For Immediate Release Date: Tuesday, January 17, 2006
CONTACT: Jim Manley / Rebecca Kirszner, 202-224-2939
REID: REPUBLICANS CANNOT BE TRUSTED TO END THE CULTURE OF CORRUPTION
Washington, DC - While Republicans try to provide cover from their culture of corruption, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid released the following report and statement on Republicans' abuse of power:
"The idea of Republicans reforming themselves is like asking John Gotti to clean up organized crime. I thought I'd seen the last of corruption when I helped clean up Las Vegas thirty years ago. But, while its not quite the mafia of Las Vegas in the 1970s, what is happening today in Washington is every bit as corrupt and the consequences for our country have been just as severe.
"Some problems have no legislative fix, and the Republican culture of corruption is one of them. Today's announcements by House and Senate Republicans should be taken at face value - minor wrist slapping and good public relation stunts by the same people responsible for this mess. Democrats will lead the tough reforms, because we owe it to the American people to stand up for their interests over special interests. Are we really going to believe that Republicans will stop answering the calls from their friends on K Street? Are they really going to put seniors ahead of drug companies when it comes reforming Medicare? Are they really going to help families over oil companies when it comes to gas prices? The answer to these questions is no, and that's why the American people trust Democrats to clean up Washington and put their interests first."
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Republican Abuse of Power
Through their K Street Project, Republicans have transformed Washington lobbyists into the fundraising committees of their permanent political campaign. In fact, the number of registered lobbyists in Washington has doubled
George Allen (VA)
Abramoff Connection
Jack Abramoff and his wife donated $1000 to George Allen in 2000. (Center for Responsive Politics
Out of Touch
Senator Allen called the Civil War a "four-year struggle for independence and sovereign rights," proclaimed April "Confederate History and Heritage Month." "As governor, [Allen] suffered through an antagonistic relationship with the state NAACP in Richmond. Tempers reached a boiling point in 1997, when Allen proclaimed April as Confederate History and Heritage Month and called the Civil War "a four-year struggle for independence and sovereign rights." [Newport News Daily Press, 12/22/02]
Senator Allen kept a noose and a confederate flag in his office and home. "Allen, who once hung a confederate flag in his home and a noose outside his Charlottesville law office, was long viewed with suspicion by much of the black community." [Newport News Daily Press, 12/22/02]
Senator Allen called the federal government a "beast of tyranny and oppression". In his 1994 gubernatorial inaugural address, Allen pledged to "fight the beast of tyranny and oppression that our federal government has become." [Richmond Times Dispatch, 10/31/00]
Senator Allen made violent threats directed at Democrats. Addressing the Virginia state Republican convention as Governor, Allen said of Democrats, "Let's enjoy knocking their soft teeth down their whiny throats." [Washington Post, 6/9/94]
As Governor of Virginia, George Allen tried to cut "Meals on Wheels," the program that feeds seniors in need. The Washington Post reported, "'We remember that as governor George Allen tried to cut Meals on Wheels,' said Rae Paarfus, 77, of Richmond.' Allen's 1995 budget included a variety of cuts, including seniors' meals, to help pay for a tax decrease, but Democrats and Republicans voted overwhelmingly to reject them." [Washington Post, 10/24/00]
Senator Allen publicly identified crime victim. "A group of crime victims rallied in Richmond Monday to drum up support for abolishing parole, but at least one participant needs a briefing on victims' rights. Gov. George Allen, in a speech before a crowd of about 200 at Capitol Square, said a woman's name into the microphone, then said, 'Whoops.' 'You in the media, don't print that name,' Mr. Allen said, then went on to inform everyone in the crowd that the woman was a rape victim who didn't want her name made public." [Washington Times, 9/21/94]
Senator Allen spoke at Pat Robertson's university after Robertson claimed that activist judges are a more serious threat than "a few bearded terrorists who fly into buildings.' "Allen spoke at Robertson's Regent University this past weekend, telling students, "I hope and pray that God continues to bless our country with people of your character and especially your integrity.'" [The Hill, 5/11/05]
Christopher Bond (MO)
Abramoff Connection:
Jack Abramoff and his wife donated $1,500 to Senator Bond in 2004. (Center for Responsive Politics
Sam Brownback (KS)
Abramoff Connection
Senator Brownback criticized lobbying in Washington when he was new in town. "Brownback denounced the Washington lobbying scene as 'a domestication process where you bring in new, fresh legislators and then you start to try to tame them and assist them with gifts and meals and trips almost like you would a horse with a sugar cube.'" [Washington Post, 11/27/95
But Senator Brownback recently returned $44,500 in donations, and "tribal representatives have said Abramoff suggested donation amounts." "Brownback is among the top dozen recipients of donations from Abramoff, his partners and the tribes he represented. On Thursday, Brownback's chief spokesman said Brownback is giving the money to American Indian charities . . ..''Brownback met Abramoff once at a breakfast,' said Brian Hart, Brownback's chief spokesman. The two never met formally, nor was Brownback directly involved with any tribes Abramoff represented, he said. Hart said it's not clear why Brownback got more money than most lawmakers. Of the $44,500 Brownback received, $43,000 came from four tribes. Tribal representatives have said Abramoff suggested donation amounts, but 'Senator Brownback was never asked to do anything for or anything by Mr. Abramoff, his colleagues or his clients,' Hart said." [Wichita Eagle, 1/6/06
Chief of the Wyandotte Nation blasted Brownback for taking "dirty money". "The chief of the Wyandotte Nation criticized Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas) for taking "dirty money" from disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Brownback has accepted $42,000 from Abramoff, The Native American Times reported. Wyandotte Chief Leaford Bearskin said the donation is tied to Brownback's efforts to block the Wyandotte Nation's casino in downtown Kansas City." [Indianz.com, 12/22/05
Jim Bunning (R-KY)
Abramoff Connection
Jack Abramoff and his wife donated $1,000 to Senator Bunning in 2004. (Center for Responsive Politics
Out of Touch
Senator Bunning compared his opponent to one of Saddam Hussein's sons. "Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning, at a recent GOP event, told diners that state Sen. Daniel Mongiardo, his likely opponent in the November election, looks like one of Saddam Hussein's sons. Yesterday, his campaign said it was a joke and apologized. 'We're sorry if this joke, which got a lot of laughs, offended anyone,' Bunning campaign manager David Young said." [The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY), 4/1/04]
Senator Bunning alleged without proof that his wife ended up black and blue after an encounter with his opponent. "In a few races, unscripted moments and unguarded moment have hurt, Republicans most prominently. None more so than Kentucky GOP Sen. Jim Bunning, who alleged without proof at one point that his wife wound up "black and blue" after an encounter at a picnic with aides to his rival. That followed a claim that his opponent resembled one of Saddam Hussein's sons." [Associated Press, 10/30/04]
Conrad Burns (R-MT)
Abramoff Connection
