TPMMuckraker

Stanford Pitched Sessions On Protecting Off-Shore Loopholes

Earlier this morning, we caught the office of GOP congressman Pete Sessions falsely telling a reporter that Sessions didn’t know Allen Stanford personally. (Check out this pic for the evidence he did.)

And here’s another interesting example of Sessions and Stanford crossing paths.

A 2004 press release (via Nexis), put out by the Stanford-linked Inter-American Economic Council, touts a meeting the IAEC organized with Caribbean officials and members of Congress, including Sessions.

It declares:

Mr. Allen Stanford spoke about the need for additional assistance to the nations devastated by the hurricanes. He also addressed the need to streamline regulatory regimes that make it difficult for investors to take advantage of all of the opportunities that exist in the region.

In other words, Sessions was at a meeting at at which Stanford pressed lawmakers to leave open the loopholes that benefit off-shore corporations.

A few months later, Sessions and colleagues would fly to Antigua on the IAEC’s dime to talk further about the issue.

It’s also worth noting that Sessions and Texas GOP senator John Cornyn, unlike a slew of other lawmakers, have declined to return Stanford’s money.

Top Stories From TPM

Graham: GOP Is ‘In A Demographic Death Spiral’

Wow

Snowden: It's An Honor To Be Called A Traitor By Dick Cheney

House GOP Passes Abortion Ban In Deeply Symbolic Move

McConnell To Reid: If You Go Nuclear On Nominations, I’ll Go Nuclear On Everything When I’m Majority Leader

Nate Silver: Politico Co-Founders Lack 'Curiosity For The World Outside Of The Bubble'

Disqus Conversations

Click here to read the Disqus Commenting FAQ.

Editor & Publisher

Josh Marshall

Managing Editor

David Kurtz

Associate Editor

Nick Martin

Assistant Editor

Igor Bobic

Reporters

Brian Beutler

Sahil Kapur

Eric Lach

Hunter Walker

Frontpage Editor

Zoë Schlanger

News Writers

Tom Kludt

Video Editor

Michael Lester

General Manager & General Counsel

Millet Israeli

VP, Ad Sales

Bruce Ellerstein

Associate Publisher

Kyle Leighton

Assistant To The Publisher

Joe Ragazzo

Designer/Developer

Matthew Wozniak

Design Associate

Christopher O’Driscoll