The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "political operatives" ...
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Constables Under Fire
“The series of stories examines the questionable employment practices and operations of several county constable officers”. Some of these practices include “aggressive and unregulated towing effort and questionable ties with a towing company, political campaign violations and the unprecedented expansion of constables’ police duties with minimal oversight”. These constables are now under civil and criminal investigations and have been accused of a number of things.
Tags: city government; judge; lawmen; deputies; law enforcement; car tags; county government; deputies
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A Quiet Hell
This story didn't focus on one specific chemical plant; instead it focuses on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). After analyzing data for individual pollutants that were emitted during non-routine operations, a number of details were revealed. Some of these details are that "more than 20 million pounds of pollutants were emitted", TCEQ infrequently enforced the laws, some penalties were never finalized, and "the plants with the most violations paid the least percentage of their fines".
Tags: pollution; chemical plants; emissions; Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ); Houston Ship Channel; pollutants; oil industry; gas industry; air; politics; atmosphere
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Big Money Slides From WFP To City Campaigns; All In The Family
“The Working Families Party is an increasingly powerful third political party in New York which, due to quirky state election laws, is able to cross-endorse candidates and get involved in other parties’ primaries.” The question that everyone has been asking is how WFP (Working Families Party) finances its extensive operations. The first article reveals this very question. The WFP owned a secretive political consulting company, which uses the same resources as WFP and in apparent opposition to New York City’s campaign finance laws. The second article reveals that WFP not only has two arms, but there are in fact four arms. These four arms show the benefits received by WFP are of a political party, a non-profit, and a for-profit.
Tags: Working Families Party(WFP); New York; Data and Field Services(DFS); Campaigns; Politics; Politicians
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Friendly Dealings
"The story uncovered the close ties between Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., and a political operative named Jeff Larson. It detailed how Larson arranged for Coleman to live in his $1 million townhouse for only $600-a-month. It also showed that Coleman failed to pay some of his rent, and how Larson's company, FLS Connect, had been given $1.6 million in business by Coleman's PAC and Senate campaign committee. The story also disclosed that Larson's wife, Dorene, was on Coleman's Senate payroll under her maiden name, Kainz. After National Journal questioned Coleman about the arrangement with Larson's wife, the senator's staff announced she would be leaving her job the following month."
Tags: corruption; Minnesota; Jeff Larson; Dorene Larson; Norm Coleman; FLS Connect;
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Takeover: The Return of the Imerial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy
Since the 1970s and 80s a faction of the Republican party has been working to create a system that allows "the White House to wield enormous power, operating behind a veil of secrecy and unchecked by Congress or the courts. Today's administration is bringing this project to fruition."
Tags: politics; government; Watergate; checks and balance; George W. Bush; Dick Cheney; executive power; Republican
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Politicizing the Justice Department
McClatchy's Washington Bureau found that "White House political operatives had intervened in the firing of nine U.S. Attorneys." In their places, were appointed attorney's who agreed with the administrations.
Tags: Justice Department; Senate; U.S. Attorney; Congress; Alberto Gonzales; Karl Rove; Paul McNulty; David Iglesias; Bush administration
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The Town the Law Forgot
LA Weekly chronicled "the intersection of organized crime and public corruption in the Hispanic suburbs of Los Angeles County and in revitalized downtown Los Angeles. ... The overarching conclusion is that local law enforcement's piecemeal approach to gang and drug-related crime is not sophisticated enough to make a dent."
Tags: crime; drug; urban; elected officials; attorneys; political operatives; lobbyist; corruption; police department; city
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Jaded Tasks: Brass Plates, Black Ops, & Big Oil
The details of how the September 11,2001 attacks were caused in part by America's economic and intelligence associations with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Madsen looks into how George W. Bush used private militaries to conduct his "new world order."
Tags: George Bush; Rwanda; covert operations; FOIA; Septemeber 11; Iraq; terrorism; mass destruction; intelligence agency; Pakistan; Saudi Arabia; politics
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Beyond Sago: Coal Mine Safety in America
"Nearly 40 years after passage of the federal coal mine safety law, U.S. coal miners continue to die on the job because of widespread violations by coal companies and lax regulation by the government. And, while explosions and mine fires draw media and political attention, most coal miners die alone, one by one in roof falls and machinery accidents that could have been avoided if the operators they worked for complied with existing laws."
Tags: Coal mining; mining; accident; equipment;
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The Speculators
Reporters investigated a small group of politically connected investors who are shaping the growth and character of one of the biggest land booms in the country. Because of their connections they operate unfettered by restrictions or requirements. If the deals go bad, the speculators face few consequences and quickly re-emerge unscathed while they continue to play fast and loose with other peoples' money.
Tags: land development; speculation industry; land owners; FOIA