Fred Thompson’s son has a noshow $170k yr job ?
What did Fred Thompson’s son, Daniel, do to earn the more than $170,000 that his firm, Daniel Thompson Associates, was paid from his father’s federal political action committee, the Fred D. Thompson PAC?
The records suggest he did next to nothing.
The elder Thompson, an undeclared presidential candidate, left the Senate at the start of 2003. He started The Fred D. Thompson PAC with $378,601
transferred from his senatorial campaign committee.
It’s perfectly legal for a former public official to roll leftover campaign funds over to a PAC and use that money to support candidates. Yet very little
of these funds actually went to candidates - the bulk of the money was
paid to Daniel Thompson.
Daniel Thompson did not reply to efforts to contact him.
From the month the PAC started (April 2003), Daniel Thompson Associates began drawing a monthly retainer of $4,000 for management consultant services.
In its first election cycle, the PAC made a total of only $18,000 in
contributions to federal candidates and about $8,000 in contributions to
Republican committees and non-federal candidates. So, the fund spent about
7 percent of its assets on candidates and elections in its first two years
- and about 25 percent on Thompson’s son.
The next cycle (2005-2006), the fund gave $21,200 to federal candidates and about $27,500 to non-federal candidates and party committees - and $84,000 to Daniel Thompson’s firm.
To date, the PAC has paid $176,000 to the son’s firm, $46,000 for federal races, $35,000 in other political donations and $62,700 to charity. The senator’s son,
in other words, accounts for more than half the outlays.
PAC funds can be used to hire relatives. In 2001, the Federal Election Commission ruled that Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. could use federal campaign funds to
hire his wife as his campaign manager. But Mrs. Jackson was experienced
in running campaigns and raising funds and had worked on a congressional staff.
It clearly wasn’t a no-show job.
The FEC ruled that a campaign could hire a family member at market value for bona fide campaign services.
But it’s hard to find any evidence of bona fide work done by Daniel Thompson Associates for his father’s PAC. Presumably, Fred Thompson made the
decision about what money would go to candidates - especially since
many of them were his former colleagues.
Maybe Daniel Thompson wrote the 20 checks a year that the PAC mailed out.
How much time or skill could that take? Not $85,000 a year worth.
The PAC appears to have had no office, no phone and no employees other than Daniel Thompson. Minor amounts went for spot telephone and Internet bills, and for an accountant.
And the PAC did no real fund-raising. In its four years, it raised just $700 - two contributions from former Fred Thompson associates. All other income appears to have been interest payments.
The fund did pay a nearly $7,000 to Aristotle Publishing, a company that licenses software for Internet fund-raising, including a $1,000 licensing fee in the fund’s last days several months ago. The initial fees were for conversion, training, and support.
Interestingly enough, Daniel Thompson is now a professional fund-raiser for Lawson Associates in Nashville. According to the firm’s Web site, he consults with clients all over the country to raise funds for non-profit groups in their capital and endowment campaigns.
Too bad he couldn’t help Dad raise money, too.
www.dickmorris.com
www.mccainalert.com
Monday, July 23, 2007
FAIR Calls for Suspension of Visa Waiver Program
FAIR Calls for Suspension of Visa Waiver Program in Light of New Intelligence Report
Washington DC - A new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) report compiled by 16 government intelligence agencies, warns that another attack against the United States by al-Qaeda may be imminent. While the attacks of 9/11 were carried out by terrorists carrying Middle Eastern passports, the NIE cautions that al-Qaeda may use European-based operatives to perpetrate a future attack. According to the NIE a, "growing number of radical, self-generating cells in Western countries indicate that the radical and violent segment of the West's Muslim population is expanding, including in the United States."
Adding to the vulnerability of the United States is the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which allows nationals of 27 nations to enter the U.S. without visas. With the growth of radical Islam in Europe, the VWP is a likely means by which al-Qaeda can move terrorists into the U.S. "Europe could become a platform for an attack against this country," admits Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
In light of the new NIE report and the candid admission of Secretary Chertoff, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is renewing its call for the immediate suspension of the VWP - a call FAIR first issued after 9/11. "We know that al-Qaeda and other radical Islamic terrorist groups will use every means at their disposal and exploit any vulnerability to carry out another dramatic and deadly attack against the United States," warned Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "We know - because the Secretary of Homeland Security has told us so - that one of the vulnerabilities al-Qaeda is targeting is the VWP.
