WP: Boehner Rents Apartment Owned by Lobbyist in D.C.

[sabra]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/07/AR2006020701913.html

Boehner Rents Apartment Owned by Lobbyist in D.C.

Rep. John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), who was elected House majority leader last week, is renting his Capitol Hill apartment from a veteran lobbyist whose clients have direct stakes in legislation Boehner has co-written and that he has overseen as chairman of the Education and the Workforce Committee.

The relationship between Boehner, John D. Milne and Milne's wife, Debra R. Anderson, underscores how intertwined senior lawmakers have become with the lobbyists paid to influence legislation. Boehner's primary residence is in West Chester, Ohio, but for $1,600 a month, he rents a two-bedroom basement apartment near the House office buildings on Capitol Hill owned by Milne, Boehner spokesman Don Seymour said yesterday. Boehner's monthly rent appears to be similar to other rentals of two-bedroom English basement apartments close to the House side of the Capitol in Southeast, based on a review of apartment listings.

Milne's clients -- including restaurant chains and health insurance companies -- hired him to lobby on issues at the heart of Boehner's work, including minimum-wage increases, small-business tax breaks and tax-free savings accounts to help cover insurance costs, congressional lobbying records show.

In the weeks preceding last week's GOP leadership elections, Boehner acknowledged his close ties to the lobbying community, but he assured Republican lawmakers that all of his relationships were ethical and he campaigned on a platform of change and reform. Seymour reiterated that message last night.

[DainBramaged]

1. Lies, liars and the corrupt Congressmen who are lying liars

I can just see his sneering face on Potato Boy's show "I'm a reformer, and if Tom DeLay doesn't go to jail for getting his stupid ass caught, we'll talk about my giving him his position back" .

Fucking corrupt scumbag, eventually, they all get caught. Now, if the MSM would just grow some chrome ones, maybe the American public would get the ConJob dick out of their collective mouths.

[jobycom]

2. So?

He's a Republican, he's on the side of business. It's no surprise that he's friends with a pro-corporate lobbyist.

Now, as long as he can show the cancelled checks proving he actually paid that market value rent...

[wakeme2008]

4. Bingo.... that is the real question

did he ever PAY rent.....

[rucky]

6. It's kind of like paying a prostitute by giving her a toaster...

and leaving the receipt in the box.

[northofdenali]

3. And the point is?

I know I expected this. But wait! His "relationships" are "ethical"! Sort of like handing out tobacco lobby checks on the House floor, n'est pas?

[rucky]

5. The Boehner asked for this.

how stupid can you get?

[rodeodance]

7. says if renting at market rates, then not breading law.

House members may not accept anything from lobbyists worth more than $50. If Boehner is paying market-rate rent, it would appear he is not violating that rule.

[MGKrebs]

8. Even if it's "legal", the lobbyists can threaten

to throw him out, or raise his rent, or whatever. It's extra access and pressure that, even though perhaps legal, is a position an elected official should not put themselves in.

[gratuitous]

9. Hey, we have Boehner's personal assurance that it's all on the up-and-up

What more would any good, patriotic American need? And the fact that Boehner votes right down the line in favor of Milne and his business interests is the merest of coincidences. Honi soi qui mal y pense!

[orleans]

10. Cafferty File was just talking about this. Blitzer said

something to the effect that well, boehner did say he's only renting and that he is payting fair market price for the apartment. cafferty said right, and pigs fly upside down. do i look like i just fell off a vegatable truck? (something like that)

the also just reported that apparently boehner wantst to keep those pricy golf trips to scotland outside of the "reform" because he accepted over 150 thousand dollars worth of scotland and likes to golf--so he doesn't want to get rid of that great deal!

what a shit he is. the republican party must be so proud of their criminals!

snip::
"Lobbying records show that he represented Buca di Beppo and Parasole Restaurant Holdings Inc. - both restaurant companies - to lobby on the minimum wage, an issue handled by the Education and the Workforce Committee chaired by Boehner. The restaurant industry has opposed increases in the minimum wage, which has not risen since 1997.

Milne also represented the parent company, Buca Inc., to lobby for the Small Business Tax Fairness Act, which had provisions to quicken tax breaks for restaurant buildings. While the measure did not go through Boehner's committee, he was among the sponsors. The proposed speedup in depreciation is a major objective for the restaurant industry."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1153AP_Boehner_Lobbyist.htmls

[Buford Pusser]

11. Furnished Apartment, of course -- putting Boehner in Lobbyist's bed

THAT'S nothing new.

Buford Pusser

[Moderator]

12. kick

[Sagan]

13. Yahoo: Records Show Boehner Rents From Lobbyist

By LARRY MARGASAK, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 10 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - House Majority Leader John Boehner rents a basement apartment from a lobbyist whose clients had an interest in legislation overseen or sponsored by Boehner, according to lobbying records.

