Astroturf

Bonner's 'Independent' Ethics Adviser Backs Out Over Ad Flap

Zachary Roth | November 6, 2009, 1:38PM

Jack Bonner, Bonner & Associates, and James Thurber, American University

The "independent" ethics adviser that astroturf lobbyist Jack Bonner told Congress he'd retained in the wake of the flap over those forged letters to lawmakers has backed out of the role, citing the TPMmuckraker-driven fallout over an ad he placed this week praising Bonner.

James Thurber, a long-time political science professor at American University, told National Journal he'll recommend a different ethics adviser for Bonner's firm, and noted:

I teach a class on ethics and lobbying and I have never had anything like this. There have been articles about this and I have received phone calls. I never am going to do [ads] like this again, thanking people. I'll do it through personal correspondence.

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Barbara Boxer

Chamber: We Want To Help On Climate Change -- Really!

Zachary Roth | November 4, 2009, 10:00AM

It looks like the Chamber of Commerce is concerned that it be seen as willing to play a constructive role in the coming Senate debate over climate change legislation -- whatever the reality.

That's the message to be drawn from a letter that the business lobby sent -- and posted on its website -- to Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and James Inhofe (R-OK) yesterday.

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Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Ripped On Its Facebook Page

Zachary Roth | October 30, 2009, 3:48PM

Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Donohue

The Chamber of Commerce, whose intransigent stance on global warming has lately been in the spotlight, is now being slammed in comments on its own Facebook page.

Many of the comments, which appear on the "Just Fans" setting, accuse the Chamber of vastly inflating its membership numbers. Mother Jones reported earlier this month that the Chamber's claim to represent 3 million members is off by a factor of 10.

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Global Warming

Could Coal Lobby Chief Be Probed For Perjury?

Zachary Roth | October 29, 2009, 4:49PM

CEO of ACCCE Steve Miller

Could apparently false statements made by the head of a coal-industry lobby group before Congress this morning end up being referred to the Justice Department for a criminal perjury probe? Congressional investigators aren't ruling it out.

As we reported, Steve Miller, the director of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), appears to have twice misled Congress while under oath during his testimony this morning over those forged letters sent on the coal lobby's behalf by Bonner and Associates.

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Chamber of Commerce

Yes Man: Chamber Lawsuit Is "A Comedy And A Travesty"

Zachary Roth | October 29, 2009, 3:57PM

The Chamber of Commerce's lawsuit against the Yes Men is "a comedy and a travesty," according to one member of the prankster group and a target of the suit.

"All they care about is taking money out of ordinary people's pockets and putting it in the pockets of the super rich," Mike Bonanno told TPMmuckraker in an interview this afternoon.

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Ed Markey

Markey To Coal Lobby: You Should Have Told Lawmakers About Forged Letters

Zachary Roth | October 29, 2009, 12:23PM

Rep. Ed Markey is putting blame for the forged letters episode where it ultimately belongs: on the coal lobby.

"You're responsbility was to ensure that the members of Congress knew that this information was fraudulent," Markey tells ACCCE chief Steve Miller.

Miller had just said he assumed that Bonner himself would have notified the affected lawmakers. But Markey adds that Bonner was very far down the food chain.

ACCCE

Inslee: Bonner Phone Script Is "Wholly Wrong And Fraudulent"

Zachary Roth | October 29, 2009, 11:11AM

Jack Bonner

Both lawmakers and the other witnesses are now lambasting Bonner on two of his claims: that he didn't know when the vote was, and that he didn't know which members of Congress were swing votes on the issue.

One witness from a community group points out that any grassroots lobbying firm worth it's salt would know these things, and calls Bonner's claims "disingenuous."

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Global Warming

Bonner: "This Incident Was An Anomaly"

Zachary Roth | October 29, 2009, 10:48AM

Jack Bonner

Jack Bonner is testifying now. And he's not backing down too much.

This incident was an anomaly and the result of an individual who from his first day at work, intentionally disregarded our procedures and instructions and was determined to engage in fraudulent activity.

...

Let one thing be very clear: this improper activity was undertaken without the knowledge or permission of anyone at our firm. These were the actions of one rogue temporary employee, acting against our company's policy and without the knowledge of anyone else at Bonner & Associates.

In other words, don't blame us.

ACCCE

Coal Lobby Paid $7 Million To PR Firm That Hired Bonner

Evan McMorris-Santoro and Zachary Roth | October 29, 2009, 9:32AM

Jack Bonner

A coal industry group paid over $7 million last fiscal year to the company that hired Bonner & Associates, the astroturf lobbying firm behind those forged letters to Congress. That's according to internal documents obtained by congressional investigators and examined by TPMmuckraker.

