Capture lane

Regulatory Capture

The Regulatory Capture capture lane traces 1573 verified events documenting this mechanism of institutional capture.

1573 events From Jan 1, 1819 To Jun 10, 2026 Open in filter view →
Top 10 actors in this lane 10 actors · 1819–2026
Top actors in Regulatory Capture182018251830183518401845185018551860186518701875188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025WatergateReaganIran-Contra9/11Citizens UnitedTrump 1.0Trump 2.0Donald Trump1415 eventsTrump Administration363 eventsSecurities and Exchange Commission77 eventsFederal Trade Commission69 eventsDepartment of Justice337 eventsGeorge W. Bush72 eventsU.S. Congress228 eventsElon Musk186 eventsFood and Drug AdministrationFederal Reserve
Capture lanecorruptiondemocraticexecutivefinancialintelligencejudiciallaborlegislativemediamilitaryotherregulatory Status confirmed alleged disputed
DateEventLanesStatus
2008-07-09FISA Amendments Act of 2008 Passes, Granting Telecom Immunity 3 src
U.S. Congress · George W. Bush · United States Senate · U.S. House of Representatives · +2
confirmed
2008-07-01Bank of America Completes $4 Billion Acquisition of Countrywide Financial After Predatory Lending and Fraud Schemes Targeting Minorities Caused $50 Billion in Losses, with CEO Angelo Mozilo Paying Only $67.5 Million SEC Settlement and Facing Zero Criminal Charges 4 src
Countrywide Financial · Bank of America · Securities and Exchange Commission · Department of Justice · +1
confirmed
2008-06-30Alexander Acosta Approves Secret Non-Prosecution Agreement with Jeffrey Epstein 3 src
Alexander Acosta · Jeffrey Epstein · Alan Dershowitz · Kenneth Starr · +1
confirmed
2008-04-13Google Acquires DoubleClick for $3.1B, Creating Advertising Monopoly 4 src
Google · Federal Trade Commission
confirmed
2008-03-16Bear Stearns Collapse and Federal Reserve-Facilitated Fire Sale to JPMorgan with $29 Billion Taxpayer Guarantee Establishes 'Too Big to Fail' Precedent with Zero Criminal Prosecutions Despite Fraud-Driven Collapse 3 src
Bear Stearns · JPMorgan Chase · Federal Reserve Bank of New York · Ben Bernanke · +3
confirmed
2008-01-02KBR's Faulty Electrical Work Kills Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, Part of Systematic Negligence Causing 18 Electrocution Deaths in Iraq with No Criminal Charges Despite Army Negligent Homicide Finding 3 src
Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) · Halliburton · U.S. Department of Defense
confirmed
2008-01-01Report: Acosta told Trump transition Epstein 'belonged to intelligence' (unconfirmed) 4 src
Alexander Acosta · Jeffrey Epstein · US Intelligence · Department of Justice
reported
2007-12-18Trent Lott Resigns from Senate to Evade New Lobbying Ethics Law 3 src
Trent Lott
confirmed
2007-11-15Thomas Drake Reports NSA Trailblazer Program Waste and Constitutional Violations 3 src
Thomas Drake · National Security Agency · SAIC · Michael Hayden
confirmed
2007-11-02CIA Detainee Gul Rahman Froze to Death at Black Site - No One Prosecuted for Homicide 4 src
Gul Rahman · Central Intelligence Agency
confirmed
2007-10-19Associated Press Investigation Exposes Comcast's Secret BitTorrent Throttling and Blocking 3 src
Comcast Corporation · Associated Press · Electronic Frontier Foundation
confirmed
2007-09-16Blackwater Nisour Square Massacre Exposes Systematic Private Military Corporate-State Fusion Accountability Crisis and Constitutional Violation 6 src
Erik Prince · State Department · Central Intelligence Agency · Iraqi Government · +2
confirmed
2007-09-15Honest Leadership Act Takes Effect But Fails to Slow Congressional Revolving Door 3 src
U.S. Congress · Public Citizen
confirmed
2007-09-01FBI Inspector General Reports 35% Error Rate on Terror Watchlist 3 src
Federal Bureau of Investigation
confirmed
2007-08-27Questcor Raises Acthar Gel Price from $1,600 to $23,000 Overnight - Eventually Reaching 97,000% Increase Through Bribery Scheme 4 src
Federal Trade Commission · Humana · U.S. Congress · Big Pharma
confirmed
2007-06-25DOJ Voting Section Politicization: Bush Administration Weaponizes Civil Rights Division for Voter Suppression 3 src
Alberto Gonzales · Hans von Spakovsky · Monica Goodling
confirmed
