Follow the money
"Follow the money"is acatchphrasepopularized by the 1976docudramafilmAll the President's Men,which suggestspolitical corruptioncan be brought to light by examining money transfers between parties.
Origin
[edit]For the film, screenwriterWilliam Goldmanattributed the phrase toDeep Throat,the informant who took part in revealing theWatergate scandal.However, the phrase is mentioned neither in thenon-fiction book that preceded the filmnor in any documentation of the scandal.[1]The book has the phrase "The key was the secret campaign-cash, and it should all be traced," which authorBob Woodwardsays to SenatorSam Ervin.[2]
History
[edit]The phraseFollow the moneywas mentioned byHenry E. Petersonat the 1974Senate Judiciary Committeehearings asEarl J. Silbertwas nominated to U.S. Attorney.[3]A 1975 book by Clive Borrell and Brian Cashinella,Crime in Britain Today,also uses the phrase.
Since the 1970s, "follow the money" has been used several times ininvestigative journalismandpolitical debate.One example isFollow the Money,a series of CBS reports.
Donald Trump
[edit]In September 2016, theTrump campaignused the phrase to criticiseHillary Clintonand theClinton Foundation,a humanitarian aid non-profit; for several events that took place, including acontroversial uranium deal approved by the US State Department under Clintonafter her charitable foundation received large donations from people with stakes in the deal; Clinton's relationship with Irish telecom billionaireDenis O'Brien;and a2009 deal over the disclosing of the identities of American account-holders,which the State Department concluded with the Swiss bankUBS;a Clinton Foundation donor.[4]
In February 2017,Carl Bernstein,who with Woodward exposed the Watergate scandal, used the phrase to encourage reporters to discoverPresident Trump's potential conflicts of interest.[5]TheTrump Foundationwas later found guilty of illegal campaign contributions and other financial crimes. In November 2019, Trump was ordered to pay a $2 million settlement for misusing the foundation for his business and political purposes.[6][7]
See also
[edit]
- Cui bono,a Latin phrase meaning "To whose benefit?", suggesting a hidden motive.
- Cherchez la femme,a French phrase taking women to be the chief motive in crimes.
- Follow the Money (online newspaper),Dutch news website
- OpenSecrets
References
[edit]- ^"Differences between All the President's Men Book vs Movie Page 1".thatwasnotinthebook.Retrieved2018-12-25.
- ^Woodward, Bernstein, All the President's Men, Chapter 12, p. 248
- ^Shapiro, Fred (2011-09-23)."Follow the Money".Freakonomics.Retrieved2018-12-25.
- ^Ben Schreckinger;Kenneth P. Vogel (September 28, 2016)."Trump launches 'follow the money' attack".Politico.RetrievedFebruary 27,2017.
- ^Skoczek, Tim (February 2, 2017)."Carl Bernstein on covering Trump: Follow the money".CNN.RetrievedFebruary 27,2017.
- ^"Judge orders Trump to pay $2 million for misusing his charitable foundation".PBS NewsHour.PBS.November 7, 2019.Archivedfrom the original on November 15, 2019.RetrievedNovember 16,2019.
- ^Ramey, Corinne (8 November 2019)."Trump Must Pay $2 Million in Settlement of Suit Over Foundation".The Wall Street Journal.Archivedfrom the original on November 10, 2019.RetrievedNovember 16,2019.
External links
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