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Document Hold Filed Against U.S. Chamber of Commerce & American Crossroads for Alleged Money Launder

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WhoIsNumberNone Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 01:58 PM
Original message
Document Hold Filed Against U.S. Chamber of Commerce & American Crossroads for Alleged Money Launder
Edited on Mon Aug-09-10 02:10 PM by WhoIsNumberNone
Source: Huffington Post

Election fraud attorney Bob Fitrakis is sending letters today to attorneys representing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Crossroads requesting that they retain all documents, emails, accounting records and other records. This "document hold" is the first step toward legal action based on the groups' alleged laundering of illegal campaign contributions from large corporations.

Fitrakis, in a telephone interview, explained, "We are planning on notifying the groups (as part of our) investigation and we're requesting that they hold all those documents pertaining to what we believe is an illegal money laundering scheme."

The Chamber, run by its CEO Tom Donohue, serves as the political attack dog for big business, spending hundreds of millions to crush attorneys general and judges (not) friendly to the corporations. In 2008 alone, the Chamber spent nearly $35 million almost entirely on Republican pro-business candidates in state and federal elections. According to SourceWatch, the Chamber has an aggressive strategy to rein in "activist judges and attorneys general," and challenge anti-business measures in court, taking a lead role in tort reform and supporting pro-tort reform candidates.

The strategy is brilliant. Donohue solicits millions from corporations facing class action suits and tort liability to fund these campaigns, all the while providing anonymous cover for corporate giants. In many cases, the Chamber masks its own involvement through front groups. Fitrakis says the Chamber has funneled illegal campaign contributions through groups like Citizens for a Strong Ohio, the Law Enforcement Association of America and many others, serving as the central point of a wide scale money laundering scam.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rebecca-abrahams/document-hold-filed-again_b_675463.html
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sinkingfeeling Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 02:00 PM
Response to Original message
1. Wouldn't it be great if the US Chamber of Commerce was charged?
"In 2008 alone, the Chamber spent nearly $35 million almost entirely on Republican pro-business candidates in state and federal elections."
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No Elephants Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-10-10 05:16 AM
Response to Reply #1
12. You gotta really worry about what the few Democrats they backed were like.
How bad a Democrat do you have to be for the U.S Chamber of Commerce to prefer you over your Republican opponent?
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SpiralHawk Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-10-10 05:35 AM
Response to Reply #1
13. The C of C has degenerated to holding Republicon Family Pharisee Values
What a shame...A true American tragedy that the Chamber has been corrupted to Republiconism..
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Spazito Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 02:04 PM
Response to Original message
2. Very interesting!
I hope they are successful, the Chamber is exactly as Mr. Fitrakis describes.

I did note an error in terminology, I am pretty certain it is a typo where the author of the article states,"...spending hundreds of millions to crush attorneys general and judges friendly to the corporations." I suspect it was meant to be 'to support' rather than "to crush".
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WhoIsNumberNone Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 02:08 PM
Response to Reply #2
3. It could also be "not friendly to corporations"
I actually made the correction as I was posting it, but I put it in brackets and I see now it didn't make it into the final post.
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Spazito Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 02:21 PM
Response to Reply #3
5. It certainly seems clear in the article, the intent of the author for sure...
I hope you didn't take my post re the error as a criticism of your OP as I certainly did not mean it that way at all!
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WhoIsNumberNone Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 02:31 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. I just cut and pasted from HuffPo-
So I didn't take it as a criticism. I noticed it too (in the original article on HuffPo) and figured it for a typo. I went back and changed the brackets to parentheses on the OP, so the software no longer thinks it's code.... Which I might not have noticed in time to fix had you not pointed it out, so- thanks.
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Cirque du So-What Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 02:09 PM
Response to Original message
4. K & R
I hope the JD goes full-out RICO on their asses!
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Matariki Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 02:58 PM
Response to Original message
7. Oh yes. Please. Yes! Let it happen. n/t
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keepCAblue Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 03:29 PM
Response to Original message
8. US Chamber of Commerce today endorsed Carly Fiorina
Well, there's a surprise.
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safeinOhio Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 03:37 PM
Response to Original message
9. Chamber spend millions in
its fight to destroy the 7th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Where are the teabaggers and Palin?
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myrna minx Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 03:37 PM
Response to Original message
10. Their attacks on Al Franken were jaw dropping.
I'm glad they are being investigated.
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JDPriestly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 04:15 PM
Response to Original message
11. This is a huge story of more importance than Fitrakis may realize.
Wow! I'm happy to read this here.
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