2007-05-23Monica Goodling Admits Political Screening of DOJ Lawyers 3 src
Monica Goodling · Alberto Gonzales · U.S. Department of Justice · U.S. Congress
confirmed
2007-05-14ODNI Reveals 70% of Intelligence Budget Goes to Private Contractors 4 src
Office of the Director of National Intelligence · Defense Intelligence Agency
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
2007-04-02New Century Financial Bankruptcy Signals Start of Subprime Mortgage Crisis 3 src
Fannie Mae · Freddie Mac
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
2007-03-09DOJ Inspector General Documents Systematic FBI Surveillance Abuse 3 src
Glenn Fine · Federal Bureau of Investigation · Department of Justice · U.S. Congress · +1
confirmed
2007-01-01Cellebrite Launches Universal Forensic Extraction Device (UFED) for Law Enforcement 3 src
Cellebrite
confirmed
2007-01-01Israel Passes Defense Export Control Law, Creating Framework That Enables Pegasus as Diplomatic Weapon 3 src
Benjamin Netanyahu · NSO Group
confirmed
2007-01-01Palantir Begins Rapid Expansion Across U.S. Government Agencies 2 src
Palantir Technologies · Federal Bureau of Investigation · National Security Agency · U.S. Department of Homeland Security · +1
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
2006-12-07Bush Administration Fires 9 U.S. Attorneys for Political Reasons 3 src
Alberto Gonzales · Karl Rove · George W. Bush · U.S. Congress
confirmed
2006-12-01Subprime Mortgage Delinquencies Surge to 13%, Nearly Double Mid-2005 Rates, as Crisis Accelerates 3 src
Federal Reserve · Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
confirmed
2006-10-23Jeffrey Skilling Sentenced to 24 Years for Enron Fraud 3 src
Jeffrey Skilling · Department of Justice
confirmed
2006-09-29Bush Signs Credit Rating Agency Reform Act, But Law Fails to Address Core Conflicts of Interest 3 src
George W. Bush · Securities and Exchange Commission · U.S. Congress
confirmed
2006-09-29Federal Regulators Issue Weakened Mortgage Guidance After Year of Industry Lobbying, Ignoring Warnings 4 src
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency · Federal Reserve · Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation · Office of Thrift Supervision · +3
confirmed
2006-09-06Bush Publicly Acknowledges CIA Secret Prisons for First Time, Transfers Detainees to Guantanamo 4 src
George W. Bush · Central Intelligence Agency · Abu Zubaydah · Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri
confirmed
2006-07-24ABA Condemns Bush 800+ Signing Statements Nullifying Oversight 3 src
George W. Bush · American Bar Association · Dick Cheney · David Addington · +1
confirmed
2006-07-05Ken Lay Dies Before Sentencing, Conviction Later Vacated 3 src
Kenneth Lay
confirmed
2006-07-01Housing Bubble Peaks as Predatory Subprime Lending Reaches Maximum, Setting Stage for Collapse 3 src
Countrywide Financial · Washington Mutual · Federal Reserve · Rating agencies
confirmed
2006-06-01Federal Reserve Raises Interest Rates to 5.25%, Triggering Payment Shock for Subprime Borrowers 2 src
Federal Reserve · Ben Bernanke
confirmed
2006-05-25Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling Convicted of Enron Fraud and Conspiracy 3 src
Kenneth Lay · Jeffrey Skilling · Department of Justice
confirmed
2006-03-09Dubai Ports World Abandons US Port Takeover Under Congressional Pressure 4 src
Dubai Ports World · Dennis Hastert · George W. Bush · U.S. Congress
confirmed
2006-03-01FBI Infiltrates Orange County Mosques with Informant in Dragnet Surveillance 3 src
Federal Bureau of Investigation · Department of Justice
confirmed
2006-02-22Bush Threatens First Presidential Veto Over Dubai Ports Deal 3 src
George W. Bush · Dubai Ports World · UAE · Republican Congress · +1
confirmed
2006-01-29NSA Cancels Trailblazer Program After SAIC Wastes Over $1 Billion on Failed Surveillance System 3 src
National Security Agency · Michael Hayden
confirmed
2006-01-24KBR (Halliburton Subsidiary) Awarded $385M DHS/ICE Contingency Contract for Emergency Immigrant Detention Facilities 6 src
Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) · Halliburton · Dick Cheney · U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) · +2
confirmed
