Spoiler Alert: House of Card Reveals Corrupt Nexus of Politicians and Charities
Last month, Netflix debuted House of Cards, a fictional take on the dark side of power in Washington, DC. Though the show has apparently become “a minor cultural zeitgeist among Hill staffers and journalists,” some in D.C. are questioning whether it accurately depicts the realities of Washington. One element of the show’s story, however, rings true.
House Majority Whip Francis Underwood (played by Kevin Spacey) ruthlessly sets out to undermine a new presidential administration after he is passed over for secretary of state. Underwood’s machinations are aided and abetted by his wife Claire, the head of a high-profile environmental non-profit, who uses her charity to boost her husband’s political ambitions. For instance, a major natural gas company whose chief lobbyist used to work for Francis had promised a major donation to Claire’s organization with the expectation that her congressman husband would pull strings for the company once he became secretary of state. The relationship between the Underwoods and the gas company may appear so brazenly corrupt that it could only have been conjured by a Hollywood screenwriter, but unfortunately, it’s all too common.
Take Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA), for example. In March 2011, CREW found nine companies that contributed to Gov. Jindal’s campaign also had collectively pledged $790,000 to a charitable foundation headed by First Lady