McCain's Murderers Row
By Cliff Schecter
Created May 13 2008 - 11:35am
A new website (firethelobbyists.com [1]) has been created by the
pro-campaign finance reform organization Campaign Money Watch, to convince
Senator McCain [2] to fire three lobbyists in the top levels of his
organization that have lobbied for ruthless dictators. You may recall that
over the past two days, two McCain aides have resigned [3] because of
their
willingness to do public relations work for the Burmese Junta.
Ahh, working for the public good. It must feel so refre****ng.
Of course, turn over any stone in The McCain Campaign [4], and one can
only
guess what might come crawling out. It turns out that they have even more
friends in low places. I contacted David Donnelly, Director of Campaign
Money Watch, for a comment. He explained what his group is trying to
accomplish:
John McCain ought to immediately fire three lobbyists - Charlie Black,
Tom
Loeffler, and Peter Madigan -- whose lobbying for brutal dictators and
foreign governments is every bit as bad as the two lobbyists who left his
campaign over the weekend. Frankly, McCain's campaign is turning out to be
an effort of, by, and for these types of Wa****ngton influence peddlers.
His
credentials as a reformer are gone.
Pretty strong words. Yet, if you read what this triad of McCain lobbyists
have been up to, perhaps not strong enough. It ain't pretty:
Charlie Black, McCain's senior counsel and spokesman, began his lobbying
career by representing numerous dictators and repressive regimes
Black's firm represented the governor of Philippines dictator Ferdinand
Marcos. According to a 1985 re****t, the firm Black, Manafort & Stone
earned
$950,000 plus expenses for its work to provide "advice and assistance on
matters relating to the media, public relations and public affairs
interests."1
Black's firm lobbied on behalf of Mobuto Sese Seko of Zaire, earning $1
million a year for his efforts.2
Black's firm lobbied on behalf of Somali dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.3
Black's firm represented Nigerian dictator Ibrahim Babangida, earning at
least $1 million for his efforts.4
Black's firm has represented Equatorial Guinea, an oil-rich state "best
known for the outlandish brutality of its rulers."5
Black represented Angolan rebel and "classical terrorist" Jonas Savimbi,
a
job that earned him $600,000.6 "We have to call him Africa's classical
terrorist," Makau Mutua, a professor of law and Africa specialist told the
New York Times. "In the history of the continent, I think he's unique
because of the degree of suffering he caused without showing any
remorse."7
In recent years his client list has also included the Iraqi National
Congress8, Friends of Blackwater9, and the China National Off-Shore Oil
Corp.10
Since 2005, BKSH has received more than $700,000 in fees from foreign
entities.11
Thomas Loeffler, co-chairman of McCain's campaign, has represented the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia paid the Loeffler Group "a whopping $7.9
million from December 1, 2005, though November 2006 -- the largest fee
collected from a foreign government by any lobbying firm in 2006,"
according
to National Journal.12 The Wa****ngton Times re****ted that "Mr. Loeffler's
firm has received more than $10 million since 2006 from the Saudi Embassy
and the Ministry of Commerce & Industry of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."13
Much of this work was centered on gaining admission for the Kingdom to the
World Trade Organization.14
Since 2005, according to the Wa****ngton Times, "the Loeffler Group
re****ted more than $11 million in fees from foreign lobbying clients."15
Peter Madigan, a leading McCain fundraiser, lobbies on behalf of the
king
of Dubai
Madigan has earned upwards of $800,000 to improve the United Arab
Emirates'
reputation in the face of a class action lawsuit over the enslavement of
boy
camel jockeys.16
You may also remember a story we broke at Cliff Schecter's Campaign Silo
at
Firedoglake [5] on Charlie Black the other day--via John Gorenfeld's new
book Bad Moon Rising [6]--regarding his involvement in setting up an
anti-Christian ceremony for the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, a man who is not
only a felon but in league with Kim Jong-Il of North Korea [7].
Pleasant company to be sure. And it is only the tip of the iceberg. In The
Real McCain [8], I have two chapters outlining McCain's sordid
associations
with all manner of miscreants that make Jeremiah Wright look like a Red
Cross worker.
--
NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which has not
always been authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material
available to advance understanding of
political, human rights, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues.
I
believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107
"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an op****tunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are
at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson
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