# Meet AIPAC’s Nightmare: The Activists Tracking the Lobby’s Dark Money Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA1KCwyk6EA Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/FA1KCwyk6EA Generated: 2026-01-24T14:33:15.354+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Cory Archibald and Casey Kennedy, co-founders of Track AIPAC, successfully launched an effort to track and publicly report on AIPAC's political spending, which they found to be substantial and often hidden, leading to a significant increase in awareness and inspiring parallel efforts in other lobbying sectors like Big Pharma and the NRA. **Key Points:** - Cory Archibald and Casey Kennedy co-founded Track AIPAC to monitor and publicize the political spending of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). - Track AIPAC spent $14 million on anti-Bohman ads in the past, and the organization's spending is often not transparently accessible in public filings. - After the October 7th events, Track AIPAC experienced rapid growth, reaching hundreds of thousands of followers online, and they received an email from a corporate job threatening them. - The co-founders noted that AIPAC's behavior has changed, increasingly distancing itself from the Israeli government and targeting critics like themselves and other anti-corruption advocates. - The founders deliberately formatted their tracking information simply to make it digestible, as the raw data from FEC filings is not easily accessible. - The success of Track AIPAC has inspired parallel tracking projects focusing on other powerful lobbies, such as those for Big Pharma and the NRA. - The normalization of political influence, exemplified by figures like Tucker Carlson claiming moral high ground while receiving funding from AIPAC, underscores the need for transparency. ![Screenshot at 0:05: Cory Archibald and Casey Kennedy, co-founders of Track AIPAC, are seated at the Mehdi Unfiltered desk, discussing the start of their work to expose AIPAC's political spending.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/FA1KCwyk6EA/00-00-05.jpg) **Context:** The video features an interview on the Zeteo program 'Mehdi Unfiltered' with Cory Archibald and Casey Kennedy, the co-founders of Track AIPAC. Track AIPAC is an organization dedicated to transparency regarding the campaign finance activities of AIPAC, a major pro-Israel lobbying group in US politics. The conversation focuses on the challenges of exposing dark money in politics, the backlash they have faced, and the broader implications of unchecked lobbying power in Washington. ## Detailed Analysis The discussion centers on the work of Track AIPAC, founded by Cory Archibald and Casey Kennedy, to bring transparency to the political spending of AIPAC, which they describe as one of the most powerful lobbies in American politics. Archibald notes that AIPAC has spent massive amounts, citing $14 million spent on anti-Bohman ads alone, and that their filings are not always easily accessible. Following the events of October 7th, Track AIPAC saw rapid growth, gaining hundreds of thousands of followers, but also faced backlash, including threats delivered via email to their corporate jobs. Archibald recounts interviewing a Congressman who denied taking money from AIPAC based on Open Secrets data, illustrating the difficulty in holding politicians accountable. The co-founders state their goal is to make the data easily digestible, noting that many politicians who receive AIPAC money are now trying to distance themselves from the Israeli government's actions, which they find appalling and indicative of a change in AIPAC's behavior. Archibald points out that many other groups, like the NRA and Big Pharma lobbies, also exert significant influence, and that their work inspired parallel tracking efforts for those industries. Archibald suggests that the only real solution to this level of political corruption might require a constitutional amendment, but emphasizes that Track AIPAC's simple, data-driven approach helps educate the public on where lobbying money is going. The interview concludes with thanks to the guests for their work fighting against money in politics. ### Track AIPAC's Mission - Set out to make working with AIPAC politically toxic - They feel successful in this effort - They also track other lobbies like the NRA and Big Pharma ### AIPAC's Influence and Backlash - Spent $14 million on anti-Bohman ads; AIPAC is the leader in the pro-Israel lobby space - They received threatening emails after October 7th - AIPAC is now distancing itself from the Israeli government's actions ### Methodology and Growth - Information sourced from publicly available FEC filings and presented in a simple format - Grew to hundreds of thousands of online followers quickly after October 7th - They actively encourage supporters to check their data on their website ### Political Context - Republicans and Democrats who take money from AIPAC are now being called out publicly - The co-founders note that the general public agrees too much money is in politics, but partisan lines are blurring on this specific issue ![Screenshot at 0:05: Cory Archibald and Casey Kennedy, co-founders of Track AIPAC, seated at the 'Mehdi Unfiltered' desk.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/FA1KCwyk6EA/00-00-05.jpg) ![Screenshot at 0:42: Mehdi Hassan introduces the topic, stating AIPAC has had a huge influence on US politics.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/FA1KCwyk6EA/00-00-42.jpg) ![Screenshot at 0:58: Mehdi Hassan cites the example of former Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who lost his seat after speaking out against AIPAC funding.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/FA1KCwyk6EA/00-00-58.jpg) ![Screenshot at 2:47: Casey Kennedy is identified on-screen as 'Cory Archibald Track AIPAC Co-Founder' \(Note: The lower third text is partially cut off/incorrectly identified on screen for the woman, but the context is clear from the discussion\).](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/FA1KCwyk6EA/00-02-47.jpg) ![Screenshot at 8:07: Ground News comparison graphic displayed, illustrating media bias across various outlets regarding the CDC vaccine schedule overhaul.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/FA1KCwyk6EA/00-08-07.jpg)