If the VWP is acknowledged to be a weakness in our defense against global terrorist groups, then the VWP must be suspended immediately," said Stein. The VWP was designed for a pre-9/11 world to make it easier for people who had a low likelihood of overstaying visas to travel here.
"After Madrid 2004, London 2005, and Glasgow last month, there can be no doubt that there are lethal and committed Islamic terrorist cells active all across Western Europe. Many of these terrorists are citizens of those countries and, under the VWP, they can easily enter the U.S. with no prior screening," Stein said. "Every intelligence report over the past several years has warned that al-Qaeda is seeking to take advantage of the VWP and is actively recruiting terrorists with European passports."
Ironically, reports of a heightened terrorist threat comes as the Bush Administration and some in Congress are pushing to expand the VWP under pressure from business interests. "Everyone understands the importance of travel to our economy," said Stein. "But legitimate travelers also understand - in fact appreciate - the need to take all reasonable precautions against future terrorist attacks. By now, we are all used to trading off some convenience for security whenever we travel. The economic impact of asking people to be pre-screened for visas would be minor compared with the potential impact of another deadly terrorist strike."
Washington DC - A new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) report compiled by 16 government intelligence agencies, warns that another attack against the United States by al-Qaeda may be imminent. While the attacks of 9/11 were carried out by terrorists carrying Middle Eastern passports, the NIE cautions that al-Qaeda may use European-based operatives to perpetrate a future attack. According to the NIE a, "growing number of radical, self-generating cells in Western countries indicate that the radical and violent segment of the West's Muslim population is expanding, including in the United States."
Adding to the vulnerability of the United States is the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which allows nationals of 27 nations to enter the U.S. without visas. With the growth of radical Islam in Europe, the VWP is a likely means by which al-Qaeda can move terrorists into the U.S. "Europe could become a platform for an attack against this country," admits Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
In light of the new NIE report and the candid admission of Secretary Chertoff, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is renewing its call for the immediate suspension of the VWP - a call FAIR first issued after 9/11. "We know that al-Qaeda and other radical Islamic terrorist groups will use every means at their disposal and exploit any vulnerability to carry out another dramatic and deadly attack against the United States," warned Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "We know - because the Secretary of Homeland Security has told us so - that one of the vulnerabilities al-Qaeda is targeting is the VWP.
If the VWP is acknowledged to be a weakness in our defense against global terrorist groups, then the VWP must be suspended immediately," said Stein. The VWP was designed for a pre-9/11 world to make it easier for people who had a low likelihood of overstaying visas to travel here.
"After Madrid 2004, London 2005, and Glasgow last month, there can be no doubt that there are lethal and committed Islamic terrorist cells active all across Western Europe. Many of these terrorists are citizens of those countries and, under the VWP, they can easily enter the U.S. with no prior screening," Stein said. "Every intelligence report over the past several years has warned that al-Qaeda is seeking to take advantage of the VWP and is actively recruiting terrorists with European passports."
Ironically, reports of a heightened terrorist threat comes as the Bush Administration and some in Congress are pushing to expand the VWP under pressure from business interests. "Everyone understands the importance of travel to our economy," said Stein. "But legitimate travelers also understand - in fact appreciate - the need to take all reasonable precautions against future terrorist attacks. By now, we are all used to trading off some convenience for security whenever we travel. The economic impact of asking people to be pre-screened for visas would be minor compared with the potential impact of another deadly terrorist strike."
Important Immigration Provisions Included in House Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill
Important Immigration Provisions Included in House Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill
Consideration of the massive fiscal year 2008 appropriations bill for Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education (H.R. 3043) dominated House floor action this week. Indeed, two full days were spent debating eighty-six amendments to the bill (Congress Now). The bill finally passed, 276-140, fourteen votes short of the number needed to override a promised presidential veto. President Bush has threatened to veto the bill because it is $7 billion more than requested by his administration.
