Obama Blasts McCone for Ralph Reed Fundraiser

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Obama Statement on Ralph Reed Fundraiser

Obama campaign statement on Senator McCain’s fundraiser tonight with Ralph Reed:

“The old John McCain wouldn’t have allowed one of Jack Abramoff’s top cronies to raise money for him. But this time around, it’s clear that Senator McCain is willing to do whatever it takes to win–even if that means embracing President Bush’s policies, his tactics, and now his disgraced fundraisers. The American people want a real change, not the same old Washington politics that Jack Abramoff and Ralph Reed perfected,” said Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor.

Over the last couple of weeks, there have been so many controversies swirling around John McCain’s connections to lobbyists that we wanted to offer you the following summary of the press coverage of the stories to help you follow the lobbyist money.

Abramoff Investigation

Abramoff Urged Appointment Of McCain Bundler, Juan Carlos Benitez, As Special Counsel For Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices, Benitez Named To Position In 2001. “As chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, John McCain began hearings that helped bring down Jack Abramoff, the disgraced lobbyist who was the central figure in a political scandal that landed Mr. Abramoff in jail. Now, as Mr. McCain releases the names of hundreds of “bundlers” — his top money collectors — one person who popped up is Juan Carlos Benitez, a lawyer and lobbyist whom Mr. Abramoff had championed for a Bush administration post. According to a 2006 report of the House Committee on Government Reform, Mr. Abramoff had urged the appointment of Mr. Benitez as special counsel for immigration-related unfair employment practices. He was named to the position in 2001. The committee’s report said Mr. Benitez’s job at the Justice Department “gave Benitez authority” to conduct investigations into unfair labor practices that were “issues of importance to Abramoff clients.” <…> For Mr. McCain, Mr. Benitez raised $50,000 to $100,000, according to the McCain Web site.”

Abramoff’s Lobbying Firm, Greenberg Traurig, Hired Scheunemann for Help in McCain’s Investigation. “When Senator John McCain led a Senate investigation three years ago of Jack Abramoff, the disgraced lobbyist who later pleaded guilty to fraud charges, Mr. Abramoff’s old firm turned to a former McCain campaign adviser for help. The firm, Greenberg Traurig, which had quickly cut its ties to Mr. Abramoff, hired Randy Scheunemann, who had been the McCain campaign’s foreign policy adviser in 2000 — and is again this year — for advice on handling the Senate investigation.” http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/us/politics/14mccain.html?_r=1&ref=politics&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin> >

McCain praised Greenberg Traurig. Mr. McCain praised Greenberg Traurig’s cooperation, saying in prepared remarks at the time that ‘consistent with their professional obligations, Greenberg Traurig and its counsel have always been responsive to the committee’s requests, always made themselves available to answer questions, and have always conducted themselves with dignity and professionalism in these trying circumstances.’” http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/us/politics/14mccain.html?_r=1&ref=politics&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin> >

Ralph Reed, Implicated in the Abramoff Scandal, to Raise Campaign Fund for McCain, Serve as Member of “Victory 2008.” “A political strategist tied to the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal is helping raise money for John McCain, urging his fellow Georgia Republicans to attend a fundraiser for the presidential candidate in Atlanta. Ralph Reed, former director of the Christian Coalition, touted himself as a member of McCain’s “Victory 2008 Team” in an e-mail that solicited donations on McCain’s behalf. The Republican National Committee is hosting the fundraiser set for an Atlanta hotel on Aug. 18. A House investigative committee in 2006 found that Reed interceded with the Bush White House to help some of Abramoff’s clients. Reed’s public relations firm also received $4.2 million from Abramoff to mobilize Christian voters to fight the opening of casinos that could compete with Abramoff’s Indian tribe clients…The House report found at least 14 instances in which Abramoff asked Reed to contact Rove on matters including political appointments ‘and obtaining favorable actions on client matters.’” <8/13/08 <http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MCCAIN_FUNDRAISER?SITE=ORBEN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT> >

Despite Ties to Abramoff, McCain Never Called Reed to Testify. “Although McCain’s committee uncovered much of Abramoff’s shenanigans, McCain never called Reed to testify. Reed was not charged in the subsequent Justice Department investigation.” http://www.ajc.com/services/content/news/stories/2008/08/14/ralph_reed_mccain.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=15> >

Drilling

McCain takes $1.3 million in oil industry money through June. “ embraced one of their top priorities, increased domestic production… The key moment was the Republican candidate’s June 16 Houston speech to cheering energy executives, during which he embraced offshore drilling, a position he previously opposed. Of the $976,350 in oil and gas money raised by the McCain Victory fund since March, 61 percent, or $594,700, was collected between the day of the Houston speech and the end of June, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit research group… But even McCain’s direct fundraising from individuals connected to the industry has increased more than sixfold since the beginning of the year, from about $230,000 at the end of 2007 to about $1.3 million through June, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/5934427.html> >

