Hacked Sony E-mails Reveal Behind-the-Scenes Political Dealings in LA

E-mails stolen by hackers from Sony Pictures Entertainment have been fodder for a steady stream of gossipy Hollywood scoops. But the trove also contains a hidden and more consequential story about how corporations can try to influence local politics and advance their executives' pet projects. Messages show that the top executive at the entertainment company, who also sits on the board of trustees of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, in 2014 directed a $25,000 Sony contribution to a state super PAC. The politician who founded the PAC later cast a crucial vote backing millions of dollars in public funding for the museum's expansion. The donation, records and interviews show, was promised well before a local election, but wasn't publicly disclosed until afterwards.