Overview: The HBO Original THE DARK MONEY GAME is broken down into two films, OHIO CONFIDENTIAL and WEALTH OF THE WICKED, both directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney. The films investigate the shadowy world of political donations and fundraising 15 years after the Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizen’s United case, which enabled unlimited spending by hidden sources on many political campaigns. The project is inspired by Jane Mayer’s book “Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right,” and features interviews with journalists, including Mayer, as well as lawmakers, judges, FBI investigators, whistleblowers, and insiders on both sides of the issue. Through two separate stories, the films reveal how an untraceable web of money from wealthy individuals and corporations representing business interests or religious agendas flows through non-profits and super PACs (political action committees) to support candidates and political movements. Debut date: April 15 for Part I and April 16 for Part II.
Expectations: This is one of those subject matters that you heard whispered of, that you’ve heard exists but never fully understand. It comes under a number of names, from political donations to ‘dark money’. It comes from the right intentions to contribute as a company or individual sees fit, but has become far too nefarious and influential. For me, Alex Gibney is one of the best to take up the topic, to add clarity to just how much it has impacted the sway of politics across the land.
Gut Reaction: OHIO CONFIDENTIAL is the first film, and it clocks in at 2 hours long. It seems like it could be a long slog through the topic, especially since there is a follow-up film to go. Gibney was wise, I think, in presenting this film because by using an actual dark money scandal to illustrate the mechanics of this controversial political maneuver greatly aids the viewer’s understanding of the whole operation.
When a powerful political lobbyist is found shot to death, his apparent suicide puts in motion a corruption case that shakes all of Ohio. FBI wiretap recordings ultimately unravel a conspiracy involving a secret $61 million slush fund for Ohio’s Speaker of the House. Those ill-gotten gains, through shady backdoors and flat-out liars, secured incredible power to the Speaker and, much to the taxpayers’ chagrin, a billion-dollar corporate bailout for FirstEnergy.
I like those documentaries that can get us into all the little details and into the minds of crime solvers and federal agents. One apparatus that I enjoy seeing, which was heavily recreated for this documentary and others, like MCMILLIONS, is the board with the pictures and sticky notes connected to show correlation with colored yarn and push pins. It aids the viewer in having the visuals to keep track of the players and their connections. And there are plenty of players. Involved are all the political figures involved, mostly as they appeared in news footage. Then there are the likes of Jane Mayer (pictured), journalist and author of “Dark Money,” the non-fiction book that got Gibney on the topic, FBI agents and even more interesting, the informant Tyler Fehrman and the undercover agents that were deep into the espionage tactics of infiltration and recording the Speaker’s right-hand crony, Neil Clark. It took time, but they put a stop to the scandal, thus seeing the Speaker impeached and imprisoned. As for Clark, what remains of him is the dead body discovered at the beginning.
The second film is entitled WEALTH OF THE WICKED, a phrase lifted from the Christian Bible. It takes all we have learned from the first film, a localized story, and magnifies that up to the national level. It delves into the legitimate Super PACS and their money practices and spells out the history of campaign finance and how it easily can become corrupted and quiet. The film, also two hours long, traces the creation of the Federal Election Commission in 1975, the 2002 McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Bill, and the Citizens United decision of 2010 that has shaped the scenario we know today. It also touches on how not only corporate groups but also religious groups have monopolized the practices and skewed the outcomes. All of it balancing under the fine line of being a ‘donation’ and a ‘bribe.”
After the brief history lesson, the plot becomes somewhat convoluted as several talking heads delve into the matter in depth. The work almost turns into a work about abortion causes. But it is for good reason; the first major modern-era cash infusions into government coffers were from the Christian aggressors known as the Pro-Life advocates. They held so much sway that they influenced the shift of Supreme Court Justices from liberal to conservative. There is a big breakdown of how the government stalled on Obama’s pick, Garland, to ensure Kavanaugh’s seat when the new administration rolled in. We remember this as a big political move, but this documentary shows how Dark Money was in play to make it happen. Big lobbyists like the Federalist Society’s Leonard Leo and the Catholic Church’s Opus Dei had a huge hand in seeing Rowe & Vs Wade dropped because “money talks.” Dark Money is very much in play.
Conclusion: Once again, I appreciate Gibney’s examination of a confusing topic, but seeing it actualized in a local matter in Part I and on the national level in Part II helps clarify so much. Author Jane Mayer’s knowledge and all the persons involved in explaining thor stance in these matters were insightful. We learn that poorly crafted policy and a play with semantics can turn a “bribe” into a “gratuity” and that Dark Money is here to stay. Find THE DARK MONEY GAME on Max and across the HBO channels.
