[Peace-discuss] Johnson's contributors

[Wendy Edwards]

After the torture bill passed, I noticed that Tim Johnson had voted in
favor of it, and took a look at his campaign contributors at
http://www.fec.gov .  Here's what I found (and it's also up at
http://mrscake.livejournal.com/191488.html)

Committees
ALTRIA GROUP INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
Total received: $10000
Altria used to be named "Philip Morris," as in "Big Tobacco"

American Liberty PAC
Total Received: $2000
Bob Ney (R-OH). Received funds from Jack Abramoff, who has since pleaded
guilty to charges of fraud and conspiracy. Bob Ney has also pled guilty to
corruption and bribery in connection with his dealings with Abramoff.
http://www.capitaleye.org/abramoff_recips_detail.asp?type=R&Name=Bob+Ney+(R-Ohio)
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/09/democrats_jump_.html
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/09/15/ney.investigation/index.html

AMERICANS FOR A REPUBLICAN MAJORITY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
Total received: $25000.
Tom DeLay's PAC. ARMPAC's former directors have been indicted on charges
of money laundering, and DeLay has been indicted for violating campaign
finance laws. There's been some controversy because Johnson hasn't
returned the money.

AT&T INC. FEDERAL POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (AT&T FEDERAL PAC)
Total received: $29500
Coincidentally, Johnson voted for the COPE Act in June 2006 and against
the Markey Amendment for Net Neutrality (source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_V._Johnson)

Bayou Leader PAC
Total received: $4000
Associated with Billy Tauzin (D-LA)
http://www.newnetworks.com/recusetauzin.htm
More money from telecoms

Exelon Corporation Political Action Committee
Total received: $30000
Exelon made the news when one of their nuclear power plants got a little
untidy and dumped millions of gallons of radioactive wastewater into the
groundwater around their plant. The State of Illinois is currently suing
them.
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2006/2006-03-21-02.asp

The Freedom Project
Total received: $10000
John Boehner (R-OH)
Boehner sponsored an interesting piece of legislation related to student
loans - basically, he favored the government subsidizing private companies
who made student loans.
http://www.lasvegastribune.com/20050520/morenews12.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boehner
Thinkprogress.org estimates the total contributions associated with Sallie
Mae at $220,020, including $52,670 from officers of Sallie Mae. The Center
for Responsive Politics calculated the Sallie Mae figure as $122470
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/02/03/boehner-hamiltons/
The Indian tribes associated with the Abramoff scandal also contributed to
the Freedom Project:
http://irregulartimes.com/index.php/archives/2006/01/10/john-boehner-casino-corruption/

SALLIE MAE INC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (SALLIE MAE PAC)
Total received: $1000
Sallie Mae also gave directly to Johnson

FreedomWorks PAC
Total received: $11512
http://www.stealthpacs.org/profile.cfm?Org_ID=162
http://www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=1497377
Chaired by Dick Armey (Yeah, the guy who called Barney Frank "Barney Fag")

Keep Our Majority PAC
Total received: $10000
Dennis Hastert (R-IL, Speaker for the House)

HASTERT, DENNIS J.
VIA HASTERT FOR CONGRESS COMMITTEE
Total received: $2000

R.J. REYNOLDS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE; REYNOLDS AMERICAN INC.
Total received: $10500
More Big Tobacco!

Rely On Your Beliefs Fund
Total received: $9000
Roy Blunt (R-MO, House Majority Whip)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rely_on_Your_Beliefs_Fund
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/16/AR2005051601334_pf.html
Notable contributors to ROYB PAC were Altria and Enron, and an American
Indian tribe working with Jack Abramoff

Individuals

Walter Bollinger
Total received: $1300
Employer was Unistat, direct-mail firm owned by Roger Stanley and involved
in George Ryan scandal
http://mesh.medill.northwestern.edu/mnschicago/archives/2003/02/testimony_in_co.html

Stuart Levine
Total received: $2000
Has been indicted on charges of fraud, money laundering, and extortion
http://www.ipsn.org/indictments/levine/IndictReTRSfinal.pdf#search=%22%22stuart%20levine%22%22
http://chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=22091

Donald Udstuen
Total received: $1000
Udstuen was recently convicted and sentenced in connection with the George
Ryan scandal