AP Links Kerry Nominations to Donations

AP ^ | Feb 6, 2004

[Leroy S. Mort]

WASHINGTON (AP) - At least three times in his Senate career, Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry has recommended individuals for positions at federal home loan banks just before or after receiving political contributions from the nominees, records show.

In one case, Kerry wrote to the Federal Housing Finance Board to urge the reappointment of a candidate just one day before a Kerry campaign committee received $1,000 from the nominee, the records show.

``One has nothing to do with the other,'' said Marvin Siflinger, who contributed around the time of Kerry's Oct. 1, 1996, recommendation that he be reappointed for another term to the board.

Kerry's office, like the nominees, insists the timing of the donations and the nominations was a coincidence.

``Sen. Kerry recommends dozens of very qualified individuals each year without regard to their politics or contributions. In this case each of the individuals were highly qualified for the jobs they were appointed to and served with distinction,'' spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said.

``John Kerry is grateful for their support, and we should be thanking them for their service, not questioning it,'' she added. ``The timing of the contributions was completely circumstantial.''

But a longtime government watchdog says it is common for Washington appointees to donate just before or after they are nominated.

``This is just business as usual in Washington,'' said Larry Noble, the former chief lawyer for the Federal Election Commission who now heads the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. ``Kerry is out there saying he is not being part of that game, yet he is the product of the same money system.''

With Kerry more vocally portraying himself on the presidential campaign trail as an opponent of special interest money in Washington, scrutiny of his dealings with donors and special interests has increased among his rivals and the news media.

Noble said while Kerry long has advocated campaign finance reform, he also has benefited from the big money system he now distances himself from on the campaign trail. ``It's like a game where you say the people who support me just want good government, but the people who support my opponent are special interests,'' he said.

When he first ran for the Senate, Kerry promised voters he would carefully choose nominees on merit.

``I will act as a persistent watchdog over presidential appointments to ensure that only people of integrity, ability and commitment hold positions of power in our national government,'' Kerry wrote in a June 1984 fund-raising appeal.

All three of the people Kerry recommended got the positions they sought on various boards of Federal Home Loan Banks in Boston and New York that provide money for home mortgages.

Kerry's recommendations went to the five-member Federal Housing Finance Board, the regulatory body that votes on the final selections. Recommendations come from members of Congress, the White House and trade associations.

Siflinger, who was a state housing finance official when Kerry was Massachusetts lieutenant governor, was first appointed to the bank board in Boston during President George H.W. Bush's presidency and in 1996 sought Kerry's help to get reappointed.

``You normally seek the support of prominent people who are respected. Certainly in this instance I sought the support of Senator Kerry and I sought support of other members of the congressional delegation,'' Siflinger said in an interview Thursday.

Siflinger made his first donation to Kerry's Senate campaign committee in 1995 more than a year before his reappointment, according to Federal Election Commission records. His most recent donation to Kerry was several weeks ago, Siflinger said.

Investment banker Derek Bryson Park says it's ``pure happenstance'' that he made a pair of $1,000 donations to Kerry a month before the senator's Dec. 29, 1998, letter recommending Park for a position at the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York.

``I got assistance from both ... Democrats and Republicans'' in attaining the bank board post, Park said.

The only political donations Park made to federal candidates around the period of his appointment were to Kerry, according to FEC records.

``I've been fortunate to be invited to Senator Kerry's home and we've had a number of meals together and get-togethers,'' said Park, who got to know Kerry through a longtime supporter of the senator.

Former congressional staffer Patrick Dober said that ``there's absolutely no relationship'' between his $408 donation nearly three months after Kerry's Oct. 9, 1998, recommendation to the federal bank board. Kerry's letter praised Dober for having ``worked closely with my office'' on ``the banking crisis in the early 1990s.''

At the time, Dober worked for Boston Capital, a real estate financing and investment firm co-founded by Kerry supporter Jack Manning. Manning, who has donated more than $800,000 to the Democratic causes over the past 14 years, gave $65,000 in 2001 and 2002 to a tax-exempt political group Kerry set up.

Dober says he thinks his $408 for tickets to a Kerry fund-raiser is the only contribution he's ever made to Kerry.

