Recommended Reading
Five books that explain how money, power, and markets intersect in Washington. Start with Throw Them All Out— it's the book that created the disclosure system this site is built on.
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Throw Them All Out
Peter Schweizer · 2011The book that directly led to the STOCK Act. Schweizer documented how members of Congress legally traded on information obtained through their official positions — buying stocks before legislation that would benefit their positions, selling before regulations that would harm them. Published in 2011, it generated enough public outcry that the STOCK Act passed in 2012. Essential background reading for anyone who uses Capitol Trader.
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This Town
Mark Leibovich · 2013A sharp, immersive look at how Washington's political class accumulates influence and wealth. Leibovich covers the revolving door between government and lobbying, the social dynamics of DC power, and the financial incentives embedded in political life. Essential context for understanding why congressional trading is a structural issue, not just an individual one.
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Dark Money
Jane Mayer · 2016Mayer traces how a network of donors, think tanks, and political organizations shaped U.S. policy over decades. The financial infrastructure of modern politics — who funds campaigns, who expects returns, how influence flows — is the broader context in which congressional trading sits. Dense and thoroughly sourced.
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The Intelligent Investor
Benjamin Graham · 1949Graham's foundational text on value investing. Not about congressional trading at all — but the framework for thinking about margin of safety, market psychology, and long-term discipline is the right mental model for using congressional disclosure data analytically rather than reactively. Chapters 8 and 20 are worth the price alone.
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A Random Walk Down Wall Street
Burton Malkiel · 1973The classic case for market efficiency — and a useful counterweight when reading congressional trade data. Malkiel's core argument (that most patterns in stock prices are noise) is a healthy antidote to over-interpreting individual congressional trades. Understanding the argument against information advantage makes you a better interpreter of the data that does appear to carry signal.
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