Dark Money in American Politics https://elephantsinkroom.com/podcasts/dark-money-in-american-politics/ “Dark money” sounds dramatic, like something illegal or conspiratorial. Most of the time, it’s neither. At its simplest, dark money is political spending where the true source of the money is hidden from the public. The spending itself is usually legal. What’s obscured is who is really behind it. That distinction matters. Mon, 11 May 2026 15:36:47 +0000 en-US © 2026 Elephant in the Ink Room “Dark money” sounds dramatic, like something illegal or conspiratorial. Most of the time, it’s neither. Elephant in the Ink Room episodic “Dark money” sounds dramatic, like something illegal or conspiratorial. Most of the time, it’s neither. At its simplest, dark money is political spending where the true source of the money is hidden from the public. The spending itself is usually legal. What’s obscured is who is really behind it. That distinction matters. Elephant in the Ink Room elephantinkroom@gmail.com false https://elephantsinkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/dark-money-1-1.png Dark Money in American Politics https://elephantsinkroom.com/podcasts/dark-money-in-american-politics/ Every Little Bit Helps 87045c9e-749d-5879-bc89-7c56770f8829 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 246315386 Dark Money Today: From Montana to California and Beyond https://elephantsinkroom.com/dark-money-today-from-montana-to-california-and-beyond/ Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:56:56 +0000 5be3188c-c98d-5822-b5b3-5db24f48ae21 Source

]]> Source

]]> https://elephantsinkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/20260225_1126_Dark-Money-Reforms_simple_compose_01kjb46x13fsdv60pbqmg6f867.png Dark Money Today: From Montana to California and Beyond false no 0:00 No no Control of Voting – If Trump Is Ousted: Does It Die on the Vine? https://elephantsinkroom.com/control-of-voting-if-trump-is-ousted-does-it-die-on-the-vine/ Thu, 12 Feb 2026 15:50:23 +0000 945d9680-c48f-5a90-a0f2-b3149a514cf0 Source

]]> Source

]]> https://elephantsinkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Control-of-Voting-If-Trump-Is-Ousted_-Does-It-Die-on-the-Vine.jpg Control of Voting – If Trump Is Ousted: Does It Die on the Vine? false no 0:00 No no Control of Voting – If Trump Is Ousted: Does It Die on the Vine? https://elephantsinkroom.com/podcast/control-of-voting-if-trump-is-ousted-does-it-die-on-the-vine/ Thu, 12 Feb 2026 01:31:23 +0000 cd885821-a103-55d4-9efb-1c5bd8249140 Source

]]> Source

]]> https://elephantsinkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Control-of-Voting-If-Trump-Is-Ousted_-Does-It-Die-on-the-Vine.jpg Control of Voting – If Trump Is Ousted: Does It Die on the Vine? false no 3:29 No no Seize Control of Voting, Who is Behind the Curtain https://elephantsinkroom.com/podcast/seize-control-of-voting-who-is-behind-the-curtain/ Thu, 12 Feb 2026 01:28:59 +0000 5237e11e-c621-5726-9d95-956c256905c6 Source

]]> Source

]]> https://elephantsinkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Seize-Control-of-Voting-Who-is-Behind-the-Curtain.jpg Seize Control of Voting, Who is Behind the Curtain false no 6:21 No no Seize Control of Voting, Who is Behind the Curtain https://elephantsinkroom.com/seize-control-of-voting-who-is-behind-the-curtain/ Thu, 12 Feb 2026 00:46:49 +0000 95379c8d-6859-52c0-80af-e7e720cef65f Source

]]> Source

]]> https://elephantsinkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Seize-Control-of-Voting-Who-is-Behind-the-Curtain.jpg Seize Control of Voting, Who is Behind the Curtain false no 0:00 No no Dark Money and Influence, It’s time to move on. https://elephantsinkroom.com/podcast/dark-money-and-influence-its-time-to-move-on/ Fri, 06 Feb 2026 16:02:21 +0000 e5ca229c-5ebf-5384-8aa8-6ebf02d82d3c Source

]]> Source

]]> https://elephantsinkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/move-on.jpg Dark Money and Influence, It’s time to move on. false no 0:00 No no How Citizens United Came to Be: From a Hillary Hit Piece to Unlimited Corporate Cash in Elections – Dark Money https://elephantsinkroom.com/how-citizens-united-came-to-be-from-a-hillary-hit-piece-to-unlimited-corporate-cash-in-elections-dark-money/ Thu, 05 Feb 2026 16:25:25 +0000 9a343178-937c-5a4b-bade-b0a7186c2387 Source

]]> Source

]]> https://elephantsinkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/How-Citizens-United-Came.jpg How Citizens United Came to Be: From a Hillary Hit Piece to Unlimited Corporate Cash in Elections – Dark Money false no 0:00 No no What we could expect with Major reform in campaign finance / donation transparency https://elephantsinkroom.com/podcast/what-we-could-expect-with-major-reform-in-campaign-finance-donation-transparency/ Fri, 30 Jan 2026 16:16:17 +0000 e49d52eb-3553-594b-bdee-27b54ce769ae Source

]]> Source

]]> https://elephantsinkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/What-we-could-expect-with-Major-reform-in-campaign-finance-_-donation-transparency-1.jpg What we could expect with Major reform in campaign finance / donation transparency false no 5:35 No no Leonard Leo has done more to reshape the American legal landscape than many senators, presidents, or judges. https://elephantsinkroom.com/podcast/leonard-leo-has-done-more-to-reshape-the-american-legal-landscape-than-many-senators-presidents-or-judges/ Fri, 30 Jan 2026 16:15:13 +0000 09cf6200-c003-55dd-96a0-dcf94d953f85 Source

