Rethinking Influence in Washington with Brody Mullins

About this episode

Anthony Shop interviews Brody Mullins about the evolution of influence in Washington and the impact of corporate lobbying.

Anthony Shop sits down with Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalist Brody Mullins to explore how corporate America transformed Washington — and how influence itself is being redefined yet again. Drawing from his book The Wolves of K Street, Brody explains how corporations had surprisingly little sway in Washington prior to the 1970s. Economic turmoil during the Carter era triggered a turning point, prompting companies to build sophisticated lobbying operations, invest heavily in campaign contributions, and shift from relationship-based “inside influence” to broad, public-facing “outside influence” campaigns designed to shape constituent opinion. But the rules are changing again. Brody argues that under President Donald Trump, power has reconcentrated in the White House, creating what he calls an “audience of one” environment. Traditional committee-by-committee lobbying has given way to direct executive access, while media fragmentation and the collapse of traditional gatekeepers have transformed how influence campaigns operate. From Google’s successful grassroots mobilization to TikTok’s failed imitation, Brody unpacks why some influence efforts break through, and others…

People in this episode

Host: Anthony Shop

Guest: Brody Mullins

Topics covered

• influence
• lobbying
• corporate America
• politics
• media fragmentation
• authenticity

Keywords

• influence
• Washington
• lobbying
• campaign contributions
• media
• authenticity
• political power

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Google, TikTok

Books & works: The Wolves of K Street

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