Boehner, R-Ohio, pays $1,600 a month rent for the apartment owned by lobbyist John Milne and his wife, Debra Anderson, Boehner spokesman Don Seymour Jr. said.

"It is conceivable that John Milne may have lobbied Boehner on a few occasions over the years, but we are not aware of any specific instances of it, and we are certain no lobbying has taken place during the time in which John Boehner has been renting the property," Seymour said.

Boehner, elected majority leader by his Republican colleagues last week, is involved in GOP efforts to reform lobbying rules, a consequence of influence peddling by disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Abramoff agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in a Capitol Hill corruption investigation after pleading guilty last month to conspiracy, tax evasion and mail fraud.

Milne did not respond to a request for comment.

[Beetwasher]

14. "Boehner, R-Ohio, pays $1,600 a month rent.." Heh. Really? Prove It!

Let's see the cancelled checks.

[hwmnbn]

15. canceled checks!? bwahahaha.........

we are a "cash only" operation.

:rofl: canceled checks, receipts, proof....LOL...that's a good one!! :rofl:

[Beetwasher]

16. In That Case

We must assume he ain't payin' rent, and that's a no no. :evilgrin:

[jrw14125]

17. Is $1600 FMV rent in DC? 2 BRs where I live in Arlington VA are 2500+...

[phoebe]

18. Debra Anderson gave $901 in 8 of '04 to Friends of John Boehner

http://www.city-data.com/elec/elec-FARINA-IL.html

snip

Anderson, Debra Rae (Retired/Retired), (Zip code: 62838) $901 to FRIENDS OF JOHN BOEHNER on 08/04/04

this site also shows all FEC donations in '03 and '04 by these 2


More on John D. Milne
http://www.perennialsg.com/Print_team_milne.htm

snip

Prior to joining Perennial Strategy Group, Mr. Milne served as Vice President for Jefferson Government Relations in Washington, D.C., representing clients in their environmental and healthcare areas. Additionally, Mr. Milne formerly served as Director of Federal Government Affairs for 3M in Washington, D.C. He was responsible for corporate affairs and legislative initiatives pertaining to a broad range of corporate issues including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, transportation, trade, tax and patent reform.

Mr. Milne's 3M experience also included government affairs and marketing responsibility at the state and local government level. As Marketing Director, he was responsible for strategic planning and market development for Traffic Control Material products and for commercial and government accounts. Mr. Milne also served as Sales Operations Director for the Traffic Control Materials Division, where his responsibilities included sales to the federal, state and local governments and management of a legislative consultant network active in the 50 states and Washington, D.C.

During his tenure at 3M, Mr. Milne developed extensive relationships with governors and state legislators, as well as members of Congress, the Executive Branch and the diplomatic and national business communities. These relationships allow Mr. Milne to communicate his clients' legislative and regulatory priorities to those in positions to effect change.

During his career, Mr. Milne has served on numerous boards of directors, including those of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, American Highway Users Federation, the Council of State Governments Advisory Board of the Century 21 Fund, the National Industry Advisory Board of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators and BIPAC Project 2000. He was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Minnesota Lottery Board and the Transportation Study Board. Mr. Milne also served on the Minnesota High Tech Council and as chair of 3M's Marketing Council.

[phoebe]

19. Debra worked for GHW Bush in 1989

http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu/research/papers/1989/89022804.html

snip

Appointment of Debra Rae Anderson as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
February 28, 1989

The President today announced his intention to appoint Debra Rae Anderson as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.

Since January 1977 Miss Anderson has been a State representative in the South Dakota House of Representatives. In that capacity, she has served as speaker of the house, assistant majority whip, and chairman of the health and welfare committee. Miss Anderson was also named Legislator of the Year in 1987 by the National Republican Legislators' Association. She also served as executive director of the George Bush for President campaign in South Dakota.

Miss Anderson graduated from Augustana College (B.A., 1971). She was born June 13, 1949, in Watertown, SD.

in case DU'ers have forgotten about Boehner's known ties to lobbyists
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-01-14-boehner-bid-for-top_x.htm

BTW Boehner was quite vocal during the Newt Gingrich book deal ethics violations..actually he was involved..

http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1997/02/11/loc_gingrich.html.
snip

Last month, Mr. Boehner found himself at the center of the Gingrich ethics controversy when a phone conversation he had with Mr. Gingrich - made from the parking lot of a Waffle House in Florida on his wife's cellular phone - was picked up and recorded by a Florida couple who passed it on to a Democrat on the House Ethics Committee.

...