Capture lane

Corporate Capture

The Corporate Capture capture lane traces 575 verified events documenting this mechanism of institutional capture.

575 events From Sep 4, 1872 To May 7, 2026 Open in filter view →
Top 10 actors in this lane 10 actors · 1142–2026
Top actors in Corporate Capture114511501155116011651170117511801185119011951200120512101215122012251230123512401245125012551260126512701275128012851290129513001305131013151320132513301335134013451350135513601365137013751380138513901395140014051410141514201425143014351440144514501455146014651470147514801485149014951500150515101515152015251530153515401545155015551560156515701575158015851590159516001605161016151620162516301635164016451650165516601665167016751680168516901695170017051710171517201725173017351740174517501755176017651770177517801785179017951800180518101815182018251830183518401845185018551860186518701875188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025WatergateReaganIran-Contra9/11Citizens UnitedTrump 1.0Trump 2.0Donald Trump1415 eventsMcKinsey & CompanySecurities and Exchange Commission77 eventsTrump Administration363 eventsFederal Trade Commission69 eventsInternational Monetary FundDepartment of Justice337 eventsWorld Liberty Financial53 eventsElizabeth Warren65 eventsWorld Bank
Capture lanecorruptiondemocraticexecutivefinancialintelligencejudiciallaborlegislativemediamilitaryotherregulatory Status confirmed alleged disputed
DateEventLanesStatus
2017-01-01Google Manipulates Ad Auctions Through "Project Bernanke" to Favor Own Exchange 4 src
Google · Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
confirmed
2016-11-20Law Enforcement Attacks Standing Rock Protesters With Water Cannons in Subfreezing Temperatures 4 src
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe · Energy Transfer Partners · Al Franken · Cory Booker
confirmed
2016-11-01Boeing Obtains FAA Approval to Conceal MCAS System from Pilot Manuals and Training 3 src
Boeing · Federal Aviation Administration
confirmed
2016-10-12Stumpf Resigns as CEO, Retains Over $130 Million in Compensation 3 src
John Stumpf · Wells Fargo Board
confirmed
2016-10-10Anheuser-Busch InBev Completes $107 Billion SABMiller Acquisition: Beer Industry Consolidates Into Duopoly 3 src
Department of Justice · Antitrust Division
confirmed
2016-10-10Carl Icahn Closes Trump Taj Mahal Casino After Prolonged Labor Dispute 3 src
Carl Icahn · Donald Trump
confirmed
2016-10-01Council of Economic Advisers: Market Power Suppresses Wages, Contributes to $1+ Trillion in Lost Worker Income 3 src
Council of Economic Advisers · Workers
confirmed
2016-09-27Wells Fargo Claws Back $41 Million from Stumpf's Compensation 3 src
John Stumpf · Wells Fargo Board
confirmed
2016-09-06ITT Technical Institute Closes Permanently After Federal Fraud Findings Leave 35,000 Students With Worthless Degrees 4 src
U.S. Department of Education · Securities and Exchange Commission
confirmed
2016-09-01Facebook Embeds Staff in Trump Campaign Headquarters to Optimize Targeting for Voter Manipulation 4 src
Facebook · Trump Campaign · Mark Zuckerberg · Cambridge Analytica
confirmed
2016-08-24Mylan EpiPen Price Increases 550% in Nine Years, CEO Heather Bresch Testifies Before Congress 3 src
Mylan · U.S. Congress
confirmed
2016-03-29Seventeen State Attorneys General Announce ExxonMobil Climate Fraud Investigations 4 src
Eric Schneiderman · ExxonMobil · New York Attorney General
confirmed
2016-01-01YouTube Algorithm Optimizes for Watch Time, Systematically Amplifies Extremism 4 src
YouTube · Google
confirmed
2015-12-01McKinsey Develops Saudi Vision 2030 Economic Blueprint for Crown Prince MBS 7 src
