Captured: The Corporate Infiltration of American Democracy

Sheldon Whitehouse, a U.S. senator and former federal prosecutor, examines how corporations exert influence over American government. Drawing on his experience as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he describes the mechanisms through which corporations gain leverage not only over elected representatives and senators, but also over the regulators tasked with enforcing corporate law and the judges and prosecutors responsible for protecting the public interest. Whitehouse uses fossil fuel companies' efforts to block climate change regulation as a detailed case study of these influence operations. He identifies the problem as structural in nature, affecting both political parties. This paperback edition includes a new preface by the author discussing how corporate influence has leveraged Donald Trump's presidency to advance its agenda, along with potential responses to address the issue.