Jack Abramoff and his wife donated $5,000 to Senator Burns's PAC, Friends of the Big Sky, in 2002. (Center for Responsive Politics
Burns changed his vote after receiving donation from an Abramoff client. U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns took a stance in opposition to a bill in 2001 after he received a $5,000 donation from a Jack Abramoff client opposing the bill, records show. The client hired Abramoff as a lobbyist specifically to defeat the kind of bill Burns voted against. Before receiving the payment, Burns did not oppose an identical bill that unanimously passed the Senate in 2000, Senate documents show. [Billings Gazette, 12/3/05
Funding for Abramoff client put into Appropriations Bill on Burns's watch; Burns admitted to being insufficiently vigilant. In April 2005, Conrad Burns admitted that provisions "benefiting an Indian tribe were placed in a fiscal 2004 Interior spending bill..." The provision gave $3 million to the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe in Michigan, which had previously been rejected by the U.S. Department of Interior for not meeting requirements for federal funding. While Burns denied knowing the provision was included in the bill, he did admit that "he was not as vigilant as he should have been when his staff was drafting the bill." Burns did not offer an explanation for why he had not monitored the legislation more closely. [Roll Call, 4/11/05; Editorial, Billings Gazette, 4/17/05]
Senator Burns returned his Abramoff cash to a group represented by his former staffer, rather than to the original donors. "Sen. Conrad Burns vowed last month to return most of $146,700 in campaign contributions connected with confessed felon Jack Abramoff to its original donors, but most of the money went to the Montana Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council, whose lobbyist is a former Burns staffer. . . . Burns decided to give the $101,000 in question to charity and donated it to the Montana Wyoming Tribal Leaders Council. Stan Ullman, who was Burns' legislative assistant and worked in his Washington office for four years, is registered as that group's only lobbyist." A Burns spokesman explained that there had been several bank accounts falling under different rules and that, "After reviewing FEC law and regulations it was uncertain to us whether we could actually refund contributions from Conrad's re-election committee to folks that gave to that non-federal account," Baker said. "As a result, not to have any doubt about the legal certainty, those contributions were put into the lump category of the charitable contribution that was made." [Helena Independent Record, 1/14/06
Burns said he wished Abramoff had never been born. News reports reveal that Conrad Burns or his staff met indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff's lobbying team on at least eight occasions and collected $12,000 in donations around the time the lawmaker took legislative action favorable to Abramoff's clients in the Northern Mariana Islands... Burns declared that he "wished Abramoff had never been born," prompting the MT Democratic Party to urge him to return the $136,000 he has received from the lobbyist and his associates. [KAJ-TV, 12/09/05
Putting K Street Before Main Street
Pesticide industry successfully lobbied Burns to vote to overturn ban on human testing. The "EPA and the pesticide industry successfully lobbied Burns to oppose the House provision." The EPA opposed the House measure because it restricted "the EPA's reliance on human pesticide testing data." The pesticide industry "supported the use of human testing data, saying it would result in more accurate exposure limits for pesticides." [Inside Washington Publishers, 6/8/05]
Out of Touch
Burns is damaged goods. "Montana Democrats have got the perfect candidate to help them take the U.S. Senate seat up for election next year away from the Republicans. His name is Conrad Burns... politically, he's damaged goods." [Missoulian editorial, 12/16/05
Conrad Burns reportedly told a female flight attendant that she could just stay home with her kids if her job was outsourced. [Great Falls Tribune, 10/26/05
Burns: "Hell of a challenge" to live with minorities. In 1994, a Washington Post editorial noted that Burns recounted an incident when a rancher asked him, "Conrad, how can you live back there [in Washington] with all those niggers?" Burns reportedly "told the rancher that it was 'a hell of a challenge.'" The Post then noted that "After protests erupted in the state following publication of his remarks, the senator apologized." [Washington Post, editorial "Conrad Burns Tells a Story," 10/26/94]
Burns calls Arabs "ragheads." During a 1999 speech to Montana constituents about U.S. dependence on foreign oil, Burns referred to Arabs as "ragheads." The term is a derisive reference to the gutra, the head cloth traditionally worn by Arab men. [Washington Post, 3/12/99]
Woman said her nose ring prompted "tribal" remark by Burns. In March 2000, Angela Warren of Billings said she was offended by a comment Burns made when he visited her office and noticed she wore a nose ring. "What is that thing in your nose? What tribe are you from?" she recalled Burns saying. "It's a nose ring, and I am obviously not from a tribe," Warren said she replied. [Associated Press, 3/2/00]
Burns boasted of going to an auction of slaves after voting on a civil rights bill. In 1991, Burns "startled lobbyists outside the Senate chamber" following passage of a civil rights bill by saying he was going to an auction of "slaves." A Burns spokesman attempted to clarify the statement saying the senator was referring to a charity event known as a "slave auction." [Associated Press, 11/13/91]
Saxby Chambliss (GA)
Abramoff Connection
Jack Abramoff and his wife donated $1,000 to Senator Chambliss in 2002. (Center for Responsive Politics
Abuse of Power
Chambliss ran a TV ad picturing his opponent with Osama bin Laden. "Few believed Republican Saxby Chambliss could paint Sen. Max Cleland, a veteran who lost both legs and an arm in Vietnam, as soft on national security. But that's just what the conservative congressman did to score a surprising victory over the one-term Democrat. . . He cited the incumbent's vote on a proposed department of homeland security; Cleland had sided with fellow Democrats by insisting that workers' civil-service protections be retained. Chambliss even ran a TV ad picturing Cleland with Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden." [USA Today, 11/6/02
Tom Coburn (OK)
Out of Touch
"Coburn proclaimed the Senate race a 'battle of good vs. evil.'" [Salon, 9/13/04
Coburn said that the "gay agenda" was the "greatest threat" to freedom. The gay community has infiltrated the very centers of power in every area across this country, and they wield extreme power ... That agenda is the greatest threat to our freedom that we face today. Why do you think we see the rationalization for abortion and multiple sexual partners? That's a gay agenda." [Salon, 9/13/04
Coburn had harsh words about lesbianism in his state's high schools. In a town hall meeting in August, 2004, Coburn said, "Lesbianism is so rampant in some of the schools in southeast Oklahoma that they'll only let one girl go to the bathroom. Now think about it. Think about that issue. How has that happened to us?" [The Washington Post, 12/12/04]
Coburn introduced a bill calling for the end to anonymous HIV/AIDS testing. "In 1997, Coburn proposed a bill that would have ended anonymous testing for HIV/AIDS and required reporting the names of those who tested positive to public health authorities, among other draconian measures -- including withholding Medicaid funding from states that failed to comply." [Salon, 9/13/04
