Plot Synopsis

From director Alex Gibney and inspired by Jane Mayer's book, "Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right," THE DARK MONEY GAME is a series of two films that examine the history and present-day influence of dark money in American politics. The two films investigate the shadowy world of political donations and fundraising 15 years after the Supreme Court's decision in the Citizen's United case, which enabled unlimited spending by hidden sources on many political campaigns. Through two separate stories, the films reveal how an untraceable web of money from wealthy individuals and corporations representing business interests or religious agendas flows through non-profits and super PACs (political action committees) to support candidates and political movements. In an environment where 90% of elections are won by the candidate who spends the most money, Gibney examines the legalities and ethics of unchecked financing, following the money to reveal the partisan organizations, corporations, and individuals inside and outside government who benefit from this flow of influence. The two films in THE DARK MONEY GAME debuted on consecutive nights from 9-11pm ET/PT on HBO, beginning Tuesday, April 15, 2025:

"Ohio Confidential" (Tuesday, April 15, 2025 from 9-11pm ET/PT): When a powerful political lobbyist is found shot to death, his apparent suicide highlights a bizarre turn in Ohio's largest public corruption case accidentally uncovered by federal investigators that was nearly concealed by loose super PAC campaign financing rules. FBI wiretap recordings ultimately unravel a conspiracy involving a secret $61 million-dollar slush fund for Ohio's Speaker of the House to secure power in order to pay back corporate donors with a billion-dollar corporate bailout at the expense of the state's taxpayers. Featured Participants: Jane Mayer, journalist and author of "Dark Money"; Maureen O'Connor, former Chief Justice of Ohio's Supreme Court; Laura A. Bischoff, journalist at The Columbus Dispatch; Jeffrey Williams, former FBI agent; Tyler Fehrman, former Republican campaign manager; Emily Glatfelter, assistant U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Ohio; David M. Devillers, former U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Ohio.

"Wealth of the Wicked" (Wednesday, April 16, 2025 from 9-11pm ET/PT): The film traces the tangled history of campaign finance back to the creation of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in 1975, the 2002 McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Bill, and the Citizens United decision of 2010 that has molded the shape and opacity of present-day super PACs which now flood the system with money. The film looks at the stealth influence of religious groups and explores the fine line between a bribe and a political "gratuity" or donation, and the reciprocity between well-funded special-interest groups and the political process as well as attempts to influence the judiciary at the highest levels. Featured Participants: Jane Mayer, journalist and author of "Dark Money"; Russ Feingold, former U.S. Senator; Rev. Robert Schenck; James Bopp, attorney for the National Right to Life Committee; David M. McIntosh, co-founder of The Federalist Society; Jonathan Riehl, author of "Inside The Federalist Society"; and Maureen O'Connor, former Chief Justice of Ohio's Supreme Court.