American Future Fund

GOP Group Undermining Robo-Call Laws Has Ties To DCI

Zachary Roth | November 24, 2009, 5:37PM

American Future Fund (AFF), the shadowy conservative advocacy group that's working to undermine state laws against robo-calling, has ties to DCI Group, a Republican lobbying firm with a reputation for dirty tricks and shady clients. And a closer look at AFF suggests the group has been designed to carry out political attacks while escaping scrutiny from the press and public.

AFF paid $249,000 last year to McKenna & Associates for fundraising work, according to a copy of AFF's 990 form for 2008 that was obtained by TPMmuckraker. The Arlington, Virginia-based firm is run by Andrew McKenna, a GOP operative and former senior vice-president of DCI Group. McKenna did not immediately respond to TPMmuckraker's request for comment.

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John Ensign

Ethics Probers Still Haven't Talked To Hampton On Ensign Matter

Zachary Roth | November 24, 2009, 9:48AM

Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)

Last night, Nightline aired its full interview with Doug Hampton, about the amazing circumstances surrounding the affair between Hampton's wife Cindy and his former boss, Sen. John Ensign (R-NV).

Some of the best stuff trickled out early, but there are still a few good new nuggets. For instance:

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John Ensign

Will Ensign Escape Criminal Probe?

Zachary Roth | November 19, 2009, 12:03PM

Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)

Is the Justice Department leaning towards laying off Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)?

That's the direction in which Politico's reporting seems to point. According to the new site, DOJ officials "signal that the case is a low-priority matter for them." It adds that "no one close to Ensign or the Hamptons has been contacted by any federal investigators." And it notes that the Senate Ethics committee, which usually stands down when Justice is involved, has been forging ahead with its probe of the philandering Nevada senator.

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Health Care

Business Lobbyist: Health-Care Study Should Be Buried If It Comes Out Positive

Zachary Roth | November 18, 2009, 10:32AM

A lobbyist working with the Chamber of Commerce says that if a planned study on the economic impact of health-care reform doesn't support the business community's agenda, he'd recommend burying it.

"If you're doing something like this you want it to be back up the position you've taken," Brian Worth of the International Electrical Contractors (IEC) told TPMmuckraker. If the report showed that reform wouldn't cause significant job losses, said Worth, "I would say sit on it, and don't release it."

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Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Funding Study To Show Health-Care Reform Will "Kill Jobs"

Zachary Roth | November 17, 2009, 11:48AM

The Chamber of Commerce, an ardent foe of health-care reform, is raising money to fund an economic study on the impact of the legislation on the economy. Unsurprisingly, the Chamber anticipates that the study will find that reform will "kill jobs."

James Gelfand, the Chamber's senior health policy manager, wrote an email to allies that suggested spending $50,000 to hire a "respected economist" to put together the report. The email was obtained by the Washington Post.

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Lobbyists

Lawmakers' Statements On Health-Care Reform Were Ghost-Written By Lobbyists: Report

Zachary Roth | November 16, 2009, 3:05PM

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC)

Here's one of those stories that point up the utter sleaziness of the cozy lawmaker-lobbyist relationships that continue to shape so much of what Congress does.

The New York Times reports that lobbyists for a major biotech company, Genentech, wrote statements that were then put into the Congressional Record under the names of more than a dozen lawmakers of both parties.

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Jeff Larson

Lies, Ex-Cons, And 'Nasty' Bathrooms: Behind The Scenes At A Top GOP Outreach Firm

Zachary Roth | November 16, 2009, 12:21PM

FLS Connect logo and Karl Rove

A top Republican political fund-raising and outreach firm gives convicted felons access to political donors' credit-card information, according to three former employees.

Minnesota-based FLS Connect uses low-wage workers to make fund-raising calls for a bevy of prominent GOP clients. And many of those workers -- including those responsible for processing credit-card transactions -- have felony convictions, the former employees said.

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Steve Buyer

Tonight: CBS Interviews Rep. Buyer On Iffy Foundation

Justin Elliott | November 11, 2009, 9:34AM

Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN)

CBS Evening News is set to run a segment looking at the questionable foundation of Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN), and they've got a sit-down interview with the man himself.

Last night, CBS ran a promo of the "Follow the Money" segment with reporter Sharyl Attkisson interviewing a tense-looking Buyer. She asks, "What happened to the $25,000?"

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American Petroleum Institute

Greenpeace Keeps Heat On Newsweek Over Climate Change Event With Oil Lobby

Zachary Roth | November 9, 2009, 2:20PM

Jack Gerard, CEO of the American Petroleum Institute

Newsweek is continuing to draw scrutiny for an upcoming event on global warming that the magazine plans to co-host with an oil industry lobby group.

Last week, we reported that Newsweek and the American Petroleum Institute are teaming up to put on a panel discussion entitled "Climate and Energy Policy: Moving?," which will be moderated by Howard Fineman, and will feature API CEO Jack Gerard. API is a major Newsweek advertiser, and the two outfits have collaborated on several similar events -- all on the record -- in recent years.

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James Thurber

Did Thurber Ever Sign On As Bonner's Ethics Adviser?

Zachary Roth | November 9, 2009, 12:07PM

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

Did American University professor James Thurber ever sign on to act as an independent ethics adviser for astroturf lobbyist Jack Bonner, in the wake of the scandal over those forged letters to lawmakers on climate change? The two principals can't seem to agree.

Thurber has now backed out of the gig, after an ad he ran in Roll Call praising Bonner raised questions about how independent he could truly be. But how firm was the arrangement in the first place?

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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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Jack Bonner

University Probing Ad Placed By Bonner's "Independent" Ethics Adviser

Zachary Roth | November 5, 2009, 9:15AM

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

American University is investigating the ad praising astroturf lobbyist Jack Bonner that ran in Roll Call yesterday in the name of one of the school's department's.

"The university is aware of the ad and is looking into the facts of the situation," a university spokeswoman told TPMmuckraker. "The university does not endorse individuals or organizations."

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Bonner & Associates

Bonner's 'Independent' Ethics Adviser Commissions Ad Praising Him

Zachary Roth | November 4, 2009, 3:16PM

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

When he was hauled before Congress last week for sending those forged letters to lawmakers on climate change, astroturf lobbyist Jack Bonner pledged to make sure that no similar event ever happened again. As a centerpiece of that effort, Bonner announced that his firm had retained James Thurber, an American University political science professor, to act as an "independent ethics adviser."

Bonner assured lawmakers that the new adviser "is well-regarded as maintaining the highest ethical standards and independence," and "will review our policies and work with us to continue to improve our internal quality control system to the highest standards." All in all, it sounded like a good idea.

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