GOP Senators Give Big to Friend in NeedWhat’s an FBI investigation between friends? Sen. Ted Stevens’ (R-AK) buddies in the Senate are standing by him.
And by standing by him, I mean contributing thousands of dollars to his re-election campaign, the AP reports.
Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch led the way, donating $10,000 from his political action committee and another $4,000 from his campaign fund. Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas and Kit Bond of Missouri each added $10,000 from their political action committees, according to campaign reports released Friday….
Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott’s political action committee donated $5,000 and Colorado Sen. Wayne Allard’s campaign chipped in $4,000. In all, the Stevens campaign raised more than $463,000 since July 1, making it one of the senator’s most successful fundraising quarters.
Surprising? Probably not, considering a recent report from Marketplace radio that chronicles how two charities with ties to Stevens bring members of Congress to Alaska for lavish fishing tournaments. The trips would normally cost $1,000 a night, but thanks to the generosity of a series of PACs and non-profits backed by lobbyists, lawmakers don’t spend a dime. The law also shields Stevens’ campaign from having to disclose who attends.
Unfortunately for Stevens, an intrepid reporter over at Marketplace obtained guest lists for some of these junkets and hundreds of photos. Take a look at one of the shots, displayed up top, which shows two recent Stevens campaign contributors, Sens. Lott and Bond, having a nice time on their free fishing trip with former Veco CEO Bill Allen, who has pleaded guilty to bribery and corruption charges in the ongoing Alaska scandal.
