Wolves of K Street: A Conversation with Brody and Luke Mullins

Those who pay attention to Washington politics know K Street as the domain of federal lobbyists and influence peddlers seeking to advance the priorities of their clients and even entire movements. 

But how did this industry transform from a barely relevant entity to the powerhouse we know today?

In “The Wolves of K Street,” two veteran investigative journalists trace the rise of the modern lobbying industry through the three dynasties that have enabled corporate interests to infiltrate American politics and undermine our democracy.  

Taking readers from the early 1970s to the current moment, “The Wolves of K Street” paints an eye-opening portrait — sometimes comical, sometimes infuriating — of the men (because it is mostly men) who have turned a once-inconsequential street into a title synonymous with insider politics.  

In a conversation with Campaign Legal Center Vice President, General Counsel, and Senior Director for Ethics Kedric Payne, co-authors and brothers Brody Mullins and Luke Mullins delve into the turbulent world of federal lobbying, and the fascinating people who shaped the system.  

Brody Mullins is an investigative reporter who was part of the team from the Wall Street Journal that won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for revealing financial conflicts of interest among officials at fifty federal agencies who bought and sold stocks of companies they were tasked with regulating. 

Luke Mullins is a contributing writer at POLITICO magazine, where he covers the people and institutions that control Washington’s levers of power. He has been a senior writer at Washingtonian magazine, and he’s also written for The Atlantic, Esquire, and Mother Jones, among other publications.