McKinsey & Company · Mohammed bin Salman · Saudi Arabia
confirmed
2015-10-31Valeant Pharmaceuticals Scandal Exposes Systematic Price Gouging Strategy - 3000% Increase on Syprine, Philidor Fraud Network 4 src
Securities and Exchange Commission · Big Pharma
confirmed
2015-09-21Martin Shkreli Raises Daraprim Price by 5,000%, From $13.50 to $750 Per Pill 3 src confirmed
2015-09-16InsideClimate News Launches 4 src
ExxonMobil
confirmed
2015-07-01McKinsey and NYC Corrections Officials Rig 'Restart' Program Data at Rikers Island 2 src
McKinsey & Company
confirmed
2015-05-06Oklahoma Governor Signs HB 1749 Banning State Payroll Deductions for Teachers Union Dues Despite Technical Flaws 3 src
Oklahoma Legislature
confirmed
2015-04-27Corinthian Colleges Files Bankruptcy After Federal Crackdown on For-Profit College Fraud 4 src
Corinthian Colleges · U.S. Department of Education · Consumer Financial Protection Bureau · Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities
confirmed
2015-04-01Oklahoma Corporation Commission Orders 347 Disposal Wells to Prove Non-Contact with Basement Rock After Earthquake Surge 4 src confirmed
2015-01-01Boeing Rushes 737 MAX Development to Beat Airbus, Cutting Development Time in Half 3 src
Boeing · Federal Aviation Administration
confirmed
2014-10-13GM Plant Stops Using Flint Water After It Corrodes Car Parts—But Residents Must Keep Drinking It 3 src
General Motors · Darnell Earley · Flint City Government
confirmed
2014-07-01Academi (formerly Blackwater) Merges with Triple Canopy to Form Constellis Holdings, Third Corporate Rebranding 3 src
Triple Canopy · Constellis Holdings · Blackwater
confirmed
2014-05-01Former NSA Director Keith Alexander Founds IronNet Cybersecurity, Charges $1 Million/Month for Intelligence Expertise 4 src
Keith Alexander · IronNet Cybersecurity · National Security Agency
confirmed
2014-04-02Supreme Court Strikes Down Aggregate Campaign Contribution Limits in McCutcheon v. FEC 5 src
U.S. Supreme Court · John Roberts · Republican National Committee · Anthony Kennedy · +5
confirmed
2014-02-19Facebook Acquires WhatsApp for $19 Billion to Dominate Messaging Market 4 src
Facebook · Mark Zuckerberg · WhatsApp · Federal Trade Commission
confirmed
2013-12-09American Airlines-US Airways Merger Creates Airline Oligopoly: Big Four Control 75% of Market 3 src
American Airlines · Department of Justice · Antitrust Division
confirmed
2013-09-27SAIC Splits into Leidos and New SAIC, Restructuring the Largest Intelligence Contractor 4 src confirmed
2013-08-05Jeff Bezos Purchases Washington Post for $250 Million 3 src
Jeff Bezos
confirmed
2013-07-01ALEC Coordinates 139 Education Privatization Bills Across States - Systematic Public School Defunding Campaign 4 src
American Legislative Exchange Council · Center for Media and Democracy · K12 Inc. · Koch Industries · +4
confirmed
2013-06-21Skilling Sentence Reduced to 14 Years, Marking Accountability Erosion 3 src
Jeffrey Skilling · Department of Justice
confirmed
2013-06-01Former CIA Director David Petraeus Becomes Chairman of KKR Global Institute, Converting Intelligence Access Into Private Equity Value 3 src
David Petraeus · KKR · Central Intelligence Agency
confirmed
2013-05-21Senate Investigates Google Tax Avoidance, Exposes 2.4% Foreign Tax Rate 4 src
Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations · Carl Levin · John McCain · Google · +1
confirmed
2013-04-23CIA Paid Psychologists Mitchell and Jessen $81 Million to Design Torture Program 4 src
James Mitchell · Bruce Jessen · Central Intelligence Agency · George Tenet
confirmed
2013-03-01Amazon AWS Wins $600 Million CIA Cloud Contract 3 src
