Secret Empires: How the American Political Class Hides Corruption and Enriches Family and Friends

#1 New York Times Bestseller!

Peter Schweizer has been fighting corruption—and winning—for years. In Throw Them All Out, he exposed insider trading by members of Congress, leading to the passage of the STOCK Act. In Extortion, he uncovered how politicians use mafia-like tactics to enrich themselves. And in Clinton Cash, he revealed the Clintons’ massive money machine and sparked an FBI investigation.

Now he explains how a new form of political corruption has taken hold, involving larger sums of money than ever before. Stuffing tens of thousands of dollars into a freezer has morphed into multibillion-dollar equity deals done in the dark corners of the world.

An American bank opening in China would be prohibited by US law from hiring a slew of family members of top Chinese politicians. However, a Chinese bank opening in America can hire anyone it wants. It can even invite the friends and families of American politicians to invest in can’t-lose deals.

President Donald Trump’s children have made front pages across the world for their dicey transactions. However, the media has barely looked into questionable deals made by those close to Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John Kerry, Mitch McConnell, and lesser-known politicians who have been in the game longer.

In many parts of the world, the children of powerful political figures go into business and profit handsomely, not necessarily because they are good at it, but because people want to curry favor with their influential parents. This is a relatively new phenomenon in the United States. But for relatives of some prominent political families, we may already be talking about hundreds of millions of dollars.

Deeply researched and packed with shocking revelations, Secret Empires identifies public servants who cannot be trusted and provides a path toward a more accountable government.

This explosive work of investigative journalism reveals the architecture of corruption and crony capitalism that has become standard practice in US politics:

• Political Corruption: Explore how backroom deals have evolved from simple bribes to multibillion-dollar equity deals benefiting the friends and families of American politicians.
• Government Ethics: Uncover the legal loopholes that allow foreign powers to curry favor by offering lucrative opportunities to the relatives of high-ranking public officials.
• Bipartisan Nepotism: Examine the questionable transactions and conflicts of interest surrounding figures close to Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Mitch McConnell, and more.
• A Call for Accountability: Go beyond the shocking revelations to understand the clear path forward for achieving a more transparent and accountable government.