Maggie Severns is an enterprise and investigative reporter based in Washington D.C.
Maggie digs into timely, important stories focused on everything from Washington D.C.’s little-known MAGA “clubhouse” to how corporate consolidation is felt by consumers— even among cheerleading families.
Maggie has spent more than a decade diving into the behind-the-scenes forces that shape politics as a reporter for POLITICO and, more recently, the news startup Grid. Maggie has reported investigations and long-form stories about the biggest events in recent history, including the 2016 and 2020 elections, the “Me Too” scandals that rocked the country in 2017, the Trump presidency, and the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Before she became a journalist, Maggie worked as a researcher and a high school teacher in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. She graduated from Dartmouth College.
Maggie has been published in publications including The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Time, and Slate. She has appeared on MSNBC, CNBC, BBC, NPR’s Fresh Air, Amy Walter’s “The Takeaway”, The Brian Lehrer Show, CSPAN and other programs.
Selected reporting:
Meet ‘Patriot’s Row’: Mark Meadows’ MAGA hub buys a multimillion-dollar chunk of ‘the Swamp’
Grid, February 18, 2023
A MAGA hub filled with Trump’s allies and former aides is spending millions on prime D.C. real estate.
Ron DeSantis is using a new breed of local right-wing media to make national news
Grid, February 28, 2023
These websites didn’t exist five years ago.
The insurrectionists’ clubhouse: Former Trump aides find a home at a little-known MAGA hub
Grid, July 5th 2022
Nearly two dozen alleged members of the January 6th plot are connected to a single Capitol Hill address.
The biggest company in cheerleading says it built the sport. Cheer parents say it built a monopoly.
Grid, January 12, 2022
Parents and rivals have sued cheerleading company Varsity, alleging its iron grip on the industry violates antitrust laws.
Abraham Lincoln’s other legacy: An obsession with open caskets and America’s lifeless death industry
Grid, December 28, 2022
Funerals haven’t changed much since Lincoln died — and a tangled web of overregulation might be to blame.
How FTX played both parties and almost won Washington
Grid, November 21 2022
Inside the crypto giant’s year-long campaign to shape regulation.
‘They All Got Careless’: How Falwell Kept His Grip on Liberty Amid Sexual ‘Games,’ Self-Dealing
POLITICO, November 1st 2020
Deposed university president Jerry Falwell Jr. secured backing at Liberty by ousting critics and hiring the family members and businesses of loyalists.
Did Jeffrey Epstein’s Victims Fund Protect His Allies?
POLITICO, October 1st, 2021
The notorious sex predator’s estate said it would compensate his victims. But those who took money feel shortchanged while almost $200 million remains in Epstein’s trust.
Trump team’s use of big insurer to dispense recovery funds comes under scrutiny
POLITICO, April 18th, 2020
A White House economist with close ties to UnitedHealth is helping oversee a program administered by the firm.
In final years at Liberty, Falwell spent millions on pro-Trump causes
POLITICO, December 14th 2020
The nonprofit university’s think tank ran Facebook ads to “pray for our president,” with Donald Trump’s image.
Could massive numbers of nursing home deaths have been prevented?
POLITICO, August 10th 2020
One system — California’s Veterans Affairs Department — has dramatically reduced death rates through organization, access to PPE and full staffing.
Trump team relaxed training rules for nursing home staff just as pandemic hit
POLITICO, July 15th 2020
Caregivers can obtain a license in eight hours online, after which they’re responsible for protecting vulnerable residents.
From distraction to disaster: How coronavirus crept up on Washington
POLITICO, March 30th, 2020
Lawmakers have ripped the administration’s bungled handling of the outbreak. But some now wonder if there’s more they could have done when it might have made a difference.
Where Trump’s recount fundraising dollars are really going
POLITICO, November 12th, 2020
Money raised to pay for recounts goes to covering campaign debts, funding future political activities and boosting like-minded figures.
What Happened at Sanders U.
POLITICO, February 11, 2016
When Bernie Sanders' wife was in charge of small, private Burlington College in Vermont, it sank into debt.
Inside Warren’s secret big-donor fan club
POLITICO, November 18th 2019
Elizabeth Warren said she’d sworn of big donors during her bid for president — but behind the scenes, Warren had enlisted two wealthy longtime supporters to court donors on her behalf.
Inside a secretive billionaire club’s plan to help Democrats take Congress
POLITICO, November 2nd 2018
How megadonors like George Soros and Tom Steyer seeded a secretive effort to turn the Sun Belt blue during the 2018 midterms.
The Next Koch Doesn’t Like Politics
POLITICO, December 4th 2018
Chase Koch, son of Charles, wants to steer the conservative juggernaut his family created toward a kinder, gentler libertarianism.