Justin Elliott
I am a ProPublica reporter covering business and politics.
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What I Cover
I report on money and power. I’m currently focused on the second Trump administration, but I’m always looking for under-covered business and politics stories.
My Background
I’ve been a reporter with ProPublica for more than a decade. In 2023, my colleagues and I revealed how a set of politically connected billionaires provided lavish gifts and travel to Supreme Court justices over many years. Those stories won the Pulitzer Prize for public service.
I was previously on a team of reporters documenting how the rich avoid taxes for “The Secret IRS Files” series. I co-wrote a story revealing how tech mogul Peter Thiel turned a Roth IRA into a multibillion-dollar tax haven.
My work has spurred congressional investigations and changes to federal law. My coverage of TurboTax-maker Intuit’s misleading marketing tactics led to a settlement delivering $141 million back to consumers.
In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, I have won a George Polk Award, the Selden Ring Award and a Gerald Loeb Award for business journalism. I earned a bachelor’s degree from Brown University.
You can send me feedback, story tips and documents via email at [email protected], or by Signal or WhatsApp at 774-826-6240.
If you want to better understand how I handle tips and story ideas, read my piece on the important role of reader tips in the Supreme Court series.
Republicans and Dems Come Together — to Keep IRS From Competing with TurboTax
A recently introduced bill would ban the IRS from offering free tax prep software.
Another Layer to Rendell’s Fracking Connections
Ed Rendell, the former Pennsylvania governor who oversaw a boom in the state's natural gas business, is special counsel to a Philadelphia firm deeply involved in the controversial fracking trade.
More Than a Matter of Opinion: Ed Rendell’s Plea for Fracking Fails to Disclose Industry Ties
Rendell, who supported fracking when he was governor of Pennsylvania, urged Andrew Cuomo of New York to get behind the industry in a strongly worded newspaper piece. He left a few details out.
Drilling Deeper: The Wealth of Business Connections for Obama’s Energy Pick
MIT physicist Ernest Moniz is an academic who has also served on boards or advisory councils of large energy companies, including BP
U.N. Think Tank Opening Office in Bahrain, with Bahraini Government Funding
The Gulf kingdom welcomes the International Peace Institute even as it bars some human rights advocates and journalists from the country.
The Drone War Doctrine We Still Know Nothing About
The focus on the targeting of American citizens overlooks many other strikes in which the U.S. doesn’t know who it’s killing.
Big Corporations Put Up Seed Funding for Republican Dark Money Group
IRS files show that some of the biggest companies in the country provided more than a million dollars a decade ago to launch a Republican dark money group.
Ethics Probe: Congressman’s Taiwan Trip Likely Broke the Law
The investigation found evidence that Taiwan’s government paid for the trip by Rep. Bill Owens and his wife.
Taiwan Drops Lobbying Firm in Wake of Congressional Ethics Probe
Former senator Al D’Amato’s Park Strategies loses contract representing Taiwan
Obama’s Flip-Flops on Money in Politics: A Brief History
Critics say the president’s plan for a new nonprofit group to push his second-term agenda opens the door to influence by corporations and other big donors.