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The Wolves of K Street: The Secret History of How Big Money Took Over Big Government Hardcover – May 7, 2024

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 208 ratings

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A dazzling and infuriating portrait of fifty years of corporate influence in Washington, The Wolves of K Street is a “not-so-guilty pleasure” (The New York Times): irresistibly dramatic, spectacularly timely, explosive in its revelations, and impossible to put down.

In the 1970s, Washington’s center of power began to shift away from elected officials in big marble buildings to a handful of savvy, handsomely paid operators who didn’t answer to any fixed constituency. The cigar-chomping son of an influential congressman, an illustrious political fixer with a weakness for modern art, a Watergate-era dirty trickster, the city’s favorite cocktail party host—these were the sort of men who now ran Washington.

Over four decades, they’d chart new ways to turn their clients’ cash into political leverage, abandoning favor-trading in smoke-filled rooms for increasingly sophisticated tactics, such as “shadow lobbying,” where underground campaigns sparked seemingly organic public outcries to pressure lawmakers into taking actions that would ultimately benefit corporate interests rather than ordinary citizens. With billions of dollars at play, these lobbying dynasties enshrined in Washington a pro-business consensus that would guide the country’s political leaders—Democrats and Republicans alike. A good lobbyist could ghostwrite a bill or even secretly kill a piece of legislation supported by the president, both houses of Congress, and a majority of Americans.

Yet nothing lasts forever. Amid a populist backlash to the soaring inequality these influence peddlers helped usher in, DC’s pro-business alliance suddenly began to fray. And while the lobbying establishment would continue to invent new ways to influence Washington, the men who’d built K Street would soon find themselves under legal scrutiny, on the verge of financial collapse or worse. One would turn up dead behind the eighteenth green of an exclusive golf club, with a $1,500 bottle of wine at his feed and bullet in his head.

An “absorbing” (
The Atlantic), “engrossing” and “meticulously researched” tale (The Guardian)—brought to life with “novelistic detail” and “considerable narrative skill” (The New York Times)—The Wolves of K Street is essential reading for anyone looking to understand how corporate interests are undermining American democracy.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“An instant classic—deeply reported, powerfully told and profoundly important. It’s one of the best books I've read on Washington in many years.”
—Peter Baker, New York Times bestselling author of The Man Who Ran Washington

“A not-so-guilty pleasure…. The Mullins brothers cleverly set up their story as a mystery… with considerable narrative skill and novelistic detail.”
—James B. Stewart, The New York Times

“A vivid, brilliantly told tale that unfolds like a novel, this is the most potent portrait of the Washington swamp you will read.”
—Ken Auletta, New York Times bestselling author of Googled

“If you want to understand how American democracy went off the rails, all you need to do is read this book.”
—Christopher Leonard, New York Times bestselling author of The Lords of Easy Money

“Absorbing.... This is the deep state.”
—Franklin Foer, The Atlantic

“Engrossing…. Smoothly written, meticulously researched,
The Wolves of K Street informs and mesmerizes.”
The Guardian

“A fast-paced deep dive into a world of greed and ambition, inhabited by a uniquely fascinating group of wheelers and dealers.
The Wolves of K Street is a history of not only how money and power have influenced American politics, but how the work of lobbyists touches the lives of every American.”
—Kate Andersen Brower, New York Times bestselling author of The Residence

“One of the most amazing developments in modern American politics is how Donald Trump’s Republican Party seems to have supplanted FDR’s Democratic Party as the political home of the ‘working man.’ … Anyone who wants to understand this transformation should read Brody and Luke Mullins’s new book.”
The Washington Free Beacon

“However nefarious you think the lobbying industry is in Washington, Brody and Luke Mullins have news: It’s worse. Not even during the Roaring Twenties and the Gilded Age did corporate American wield so much influence. In their deeply reported, compelling new book, the Mullins brothers track how that happened, and the disastrous consequences.”
—Susan Page, New York Times bestselling author of The Matriarch

“This is nothing less than the definitive history of how corporate lobbyists took over Washington. The Mullins brothers have brought us the story of how Washington really works—and for whom.”
—Jonathan Martin, New York Times bestselling coauthor of This Will Not Pass

About the Author

Brody Mullins is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter. He spent nearly two decades covering the intersection of business and politics for The Wall Street Journal.

