Beaten in Primary, Lieberman Turns to Lobbyists for Help
“Sen. Joe Lieberman (?-Conn.) increasingly has been relying on Washington, D.C., lobbyists â Republicans as well as Democrats â to help him hang on to his seat.
“Though it wonât be known until mid-October how much money Lieberman has or will have raised from Republicans since his August primary loss, GOP lobbyists clearly are eager to help him.
“Take, for example, an invitation to an upcoming Lieberman fundraiser circulated by Ruth Ravitz Smith, a GOP lobbyist at Brown Rudnick.
“‘I hope that you will join me in demonstrating your support for Senator Liebermanâs campaign for the US Senate,’ Smith wrote in the e-mail. ‘This will be the only major event for the Senator in Washington this fall. Please help spread the word to colleagues, clients and friends.’
“Democratic lobbyists seem just as eager to help out with the event, which is scheduled for Sept. 26 at the Phoenix Park Hotel on Capitol Hill. (The suggested price of admission is $1,000 per person and $2,500 per political action committee contribution.) ” (Roll Call) (sub. req’d.)
Harris Says Gov. Bush Will Stump For Her; State GOP Disagrees
“U.S. Senate candidate Katherine Harris said Friday that Gov. Jeb Bush will campaign with her in the next two months, but the state GOP said no such commitment exists….
“Touring with Bush, the state’s most powerful Republican, would bring Harris badly needed credibility and steady a campaign that, at times, appeared ready to collapse.” (Orlando Sentinel)
Hunter to Push WH Secret Evidence Bill
“Rep. Duncan Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, will propose on Wednesday that his panel approve a bill that would allow the exclusion of evidence to protect classified information. A floor vote is expected next week.
“The bill puts Hunter, R-Calif., in line with the White House and Senate leadership, but at odds with his counterpart, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner, R-Va. Warner and some of his colleagues have drafted a rival bill that would ensure a defendant be allowed access to all evidence against them.” (AP)
American Airlines Mulls Legal Action over ABC’s “Path to 9/11”
“Late Monday, American Airlines released the folllowing statement: “The Disney/ABC television program, ‘The Path to 9/11,’ which began airing last night, is inaccurate and irresponsible in its portrayal of the airport check-in events that occurred on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.
“‘A factual description of those events can be found in the official government edition of the 9/11 Commission Report and supporting documents.
“‘This misrepresentation of facts dishonors the memory of innocent American Airlines employees and all those who lost their lives as a result of the tragic events of 9/11.’
“American said it will have no further comment beyond the statement at this time. But earlier in the day it had sent a letter to those who had contacted the company with the same complaint, inspired by liberal blogger John Aravosis of Americablog. He received a letter which read:
“‘I think it is important for you to know that ABC had factual errors in its dramatization, and we are looking at possible legal actions as a result. …Please know this was a tragic incident in our company’s history and we hope you will be
sympathetic to our employees and our airline on this day especially. Again, we are outraged by this situation, and we alerted ABC about its gross error. It is very unfortunate.'” (Editor & Publisher)
Alaska Corruption Case Run from Washington
“The federal investigation that erupted with fury 10 days ago with searches of a half-dozen Alaska legislative offices is being managed independent of the Alaska U.S. Attorney’s office, a U.S. Justice Department official said Monday.
“[Justice spokesman Bryan Sierra] wouldnât say why the Alaska office wasnât allowed to participate in the case or how many lawyers from Washington were assigned to it. But the case is even off-limits to Nelson Cohen, the new U.S. Attorney for Alaska who just arrived last month from Pittsburgh, he said.
“Sierra said itâs not unusual that the local U.S. Attorneyâs office will recuse itself from a sensitive corruption case and wall off its legal, public relations and even clerical staffs from the investigation and prosecutions. Sometimes one or two assistant U.S. attorneys might still be assigned to work with the Public Integrity attorneys, but Sierra said he didnât know if that was the case in Alaska.” (Anchorage Daily News)
Fraud Rampant in Post-Katrina New Orleans
“A cash-based reconstruction economy has taken root in New Orleans, and reports of worker rip-offs are common.
“Molina spends her days trying to construct cases with enough detail to file in court.
