law treaty to force the depositions of three people in Nigeria who have been implicated in corruption charges levied against him. (Roll Call)
Foreign Gifts Test Rules: Even as new ethics restrictions have made it difficult for Members and staff to accept gifts — aside from token baseball caps or T-shirts — one area remains where lawmakers and their staffs can collect trinkets more or less guilt-free: foreign travel. (Roll Call)
K St.’s ‘Max Out’ Crowd: The 20 top K Street donors this election cycle have handed federal candidates nearly $1.8 million in personal cash. The majority of that money, $1.3 million, has gone to help Democrats as the party in charge of Capitol Hill looks to expand its majority. (Roll Call)
Senator’s Ties to Real Estate Draw Criticism: He has made millions as a title insurance executive, landlord and real estate developer in this college town, where the economy, despite trouble nationwide, is still growing nicely. Now, as a United States senator, with the mortgage mess fueling a national economic slowdown, Richard C. Shelby has more say over the revamping of housing finance laws than almost anyone else in Congress. (New York Times)
Oil Lobby Reaches Out to Citizens Peeved at the Pump: Faced with a national outcry over the high price of gasoline and soaring profits for energy companies, the oil and gas industry is waging an unusually pricey campaign to burnish its image. (Washington Post)
[ More in the Archive ]