2006-01-23Ameriquest Agrees to $325 Million Settlement for Predatory Lending Practices with 49 States 3 src
State Attorneys General
confirmed
2006-01-03Jack Abramoff Pleads Guilty in 5M Corruption Scandal 3 src
Jack Abramoff · Michael Scanlon · Tom DeLay · U.S. Congress · +1
confirmed
2006-01-01Ares Management Acquires Aspen Dental: Private Equity Dental Roll-Up Strategy Launches Industry Consolidation 3 src confirmed
2006-01-01Countrywide Begins Process to Switch to Office of Thrift Supervision for Lighter Regulation 3 src
Countrywide Financial · Office of Thrift Supervision · Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
confirmed
2006-01-01IndyMac and WaMu Drive Option ARM Mortgages to 42% of Adjustable-Rate Market in 2006 3 src
Washington Mutual · Countrywide Financial · Office of Thrift Supervision
confirmed
2006-01-01Palantir Wins First Major Contract with Joint IED Defeat Organization for Iraq and Afghanistan 2 src
Palantir Technologies · U.S. Department of Defense
confirmed
2005-12-16New York Times Exposes NSA Warrantless Surveillance Program 5 src
James Risen · New York Times · George W. Bush · National Security Agency
confirmed
2005-12-15Coast Guard Identifies Critical Intelligence Gaps in Dubai Ports World Deal 3 src
U.S. Coast Guard · Dubai Ports World · UAE · Susan Collins
confirmed
2005-11-16Energy Committee Hearings Expose Oil Industry Climate Denial Campaign and Regulatory Capture 3 src
House Energy and Commerce Committee · Dick Cheney · ExxonMobil · American Petroleum Institute
confirmed
2005-11-16Oil Executives Deny Task Force Participation Despite Documentary Evidence 3 src
ExxonMobil · Chevron · ConocoPhillips · Shell Oil · +1
confirmed
2005-11-09CIA Destroys 92 Torture Interrogation Videotapes to Conceal Evidence 4 src
Central Intelligence Agency · Gina Haspel · Abu Zubaydah · Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri · +1
confirmed
2005-11-07Harry Markopolos Submits 'The World's Largest Hedge Fund Is a Fraud' to SEC, Agency Ignores Detailed Evidence for Third Time 4 src
Securities and Exchange Commission · Bernie Madoff
confirmed
2005-11-02Washington Post Reveals CIA's Secret Prison Network in Eastern Europe 4 src
Central Intelligence Agency · Washington Post
confirmed
2005-10-28Karl Rove Orchestrates Political Prosecution of Don Siegelman 3 src
Karl Rove
confirmed
2005-10-15Dubai Ports World Initiates Controversial CFIUS Review for US Port Management Acquisition 3 src
Dubai Ports World · U.S. Coast Guard · U.S. Department of Homeland Security · George W. Bush
confirmed
2005-08-08Energy Task Force Recommendations Become EPA Policy Without Review 3 src
Dick Cheney · Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · ExxonMobil · Chevron · +1
confirmed
2005-07-28KBR Employee Jamie Leigh Jones Alleges Gang Rape in Iraq, Exposes Systematic Use of Mandatory Arbitration to Shield Contractor Accountability 3 src
Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) · Halliburton · State Department · Al Franken
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
2005-06-15FAA Delegates Safety Certification Authority to Boeing Through Organization Designation Authorization Program 3 src
Federal Aviation Administration
confirmed
2005-06-08Phil Cooney Climate Science Censorship Exposed by Whistleblower 3 src
ExxonMobil · American Petroleum Institute
confirmed
2005-05-23Trump Launches "Trump University" Real Estate Seminars Without Academic License or Accreditation 3 src
Donald Trump · Michael Sexton
confirmed
2005-04-20Bankruptcy Act Makes Private Student Loans Non-Dischargeable - Weaponizing Law Against Students 3 src
George W. Bush
confirmed
2005-04-01Public Citizen Report Shows 43% of Lawmakers Leaving Congress Became Lobbyists 3 src
Public Citizen · U.S. Congress
confirmed
2005-03-01Palm Beach police investigation begins after parent reports $300 payment to 14-year-old 3 src
Jeffrey Epstein
confirmed
2005-01-07Armstrong Williams Paid 40K for Illegal Government Propaganda 3 src
U.S. Department of Education
confirmed
2004-12-17Intelligence Reform Act Creates DNI, Accelerates Contractor Dependence 3 src
George W. Bush · U.S. Congress · Office of the Director of National Intelligence
confirmed
2004-12-15Billy Tauzin Joins PhRMA as CEO After Shepherding $200B Medicare Drug Bill 3 src