Two important immigration provisions passed as part of the Labor-HHS appropriations bill. First, during the Committee process, Congressman Jack Kingston (R-GA) successfully offered an amendment to require that government contractors receiving money through the bill to use the Basic Pilot Program to verify that their employees are lawfully present in the United States. The Chamber of Commerce opposed this language and notified Representatives of their objections, urging members to strike the language from the bill. Nevertheless, there were no amendments to remove the language and it survived the floor action.
In addition to the Kingston language that was added in Committee, the House approved a floor amendment offered by Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) relating to Totalization agreements. The amendment bars funding for Social Security payments made under a pending totalization agreement with the Mexican government. A social security totalization agreement is an executive agreement entered into by the United States with another country that is intended to relieve employers and employees from double social security tax with respect to the same employment and to consolidate the employee's Social Security tax paid to both countries in order to receive the combined benefits in only one country. A totalization agreement does not permit an employee to avoid Social Security tax in both countries, but instead merely allows the employee to pay tax to either one country or the other.
In a letter sent to colleagues in support of the amendment, Congressman Gingrey expressed concern that the U.S. government would end up paying out more in benefits through the Social Security Totalization agreement with Mexico than it would take in through taxes. In particular, he explained the Social Security Administration has significantly underestimated the number of claims for Social Security that will be made by Mexicans working in the United States—only 50,000. With 12 to 20 million illegal aliens currently in the U.S. who may become legal at some point, Congressman Gingrey argued this number could easily be surpassed, impairing the ability of the government to break even. In fact, in 2003, the GAO determined that if the number of Mexican workers claiming benefits exceeds that estimate by 25% (for a total of 63,000), the result would be a financially significant drain on the Social Security Trust Fund.
Having passed the House, the Basic Pilot requirement and the Totalization amendment will now be conferenced with the corresponding Senate bill. Stay tuned to FAIR for more details…
see more at Mccainalert.com
Consideration of the massive fiscal year 2008 appropriations bill for Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education (H.R. 3043) dominated House floor action this week. Indeed, two full days were spent debating eighty-six amendments to the bill (Congress Now). The bill finally passed, 276-140, fourteen votes short of the number needed to override a promised presidential veto. President Bush has threatened to veto the bill because it is $7 billion more than requested by his administration.
Two important immigration provisions passed as part of the Labor-HHS appropriations bill. First, during the Committee process, Congressman Jack Kingston (R-GA) successfully offered an amendment to require that government contractors receiving money through the bill to use the Basic Pilot Program to verify that their employees are lawfully present in the United States. The Chamber of Commerce opposed this language and notified Representatives of their objections, urging members to strike the language from the bill. Nevertheless, there were no amendments to remove the language and it survived the floor action.
In addition to the Kingston language that was added in Committee, the House approved a floor amendment offered by Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) relating to Totalization agreements. The amendment bars funding for Social Security payments made under a pending totalization agreement with the Mexican government. A social security totalization agreement is an executive agreement entered into by the United States with another country that is intended to relieve employers and employees from double social security tax with respect to the same employment and to consolidate the employee's Social Security tax paid to both countries in order to receive the combined benefits in only one country. A totalization agreement does not permit an employee to avoid Social Security tax in both countries, but instead merely allows the employee to pay tax to either one country or the other.
In a letter sent to colleagues in support of the amendment, Congressman Gingrey expressed concern that the U.S. government would end up paying out more in benefits through the Social Security Totalization agreement with Mexico than it would take in through taxes. In particular, he explained the Social Security Administration has significantly underestimated the number of claims for Social Security that will be made by Mexicans working in the United States—only 50,000. With 12 to 20 million illegal aliens currently in the U.S. who may become legal at some point, Congressman Gingrey argued this number could easily be surpassed, impairing the ability of the government to break even. In fact, in 2003, the GAO determined that if the number of Mexican workers claiming benefits exceeds that estimate by 25% (for a total of 63,000), the result would be a financially significant drain on the Social Security Trust Fund.
Having passed the House, the Basic Pilot requirement and the Totalization amendment will now be conferenced with the corresponding Senate bill. Stay tuned to FAIR for more details…
see more at Mccainalert.com
Senators Ask For Commutation of Border Patrol Agents
Senators Ask For Commutation of Border Patrol Agents
The Senate Judiciary Committee convened a hearing Tuesday to discuss the prosecution and subsequent sentencing of Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean. The agents were each sentenced to over ten years in federal prison after pursuing and shooting an illegal alien caught smuggling 743 pounds of marijuana into the country. The sentencing has created a national firestorm of controversy with many charging that the federal government has shown more favor to a drug-smuggler than its own law enforcement officers.
