For Immediate Release: December 9, 2009
Contact: Ryan Hobart (573) 636-5241 Ext. 125
Congressman Blunt Continues to Go to his Base – Lobbyists and Washington Insiders
Blunt turns to “kingmaker” and “super lobbyist” for insider $$$
Jefferson City, Mo – On Thursday, Congressman Roy Blunt will once again take time to court his loyal base – Washington insiders and corporate special interests. Blunt is looking to ensure he doesn’t lose his place as the #1 recipient of lobbyist money and will attend a fundraiser hosted by Washington Insiders – Fred “Republican Kingmaker” Malek and Charlie “Super lobbyist” Black. (CQ 12/1/09)
“Congressman Blunt continues business as usual, siding with D.C. insiders and lobbyists in hopes of bolstering his already top lobbyist fund-raising numbers,” said Missouri Democratic Party Executive Director Brian Zuzenak. “While Washington power brokers may be pleased with Blunt’s record, a recent poll said 65 percent of Missourians believe he is part of the problem in Washington. In other words, Congressman Blunt’s years of reckless spending and favor-peddling in Washington for insiders like convicted felon Jack Abramoff, Fred Malek, and Charlie Black are catching up to him.”
Who is Fred Malek? For almost forty years, Fred Malek has been intimately involved in national Republican politics. He was a close adviser to President Richard Nixon and served as the Campaign Manager for President George H.W. Bush’s unsuccessful 1992 re-election campaign. He also helped with John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign. In 2004, Malek and his investment firm were censured by the SEC for investment fraud and settled the matter by paying a fine of $250,000. (USA Today 10/15/08)
Who is Charlie Black? Charlie Black is a prominent lobbyist and former adviser to John McCain. McCain’s Presidential campaign came under some significant heat for keeping Charlie Black as an advisor because of his record as a hired gun for controversial clients. (Wall Street Journal 5/19/08) Here is a Moveon.org ad from 2008: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjCYmjjxp8I. He is also well-known for saying that a terrorist attack during the 2008 election would have been a “big advantage” for Senator McCain. (New York Times 6/24/08)
Congressman Blunt’s loyalty to lobbyists and the corporate special interests they represent has not gone without reward. USA Today noted that Congressman Blunt has taken more money from lobbyists than any other candidate in the nation this year. During the first six months of 2009, Blunt took $310,534 from lobbyists, putting him ahead of both the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee. (USA Today, 10/4/09) In the last fundraising quarter, Blunt took more money from Political Action Committees (PACS) than any other non-incumbent Senate candidate. According to Dave Catanese of KY3, only three 2010 U.S. Senate candidates took in more PAC cash than Blunt over the last three months – all are incumbents. (KY3 Political Notebook, 10/23/09; FEC.gov) Congressman Blunt has also taken $718,785 from commercial banks, placing him in the top 10 recipients of big banking money from the U.S. House of Representative and Senate. (Center for Responsive Politics, 11/16/09)
Congressman Roy Blunt faces State Senator Chuck Purgason and Kansas City auto consultant Mark Memoly in the August 2010 primary for the Republican nominee for US Senate.