``There was a fund-raiser for Kerry and they had James Taylor and Robin Williams playing,'' Dober recalled. ``My wife and I said this looks like fun. The tickets were a hundred bucks and a $2 service charge, so my wife and I went with another couple and I wrote the check.''

Associated Press writer Pete Yost contributed to this report.

[Leroy S. Mort]

Is Kerry about to get "Deaned" by the press? We can hope...One wonders who did the "research" on this one.

[rebel_yell2]

This is clear evidence that Kerry was responsible for the S&L Crisis. Shame! Shame!

[onyx]

GOOD catch.

Check this one out, yall.

[Prime Choice]

Ahhh...juicy tidbits on Kerry's influence-peddling. Ripe fodder for the meat grinder! YUM!

Good catch! BTTT!

[MEG33]

It's that he's the man who is going to make sure special interests no longer influence the White House and he's the Special Interests campaign contributions King!LOL

[Mo1]

SHADY Kerry Flashback (1992): About that BCCI report, Mr. Kerry (Kerry's shady dealings)

There is good reason to ask Mr. Kerry some tough questions about his own involvement in the BCCI scandal - questions he has not yet answered satisfactorily. Mr. Kerry had started the investigation that led to BCCI long ago, when he decided to scrutinize drug money-laundering in Central America. That investigation was begun, according to congressional staffers involved in the probe, in the hope that some tie to George Bush, via the dealings of the CIA, could be found to implicate the president in the drug trade. Instead, as the inquiry progressed, it was Democratic icon Clark Clifford who was implicated.

[counterpunch]

[backhoe]

Cross-link:

-John Kerry- some selected, informative links...--

[Jaxter]

[dawn53]

Yep, looks like it to me. I started to read this article and had to check the source because I thought it might be coming from Newsmax instead of the AP.

[Montfort]

Why the long face, John?

[randita]

Is Kerry about to get "Deaned" by the press? We can hope...One wonders who did the "research" on this one.

Ditto. Is this the work of the "notorious" Karl Rove OR is this another one of the Clintons? The plethora of negative Kerry articles this week are proof that this is some kind of coordinated attack. The mainstream press is way too lazy to do all this research. They'd much rather just report what's faxed to them.

I can still honestly see a scenario where the Democrat Convention is in chaos and Hillary rides in on her white horse to save the day. Hillary would remain pure as snow because she didn't get dirtied in the primary process and Bush would only have 2 months to knock her down. If Bush did it too aggressively, he would be accused of being a misogynist--a la Rick Lazio.

[over3Owithabrain]

Bush would only have 2 months to knock her down. If Bush did it too aggressively, he would be accused of being a misogynist--a la Rick Lazio.

Yeah, but America as a whole isn't New York. Most people won't mind Bush taking it to that shrew.

[roses of sharon]

Nope.

Judy Woodruff, (the "objective political reporter), of CNN, to Bill Schnieder, (the "objective" political analyist), said, "Bill, this is very common right? I mean if you are in the Senate for 20 years?" "Right, Bill, right?"

Bill says, "Right Judy, right".

[The South Texan]

It will take some record cold temps in hell for the CNN MSNBC ABC CBS NYTIMES, etc to make a huge deal of this. Of course if this was about GW Bush it would be breaking news and require a Fox News Alert.

[over3Owithabrain]

Yes, Judy it's common. So tell your Manchurian candidate to quit posing as Mr. anti-special interests.

[maica]

This is a non-story to the masses. If anyone tries to hang any charge of influence peddling on Kerry next summer, he will be able to say "that is old news." -Clinton SOP

His association with AIG is a much more damaging story - again, getting it out early.

If the charge does not have the word "Halliburton" in it, no dim will care. "Halliburton" has replaced "Richard Mellon Scaife" as the Pavlovian signal to dims.

[fdcc]

bump

[r9etb]

One wonders who did the "research" on this one.

As if you really needed to ask.....

[JFC]

Yeap, Kerry is a real dork.

He and his leftist party were the ones freaking b/c President Bush was on the air carrier...... yet Kerry went and did the same thing for his own.... photo opt.

Kerry don't have a chance... even fakes should see he is a fake!