ÿ Coburn said that lethal spores in drinking water could help doctors identify people with compromised immune systems. "At a House subcommittee meeting on the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1996, which heard testimony on the danger of the parasite cryptosporidium, which had killed 104 and sickened 400,000 in Milwaukee in 1993 and killed 19 in Las Vegas in 1994, Coburn displayed his expertise as a doctor. The lethal spores, he held forth, 'can sometimes ... be very helpful -- for doctors -- because it helps us identify those people who in fact are immuno-compromised.'" [Salon, 9/13/04
Coburn favors the death penalty for doctors who perform abortions. "I favor the death penalty for abortionists and other people who take life," he told the Associated Press in July. ... We need to have moral clarity about our leaders. I have a 100 percent pro-life record. I don't apologize for saying we need to protect the unborn. Do you realize that if all those children had not been aborted, we wouldn't have any trouble with Medicare and Social Security today? That's another 41 million people." [Salon, 9/13/04
Coburn said the movie, Schindler's List encouraged "irresponsible sexual behavior." " . . Coburn gained a moment of national attention when he condemned NBC for televising the Academy Award-winning movie on the Holocaust "Schindler's List." According to Coburn, the film encouraged "irresponsible sexual behavior," and he called for outrage against the network from "parents and decent-minded individuals everywhere." He added, "I cringe when I realize that there were children all across this nation watching this program." Even conservative avatar William Bennett felt compelled to rebuke him: 'These are very unfortunate and foolish comments.'" [Salon, 9/13/04
Senator Coburn questioned why older Senators remain in the Senate and suggested that Senators are on the dole. Coburn: "Why would you want to be up here [the United States Senate] when you're 68 years of age? If you have any type of life, this is the last place you'd want to be." He goes on: "There are a lot of people who are in the Congress that would never achieve in the private sector anywhere close to the remuneration they receive as a member of Congress." [The Hill, 5/25/05]
After the Columbine tragedy, Coburn opposes making adults liable for children's gun crimes. "In 1999, after the massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado, Coburn opposed President Clinton's proposal for making adults liable if they allow their children to buy guns and harm others. 'If I wanted to buy a bazooka to use in a very restricted way, to do something, I ought to be able to do that,' said Coburn." [Salon, 9/13/04
Coburn called his fellow Oklahoman politicians "crapheads." Criticizing the legislators of Oklahoma City, he said, "It's because you have a bunch of crapheads in Oklahoma City." [The Sunday Oklahoman, 01/02/05]
Coburn's Chief of Staff called for mass impeachment of judges. "'I am in favor of impeachment,' Michael Schwartz, chief of staff to Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, said in a panel discussion on abortion, suggesting 'mass impeachment' might be needed." [New York Times, 4/8/05]
Thad Cochran (MS)
Abramoff Connection
Jack Abramoff and his wife donated $1,000 to Senator Cochran and $5,000 to his Senate Victory Fund Leadership Pac in 2002. (Center for Responsive Politics
John Cornyn (TX)
Abramoff Connection
Jack Abramoff and his wife donated $1,000 to Senator Cornyn in 2002. (Center for Responsive Politics
Ralph Reed boasted of choreographing Cornyn's actions in an e-mail to Jack Abramoff. "In the November 2001 e-mail, Reed told Abramoff that a group of pastors would meet with Cornyn to urge him to shut down the Alabama-Coushatta tribe's casino near Livingston. 'We have also choreographed Cornyn's response,' Reed's e-mail said, according to the AP. 'The AG will state that the law is clear, talk about how much he wants to avoid repetition of El Paso and pledge to take swift action to enforce the law.'" [Austin American Statesman, 11/15/05
Putting K Street Before Main Street
Cornyn received $193,00 in Enron funds while he was Attorney General of Texas. When he served as Texas Attorney General, John Cornyn, received $ 193,000 from Enron. "Cornyn recused himself from the state's investigation of the meltdown, though so far there has been little activity on that front . . .. Despite having accepted $ 193,000 from the company and its executives, Cornyn at first declined to recuse himself from the state's investigation of the Enron collapse. 'This is not the time for him to recuse himself from his duty,' his spokesperson told reporters shortly after Enron declared bankruptcy. One day later Cornyn changed course, announcing that he would form a task force within his office to determine the state's strategy and that he would take no part in the investigation. (Cornyn's announcement accompanied a cascade of recusals by Texas officials, including the US Attorney in Houston and several federal judges in the Houston area, all of whom cited conflicts of interest.) Compared with the effort launched by other states, Texas's investigation of Enron has been noticeably lethargic." [The Nation, 3/4/02]
Watchdog group criticized Cornyn's fundraising group. "A watchdog group is criticizing the fund-raising practices of a Republican state attorneys-general association, saying it sells big donors immunity from state lawsuits. Acting under the umbrella of the Republican National Committee, the Republican Attorneys General Association seeks contributions to help fund state attorneys-general races around the country. The group, which is holding its annual meeting here this week, opposes industry-wide lawsuits, such as those against tobacco companies and gun manufacturers, that have cost some companies billions. In a fund-raising letter, Texas Attorney General John Cornyn said the association was formed because of concerns about lawsuits that "seek to promote policy changes via the courthouse rather than the statehouse." Individuals and corporations can join the association with contributions from $5,000 to $25,000. The most generous donors get the most access to the public officials, states the letter from Cornyn, a member of the association's executive committee." [Associated Press, 3/30/00]
ÿ Conflict between fundraising and law enforcement stemming from the group "erodes every attorney general." "I think this erodes every attorney general," said former Massachusetts attorney general Scott Harshbarger, a Democrat who is now president of Common Cause. [Washington Post, 3/30/00
Out of Touch
Cornyn: Courthouse violence is attributable to political decisions made by courts. "I don't know if there is a cause-and-effect connection, but we have seen some recent episodes of courthouse violence in this country. . . . And I wonder whether there may be some connection between the perception in some quarters, on some occasions, where judges are making political decisions yet are unaccountable to the public, that it builds up and builds up and builds up to the point where some people engage in, engage in violence." [Washington Post, 4/5/05]
ÿ The Houston Chronicle rebuked Cornyn: "Sen. John Cornyn's comments linking violence against judges to their rulings are inaccurate and incendiary. He should repudiate them." [Houston Chronicle, 4/6/05
Abuse of Power
Cornyn's poll watchers evicted from polling places after charges of voter intimidation. "Two poll watchers representing Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Cornyn were removed from polling places amid accusations of voter intimidation in Hidalgo County. The decision to eject the two GOP workers, one watching early voting in McAllen, the other in Edinburg, was made by early voting supervisors Thursday and confirmed Friday by Teresa Navarro, Hidalgo County's elections administrator. The dismissals follow Navarro's decision Thursday to ban local Republican activist Tom Haughey from all early voting places for allegedly interfering with the work of presiding judges and their election clerks. . . .In McAllen, a voter reported Hopkins to an early voting supervisor for making a "racist remark." Hopkins is said to have joked, 'I'm just a poll watcher but I don't see many Poles. I just see a lot of Mexicans.'" [Associated Press, 11/2/02]
