Top employees at Anthropic, a major federal contractor, are reportedly involved in discussions to establish a dark money network that could be used to skirt campaign finance laws prohibiting the company from making political donations. 

In July, the Defense Department awarded a contract worth up to $200 million to the artificial intelligence firm Anthropic. As a government contractor, Anthropic is legally barred from contributing to “any political party, committee, or candidate for Federal office,” according to U.S. law. On Nov. 25, the New York Times reported that senior employees at Anthropic were discussing ways the company could spend money to influence politics and that its executives would likely donate to a new political network helmed by former Democratic Oklahoma Rep. Brad Carson.