McCain reverses position on offshore drilling moratorium. “During his last run for the presidency, in 1999, McCain supported the drilling moratorium, and he scolded the “special interests in Washington” that sought offshore drilling leases. Yesterday, he announced that those very same “moratoria should be lifted” and proposed incentives for the states “in the form of tangible financial rewards, if the states decide to lift those moratoriums.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/16/AR2008061602148.html> >

McCain “capitulates” to oil companies. “This decision seems to be a bit of a capitulation to the oil companies who are in favor of searching for new sources of oil.” http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/06/16/1146574.aspx> >

American Petroleum Institute Opposes Gang of Ten Compromise. “A prominent oil industry group is urging senators to reject a bipartisan proposal that would expand offshore drilling while repealing billions in industry tax breaks, arguing that the expanded drilling access is too modest and higher taxes would stymie investment.” http://www.eenews.net/pm/> >

Oil Companies Would Lose $30 Billion in Tax Breaks Under Bipartisan Compromise. “Approximately $30 billion will come from new revenues from the oil and gas industry through such measures as modifying the Section 199 manufacturing deduction for oil and natural gas production and other appropriate measures to ensure that the federal government receives its fair share of revenue from Gulf of Mexico leases.” http://conrad.senate.gov/pressroom/record.cfm?id=301684&> >

McCain Opposes A Bipartisan Compromise to Expand Domestic Oil Production. “A spokesman for Sen. McCain said that while he ‘applauds the bipartisan effort,’ he wouldn’t support the proposal because ‘he cannot and will not support legislation that raises taxes.’” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121763753362805695.html> >

DHL

McCain campaign manager Rick Davis lobbied for DHL-Airborne Express deal collecting over $500,000 from German parent company. “When Republican presidential candidate John McCain meets Thursday with citizens and officials in Wilmington, Ohio, he won’t need a playbook to understand why they’re worried about deep job losses at the local freight airport. Little known to those citizens, McCain and his campaign manager, Rick Davis, played roles in the fate of DHL Express and its Ohio air park as far back as 2003… In 2003, Davis lobbied the Senate to accept the proposal by DHL to buy Airborne Express for $1.05 billion. Airborne Express at the time ran the airport and package-sorting facility in Wilmington. Filings in the Senate show Davis’ lobbying firm, Davis Manafort, was hired to help both companies deal with Congress, where objections over DHL’s foreign ownership arose. Davis and a partner earned their firm $185,000 for the DHL-Airborne Express work that year, records show. They earned $405,000 more from Deutsche Post for work on other issues in 2004 and 2005, Senate records show.” http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2008/08/dhl.html> >

McCain stepped in to get deal done over objections of other Senators including Ted Stevens. “Davis lobbied for DHL after its proposed acquisition of Airborne Express — which had its hub in Wilmington — ran into trouble in Congress. The Washington Post reported this year that Davis and his firm, Davis Manafort, were paid $185,000 for their work on the DHL-Airborne Express issue in 2003. The firm was paid an additional $405,000 by Deutsche Post for other work in 2004 and 2005. Some members of Congress, as well as DHL’s U.S.-based competitors FedEx and United Parcel Service, objected to a subsidiary of a foreign company controlling a segment of air commerce in the United States. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) added a provision to a $79 billion Iraq war spending bill that would have prohibited any money from being used to pay a foreign express cargo carrier, which would have hurt the planned DHL takeover of Airborne. With Davis lobbying on DHL’s behalf, McCain, then chairman of the Senate commerce committee, stepped in, arguing that spending bills should not be used to make “a fundamental policy change” such as Stevens’s provision. Congress scaled back the provision to ensure that the DHL-Airborne deal could go through.” <8/8/08 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/07/AR2008080703404.html> >

Internet Access

Telecom Companies Have Paid Five Top McCain Advisers More Than $4.4 Million Since 1999. “People who lobbied for telecom companies on those issues include McCain’s campaign manager, his deputy manager, his finance chief, his top unpaid political adviser and his Senate chief of staff. Telecom companies have paid the lobbying firms that employed those top five McCain advisers more than $4.4 million since 1999, lobbying records show.”

McCain Announces Tech Plan, Opposes Net Neutrality. “Under fire for being a technophobe, John McCain will unveil a technology agenda that bundles previously announced pro-business proposals with continued support for a hands-off approach to regulation… Any net-neutrality problems should be left to federal regulators like the FCC to deal with, he says.”

http://thepage.time.com/obama-statement-on-ralph-reed-fundraiser/