“‘I describe it as the new Wild West of labor law, where lawlessness is absolutely tolerated,’ she said.” (LA Times)
So Cal Ports Still Security Risk
“[Despite] millions of dollars spent bolstering security in the Los Angeles-Long Beach harbor complex since Sept. 11, maritime security experts, government officials and shipping industry leaders say the security risks are still huge.
“Tightening port security, they say, has proved complicated. Not only have costs been daunting, shippers have been extremely wary of anti-terrorist measures that would slow port operations.” (LA Times)
Chevron Could Avoid Huge Royalties on New Field
“A group of oil companies led by Chevron, which said last week that they had discovered a huge new oil field in the Gulf of Mexico, could avoid more than $1 billion in royalty payments to the federal government for the oil.
“The potential bonus to Chevron and its partners stems from a mistake the Interior Department made in signing offshore leases in the late 1990’s for drilling in federal waters. The magnitude of the oil discovery â estimated in a range of 3 billion to 15 billion barrels â is likely to intensify a battle in Congress over incentives for drilling in publicly owned waters.” (NYT)
Ethics, Elections Drag Down K St. Growth
“The top firms on K Street saw only meager growth during the first half of this year, most likely because potential clients were spooked by talk of ethics reforms and frozen in place as Congress avoided meaty legislative topics….
“‘It’s been a challenging year from the very start,’ said Gregg Hartley, a top lobbyist for Cassidy & Associates.
‘A lot of offices thinking about hiring a lobbyist were taken back a little [by the scandals], and it caused them to slow down employing firms,’ he said.” (Roll Call, sub. req.)
Watchdogs Hungrily Eye Spending Database
“As Congress gets close this week to passing a bill that would create a first-if-its-kind database of federal expenditures, advocacy groups that have lobbied for the measure are salivating at the prospect of bolstering their own agendas with the new numbers.
“But even though government watchdog groups and a cross-section of liberal and conservative organizations from Greenpeace to the conservative Eagle Forum are unified in favor of the database legislation, the unity likely will end if that information becomes public, as outside groups compete over splashy scoops and attack opposing organizations and causes….
“Lobbyists who focus on the appropriations and government contracting sector said they were skeptical of Coburn’s and Obama’s motivations.
“‘It’s just another tool for them to criticize and attack programs they don’t understand,’ said one lobbyist. ‘This is not about solving a problem, it’s about scoring political points.'” (Roll Call, sub.
req.)
Universities Divided on Responding to Coburn
“Individual schools are taking divergent approaches about how to respond to the August letter in which Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), a foe of earmarks, asked detailed questions about the schools’ earmarked funds since 2000. Coburn spokesman John Hart said the Senator planned to release the response letters as well as a statement today, after giving schools an extra week to respond to his original Sept. 1 deadline.
“Some schools see earmarks as vital to securing research funds, while others view them as providing an unfair advantage for schools that happen to be close to key politicians or hire the right lobbyists.”
(Roll Call, sub. req.)
La.’s Jefferson Fights to Stay in Office
“A bribery scandal has Congressman William Jefferson fighting for his political life following eight House terms in which he faced little opposition at election time.” (USA Today)
Louisiana Players Aid Jefferson Foe
“As she builds support for her bid to oust embattled Rep. William Jefferson (D), Louisiana state Rep. Karen Carter (D) is getting help from several influential Louisiana Democrats, including former Sens.
J. Bennett Johnston and John Breaux and former Rep. Chris John.” (Roll Call, sub. req.)
Police Investigating Schwarzenegger Tape
“A state investigation team is examining whether hackers were involved in releasing a digital recording of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger talking about a Hispanic legislator’s fiery temper, a spokesman said….
“The recording, made during a speechwriting session last March, was obtained by the Los Angeles Times, which published a story last week. The recording featured the governor and his chief of staff, Susan Kennedy, idly speculating about the ethnic background of state Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia, R-Cathedral City.
“After some banter about whether she is Cuban or Puerto Rican, Schwarzenegger says, ‘They are all very hot. They have the, you know, part of the black blood in them and part of the Latino blood in them that together makes it.'” (AP)