Luke Mullins is a contributing writer at
Politico magazine, where he covers the people and institutions that control Washington’s levers of power.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster (May 7, 2024)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 624 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1982120592
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1982120597
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.7 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.5 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 208 ratings

About the author

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Brody Mullins
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Brody Mullins is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and author of The Wolves of K Street: The Secret History of How Big Money Took over Big Government.

Mullins won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for stories in The Wall Street Journal that exposed thousands of high-ranking government officials who owned stock in companies they regulate.

His book, which will be published in May by Simon & Schuster, is the definitive account of the rise of corporate power and lobbying in Washington. It tells the story of the rise of modern lobbying industry through three dynasties – one Republican, two Democratic – that enabled corporate interests to infiltrate American politics and change public policy.

In two decades as an investigative reporter at The Wall Street Journal, Mullins wrote scores of ground-breaking stories about the intersection of business and politics, exposed numerous scandals and prompted new laws and regulations to protect Americans against corruption by powerful government officials, lobbyists and Wall Street traders.

In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Mullins has won the George Polk Award and has twice won the Everett Dirksen Award for best coverage of Congress. Washingtonian calls him one of 50 best reporters in politics. He has appeared on Fox News and numerous cable shows and his work as appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Politico, The Atlantic and elsewhere.

Brody graduated from Gonzaga High School and Northwestern University and now lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, two daughters and son.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
208 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and full of surprises. They appreciate the well-researched, insightful information and detailed historical context. The narrative is described as objective, with interesting real-life characters and a depiction of skilled lobbyists. Readers also mention that the book provides an excellent account of how corporations influence politics and sophisticated tactics used by power players.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

17 customers mention "Readability"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and informative. They appreciate the writing style and detailed information about money laundering. The book is described as a great read with footnotes and a triumphant story.

"...This book is not just informative but also an irresistible read that you won’t be able to put down...." Read more

"...The book is gripping and reads like a novel (though if it had been a novel it would have been criticized for being incredible)...." Read more

"Very detailed and footnoted read about the tremendous amount of money and influence corrupting our society. My book was missing page 309/10 tho……" Read more

"The Wolves of K Street is a staggering triumph; an instant Washington classic that will be read and studied for generations to come...." Read more

12 customers mention "Information quality"12 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and well-researched. They appreciate the factual, well-sourced details and historical context. The book is considered relevant and a masterwork of investigative work that will be read and studied for generations to come.

"...This book is not just informative but also an irresistible read that you won’t be able to put down...." Read more

"...Topical, relevant and packed with deep insights and new reporting, Brody and Luke Mullins have woven decades of intrigue together by painting..." Read more

"Simply a masterpiece of investigative work and the “selling” of our democratic republic. Several friends read it together...." Read more

"...Lives of the Lobbyists By far the book’s most endearing feature is its depiction of Washington’s most skilled lobbyists, namely Tommy..." Read more

8 customers mention "Narrative quality"8 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the detailed narrative about the flow of money in the U.S. They appreciate the objective storytelling, well-sourced details, and engaging historical context. The book provides a fascinating look at America with colorful characters and explosive revelations.

"...Brody and Luke Mullins provide an engrossing narrative filled with colorful characters, detailed historical context, and explosive revelations...." Read more

"Very detailed and footnoted read about the tremendous amount of money and influence corrupting our society. My book was missing page 309/10 tho……" Read more

"...the plots and the dots together for the first time into a coherent narrative and it sticks the landing. 10 out of 10." Read more

"...It’s a “How in the world did that happen?” fantastical tale which brings vividly to life the people and events involved with influencing government..." Read more

4 customers mention "Character development"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's character development. They find the real-life characters interesting and colorful. The narrative depicts skilled lobbyists in Washington, D.C.

"...and Luke Mullins provide an engrossing narrative filled with colorful characters, detailed historical context, and explosive revelations...." Read more

"...decades of intrigue together by painting compelling, intimate portraits of memorable characters that have shaped Washington DC's influence industry..." Read more

"...By far the book’s most endearing feature is its depiction of Washington’s most skilled lobbyists, namely Tommy Boggs, Evan Morris, Tony Podesta, and..." Read more

"...It has textbook facts and also interesting real-life characters that have been brought to life to tell the nefarious story of the Washington..." Read more

3 customers mention "Influence of corporations"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting. They say it explains how corporations influence politics and lobbying works. The book provides an engaging account of how sophisticated tactics are used for corporate interests.