Elizabeth Dole (NC)
Abramoff Connection
Jack Abramoff and his wife donated $1,000 to Senator Dole in 2002. (Center for Responsive Politics
Money Matters
FEC said Senator Dole's campaign committee should return $81,320 in unlawful contributions. "Federal auditors said a campaign committee for U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R- N.C., should return $81,320 in unlawful corporate contributions from her 2002 campaign, but the committee insists a convicted felon [Earl Allen Haywood] who cooked the books should be held responsible. . . . A federal audit of the Dole North Carolina Victory Committee, a joint fund-raising effort between Dole and the North Carolina Republican Party that Haywood helped manage, determined that it had deposited 31 checks received from the general funds of corporations. Such donations are unlawful. The review by Federal Election Commission auditors released Tuesday said the Victory Committee 'bears the responsibility for the return of the prohibited contributions.' The committee also could bear the consequences of violating the law. Dole's campaign committee said Haywood is responsible for those contributions and should return them himself. Neither Dole nor the party used the illegal donations because Haywood hid them, said Cleta Mitchell, the committee's Washington attorney. The auditors wrote that a lack of internal controls and oversight by the committee 'created an environment that contributed to the misappropriation of funds and the misreporting to the commission.'" [Associated Press, 11/1/05, FEC Report
John Ensign (NV)
Abramoff Connection
Jack Abramoff and his wife donated $4,000 to Senator Ensign in 2004 and $1,000 to his leadership PAC in 2002. (Center for Responsive Politics
Michael Enzi (WY)
Abramoff Connection
Jack Abramoff and his wife donated $1,000 to Senator Enzi in 2000 (Center for Responsive Politics
Bill Frist (TN)
Putting K Street before Main Street
Frist engaged in late-night give away worth billions to drug manufacturers. "In a late-night move that could be worth billions of dollars to a small group of major drug manufacturers, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) inserted language into the fiscal year 2006 Defense Department spending conference report. Shortly before midnight on Sunday, the leaders agreed - after House and Senate negotiators had already signed the report and announced its details to the public - to insert controversial language that protects vaccine manufacturers from product liability claims in the event of a viral pandemic, such as one caused by avian flu." [Roll Call, 12/20/05
ÿ Frist inserted a special interest liability provision in the middle of the night. According to Congressman David Obey, "The conference committee ended its work with the understanding, both verbal and in writing, that there would be no legislative liability protection language inserted in this bill... But after the conference was finished at 6 p.m., Senator Frist marched over to the House side of the Capitol about 4 hours later and insisted that over 40 pages of legislation, which I have in my hand, 40 pages of legislation that had never been seen by conferees, be attached to the bill. The Speaker joined him in that assistance so that, without a vote of the conferees, that legislation was unilaterally and arrogantly inserted into the bill after the conference was over in a blatantly abusive power play by two of the most powerful men in Congress..." [Congressional Record, 12/22/05]
Money Matters
Senator Frist is being investigated for insider trading by the SEC. The SEC began an investigation into Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's HCA stock sale. Frist sold stock that he held in his family's hospital company a day before the stock's share price plunged. [CNN, 10/23/05
Frist's PAC was fined $10,000 in April. Frist's leadership committee, Volunteer PAC, was fined $10,000 by the FEC "for misstating or failing to adequately report certain financial information." An FEC audit showed that the committee underreported disbursements and "failed to adequately report $183,000 in contributions that were transferred directly to 12 Republican Senate candidates." [Associated Press, 4/21/05]
Frist's charity gave at least $450,000 to political allies. The AP reported that Frist's AIDS charity, World of Hope, Inc., "paid nearly a half-million dollars in consulting fees to members of his political inner circle." Larry Noble of the Center for Responsive Politics said, "One of the things people who are running for president try to do is keep their fundraising staff and political people close at hand. And one of the ways you can do that is by putting them in some sort of organization you run." [Associated Press, 12/18/05
After losing hundreds of thousands of dollars is stocks, Frist's campaign borrowed more than $1 Million to repay him. In 2000, after having lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from a $1 million in risky investments his campaign made in the stock market, Majority Leader Bill Frist's 2000 reelection campaign took on $1.44 million in debt to repay Frist for loans he had made to his previous campaign for Senate. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 6/12/2005]
Frist repayed himself, debt was misreported. According to Larry Nobel, a former counsel to the FEC, it appears that Frist 2000 was the actual borrower of the $1.44 million, and hid the debt by attributing it to the Bill Frist for Senate committee, which had been all but completely inactive by the time Frist's campaign took out the loan. Misreporting is illegal. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 6/12/2005]
Contradictions in Frist's loan statements. When asked why the 1994 committee showed the $1.44 million debt on its FEC records instead of the 2000 committee, which both used the funds from the loan to repay Frist and wrote the check to repay the loan, a Frist spokesman said that $1.44 million loan was reported under the 1994 committee because Frist gave the money to that committee. He noted that both committees were listed on the bank documents for the loan, even though the bank's documentation of the loan specifically designate Frist 2000 as the borrower. Stephen Cook, an official from the bank who made the loan to Frist's campaign, said the Frist campaign had given him permission to confirm that the bank considered the two Frist committees joint borrowers on the loan. But when asked why the bank's own documents contradict that statement, Cook said, I can't go there. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 6/12/2005]
Out of Touch
Frist diagnosed Terri Schiavo via video, then denied it. "I raised the question, 'Is she in a persistent vegetative state or not?' I never made the diagnosis, never said that she was not," Frist said of Schiavo in June. But in March, Frist said on the Senate floor that doctors had erred in saying Schiavo was in a "persistent vegetative state." "I question it based on a review of the video footage which I spent an hour or so looking at last night in my office," he said at the time. Frist's later denial led to extensive criticism. Even one GOP strategist acknowledged, "It is never good when you say you didn't do something when you are on camera doing it." [AP, 6/16/05
Frist said that Richard Clarke's apology to 9-11 families was arrogant and manipulative. Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) said "In his appearance before the 9/11 commission, Mr. Clarke's theatrical apology on behalf of the nation was not his right, his privilege or his responsibility. In my view it was not an act of humility, but an act of supreme arrogance and manipulation." [Frist Statement, 3/26/04]
