Lance Armstrong had Livestrong charity lobby on Capitol Hill on his behalf

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/wheel-dubious-lance-charity-raises-ethical-flags-article-1.1190810

Tainted cyclist Lance Armstrong had Livestrong charity lobby on Capitol Hill on his behalf
Livestrong’s lobbying efforts on behalf of its founder raised ethical red flags, according to Sandra Miniutti, a spokeswoman for Charity Navigator, a watchdog organization.
By Christian Red AND Michael O'keeffe / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Lance Armstrong has plenty of friends in high places, and he wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

With pressure building from the United States Anti-Doping Agency investigation, the Lance Armstrong Foundation sent a lobbyist to Capitol Hill this summer to raise questions about USADA’s financing, mission and authority — even though USADA’s probe had nothing to do with the charity’s mission to assist cancer patients and their families.

But the lines between Armstrong, Livestrong and Armstrong’s sponsors have long been blurred, and separating them is virtually impossible. Armstrong may not literally get a cut of every yellow Livestrong bracelet sold in a Nike store or on the Nike website, or from a Radio Shack campaign asking customers to donate to Livestrong at the checkout counter, but as Outside magazine reported earlier this year, Livestrong and his charity are like “conjoined twins.”

The relationship between Armstrong and his foundation has been under a microscope since Oct. 10, when USADA released its explosive report explaining why it stripped Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles and banned him for life. The International Cycling Union announced on Monday that it would not appeal USADA’s decision, effectively ending Armstrong’s long relationship with competitive cycling. Several of Armstrong’s sponsors, led by Nike and including Anheuser-Busch, Trek Bicycles, Radio Shack and Oakley, announced last week that they were cutting ties with the cyclist, most adding that they would stick with his charity. ...