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Politics : Just the Facts, Ma'am: A Compendium of Liberal Fiction -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sully- who wrote (70672)	3/31/2009 1:39:55 AM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 90947

Simmons on Dodd’s Donations from AIG: It’s a Shakedown That Violates the Public Trust The Campaign Spot Jim Geraghty Reporting I just got off the phone with former GOP congressman Rob Simmons, who has declared his candidacy to challenge Chris Dodd. I asked him about the Washington Times story about AIG Financial Services chief executive Joseph Cassano’s 2006 fundraising push for Dodd, asking employees and their spouses to donate the legal maximum, $2,300, and to let Cassano know when they donated. The effort raised $162,000 in six weeks for the Connecticut senator. <<< “This is a classic case of the conflict of interest that exists when a powerful chairman of an oversight committee puts himself in a position to shake down the people he oversees — and it is a shakedown,” Simmons said. “It’s inappropriate, and it violates the public trust. I believe public office is a public trust — that’s what I learned in the army, and what I’ve followed throughout my career, when I worked for Senator [John] Chafee of Rhode Island and Senator [Barry] Goldwater. You have to hold yourself to a higher standard.” >>> Simmons also had a brief thought on Dodd hiring Jay Howser, former campaign manager, to head up his 2010 reelection bid. Howser most recently managed Mary L. Landrieu’s reelection bid. <<< “I see he’s hired a campaign manager from Louisiana to come to Connecticut,” Simmons said, chuckling. “To me, that suggests he’s hurting.” >>> Simmons is in Washington today and tomorrow, holding a fundraiser and interviewing staff for his campaign. campaignspot.nationalreview.com

To: Sully- who wrote (70672)	3/31/2009 3:37:34 AM
From: Sully-	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 90947

Chris Dodd and AIG David Freddoso The Corner This morning's Washington Times has the goods, exclusively, on Senator Dodd and AIG. <<< The message in the Nov. 17, 2006, e-mail from Joseph Cassano, AIG Financial Products chief executive, was unmistakable: Mr. Dodd was "next in line" to be chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, which oversees the insurance industry, and he would "have the opportunity to set the committee's agenda on issues critical to the financial services industry...Given his seniority in the Senate, he will also play a key role in the Democratic Majority's leadership..." Mr. Dodd's campaign quickly hit pay dirt, collecting more than $160,000 from employees and their spouses at the AIG Financial Products division (AIG-FP) in Wilton, Conn., in the days before he took over as the committee chairman in January 2007... Each of the seven AIG-FP executives to whom the Cassano e-mail was sent made two $2,100 contributions to the Dodd campaign - one for the primary and another for the general election campaign. The records also show that five of their wives also contributed $4,200 each to the Dodd campaign. ... "The concern and the question is whether AIG was purchasing kid-glove treatment from their home state senator - from the senator chairing the committee charged with overseeing their industry," Ms. [Sheila] Krumholz said. >>> This story is a very big deal. Whether they "purchased" special treatment or not, AIG is definitely getting special treatment now, and they got it after paying out. corner.nationalreview.com