Frist said Democrats were trying to "assassinate Judges." "The issue is not cloture votes per say. It's the partisan leadership led use of cloture vote to kill, to defeat, to assassinate these nominees." [Congressional Record, 5/18/05]
Frist spoke at Family Research Council's "Justice Sunday" event on the judicial filibuster. "Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's decision to take part today in 'Justice Sunday,' an event organized by evangelical Christians to highlight what they say is the Democrats' use of filibusters 'against people of faith,' signals that the 2008 Republican presidential contest is already under way. With his participation in tonight's event at a mega-church in Louisville, Ky., Frist is putting down an important marker with a key Republican constituency and trying to protect the issue his Senate leadership may ultimately be judged on --- ending the use of filibusters to block Senate consideration of judicial nominees." [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 4/24/05]
Frist's chief of staff berated a reporter who asked questions about his stock sale. "Sen. Bill Frist's chief of staff blew up at an Associated Press reporter in Washington Tuesday, suggesting that nerves are frayed in Frist's office over continued questions about his HCA stock sale. According to Roll Call, a newspaper about Congress, Eric Ueland loudly berated AP reporter Jonathan Katz in the Senate chambers and in the hallway after Katz asked Frist questions about the stock sale. 'It was outrageous. (Ueland) was yelling at the kid,' said one observer, Roll Call reported. Frist has come under scrutiny for the sale of stock of HCA, the company founded by his family, shortly before a major drop in its price. Frist said the sale was to eliminate any conflict of interest but the issue continues to dog the Senate majority leader as he begins a presidential bid. Tuesday's events probably won't change that.' Now everyone's talking about it,' another reporter told Roll Call. 'It makes me think there's something more going on.'" [Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN), 12/15/05]
Chuck Grassley (IA)
Abramoff Connection
Jack Abramoff and his wife donated $2,000 to Senator Grassley in 2004. (Center for Responsive Politics
Orrin Hatch (UT)
Abuse of Power
Hatch staffers improperly accessed Democratic computer files. "Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch said Tuesday he had put one of his staffers on administrative leave for improperly obtaining data from the secure computer networks of two Democratic senators. Hatch, R-Utah, said preliminary interviews suggested that a former Republican member of the committee staff may have also been involved in penetrating the Democratic computers." [Associated Press, 11/25/03
James Inhofe (OK)
Abramoff Connection
Jack Abramoff and his wife donated $2,000 to Senator Inhofe in 2002. (Center for Responsive Politics
Out of Touch
Senator Inhofe is more outraged by people who object to torture than torture itself. "As I watch this outrage, this outrage everyone seems to have about the treatment of these prisoners . . . I'm probably not the only one up at this table that is more outraged by the outrage than we are by the treatment," Inhofe told fellow Armed Services Committee members investigating the treatment of inmates at Abu Ghraib prison. "You know, they're not there for traffic violations," he said. In the cells where the primary abuse took place, "they're murderers, they're terrorists, they're insurgents." [Washington Post, 5/12/04
Senator Inhofe said global warming is a conspiracy and a hoax. "In a 2003 speech, Senator James Inhofe, chairman of the pivotal Committee on Environment & Public Works, suggested that global warming was a conspiracy. 'With all of the hysteria, all of the fear, all of the phony science, could it be that man-made global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people?' Inhofe asked. "It sure sounds like it." [Toronto Star, 3/18/05]
Johnny Isakson (GA)
Abramoff Connection
Jack Abramoff and his wife donated $4,000 to Senator Inhofe in 2004. (Center for Responsive Politics
Trent Lott (MS)
Putting K Street Ahead of Main Street
Lott stood by embattled Tom DeLay, founder of the notorious K Street Project. "I hope he survives, and I hope he will stay in there and do his job," said Sen. Trent Lott, R- Miss. "The power of prayer is the only thing that will sustain you" in the circumstance DeLay is in, Lott added, and he spoke disparagingly of any Republicans who fail to stand by the Texan. [MSNBC, 4/13/05
Out of Touch
Lott wondered whether the county would have had problems if Senator Strom Thurmond, the segregationist, had become president. Democrats and some conservatives have questioned Lott's comments at last week's 100th birthday party for retiring Sen. Strom Thurmond, when he said the country "wouldn't have had all these problems" had Thurmond succeeded in his 1948 run for the presidency -- which included a segregationist platform. [CNN, 12/12/02
Senator Lott said Republicans "must begin to wage the war" against Democrats. [New York Times, 6/3/01
Senator Lott wondered if Hillary Clinton would be struck by lightning. "I tell you one thing, when this Hillary gets to the Senate - if she does, maybe lightning will strike and she won't - she will be one of 100 and we won't let her forget it," Lott said in his home state of Mississippi. [CBS, 10/8/00
Mel Martinez (FL)
Putting K Street Ahead of Main Street.
Senator Martinez helps lobbyists and contractors get in on the post-Katrina spending action. "As fiscal hawks surrendered, would-be government contractors were meeting in the Hart Senate Office Building to figure out how to get a share of the money. A 'Katrina Reconstruction Summit,' hosted by Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) and sponsored by Halliburton, among others, brought some 200 lobbyists, corporate representatives and government staffers to a room overlooking the Capitol for a five-hour conference that included time for a "networking break" and advice on "opportunities for private sector involvement." [Washington Post, 9/27/05
Out of Touch
Marinez staffer writes memo outlining how Republicans can gain political advantage from the Schiavo tragedy. "The unsigned memo -- which initially misspells Schiavo's first name and gives the wrong number for the pending bill -- includes eight talking points in support of the legislation and calls the controversy 'a great political issue.' 'This legislation ensures that individuals like Terri Schiavo are guaranteed the same legal protections as convicted murderers like Ted Bundy,' the memo concludes. It asserts that the case would appeal to the party's core supporters, saying: 'This is an important moral issue and the pro-life base will be excited that the Senate is debating this important issue.'" [Washington Post, 4/7/05
Martinez's campaign ads accused rival of playing to the "radical homosexual lobby." "The campaign ads were bitterly divisive, even by the standards of a bare-knuckle primary, accusing the opponent of then Republican senatorial hopeful Mel Martinez of playing to the 'radical homosexual lobby.' Martinez blamed the ads on 'young turks' in his campaign . ." [Miami Herald, 4/8/05]
Martinez press release likened immigration agents to "armed thugs" for removing Elian Gonzales from Miami. "Martinez found himself again blaming a staffer after a press release from his campaign likened U.S. immigration agents to "armed thugs" for seizing Elian Gonzalez from his Miami home." [Miami Herald, 4/8/05]
John McCain (AZ)
K Street Connection
McCain is wooing K Street for a run around the public financing system. "By prospecting for influential donors very early in the election cycle, McCain is emulating Bush's approach . . .Republican fundraisers interpret McCain's early 2008 'hustling,' as one termed it, as a sign that the senator intends to raise more than any potential competitors. . . Just as Bush once charmed donors after wooing them to Austin, McCain flies potentially significant contributors to his Arizona ranch, where he serves them barbecue and breakfast. . . .Again adhering to the Bush strategy, McCain is already trying to entice denizens of K Street, who tend to be the late-deciding shoppers of the donor world, to his side. And two Republicans close to McCain say that he plans to set up a Pioneerstyle program to attract and retain high-dollar party fundraisers." [National Journal, 12/17/05]
