How foreign governments have courted members of Congress

Plus: Garfield and turning to magic in tough times |

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By Made by History / Produced by Olivia B. Waxman The cases of Representative Henry Cuellar and Senator Bob Menendez — both of whom face federal criminal charges tied to money and gifts received from foreign entities, and both of whom deny any wrongdoing —is shining a spotlight on the actions taken by foreign governments to affect American policy. But as Aaron Coy Moulton explains in Made by History, such efforts are nothing new. For more than a century, foreign governments, especially authoritarians like former Dominican Dictator Rafael Trujillo, have taken a wide range of steps, from employing former members of Congress as lobbyists to cultivating American political groups, in order to push American policy in a direction favorable to them. While most Americans never hear about them, these efforts have often proved quite successful.

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