Amazon Web Services · Central Intelligence Agency · IBM
confirmed
2012-08-10FTC Finalizes 2012 Consent Decree Against Facebook — Privacy Order That Did Not Stop Surveillance-Advertising Substrate 5 src
Federal Trade Commission · Facebook · Mark Zuckerberg
confirmed
2012-08-09Google Fined Record $22.5M for Deliberately Overriding Safari Privacy Settings 4 src
Google · Federal Trade Commission · Apple
confirmed
2012-07-30Senate Harkin Report Documents Massive Fraud and Abuse in For-Profit College Industry 3 src
Senate HELP Committee · University of Phoenix · Corinthian Colleges · Education Management Corporation (EDMC)
confirmed
2012-07-25Congress Overrides Army to Fund $255 Million in Unwanted Abrams Tank Upgrades to Protect General Dynamics Ohio Plant 3 src
General Dynamics · Rob Portman · Sherrod Brown · Jim Jordan
confirmed
2012-05-22Kansas Governor Brownback Signs ALEC-Laffer Tax Plan Eliminating Pass-Through Business Income Taxes - 'Kansas Experiment' Becomes Test Case for Supply-Side Economics 4 src
Arthur Laffer · American Legislative Exchange Council · Koch Industries
confirmed
2012-04-13Major Corporate Exodus from ALEC: Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kraft, McDonald's, Wendy's, Mars, and Intuit Drop Membership After Public Pressure Campaign 3 src
Color of Change · American Legislative Exchange Council · Center for Media and Democracy · Common Cause
confirmed
2012-03-02Iowa Governor Branstad Signs Nation's First Modern Ag-Gag Law Criminalizing Undercover Documentation of Agricultural Facility Abuses, Using ALEC Model Legislation to Shield Corporate Factory Farms from Whistleblower Investigations 4 src
American Legislative Exchange Council
confirmed
2012-02-27WikiLeaks Publishes 5 Million Stratfor Emails Revealing Private Intelligence Firm's Surveillance of Activists and Corporate Espionage 4 src
WikiLeaks · Julian Assange · Anonymous · Lockheed Martin · +4
confirmed
2012-01-01Amazon Implements Automated Worker Surveillance and Tracking System 3 src
Jeff Bezos · Amazon
confirmed
2012-01-01Hospital Acquisition of Physician Practices Enables Facility Fee Price Gouging, Driving 53% Increase in Outpatient Costs 3 src
Hospital corporations · Private equity firms
confirmed
2011-09-18Amazon Lehigh Valley Warehouse Heat Exhaustion Scandal Exposed 3 src
Jeff Bezos · Amazon
confirmed
2011-08-30Boeing Abandons New Aircraft Design, Chooses to Re-Engine 737 to Compete with Airbus 4 src
American Airlines
confirmed
2011-07-01ALEC Achieves Systematic Legislative Capture: 200+ Corporate-Drafted Bills Enacted Annually Across States 3 src
American Legislative Exchange Council · State Legislatures · Koch Industries · ExxonMobil · +1
confirmed
2011-05-11FCC Commissioner Meredith Baker Joins Comcast Four Months After Approving NBC Universal Merger 3 src
Comcast Corporation · Federal Communications Commission
confirmed
2011-01-03Evan Bayh Joins Apollo Global Management and Five Corporate Boards After Senate 3 src
Apollo Global Management
confirmed
2011-01-0134 States Introduce ALEC Voter ID Bills in Coordinated Suppression Campaign 3 src
American Legislative Exchange Council · Republican state legislators · Heritage Foundation · State Policy Network
confirmed
2011-01-01ALEC Grants Corporate Lobbyists 'Equal Vote' on Model Legislation for State Legislatures 3 src
American Legislative Exchange Council · State Legislatures · Koch Industries · ExxonMobil
confirmed
2011-01-01Arizona Becomes First State to Enact ALEC-Inspired Education Savings Accounts - Pioneering Universal Voucher Path 4 src
Jan Brewer · American Legislative Exchange Council · K12 Inc.