Jack Bonner, the founder of the firm that bears his name, will go before a Congressional committee this morning to explain how those letters -- which purported to come from local community groups, and urged lawmakers to oppose climate change legislation -- got sent.
Bonner has blamed the letters on a temporary employee, since fired, and claimed that it was a "victim of fraud" itself.

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Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Vs. Yes Men: Frivolous Lawsuit, Or IP Theft?

Zachary Roth | October 28, 2009, 5:44PM

Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Donohue and the Yes Men

By suing the Yes Men over a prank, the Chamber of Commerce certainly isn't doing anything to change its reputation as a greedy and humorless bunch of suits that puts corporations ahead of the little guy. But could the joke be on the Yes Men by the time this is over?

A quick recap: Last week, the Yes Men, a group of political pranksters working with the activist group Avaaz, set up a mock website that looked like the Chamber's, and held a mock press conference where they announced that the Chamber was shifting its opposition to serious efforts to address global warming. The stunt fooled Reuters and other outlets, who reported the position change, before issuing corrections. In response, the Chamber first tried to have the mock site taken down, then sued the Yes Men for trademark infringement, charging that the prank was "nothing less than commercial identity theft masquerading as social activism."

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Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Suing Yes Men For "Commercial Identity Theft"

Zachary Roth | October 27, 2009, 9:57AM

Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Donohue

Calling last week's hoax by the Yes Men "nothing less than commercial identity theft masquerading as social activism," the Chamber of Commerce is suing the prankster group and its allies for trademark infringement, unfair competition and false advertising, reports Mother Jones.

The Yes Men -- actors Jacques Servin and Igor Vamos (who also use the names Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, respectively), last week held a fake press conference in Washington DC, along with activists from the Avaaz Action Factory, in which they impersonated Chamber executives and announced that the group had shifted its opposition to real efforts at tackling global warming. A press release announcing the event fooled Reuters and other news outlets into reporting that the Chamber had changed its stance.

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Chamber of Commerce

Chamber CEO: Climate Change Flap Is Working Out Great For Us

Zachary Roth | October 26, 2009, 4:40PM

Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Donohue

Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donohue is trying to spin the flap over his lobby group's stance on global warming in his favor -- but he won't even admit that climate change is real.

"Is the science right? Is science not right? I don't know," Donohue said during a seventy-five minute sit-down with business-friendly Politico.

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Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Using Yes Men Hoax To Raise Money

Zachary Roth | October 23, 2009, 3:21PM

Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Donohue

The Chamber of Commerce is trying to raise money off of that hoax press conference organized this week by a group of activist pranksters.

In an email to supporters, obtained by TPMmuckraker, Chamber exec Bill Miller writes that his organization is "under attack" and claims "MoveOn.org and other extremist groups are harassing our members."

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Chamber of Commerce

Sound and Fury From the Chamber, Signifying Nothing?

Zachary Roth | October 20, 2009, 3:08PM

Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Donohue

What's the deal with conservatives saying they're going to contact law enforcement over their political opponents' latest outrage -- before turning out to apparently be full of it?

Last week, Rep. Sue Myrick's office told us that, despite her claims to have uncovered a plot by radical Islamists to use interns to infiltrate Capitol Hill, they hadn't actually gotten around to formally asking the authorities to investigate.

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Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Wants Criminal Probe Of Yes Men Hoax

Zachary Roth | October 19, 2009, 3:43PM

Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Donohue

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce wants a criminal investigation into the hoax perpetrated this morning by activists, who sent out a fake press release from the Chamber falsely announcing that the group had shifted its opposition to serious efforts to tackle global warming.

A Chamber spokesman put out the following (real) statement this afternoon:

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Global Warming

Yes Men, Activist Group, Teamed Up On Chamber Hoax

Zachary Roth | October 19, 2009, 2:08PM

Well, it looks like we were right.

The Chamber of Commerce hoax was perpetrated by the Yes Men, in tandem with a group of activists known as the Avaaz Action Factory.

Yes Man Andy Bichlbaum showed up at the 11am press conference that had earlier been announced by a "Chamber of Commerce" press release, and, impersonating a Chamber executive, declared:

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Chamber of Commerce

Were Yes Men Behind Chamber Hoax?

Zachary Roth | October 19, 2009, 12:26PM

Mike Bonanno and Andy Bichlbaum of the Yes Men

It's not yet clear who perpetrated the hoax announcing that the Chamber of Commerce had changed its position on climate change. (It hasn't, and remains opposed to serious efforts to deal with the problem.)

But some evidence points to the Yes Men, a group of activists known for similar stunts.

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Global Warming

Announcement Of Chamber Shift On Global Warming Is Hoax

Zachary Roth | October 19, 2009, 11:53AM

Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Donohue

A press release sent out under the banner of the Chamber of Commerce, announcing a major shift in the group's position on climate change, is a hoax.

