I read hundreds of pages of emails & contracts that track Leonard Leo and Charles Koch's efforts to buy influence over George Mason's law school, using their donations to promote conservative causes by intervening in faculty hiring and student admissions. slate.com/news-and-polit…
What's especially galling here is that Leo and the Kochs bankrolled and spearheaded the legal fight to abolish campaign finance restrictions under the theory that donors won't use money to buy political favors—while using their money to buy political favors behind the scenes.
Naturally, Leo and the Kochs bought their influence over GMU Law in secret, hiding contracts and donations from the public. Remember the "anonymous donor" who gave $20 million, alongside Koch's $10 million, to rename the school after Scalia? That was a front group headed by Leo.
Leo could secure spots at GMU Law for his favored candidates with astonishing ease. Once he asked the dean, Henry Butler, to grant a private meeting to a guy whose father is "a senior executive at [redacted]." Butler agreed in hours and got him a spot in weeks.
GMU Law isn't the only place where Leo has bought influence. When Scott Pruitt fought Obama's environmental regulations as Oklahoma attorney general, Leo funneled money from the energy industry to Pruitt's office. Now Leo gets whatever he wants at the EPA. 
Leo selected Gorsuch for his spot on the Supreme Court, and chooses many of Trump's lower court nominees. One of his picks, James Ho, released an opinion last month arguing that rich people need to buy elections to protect themselves from regulations. slate.com/news-and-polit…
In public, Leo and the Kochs insist they're promoting ideas, not buying influence. In private, they use their donations to call the shots in state affairs. The GMU documents give us a rare glimpse into that unseemly process. slate.com/news-and-polit…