confirmed
2011-01-01Erik Prince Receives $529M Contract to Build Secret Mercenary Army for UAE Crown Prince 3 src
Erik Prince · United Arab Emirates
confirmed
2011-01-01Patent Troll Explosion: Non-Practicing Entities Impose $29 Billion Annual Cost on U.S. Economy, Targeting Small Businesses 4 src confirmed
2010-12-31Donors Trust Becomes Primary Climate Denial Dark Money Conduit 4 src
Koch brothers · Americans for Prosperity · Heartland Institute · Competitive Enterprise Institute
confirmed
2010-12-03ALEC Coordinates Right-to-Work Push After 2010 GOP Midterm Wave 3 src
American Legislative Exchange Council · Koch brothers · Americans for Prosperity · Republican Party
confirmed
2010-07-19Washington Post Publishes "Top Secret America," Revealing 1,931 Private Companies in Intelligence Work and Massive Revolving Door 4 src
Washington Post · Office of the Director of National Intelligence
confirmed
2010-01-21Supreme Court Citizens United Decision Unleashes Unlimited Corporate Spending 7 src
U.S. Supreme Court · Federal Election Commission · Anthony Kennedy
confirmed
2010-01-01Chertoff Promotes Airport Body Scanners on Media While His Firm Represents Manufacturer Rapiscan 4 src
Michael Chertoff · The Chertoff Group · Department of Homeland Security
confirmed
2010-01-01Hospital Consolidation Wave (2010-2020): 1,164 Mergers with Only 1% FTC Enforcement Rate 3 src
Federal Trade Commission · Hospital corporations
confirmed
2009-12-01Arizona SB 1070 Immigration Law Drafted at ALEC Meeting with CCA Executives - Direct Quid Pro Quo for Immigrant Detention Profits 4 src
American Legislative Exchange Council · Corrections Corporation of America · Jan Brewer · GEO Group
confirmed
2009-07-17ALEC Creates Model Voter ID Legislation Following Obama Election 3 src
American Legislative Exchange Council · Hans von Spakovsky · Heritage Foundation
confirmed
2009-06-26Koch Network Mobilizes to Kill Waxman-Markey Cap-and-Trade Climate Bill 3 src
Koch brothers · Charles Koch · David Koch · Americans for Prosperity · +4
confirmed
2009-02-19Koch Network Prepares Tea Party Mobilization After Santelli Rant 4 src
David Koch · Charles Koch · Americans for Prosperity · FreedomWorks
confirmed
2009-02-15Former NSA and CIA Director Michael Hayden Enters Private Sector, Joins Chertoff Group and Corporate Boards 3 src
Michael Hayden · The Chertoff Group · Michael Chertoff
confirmed
2009-02-02Former DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff Founds The Chertoff Group, Immediately Monetizing Homeland Security Expertise 4 src
Michael Chertoff · The Chertoff Group · Department of Homeland Security · Central Intelligence Agency · +1
confirmed
2009-01-01Americans for Prosperity Organizational Profile: Koch Brothers' Astroturf Empire Manufacturing Fake Grassroots Movements 4 src
Americans for Prosperity · Charles Koch · David Koch · Koch Industries
confirmed
2008-10-29Delta-Northwest Merger Approved: Beginning of Airline Industry Consolidation Wave 3 src
Department of Justice · Antitrust Division
confirmed
2008-07-31Carlyle Group Acquires Booz Allen Hamilton for $2.54 Billion, Private Equity Owns Major Intelligence Contractor 4 src
Carlyle Group · Booz Allen Hamilton · National Security Agency · Central Intelligence Agency · +1
confirmed
2007-10-02Erik Prince Testifies Before Congress Defending Blackwater Despite Evidence of 195 Shooting Incidents 3 src
Erik Prince · Blackwater · U.S. House Oversight Committee · Henry Waxman
confirmed
2007-05-10Purdue Pharma Pleads Guilty to Criminal Misbranding, $600M Fine, Zero Executives Jailed 3 src
Purdue Pharma · U.S. Department of Justice
confirmed
2007-03-12Halliburton Moves CEO and Corporate Headquarters to Dubai for Tax Advantages and Distance from Iraq War Scandals, Weeks Before Completing KBR Spin-Off 3 src
Halliburton · Dick Cheney · Patrick Leahy
confirmed
2006-12-31New Century Financial Conceals Massive Early Payment Defaults Through Accounting Fraud in 2006 2 src