J.P. Fielder, a spokesman for the Chamber, confirmed the hoax to TPMmuckraker. He said the Chamber was unaware of who was behind it.

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Global Warming

Behind Chamber Controversy: What's Driving Energy Firms On Climate Change?

Zachary Roth | October 15, 2009, 3:52PM

Lately, we've been documenting the exodus of companies from the Chamber of Commerce over its opposition to serious efforts to address global warming.

But as the Senate gets set to take up climate change legislation, already passed by the House, there's a larger question behind the Chamber's woes: What's motivating energy-sector companies on both sides of the issue, and how are their positions affecting the debate on Capitol Hill?

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ACCCE

Bonner Hearing Postponed After GOP Complaints

Zachary Roth | October 15, 2009, 10:13AM

Jack Bonner

Not so fast...

This morning's hearing, at which astroturf lobbyist Jack Bonner was scheduled to testify about the forged letters sent by his firm to lawmakers, has been postponed a week.

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Astroturf

Congress To Hold Hearing On Bonner's Forged Letters

Zachary Roth | October 13, 2009, 2:27PM

Jack Bonner

This should be fun...

A congressional panel will hold a hearing Thursday into those forged letters urging lawmakers to oppose climate change legislation. The letters purported to come from minority, senior, and veterans' groups, but in fact were sent by Bonner & Associates, a GOP-aligned astroturf lobbying firm, on behalf of a coal industry client.

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Apple

Chamber To Apple: It's Not Me, It's You

Zachary Roth | October 8, 2009, 9:56AM

The Chamber of Commerce has fired back, bitchily, to Apple's recent decision to leave the organization over its opposition to serious efforts to fight climate change.

On Tuesday, Chamber CEO Tom Donohue sent a letter to his counterpart at Apple, Steve Jobs, saying:

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Al Gore

Apple Is Latest To Quit Chamber Over Climate Change

Zachary Roth | October 5, 2009, 6:01PM

The exodus continues...

Apple has become the latest big-name company to defect from the Chamber of Commerce, thanks to the group's uncompromising opposition to serious efforts to stop global warming.

In a letter to the Chamber released today, Apple CEO Catherine Novelli wrote that her company "strongly object[s] to the Chamber's recent comments opposing the EPA's effort to limit greenhouse gases."

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Global Warming

Members Revolt Over Chamber's "Extreme" Stance On Global Warming

Zachary Roth | October 2, 2009, 2:17PM

As the Senate gets set to take up climate change legislation, one of the key opponents of serious efforts to stop global warming may find its clout on the issue badly weakened.

That's because in recent weeks, several high-profile members of the Chamber of Commerce have gone public over their disagreement with the group's position, with some leaving the Chamber altogether over the issue.

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George Will

George Will Bamboozling Again On Global Warming

Zachary Roth | October 1, 2009, 5:01PM

George Will

With efforts to stop climate change back in the news, the Washington Post's George Will has re-started his efforts to bamboozle on the topic.

In a new column, Will denounces the "alarmists" on the issue, and, as if this were 1987, calls for "a national commission appointed to assess the evidence about climate change." Seriously.

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ACCCE

Yet Another Forged Climate Change Letter From Bonner

Zachary Roth | September 10, 2009, 3:20PM

Jack Bonner

Congressional investigators have found yet another forged letter to a lawmaker -- purporting to be from a local group, but really sent by the DC astroturf lobbying firm Bonner & Associates on behalf of a coal industry client -- criticizing climate change legislation. That brings the known total to fourteen, sent to at least three different members of Congress.

The new letter is on the letterhead of an American Legion post in Rocky Mount, Virginia. Like many of the others, it was sent to Rep. Tom Perriello. It asks the Democratic congressman to "make sure the Waxman-Markey bill includes provisions to promote American energy independence, while protecting already cash-strapped constituents from increases in electricity prices." It concludes, "Thank you for listening to concerns of vets in your district."

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ACCCE

Bonner Paid Productivity Bonus To Employee Who Forged Letter

Zachary Roth | August 28, 2009, 3:28PM

Jack Bonner

We've now obtained the letter to Congress from Bonner's lawyer that we told you about earlier -- in which Bonner hilariously claims that its client, a coal industry group, was the "victim of a fraud" stemming from the forged letters to lawmakers about the climate change bill.

The letter, from Akin Gump lawyer Steven Ross to Rep. Ed Markey, can be seen here.

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ACCCE

Bonner: We're The Real Victims Of Forged Letters!

Zachary Roth | August 28, 2009, 11:31AM

Jack Bonner

The story of those forged letters to lawmakers sent by a Washington lobby firm has taken another interesting turn.

Bonner and Associates, the firm that sent the letters on behalf of a coal industry client, is now trying to imply that the employee responsible deliberately engineered the episode to discredit Bonner -- but is offering no evidence to support that notion.

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