"This is a fascinating tale of how lobbying works and the people who have done it over the decades...." Read more

"...to understand how Washington actually works, and how corporations influence politics...." Read more

"...the elected to the savvy power players who employ sophisticated tactics for corporate interests...." Read more

Couldn’t put this down!
5 out of 5 stars
Couldn’t put this down!
The first few pages immediately grabbed me and I was hooked! I got the book last week and burned through it in record time.Great narrative and story telling. I felt like I was in the story. I’ve been in policy work for over 30 years and this work shed light on so many aspects of how influence and lobbying has morphed and evolved - it’s stealth, pervasive & everywhere around you. It’s baked into editorials and news articles if you learn to read between the lines and look for the motivation.Advocacy can be an honorable activity and it’s a 1st amendment right. The Wolves of K Sreet brings some sunshine onto when and where it’s gotten ugly and sinister. Most importantly it’s yet another example of why big money has hijacked the people’s govt,,, where it’s now the best Congress, White House, and govt agency money can buy.I think this could be a mini series or a Front Line series.Wake up my fellow Americans, read this book - and start pushing your member of Congress and state legislator for change.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2024
    The Wolves of K Street is an eye-opening deep dive into the murky world of lobbying in Washington, D.C. This book brilliantly chronicles the rise of modern lobbying and the profound impact it has had on American politics over the past fifty years. Brody and Luke Mullins provide an engrossing narrative filled with colorful characters, detailed historical context, and explosive revelations. From the cigar-chomping political fixers of the 1970s to the high-flying power brokers of today, the authors paint a vivid picture of how corporate interests have infiltrated our democracy. This book is not just informative but also an irresistible read that you won’t be able to put down. Highly recommended for anyone interested in political history and the inner workings of power in America!
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2025
    This is a fascinating tale of how lobbying works and the people who have done it over the decades. They are, by and large, unsavory or worse, and the tales of how they have corrupted our system of government are profoundly upsetting. The book is gripping and reads like a novel (though if it had been a novel it would have been criticized for being incredible). There are a few sections that drag a bit, but every time I got through the end of those sections I realized that they were critical.

    A must read.
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2024
    Very detailed and footnoted read about the tremendous amount of money and influence corrupting our society.
    My book was missing page 309/10 tho……
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2024
    The Wolves of K Street is a staggering triumph; an instant Washington classic that will be read and studied for generations to come. Topical, relevant and packed with deep insights and new reporting, Brody and Luke Mullins have woven decades of intrigue together by painting compelling, intimate portraits of memorable characters that have shaped Washington DC's influence industry (and American history) for the last 50+ years. The Wolves of K Street is page-turner that accelerates into a brilliant third act that connects the characters, the schemes, the plots and the dots together for the first time into a coherent narrative and it sticks the landing. 10 out of 10.
    12 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2024
    Simply a masterpiece of investigative work and the “selling” of our democratic republic. Several friends read it together. Although a recounting of fully fact based living history, it is so beautifully written it reads like a bestselling novel. Know some of it firsthand and golly wonder how they knew and recounted as if they were actually there. Now more than ever—as you are thinking about the election—President and down ticket—this is a must read.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2025
    Loved the material the author was just a bit too verbose and repetitive for my liking.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2024
    This book is a must read that claws its way deep inside the influence peddling that determines how the laws and policies in our country are truly made.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2025
    How the Wolves Ate the Government

    More than just entertaining and informative, “The Wolves of K Street” is a delightful, page-turner. It’s a “How in the world did that happen?” fantastical tale which brings vividly to life the people and events involved with influencing government and public opinion in the last 50-years.

    Lives of the Lobbyists

    By far the book’s most endearing feature is its depiction of Washington’s most skilled lobbyists, namely Tommy Boggs, Evan Morris, Tony Podesta, and Paul Manafort (along with Roger Stone, Charlie Black, and Lee Atwater). Evan Morris’ successful career and tragic death is used by the book’s authors to illustrate the nearly unstoppable power of corporate lobbying at its zenith to its decadent demise in recent years. The authors can really tell a great story!

    There’s no doubt that screenplays based on this book are being pitched to the major film makers right now. But the greatest challenge to making this into a big-screen hit is to unify the many characters and plot lines without becoming a documentary. Perhaps a narrator could sew together the many characters and scandals; a narrator who also appears in the book could bring it together—maybe Bill Clinton?

    Why Read this Book?

    Read it to fully appreciate the powerful influence that just a handful of skilled lobbyists have had on large and small political issues. Most political junkies will recognize events like the Clinton health plan or big media’s the anti-piracy efforts, but perhaps not who was controlling the political chessboard.