Out of Touch
Sen. McCain Said Funding for Flood Control Levees Was 'Pork'. In 2000, when Sen. Mary Landrieu worked to get funding for flood-control levees on the Mississippi River, Sen. John McCain listed this project on his list of Congressional 'pork' projects. [The Advocate (Baton Rouge), 10/16/00]
Mitch McConnell (KY)
Putting K Street ahead of Main Street
Sen. McConnell called himself the "Darth Vader" of campaign finance reform. Senator McConnell has boasted that "To Common Cause," a non-partisan organization dedicated to reforming campaign finance and improving ethics and accountability in government, "I'm Darth Vader." [New York Times, 8/21/1997]
Senator McConnell has been a lead opponent of campaign finance reform. "Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky sent a letter over to the House noting that the Republicans had killed campaign finance reform before the 1994 elections - "proof positive that this issue is not a hindrance to us at the polls." In a handwritten P.S., McConnell added: 'We'd be foolish to throw away our ability to compete.'" [Washington Post, 11/27/95
Pat Roberts (KS)
Abuse of Power
Senator Roberts responsible for blocking progress on the Senate Intelligence Committee's investigation into the misuse of pre-war intelligence. "I don't think there should be any doubt that we have now heard it all regarding prewar intelligence. I think that it would be a monumental waste of time to replow this ground any further." [Pat Roberts, 3/31/05
Roberts said the investigation was on the back burner. "Roberts, Republican of Kansas, said in February that the committee's investigation of the administration's use of intelligence is 'on the back burner,' and said in April that other issues have more urgent claims on the committee's attention." [Boston Globe, 7/27/05]
Roberts promised to complete investigation into the misuse of prewar intelligence, but has failed to do so. In July 2004, Roberts promised to complete the second phase of its investigation. Roberts said that "even as I'm speaking our staff is working on phase two and we will get it done." Asked in April 2005 when Phase Two would be completed, Roberts said, "I'm more than happy to finish this, and I want to finish it, but we have other things that we need to do." [NBC, "Meet the Press," 4/10/05
Vice President Cheney withheld key documents from the Intelligence Committee's investigation. Vice President Cheney and his now-indicted Chief of Staff "Scooter" Libby withheld crucial documents from the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2004 when the panel was investigating the use of pre-war intelligence that erroneously concluded Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction... Had the withheld information been turned over, according to administration and congressional sources, it likely would have shifted a portion of the blame away from the intelligence agencies to the Bush administration as to who was responsible for the erroneous information being presented to the American public, Congress, and the international community. [National Journal, 10/27/05
Rick Santorum (PA)
Putting K Street Ahead of Main Street
Santorum is the Republicans' "point man on K Street." " . . .Santorum became the Senate's point man on K Street and launched his Tuesday meetings. [Washington Monthly, July/August 2003
Santorum runs K-Street project meetings. "But there's one confirmation hearing you won't hear much about. It's convened every Tuesday morning by Rick Santorum, the junior senator from Pennsylvania, in the privacy of a Capitol Hill conference room, for a handpicked group of two dozen or so Republican lobbyists. Occasionally, one or two other senators or a representative from the White House will attend. Democrats are not invited, and neither is the press." [Washington Monthly, July/August 2003
Santorum makes sure lobbying firms only hire Republicans. "DeLay, Santorum, and their associates organized a systematic campaign, closely monitored by Republicans on Capitol Hill and by Grover Norquist and the Republican National Committee, to put pressure on firms not just to hire Republicans but also to fire Democrats. With the election of Bush, this pressure became stronger. A Republican lobbyist told me, "Having the White House" has made it more possible for DeLay and Santorum "to enforce the K Street Project." Several Democratic lobbyists have been pushed out of their jobs as a result; business associations who hire Democrats for prominent positions have been subject to retribution. They are told that they won't be able to see the people on Capitol Hill they want to see. Sometimes the retribution is more tangible. The Republican lobbyist I spoke to said, "There's a high state of sensitivity to the partisanship of the person you hire for these jobs that did not exist five, six years ago-you hire a Democrat at your peril." [New York Review of Books, 6/23/05
Because of Santorum, K Street is now solidly Republican. "But over the last few years, Republicans have brought about a revolutionary change: They've begun to capture and, consequently, discipline K Street. Through efforts like Santorum's--and a House version run by the majority whip, Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)--K Street is becoming solidly Republican." [Washington Monthly, July/August 2003
Senator Santorum has received more lobbying dollars than any other congressional candidate in the 2006 cycle. "Sen. Rick Santorum, who has been tapped by fellow Senate Republican leaders to draft legislation tightening restrictions on lobbyists, has received more money from lobbyists than any other congressional candidate so far in the 2006 election cycle. Mr. Santorum, R-Pa., received $145,946 from lobbyists in the period from the start of the 2006 election cycle through Oct. 31, 2005, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics based on the most recent data the Federal Election Commission has published. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1/13/06
Senator Santorum suspected of trading favors for cash for the weather lobby. Two days before Sen. Rick Santorum introduced a bill that critics say would restrict the publicly administered National Weather Service, his political action committee received a $2,000 donation from the chief executive of AccuWeather Inc., a leading private provider of weather data. [Associated Press, 5/27/05]
Money Matters
Santorum's campaign ads bear a striking similarity to third-party ads. "If the grandfather and grandson walking together in Sen. Rick Santorum's Internet ad look familiar, it could be because the same two actors are in a television ad that a third-party group is running in support of Santorum. A spokeswoman for Santorum, R-Pa., has repeatedly denied any connection between Santorum and the group, Americans for Job Security. The campaign for Bob Casey Jr. - the leading Democratic challenger in his 2006 Senate race - said Friday the coincidence is too much to be ignored. "I think it raises a lot of questions," said Larry Smar, a spokesman for Casey, the Pennsylvania treasurer who is leading in polls against Santorum. "Someone isn't shooting straight." Michael Dubke, president of the Republican-leaning third- party group, and John Brabender, Santorum's media consultant, each denied that the two sides had collaborated in any way. They each said it was a coincidence they used the same stock footage in their respective ads." [Associated Press, 12/2/05