]]> Source

]]> https://elephantsinkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Leonard-Leo-has-done-more-to-reshape-the-American-legal-landscape-than-many-senators-presidents-or-judges-1.jpg Leonard Leo has done more to reshape the American legal landscape than many senators, presidents, or judges. false no 6:02 No no Arabella Advisors (via the Sixteen Thirty Fund) https://elephantsinkroom.com/podcast/arabella-advisors-via-the-sixteen-thirty-fund/ Fri, 30 Jan 2026 06:05:05 +0000 c6860ada-7442-5c6a-a97d-9995df522d88 Source

]]> Source

]]> https://elephantsinkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Arabella-Advisors-via-the-Sixteen-Thirty-Fund.jpg Arabella Advisors (via the Sixteen Thirty Fund) false no 4:42 No no A Beginner’s Guide to the Federalist Society https://elephantsinkroom.com/podcast/a-beginners-guide-to-the-federalist-society/ Fri, 30 Jan 2026 06:03:47 +0000 204be061-7ee2-5e2b-a4ce-fbe925de1d49 Source

]]> https://elephantsinkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/A-Beginners-Guide-to-the-Federalist-Society-1.jpg A Beginner’s Guide to the Federalist Society false no 0:00 No no Part 3b – Repetition As Policy Signal – Healthcare in America https://elephantsinkroom.com/podcast/part-3b-repetition-as-policy-signal-healthcare-in-america/ Thu, 29 Jan 2026 20:20:34 +0000 bd510b27-87ad-5018-8d95-c0b7509c2db7 Source

]]> https://elephantsinkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Part-3b-–-Repetition-As-Policy-Signal.jpg Part 3b – Repetition As Policy Signal – Healthcare in America false no 2:28 No no Part 3a – When This Happened Before – Healthcare in America https://elephantsinkroom.com/podcast/part-3a-when-this-happened-before-healthcare-in-america/ Thu, 29 Jan 2026 20:17:50 +0000 d80f6bc8-0b56-5700-9d04-48575fcae04c Source

]]> https://elephantsinkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Part-3a-–-When-This-Happened-Before.jpg Part 3a – When This Happened Before – Healthcare in America false no 3:14 No no No One Best Fix, Part 3 Dark Money Continued – Montana as a Test Case, Not a Template https://elephantsinkroom.com/podcast/no-one-best-fix-part-3-dark-money-continued-montana-as-a-test-case-not-a-template/ Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:45:14 +0000 2220a726-d65e-54ae-8eeb-b045603cfd0c Source

]]> https://elephantsinkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/No-One-Best-Fix-Part-3-Dark-Money-Continued-Montana-as-a-Test-Case-Not-a-Template.jpg No One Best Fix, Part 3 Dark Money Continued – Montana as a Test Case, Not a Template false no 3:21 No no No One Best Fix, Part 2 Dark Money Continued – Why Local Answers Matter More Than National Ones https://elephantsinkroom.com/podcast/no-one-best-fix-part-2-dark-money-continued-why-local-answers-matter-more-than-national-ones/ Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:43:57 +0000 c34380b0-b3cd-58b0-83df-ce1909aa9df0 Source

]]> https://elephantsinkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/No-One-Best-Fix-Part-2-Dark-Money-Continued-Why-Local-Answers-Matter-More-Than-National-Ones.jpg No One Best Fix, Part 2 Dark Money Continued – Why Local Answers Matter More Than National Ones false no 3:26 No no No One Best Fix, Part 1 Dark Money Continued – Why Simple Solutions Fail https://elephantsinkroom.com/podcast/no-one-best-fix-part-1-dark-money-continued-why-simple-solutions-fail/ Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:42:55 +0000 20c19c2f-6b0a-5ea7-888c-1d33a70dcf8d Source

]]> https://elephantsinkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/No-One-Best-Fix-Part-1-Dark-Money-Continued-Why-Simple-Solutions-Fail.jpg No One Best Fix, Part 1 Dark Money Continued – Why Simple Solutions Fail false no 4:18 No no Dark Money for Dummies — Part 3 https://elephantsinkroom.com/podcast/dark-money-for-dummies-part-3/ Sat, 03 Jan 2026 00:34:46 +0000 c0b2cf18-392b-5238-bcd6-e0709083069a Source

]]> https://elephantsinkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Dark-Money-for-Dummies-Part-3.jpg Dark Money for Dummies — Part 3 false no 3:21 No no Dark Money for Dummies — Part 2 https://elephantsinkroom.com/podcast/dark-money-for-dummies-part-2/ Sat, 03 Jan 2026 00:32:49 +0000 871c6511-e3fc-569b-8bd6-59ebf53ac3d4 Source

]]> https://elephantsinkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Dark-Money-for-Dummies-Part-2.jpg Dark Money for Dummies — Part 2 false no 3:26 No no Dark Money for Dummies — Part 1 https://elephantsinkroom.com/podcast/dark-money-for-dummies-part-1/ Sat, 03 Jan 2026 00:30:30 +0000 5e46e9e5-75ca-537a-8de8-985710045596 Source

]]> https://elephantsinkroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Dark-Money-for-Dummies-Part-1.jpg Dark Money for Dummies — Part 1 false no 4:18 No no