    The Wolves of K Street’s 600-pages covers corporate lobbying beginning with the 1970’s to near present day. During this period Washington lobbying shifted overwhelmingly from consumer and environmental issues to a corporate focus. By 2012 for every $1 spent by consumer, environmental and labor interests, corporations were spending $86 on Washington lobbying.

    Lobbying Can Be Very Entertaining

    Some of the intriguing stories profiled in this book are these:

    --How a Congressional effort to curtail advertising directed to children was reframed by lobbyists as communism versus the American family by depicting the government as a national nanny.

    --How one energetic lobbyist kept a white-elephant of a military tank (the “Crusader”) alive long enough to save the manufacturer from a $500 million loss. And after eventual cancellation of the Crusader, it reappeared in a Pentagon spending bill under a different name, earning the tank an additional $2 billion.

    --How an effort to reduce online piracy and copyright infringement was turned on its head with a “Don’t kill the internet” counter campaign directed to internet users and lawmakers.

    --How a 2005 avian flu outbreak in China was leveraged by a pharmaceutical lobbyist to convince Congress to stockpile Roche’s Tamiflu drug at a cost of $2 billion.

    These and better-known historical events like the defeat of the Clinton healthcare plan are delightfully dissected to reveal the creative ability Washington’s professional spin peddlers to influence lawmakers and the public. These are truly the lessons of government that should be taught in secondary schools and understood by all students of US business and government.

    Question—Want to Learn About the Roots of Lobbying?

    If “The Wolves of K Street” sounds like a book where you want to invest your time, why not get the full picture of lobbying and advocacy by also purchasing for $10 the only book that shows how our nation got to the point where the wolves (lobbyists and their special interests) controlled government. That book is “Government’s End: Why Washington Stopped Working,” by Jonathan Rauch, available from Amazon.

    Published in the 1990’s, “Government’s End” concisely lays out why our democracy is overrun by entities that that work to influence government. Historically, these groups are called special interests, but more accurately these groups are actually ourselves. You and I are part of small, but numerous influence-seeking groups that work to steer legislation, regulations and public opinion.

    With so many groups that act--and react to the influence pedaling of opposing groups--the result is that the government freezes and stops working to make any meaningful change. New lobbying groups are endlessly created, but few ever die. The author calls this condition “demosclerosis”—the author’s metaphor for being clogged and unresponsive to national concerns. But that’s not the root cause of the “demosclerosis” problem.

    Important—The escapades we read about in “The Wolves of K Street” follow the same social conditions that benefit the Left-Handed Screwdrivers Manufacturer’s Association (see below) only on a much grander scale.

    The key takeaway from “Government’s End” is that Washington is not inactive. Laws and regulations flow freely despite public opinion that decries government as powerless. But regs are primarily on behalf of small, “special interest” groups. Why are small groups driving the Washington agenda? The answer, according to author Jonathan Rauch, lies in decades old social research that says it’s difficult to organize a large group. Big groups fail because members typically are less energized by the broad focus of the group and members too often look to other group members to organize and make sacrifices for the good of the group.

    But smaller groups don’t have this organizational problem and typically provide a much bigger payoff for their members. As evidence of the difficulty that large groups face, the author points to the modest membership numbers of Common Cause or the American Council of State, County and Municipal Employees, despite these groups’ very large potential pool of participants.

    As for the financial rewards that small groups can receive such as tax relief, or a government purchase, or some regulation that hobbles the enemies of the small group, Rauch offers the example of the fictional Left-Handed Screwdriver Manufacturer’s Association. Imagine that this small 12-member group secures a tax break worth $12 million from Congress. That’s big money--$1 million--for the association members, but it costs only a very small fraction of the federal budget to accommodate this group. Too little for any individual or even the government itself to care. This simple arithmetic ensures that more groups are launched every week who seek financial transfers from the government, the national economy or even from the enemies of the transfer-seeking group.

    What’s the Remedy that Stops Special Interest Groups?

    First, there are no complete and final cures. Further, process solutions like limiting political spending or term limits for politicians have been tried and failed. Instead, we should take small and incremental steps, says the author, like actively resisting anti-competitive provisions of any legislation. Taxes and regulations that shift money and power ultimately stimulate more restrictive efforts from groups and their enemies.

    But working against this “demosclerosis” has proven to be very difficult with only a few efforts that have ever succeeded in reducing the incentives for groups to organize and petition the government. Why? Simply, we vote for the politician and join the groups that promise favors.

    Michael Grambo
    Linden, Virginia