$1 million in hidden sources buys ads supporting Santorum in Pennsylvania. "Nearly $1 million from hidden sources is pouring into Pennsylvania to buy television ads supporting U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum. The money is flowing through a Virginia-based organization called Americans for Job Security, a Republican-leaning, anti-tax group that says its money comes from 500 individuals, corporations, business groups and other sources. It refuses to identify any of them, or the amounts they have donated. A spokeswoman for Santorum, Virginia Davis, said the senator was unaware of the ads until they began running two weeks ago, covering every state media market except Philadelphia. Making an appearance yesterday in Northeast Philadelphia, Santorum refused to tell a Daily News reporter whether he believes the group should identify its financial backers." [Philadelphia Daily News, 11/30/05
The Allegheny County District Attorney's office announced it would investigate if Sen. Santorum violated any laws by getting an annual tax break on his house in Penn Hills. [Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 5/6/05]
Senator Santorum's children have attended a Pennsylvania cyber charter school in Penn Hills, PA, costing local taxpayers despite the fact that the Senator and his family spend most of the year in Virginia. [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 11/14/04
Senator Santorum cancelled a town hall out of respect for the Schiavo family, but continued with a fundraiser. During a highly-publicized trip to Florida to visit Terri Schiavo's family at her hospice, Santorum cancelled a scheduled town hall meeting on Social Security "out of respect for the Schiavo and Schindler family" because it was not "appropriate to go into the region and do a big policy event at this time." But Santorum "pulled in about $85,000" for his re-election campaign while he was on the trip. Santorum's campaign put the figure at $250,000. [Tampa Tribune, 3/29/05; Philadelphia Daily News, 4/11/05; Philadelphia Inquirer, 4/22/05, The Hill, 4/13/05
Out of Touch
Santorum advocated penalizing hurricane victims. When asked about the Hurricane Katrina disaster on Pittsburgh's ABC affiliate WTAE-TV, Rick Santorum actually suggested penalizing some hurricane victims. "I mean, you have people who don't heed those warnings and then put people at risk as a result of not heeding those warnings. There may be a need to look at tougher penalties on those who decide to ride it out and understand that there are consequences to not leaving," said Santorum. [Associated Press, 9/6/05
Santorum calls judge's refusal to intervene in the Schiavo case an act of "judicial tyranny. "U.S. District Judge James Whittemore has defied Congress by not staying Terri Schiavo's starvation execution for the time it takes him to hold a full hearing on her case, a leading Republican senator said Tuesday. "You have judicial tyranny here," Santorum told WABC Radio in New York. "Congress passed a law that said that you had to look at this case. He simply thumbed his nose at Congress." [Newsmax, 3/22/05
Santorum compares Democrats to Hitler. "The number three Republican, Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.), said Democratic arguments are 'the equivalent of Adolf Hitler in 1942 saying, I'm in Paris. How dare you invade me? How dare you bomb my city?"... [Washington Post, 5/19/05
Rick Santorum compared homosexuality to bigamy, polygamy, incest, and bestiality. "And if the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything...In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be." [Associated Press, 4/21/03]
Rick Santorum called Philadelphia a "blight on Pennsylvania." "Philadelphia has been absolutely irresponsible in conducting its fiscal affairs," he said. "It's a blight on Pennsylvania in that sense." [Associated Press, 2/19/91]
Senator Rick Santorum blamed Boston for the Catholic priest abuse scandal. Santorum said: '''The basic liberal attitude in that area . . . has an impact on people's behavior," Santorum said in an interview yesterday at the Capitol. 'If you have a world view that I'm describing [about Boston] . . . that affirms alternative views of sexuality, that can lead to a lot of people taking it the wrong way, Santorum said." [Boston Globe, 7/13/05
Santorum said daycare money is unnecessary, not a problem in America. After shelving a bill that would have increased funding for child care for Pennsylvania children, Senator Rick Santorum said "daycare money is excessive, unnecessary, and not the problem out there in America." [Congress Daily AM, 4/6/05].
Santorum criticizes women, public education, and diversity in his book.
ÿ Santorum blames women working outside the home on radical feminism. "Many women have told me, and surveys have shown, that they find it easier, more 'professionally' gratifying, and certainly more socially affirming, to work outside the home than to give up their careers to take care of their children. Think about that for a moment...Here, we can thank the influence of radical feminism, one of the core philosophies of the village elders." [It Takes a Family, Pg. 95]
ÿ Santorum criticizes the value of public education. Santorum's book offers a harsh critique of public education, implying that children are better off if schooled at home. "It's amazing that so many kids turn out to be fairly normal, considering the weird socialization they get in public schools." [Associated Press, 7/6/05]
ÿ Santorum calls the goal of diversity an "error." "The elementary error of relativism becomes clear when we look at multiculturalism. Sometime in the 1980s, universities began to champion the importance of "diversity" as a central educational value." [It Takes a Family, Pg. 406]
Jeff Sessions (AL)
Out of Touch
Sessions called the NAACP and the ACLU "un-American." "A career Justice Department employee named J. Gerald Hebert said that 'in a conversation between the two men Sessions had labeled the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) "un-American" and "Communist-inspired." Hebert said Sessions had claimed these groups 'forced civil rights down the throats of people.' In his confirmation hearings, Sessions sealed his own fate by saying such groups could be construed as 'un-American' when 'they involve themselves in promoting un-American positions' in foreign policy." [The New Republic, 12/30/02 - 1/6/03]
Sessions called a white lawyer a "disgrace to his race" for litigating voting rights cases, called the Voting Rights Act "intrusive legislation". "Hebert testified that the young lawyer tended to "pop off" on such topics regularly, noting that Sessions had called a white civil rights lawyer a "disgrace to his race" for litigating voting rights cases. Sessions acknowledged making many of the statements attributed to him but claimed that most of the time he had been joking, saying he was sometimes "loose with (his) tongue." He further admitted to calling the Voting Rights Act of 1965 a 'piece of intrusive legislation,' a phrase he stood behind even in his confirmation hearings." [The New Republic, 12/30/02 - 1/6/03]
Sessions unsuccessfully prosecuted civil rights workers registering African American voters. "Sessions was U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. The year before his nomination to federal court, he had unsuccessfully prosecuted three civil rights workers--including Albert Turner, a former aide to Martin Luther King Jr.--on a tenuous case of voter fraud. The three had been working in the "Black Belt" counties of Alabama, which, after years of voting white, had begun to swing toward black candidates as voter registration drives brought in more black voters. Sessions's focus on these counties to the exclusion of others caused an uproar among civil rights leaders, especially after hours of interrogating black absentee voters produced only 14 allegedly tampered ballots out of more than 1.7 million cast in the state in the 1984 election. The activists, known as the Marion Three, were acquitted in four hours and became a cause celebre. Civil rights groups charged that Sessions had been looking for voter fraud in the black community and overlooking the same violations among whites, at least partly to help reelect his friend Senator Denton." [The New Republic, 12/30/02 - 1/6/03]