Billy Tauzin · PhRMA
confirmed
2004-12-13Oracle Completes PeopleSoft Acquisition for $10.3 Billion After Defeating Antitrust Challenge 3 src
Oracle · Larry Ellison · PeopleSoft
confirmed
2004-11-18FDA Whistleblower David Graham Testifies on Vioxx Cover-up Before Senate 4 src
Food and Drug Administration · Merck · U.S. Senate Finance Committee
confirmed
2004-11-02Diebold Voting Machine Irregularities in Ohio 2004 Presidential Election 4 src
John Conyers
confirmed
2004-11-02Ohio Evangelical Turnout Delivers Bush Reelection: "Values Voters" Become the Decisive Electoral Bloc 2 src
George W. Bush
confirmed
2004-09-30Merck Withdraws Vioxx After Concealing Heart Attack Risk, FDA Failure Causes Estimated 28,000-55,000 Deaths 3 src
Merck · Food and Drug Administration
confirmed
2004-08-19Google IPO Raises $1.67B With "Don't Be Evil" Motto 4 src
Google · Larry Page · Eric Schmidt
confirmed
2004-07-22Koch Network Restructures: CSE Splits into FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity 3 src
David Koch · Charles Koch · Dick Armey · FreedomWorks · +1
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
2004-06-28WHIG-Enabled Torture Authorization Establishes Executive Immunity Precedent for Constitutional Crisis Governance 3 src
John Yoo · Jay Bybee · Alberto Gonzales · White House Iraq Group · +5
confirmed
2004-06-24Supreme Court Protects Cheney Energy Task Force Secrecy 3 src
Dick Cheney · U.S. Supreme Court · Anthony Kennedy · Antonin Scalia · +2
confirmed
2004-04-28Abu Ghraib Photos Reveal Private Contractors Conducted Interrogations at Military Prison 4 src
U.S. Army · CBS News
confirmed
2004-04-28SEC Creates Consolidated Supervised Entities Program Allowing Unlimited Investment Bank Leverage 4 src
Securities and Exchange Commission · William Donaldson · Bear Stearns · Lehman Brothers · +3
confirmed
2004-04-28SEC Implements Alternative Net Capital Rules for Major Investment Banks 3 src
Securities and Exchange Commission · William Donaldson · Goldman Sachs · Morgan Stanley · +3
confirmed
2004-04-28SEC Net Capital Rule Change Enables Investment Bank Leverage Explosion Fueling Housing Bubble 9 src
Securities and Exchange Commission · William Donaldson · Goldman Sachs · Morgan Stanley · +3
confirmed
2004-03-10Hospital Confrontation Over NSA Surveillance Program 6 src
John Ashcroft · James Comey · Alberto Gonzales · Robert Mueller
confirmed
2004-02-22Washington Post Exposes Abramoff Native American Lobbying Scandal 3 src
Washington Post · Jack Abramoff · Michael Scanlon · Native American Tribes
confirmed
2004-02-01Accenture Awarded Competitive DHS US-VISIT Contract 4 src
Accenture · U.S. Department of Homeland Security
confirmed
2004-01-13OCC Federal Preemption Blocks State Anti-Predatory Lending Protections 4 src
National City Bank · Wells Fargo · Bank of America
confirmed
2003-11-25Medicare Part D Passes After Pharmaceutical Industry Writes Price Negotiation Ban 3 src
Billy Tauzin · House Energy and Commerce Committee · PhRMA
confirmed
2003-09-19Paul Bremer Issues CPA Order 39 Imposing Radical Free Market Restructuring on Occupied Iraq 6 src
Paul Bremer · Coalition Provisional Authority · George W. Bush
confirmed
2003-09-19Paul Bremer Order 39 Privatizes Iraq Economy for Foreign Corporations 3 src
Paul Bremer · Coalition Provisional Authority · Iraqi Government
confirmed
2003-07-14Robert Novak Exposes CIA Operative Valerie Plame 3 src
Valerie Plame · Joseph Wilson · Richard Armitage · Karl Rove · +2
confirmed
2003-07-14Valerie Plame's CIA Identity Leaked in Retaliation for Wilson's Iraq WMD Criticism 6 src
Valerie Plame · Joseph Wilson · Dick Cheney · Scooter Libby · +2
confirmed
2003-07-07WHIG Coordinates Campaign to Discredit Joseph Wilson, Leading to Plame Leak 3 src
White House Iraq Group · Karl Rove · Scooter Libby · Colin Powell · +4
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
2003-06-02FCC Attempts Massive Media Deregulation Under Michael Powell Despite 97% Public Opposition 3 src
Colin Powell · George W. Bush · Trent Lott
confirmed
2003-06-02FCC Deregulation Enables Sinclair Broadcasting Expansion 3 src
Federal Communications Commission · David Smith · George W. Bush
confirmed