'Dark Money,' by Kimberly Reed

A long history

Reed begins by focusing on Montana, a state with one of the country's smallest populations but some of its toughest campaign-finance laws. These laws date from the early 20th century when a mining company managed to buy influence with the state government, resulting in an environmental disaster whose effects Montana residents are still dealing with.

In 2010, the Supreme Court’s much-reviled Citizens United ruling threw the state into turmoil, opening multiple avenues for corporations to throw virtually unlimited funds at campaigns, provided certain cosmetic criteria are met. In short order, Montana was flooded with “dark money” from undisclosed donors, accessible to any candidate willing to take pro-business or anti-labor-union positions.

Every narrative conflict needs a hero, and Reed finds one in the form of John S. Adams, a local investigative reporter who worked the state capital beat for the local Gannett paper, the Great Falls Tribune. Adams, a tenacious investigator, serves as a guide through the byzantine maze of rules governing campaign finance. Ultimately, he pays a high price for his tenacity, losing his job when his paper shuts down its state-capital bureau — but he refuses to stop investigating.

Reed and Adams do a good job of sorting out the various players, especially important when the conflict is between Republicans. It may come as a surprise to many of us on the other side of the political fence, but apparently there are some Republican politicians for whom money is not the primary motivator and who have chosen not to play ball with corporate moneybags. These politicians are quickly and severely targeted by corrupted members of their own party, often losing viciously fought primary battles to candidates who are willing to do as they’re told.

"Enlightening and enraging"

As upsetting as it is to watch the electoral process being subverted by the influence of dark money, Reed spends the last third of her film exploring another strategy being developed by corporate funders. It seems the next phase of corporate influence-buying will be to target the state and local judiciaries.

Those who attempt to fight back against the influence of dark money do occasionally chalk up a victory, usually in court. Therefore, it’s only logical that corporate funders and their GOP political allies also seek to unseat certain judges and replace them with others more likely to rule in their favor.

Dark Money is enlightening and enraging. Reed’s tight focus on Montana feels familiar because we can now recognize similar tactics being employed in most other states — including Pennsylvania — as well as on the federal level.

But Reed also documents the tireless efforts of journalists, bureaucrats, businesspeople, politicians, and ordinary citizens determined to stanch the expansion of financial corruption and influence peddling. Despite usually being outmatched in money and legal firepower, these citizens fight unceasingly to preserve and protect honest democracy. Often, they lose — but sometimes they win crucial battles. Those occasional victories keep hope alive.

For the politically engaged, Dark Money serves as an invaluable guide to fighting the encroaching threat of corporations’ and special interests’ undue influence and destructive impact on the body politic. It is both a valuable historical document and a useful call to action.