Young America’s Foundation alumnus and member of the YAF Board of Directors
Peter Schweizer once again finds himself atop the
New York Times’ bestseller list, this time claiming the number one spot with
Secret Empires: How Our Politicians Hide Corruption and Enrich Their Families and Friends. Schweizer is the author of
15 books including the hard-hitting expose on the Clinton Foundation,
Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich; Extortion: How Politicians Extract Your Money, Buy Votes, and Line Their Own Pockets;
Throw Them All Out; and
Architects of Ruin. On the dedication page of his book
Makers and Takers, he credits Young America’s Foundation for “igniting his interest in politics and ideas.” Schweizer became involved with Young America’s Foundation as a high school student at the 1982 National Conservative Student Conference. He cites the conference as his first exposure to conservative books. Reading books by Milton Friedman and Bill Buckley made him realize that it is ultimately books that truly influence a person in the long term, and Schweizer started writing books of his own not long after he graduated from college. In
Secret Empires, Schweizer investigates the extremes politicians are willing to go to and the risks they take to enrich themselves while holding public office. The book cites specific examples where the children of powerful politicians are able to get business deals with people who want to gain favor with their influential parents. Through the deep-diving investigative research Schweizer is known for,
Secret Empiresexposes public servants on both sides of the aisle, the deals family members take, and what steps can be taken to hold our government more accountable. In addition to being a bestselling author, Schweizer is the founder and President of the Government Accountability Institute (GAI). GAI’s mission is “to investigate and expose crony capitalism, misuse of taxpayer monies, and other governmental corruption or malfeasance.” Schweizer’s work has made an undeniable impact on policy in Washington and established GAI one of the premier watchdog organizations in the country. This Year Young America’s Foundation is celebrating the 40
thyear of inspiring the next generation of Peter Schweizers at the
National Conservative Student Conference in Washington, D.C. July 30 to August 4, 2018.