Securities and Exchange Commission · Rating agencies
confirmed
2006-12-29AT&T Completes $86 Billion BellSouth Acquisition: Bell System Reassembled After 1984 Breakup 3 src
Federal Communications Commission
confirmed
2006-10-23Jeffrey Skilling Sentenced to 24 Years for Enron Fraud 3 src
Jeffrey Skilling · Department of Justice
confirmed
2006-07-05Ken Lay Dies Before Sentencing, Conviction Later Vacated 3 src
Kenneth Lay
confirmed
2006-05-25Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling Convicted of Enron Fraud and Conspiracy 3 src
Kenneth Lay · Jeffrey Skilling · Department of Justice
confirmed
2005-07-13WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison 3 src
Bernard Ebbers · Department of Justice
confirmed
2005-06-30Investigation Reveals $15M in Lobbyist-Funded Congressional Travel and Fact-Finding Junkets 3 src
Tom DeLay · Jack Abramoff
confirmed
2005-06-03L-3 Communications Acquires Titan Corporation for $2.65 Billion, Absorbing Abu Ghraib Contractor 3 src
Department of Defense
confirmed
2005-03-14Tom Daschle Joins Private Equity Firm and Lobbying After Senate Majority Leadership 3 src
Tom Daschle
confirmed
2005-01-01ALEC Approves 'Great Schools Tax Credit' Model - Launches Systematic Education Privatization Campaign 4 src
American Legislative Exchange Council · K12 Inc. · Koch Industries · DeVos family · +3
confirmed
2005-01-01ALEC Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Models Achieve Nationwide Adoption, Guaranteeing Private Prison Profits 4 src
American Legislative Exchange Council · Corrections Corporation of America · GEO Group · State Legislators
confirmed
2005-01-01CIA's In-Q-Tel Makes Strategic Investment in Palantir Technologies 2 src
In-Q-Tel · Central Intelligence Agency · Palantir Technologies
confirmed
2005-01-01Private Equity Assets Under Management Reach $1 Trillion, Enabling Systematic Extraction Across Economy 3 src
Blackstone · KKR · Bain Capital
confirmed
2004-12-13Oracle Completes PeopleSoft Acquisition for $10.3 Billion After Defeating Antitrust Challenge 3 src
Oracle · Larry Ellison · PeopleSoft
confirmed
2004-11-21Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts Files Bankruptcy, Trump Removed as CEO 3 src
Donald Trump
confirmed
2004-10-27Google Acquires CIA-Backed Keyhole, Foundation for Google Earth 3 src
Google · In-Q-Tel · Central Intelligence Agency
confirmed
2004-08-19Google IPO Raises $1.67B With "Don't Be Evil" Motto 4 src
Google · Larry Page · Eric Schmidt
confirmed
2004-07-11CIA Director George Tenet Departs After Iraq Intelligence Failures, Joins Investment Bank and Intelligence Company Boards 5 src
George Tenet · Central Intelligence Agency · In-Q-Tel
confirmed
2004-07-07Enron Founder Ken Lay Indicted on 11 Counts of Fraud and Conspiracy 3 src
Kenneth Lay · Jeffrey Skilling · Department of Justice
confirmed
2004-07-01Kroll Associates sold to Marsh & McLennan for $1.9 billion 3 src
Kroll Associates · Jules Kroll
confirmed
2004-06-01The Apprentice Serves as 14-Season Promotional Vehicle for Trump Properties and Brand 3 src
Donald Trump · Mark Burnett · NBC
reported
2004-03-31Four Blackwater Contractors Killed in Fallujah Ambush, Bodies Hung from Bridge, Triggering First Battle of Fallujah 4 src
Erik Prince · Blackwater
confirmed
2004-02-26Department of Justice Files Antitrust Lawsuit to Block Oracle-PeopleSoft Merger 3 src
Department of Justice · Oracle · PeopleSoft · Larry Ellison
confirmed
2003-06-30General Dynamics Acquires Veridian for $1.5 Billion, Entering Intelligence Technology Market 2 src
General Dynamics · Department of Defense · National Security Agency · Central Intelligence Agency
confirmed
2003-06-26HCA Healthcare Pays $1.7 Billion in Largest Medicare Fraud Settlement in U.S. History 3 src
Rick Scott · Department of Justice
confirmed
2003-06-06Oracle Launches Hostile Takeover Bid for PeopleSoft Worth $5.1 Billion 3 src
Oracle · Larry Ellison · PeopleSoft
confirmed