[agrarianlady]

I've seen that photo quite a lot on these threads. I don't know what it represents Kerry doing but would really like to know. (I was born a bit post-Vietnam). Thank you.

[Jaxter]

The original photo shows Kerry before congress in 1971. This photoshopped has him before a Viet Cong communist flag. It's symbolic of Kerry changing sides after he left Vietnam after a very short, 4 month tour.

[agrarianlady]

Thank you. I understand the symbolism perfectly but wasn't sharp enough to notice that it was a symbolic/photoshopped picture and not an actual depiction.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Definately a GOOD catch! Thanks for the ping! :)

[jmstein7]

BUMP!

[windchime]

``Kerry is out there saying he is not being part of that game, yet he is the product of the same money system.''


Campbell Brown, NBC, pressed Kerry on release of lobbying information. He sputtered that he'd do so when President Bush releases ALL information on private meetings. Brown pressed again and Kerry said his people were working on it now. The film clip closed with an exceptionally adoring look on the face of Brown. UGH!

[onyx]

Campbell Brown is such the democrat sychophant. She is utterly disgusting.

[windchime]

"Campbell Brown is such the democrat sychophant. She is utterly disgusting."


Yes she is, and this exhibition of adoration was worse than usual. You would have wanted to slap Brown silly in this interview with Kerry.

[onyx]

LOL! I wanted to slap her the first time I saw her on IMUS!

[Mo1]

I'll second that

[Mo1]

isn't this new a couple days old ... or is it a new one?

[onyx]

Hell if I know! I had a temperature of 103 yesterday.

[Mo1]

103?? ... not a good thing .. but I see it hasn't interrupted your freeping though :0)

Been there done that *L*

[onyx]

Yeah, it interrupted it yesterday and most of today, but I'm feeling much better now and I'm not a bit sleepy. So glad you're here. :)

[windchime]

"LOL! I wanted to slap her the first time I saw her on IMUS!"

What is it about some of these people that incites nice women to VIOLENCE?

[Mo1]

Yep .. I'm here .. just Freeping and paying bills at 5 in the morning

I really need to find a hobby *L*

[onyx]

What is it about some of these people that incites nice women to VIOLENCE?

For me, it's their smug bias. They're supposed to present an impartial face, but they make their leanings so damn obvious that I want to reach through the TV and slap them. LOL! But, since I can't do that, I've elected not to watch them, and I do not watch them or their network's news.

[Fledermaus]

Pay your bills online...it's faster and you can Freep more! lol

[White Eagle]

Has Kerry recommended or appointed any Buddhist monks or nuns recently?

[Mo1]

Onyx .. for me it's their arrogant attitudes and how they try to insult our intellegence that bugs me .. reminds me of my flaming liberal brother ... He wanted to be an only child .. so we let him

Fledermaus ... I do that .. ain't the Internet grand :0)

BTW .. the last time I chit chat with you, I got yelled out you know

[I_dmc]

I am so sick of the phrase, "Everybody does it". Everybody doesn't. Some people don't lie. Some people don't cheat. Some people don't steal. Some people don't commit adultery. Some........ And yes, some people don't break the speed limits on our highways.

[Mo1]

EXACTLY!!!

[Fledermaus]

I yelled at you?

[onyx]

reminds me of my flaming liberal brother ... He wanted to be an only child .. so we let him

ROFLMAO!

[Mo1]

No .. some one else .. it's no bigging

[Fledermaus]

That's their problem! lol

I was worried because if I yelled at you, I'm sure I'd have remembered! ;-)

[Mo1]

Fledermaus .... I'm sure you would have remember too *L*

onyx ... Well ... It can't be said that we conservatives can't work with liberals :0)

Since this is a Kerry thread .. I've been trolling about and it seems the left is not at all happen about their new crown Prince Kerry ... LOL

Exhibit A

No thanks. If Kerry is the nominee I'm staying home. He sold us out on Iraq, he shouldn't be rewarded and neither should the dipshits that are voting for him.

[onyx]

Hey, Woo-Hoo. WTG, Mo1. Left-wing, Botox Kerry is a colossal bore and I hope he puts his "base" to sleep.

[Carolinamom]

Good early morning!

[onyx]

Good morning to you! I'm so happy for your company!
Mo, you still here, girlfriend?