The story of APIC captures the bizarre reality of the U.S. political system.
This article is part of a four-part series published today by The Intercept and is republished with permission. Subscribe to The Intercept’s newsletter here.
Six days after the Supreme Court lifted restrictions on corporate money in U.S. elections with its January 21, 2010, ruling in Citizens United, President Obama warned in his State of the Union address that it would “open the floodgates for special interests, including foreign corporations, to spend without limit in our elections.”
But as unlimited contributions have coursed through the election system, no one has been able to point to a specific example of foreign money flowing into U.S. presidential politics as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision.
Until now.
The Intercept has determined that a corporation owned by a Chinese couple made a major donation to Jeb Bush’s Super PAC Right to Rise USA — and it did so after receiving detailed advice from Charlie Spies, arguably the most important Republican campaign finance lawyer in American politics.
READ MORE FROM THE INTERCEPT: Meet the Chinese power couple behind a $1.3 million Jeb Bush Super PAC gift
MUCH MORE: How A Top GOP Lawyer Guided A Chinese-Owned Company Into U.S. Presidential Politics
This is a very long article that I suspect only political junkies will take time to read. It clearly exposes what Citizens United has done to American politics. President Obama tried to warn us.
