Luke Rosiak
Articles by Luke Rosiak
FEC pushes back on unlimited contributions
The Federal Election Commission took a rare step toward pushing back against eroding limits on money in politics Wednesday, recommending denial of a lawmaker's request to set up a fund that could raise unlimited amounts from corporations and unions. Published November 23, 2011
Super-PAC gives boost to Huntsman with ad buy
A lower-tier presidential candidate is hoping big bucks can carry him to prominence on the Republican stage as rivals' weaknesses emerge. A super-PAC supporting former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has spent a whopping $805,000 since Monday, disclosures revealed Thursday. Published November 17, 2011
Fundraisers show little cash for Cain
A felon once imprisoned for fraud is raising money in the name of Herman Cain and profiting off of it through a company he owns. It is the second group raising large amounts of Cain cash that has a history of collecting millions of dollars through politically charged mailings and spending hardly any of it on politics. Published November 13, 2011
Seniority salaries bulk up D.C.’s payroll
Not long after taking office as mayor in 1979, Marion Barry presided over a hiring spree that swelled the D.C. government dramatically — creating positions that, even at the time, some doubted were necessary. Three decades later, thousands of those people are still there — now at the peak of seniority. Published November 7, 2011
Metro hired accountant convicted of bank fraud
Metro hired as an accountant a woman who admitted to being convicted of multiple counts of bank fraud, documents obtained by The Washington Times show, and who faced life in prison after separately being implicated in one of the largest heroin rings in the District. Published November 3, 2011
Operatives raise cash for Cain, themselves
An independent group raising money in the name of Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain has close ties to operatives with a history of enriching themselves by drawing money from conservative donors that goes largely to the fundraisers and not the campaigns. Published October 30, 2011
Super-PACs can provide muscle
As Herman Cain went from obscurity to a leading Republican presidential candidate following well-received debate performances, the campaign infrastructure of the former pizza company executive, who has never held office, remained fit for a political novice. Published October 30, 2011
Justice seeks reduction of FOIA access on operations
The nation's top law enforcement office wants to dramatically roll back the public's access to information about its operations. Published October 30, 2011
Budget cuts shrink GAO, don’t cause widespread layoffs
The federal office tasked with rooting out waste, fraud and abuse will shrink to the smallest size in its history but be spared from the widespread layoffs employees feared would be announced Wednesday. Published October 19, 2011
Cain super-PAC might violate election law
A super-PAC set up Tuesday to support presidential candidate Herman Cain could be violating the law because the name it uses is so similar to that of a candidate, an election law expert said Wednesday. Published October 19, 2011
Obama’s 351 ‘bundlers’ bag big campaign bucks
President Obama raised more money toward his re-election from 351 well-connected "bundlers" than any of his rivals raised in total in the third quarter. Published October 16, 2011
GOP hopefuls seek broader donor bases
Each of the Republican presidential candidates has sought the appearance of strength by dominating a niche in the increasingly fragmented political landscape, but could run into difficulties scaling those successes nationally, campaign-finance reports released over the weekend suggest. Published October 16, 2011
GOP group to raise unlimited cash to keep House majority
A collection of former high-ranking Republicans will launch a group that will raise and spend unlimited amounts of money in a bid to retain the party's majority in the House, they announced Thursday. Published October 13, 2011
Fairfax’s wealthy are moving on up — and out
Fairfax County has lost $3.1 billion over five years, much of it to other jurisdictions. Published October 9, 2011
D.C. ANC members break the rules without redress
Regina James stood by as taxpayer funds under her watch disappeared in a few months. Published September 29, 2011
IG probe subject wins Ward 5 post
A local political activist who is the subject of an inspector general's investigation centered on improper expenditures was elected head of the District's Ward 5 Democrats Monday night. Published September 27, 2011
Recession’s aftershocks take toll on middle class
Years after the recession's peak, its effects caught up to middle-class residents initially insulated from its wrath. More people who still have jobs, even full time, are toiling without health insurance, and families whose savings carried them through months of hard times have been reluctantly applying for food stamps. Published September 22, 2011
RNC marks win in August fundraising
The political rancor over the federal debt-limit crisis heading into the August congressional recess appears to have left would-be Democratic donors with a bad taste in their mouths. Figures released Tuesday night show the Democratic National Committee making its poorest fundraising showing in months. Published September 20, 2011
Localities turn to K Street for protection, fear federal budget tightening
It's the most populous state in the union, with an economy larger than most countries and a former governor who is the former "Terminator." But when times are tough, California turns to the big guns, the mercenaries who give voice to the voiceless: Washington lobbyists. Published September 13, 2011
For House, budget cuts hit close to home
The House of Representatives that returns Tuesday is 10 percent leaner than a year prior — the result of a pair of mandates requiring largely symbolic cuts to the way it goes about its business enacted since John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, assumed the speaker's gavel in January. Published September 5, 2011
