Former senior aides to President Barack Obama were among several dozen U.S. officials and lawmakers who traveled to Baku, Azerbaijan, this week, for an event sponsored by major oil companies.
Jim Messina, the former Obama 2012 campaign manager, Robert Gibbs, the former White House press secretary, and David Plouffe, the former Obama senior adviser, all received five-figure checks to deliver remarks at the event, called the U.S.-Azerbaijan Convention, according to The Washington Post.
The forum, held Tuesday and Wednesday, was organized by a Houston-based organization named the Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians. Sponsors included SOCAR, the state oil company of Azerbaijan, along with BP, KBR, ConocoPhillips, and Chevron.
The event’s website touted the convention as “another opportunity to discuss and expand the strong relationship between two nations based on shared interests and mutual respect.” The website also provided a schedule of events, and listed the impressive number of VIP attendees. Among them: former Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), and retired Air Force General Duncan McNabb. Lower level U.S. politicians were also listed, including Utah state Sen. Gene Davis (D), Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette, Indiana state Sen. Brandt Hershman (R), and Mississippi state Rep. Henry Zuber (R).
The former Obama aides were all scheduled to appear in “special sessions” at the forum. Messina’s appearance, scheduled for Wednesday morning, was called “Shaping a Presidency, Electing a President: Insights from America’s Premier Political Strategist.” At noon, attendees could chose between a session called “Women’s Leadership Role in Governance” with Valerie Biden Owens, the sister of Vice President Joe Biden, or “Azerbaijan at the Strategic Global Crossroads” with former deputy defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz. Also scheduled for the noon spot was “Turning Black Gold into Human Capital: Investing in Azerbaijan’s Future,” with Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and a number of other officials. Plouffe and Gibbs were scheduled to appear at special sessions on Wednesday afternoon.
Several lawmakers who could not attend, including Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), sent recorded remarks which were posted on the websites.
Here’s Cornyn:
According to the Post, Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, is trying to bolster his image in the U.S. and other Western countries while dealing with accusations of corruption and political repression. (Azerbaijan employs the Podesta Group and other lobbyists in Washington.) Simon Maghakyan, of Amnesty International USA, told the Post it was ironic that the title of Messina’s session mentioned “electing a president” — the State Department has criticized Azerbaijan’s election process.
“The situation there is dire, and it seems to be getting worse every day,” Maghakyan said.
The three Obama aides who attended the conference told the Post in emails that Robert Bauer, a former White House counsel, had vetted the event for any problems, and all three said they had mentioned human rights in their remarks.
