Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Spent $200M To Buy Influence

The Politico has an article today detailing the influence Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have bought in Washington over the past decade. The government-chartered companies had to get bailed out by the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve earlier this week. To read more about the bailout go here. To read about the millions spent on Washington lobbying see an excerpt below or go here.

If you want to know how Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have survived scandal and crisis, consider this: Over the past decade, they have spent nearly $200 million on lobbying and campaign contributions.

But the political tentacles of the mortgage giants extend far beyond their checkbooks.

Fed Chairmen Ben Bernanke just told Congress that because of the bailout the companies are "in no danger of failing."

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress Wednesday that troubled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are in "no danger of failing."

The Fed chief made his remarks as he appeared before the House Financial Services Committee, in his second day on Capitol Hill to brief lawmakers on the problems plaguing the economy. He appears amid a backdrop of fading confidence in the U.S. financial system and in the national economy.