Sessions reportedly made offensive remarks about the Ku Klux Klan. A "black former assistant U.S. Attorney in Alabama named Thomas Figures--testified that, during a 1981 murder investigation involving the Ku Klux Klan, Sessions was heard by several colleagues commenting that he "used to think they (the Klan) were OK" until he found out some of them were "pot smokers." Sessions claimed the comment was clearly said in jest. Figures didn't see it that way. Sessions, he said, had called him "boy" and, after overhearing him chastise a secretary, warned him to "be careful what you say to white folks." [The New Republic, 12/30/02 - 1/6/03]
Gordon Smith (OR)
Abramoff Connection
Jack Abramoff and his wife donated $2,000 to Senator Smith in 2002. (Center for Responsive Politics
Arlen Specter (PA)
Abramoff Connection
Jack Abramoff and his wife donated $4,000 to Senator Specter in 2004. (Center for Responsive Politics
John Sununu (NH)
Putting K Street Ahead of Main Street
Senator John Sununu defended oil industry profits at Senate hearing. "Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H., $64,480 [amount of money Sununu received from the oil industry]) praised the executives for being "very reasonable." He said industry's profits are big "because they are very big companies," and he argued against higher taxes on their profits." [Washington Post, 11/10/05]
Ted Stevens (AK)
Abramoff Connection
Jack Abramoff and his wife donated $21,000 to Senator Stevens in 2002. (Center for Responsive Politics
Putting K Street Ahead of Main Street
Senator Stevens did not make oil executives testify under oath. "When . . . . .Ted Stevens (R-Alaska, $102,190) announced that he would not require the executives to give their testimony under oath, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash., $9,400) asked for a vote on the issue. Stevens shot back: "There will be no vote . . . It's the decision of the chairman, and I have made that decision." "I move that we swear in witnesses," Cantwell persisted. "I second the motion," said Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif., $9,450). "That's the last we're going to hear about that, because it's out of order," a piqued Stevens replied. When the two women continued their protest, the chairman informed them that "I intend to be respectful of the position that these gentlemen hold." Stevens did not fail in this goal. When Boxer later displayed a large chart showing the executives' pay, Stevens cut her off. "We'll stop the clock right here for you, Senator," he said, ordering the chart taken down because it was not "information that pertains to our issue." From the audience, a woman called out: "How about the consumers?" When the same woman later let out a cheer, Stevens threatened to "clear the room." [Washington Post, 11/10/05]
Senator Stevens's fishy family deal. "State Sen. Ben Stevens held a secret option to buy into an Alaska seafood company at the same time his powerful father, U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, was creating a special Aleutian Islands fishery that would supply the company with pollock worth millions of dollars a year. The pollock allocation alone was projected to provide the company with $1.5 million in profits this year and $3.7 million in 2006, the company's founder said in an affidavit in March, before problems involving the company and the availability of fish cast doubt on those numbers. Under his deal, Ben Stevens would have been entitled to one- fourth of the profits of the company, Adak Fisheries. During the time he held the option, the company grew in value from about $2 million to at least $8.5 million, according to an owner and court documents. A copy of Ben Stevens' option agreement surfaced as one of hundreds of documents submitted in the last few months as evidence in several lawsuits involving the company, its owners, its landlord and government regulators. In the past few weeks, Ben Stevens' attempt to obtain ownership in Adak Fisheries has been the subject of news stories on KTUU-Channel 2 and in the Daily News -- coverage denounced by Ted Stevens at a recent news conference." [Anchorage Daily News, 9/18/2005]
James Talent (MO)
Abramoff Connection
Jack Abramoff and his wife donated $2,000 to Senator Talent in 2002. (Center for Responsive Politics
Craig Thomas (WY)
Abramoff Connection
Jack Abramoff and his wife donated $2,000 to Senator Thomas in 2000. (Center for Responsive Politics
John Thune (SD)
Abramoff Connection
Jack Abramoff and his wife donated $2,000 to Senator Thune in 2002. (Center for Responsive Politics
Abuse of Power
Judge ruled that Thune's campaign workers were intimidating Native American voters. "Republican poll workers in Lake Andes were intimidating Native American voters on Monday, a federal judge ruled . . . Republicans may not write down license plate numbers or follow Native Americans from polling places during today's election, U.S. District Judge Lawrence Piersol ruled in a temporary restraining order. The ruling comes after Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle sued his opponent, John Thune, and the GOP in federal court in Sioux Falls on Monday, asking Piersol to stop what Democrats say was intimidation of voters. [Argus Leader (Sioux Falls, SD), 11/2/04]
David Vitter (LA)
Abramoff Connection
Jack Abramoff held a fundraiser for Senator Vitter two months before Vitter inserted a provision in a spending bill helping one of Abramoff's clients. "Former GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff hosted a September 2003 fundraiser for now-Sen. David Vitter (R- La.) just two months before Vitter inserted a provision in an Interior spending bill helping one of Abramoff's tribal clients. Vitter has stated repeatedly that he only met Abramoff once and had no idea that Abramoff's client, the Coushatta Indians of Louisiana, were funding an anti- gambling group with which Vitter had repeated dealings. But Abramoff hosted a Sept. 9, 2003, fundraiser for Vitter at the restaurant Signatures in Washington, D.C., a popular GOPeatery that Abramoff has a financial stake in. Abramoff did not make an appearance at the event, although his name was on an invitation for the fundraiser as the host, and the invitation specifically noted that it was to benefit Vitter. Also attending the cocktail reception and dinner as a "special guest" was House Chief Deputy Majority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.). It's unclear how much money was raised at the event." [Roll Call, 3/16/05]
George Voinovich (OH)
Money Matters
Voinovich Administration approved Ohio's $25 Million investment in Tom Noe's coin scheme. "In the 1990's, Mr. Noe, 50, was chairman of the Republican Party in Lucas County, which includes Toledo. His wife held the same position until last year. He was a friend of Gov. George V. Voinovich, now a senator, whose administration first approved a $25 million investment in Mr. Noe's rare-coin funds in 1998." Noe also, has given $21,000 in the past two years to Voinovich. [Columbus Dispatch, 4/28/05]
ÿ Noe has donated $21,000 in the past two years to Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) and has donated to Republican Representatives Deborah Pryce GOP Conference Chairwoman, David Hobson Assistant Majority Whip, and Paul E. Gillmor Deputy Majority Whip. Noe and his wife also gave $5,000 a piece to the CARE political action committee and Ohio's 17 Star PAC. These PAC's have donated money to various national Republicans including Senator John Thune (R-SD), Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA). Noe has also donated to the Republican National Committee. [Columbus Dispatch, 4/28/05; www.tray.com]