In attendance at the hearing were several Senators who have been active in the Ramos-Compean case, including Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), and Tom Coburn (R-OK). The witness panel included Congressmen Duncan Hunter (R-CA) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) as well as T.J. Bonner, President of the National Council of Border Patrol Agents, and Johnny Sutton, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas.
The Senators and testifying Congressmen each expressed their alarm at what they considered excessive punishment for Agents Ramos and Compean. Senators Feinstein and Cornyn called the sentence a "serious miscarriage of justice." Senator Sessions shook his head in dismay, saying he was "just heartbroken about it", but that he hoped the Senate could "figure out some way to be helpful to them." Congressman Hunter, who has served on the House Armed Services Committee for 26 years, called the sentence the worst case of "injustice" toward any law enforcement officer he has ever seen. Congressman Rohrabacher lamented, "It just tears at your soul to think of these two men… who put their lives at risk every day trying to do one of America's toughest law enforcement jobs… in solitary confinement for an activity that stems from their interdiction of a drug dealer."
During witness testimony, T.J. Bonner criticized the prosecution's portrait the drug smuggler who was wounded—an operative for Mexican drug cartels—as an innocent civilian who was shot in the back while trying to earn money to take care of his sick mother. Bonner defended the actions of the agents, concluding, "The wrongdoing here was bringing 743 pounds of marijuana into the country. That is a felony. And the person who did that was granted immunity by our federal government." However, Luis Barker, Deputy Chief of the Office of Border Control for the Department of Customs and Border Protection, charged that the agents' first wrongdoing was shooting the drug smuggler as he fled the scene. Senator Feinstein asked how Mr. Barker thought the agents should have reprimanded the fleeing man, to which Mr. Barker replied that their only real option was to shout and chase the man by foot. To this Senator Feinstein retorted, "No wonder so much drugs are coming across the border."
A large focus of the hearing was the application of a federal gun statute (18 U.S.C. 924(c)), a charge against the agents that was added after the original indictment. This portion of the United States Code requires a minimum sentence of ten years for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. The Senators on the committee repeatedly discussed the fact that Section 924(c) was intended to be a deterrent to drug smugglers, not law enforcement officers pursuing them. However, Johnny Sutton, United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas, said the agents were "not heroes" and that it "is a crime to discharge a firearm during a crime of violence, and we will continue to bring those charges where the law and the evidence warrant." Senator Feinstein and other supporters disagree with Sutton's decision to charge the border patrol agents with a crime under Section 924(c), denouncing it as "prosecutorial overreach."
Senators Feinstein and Cornyn sent a joint letter to the White House Wednesday asking President Bush to immediately commute the sentences of both Ramos and Compean. Representatives Hunter, Rohrabacher, Tom Tancredo (R-CO), and Ted Poe (R-TX) have proposed similar measures in the House. In his closing statements, Congressman Rohrabacher added, "And as we now see, Scooter Libby can be set free. Two Border Patrol agents who languish in solitary confinement, whose lives are in danger, their lives don't count a bit with this administration."
The Senate Judiciary Committee convened a hearing Tuesday to discuss the prosecution and subsequent sentencing of Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean. The agents were each sentenced to over ten years in federal prison after pursuing and shooting an illegal alien caught smuggling 743 pounds of marijuana into the country. The sentencing has created a national firestorm of controversy with many charging that the federal government has shown more favor to a drug-smuggler than its own law enforcement officers.
In attendance at the hearing were several Senators who have been active in the Ramos-Compean case, including Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), and Tom Coburn (R-OK). The witness panel included Congressmen Duncan Hunter (R-CA) and Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) as well as T.J. Bonner, President of the National Council of Border Patrol Agents, and Johnny Sutton, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas.
The Senators and testifying Congressmen each expressed their alarm at what they considered excessive punishment for Agents Ramos and Compean. Senators Feinstein and Cornyn called the sentence a "serious miscarriage of justice." Senator Sessions shook his head in dismay, saying he was "just heartbroken about it", but that he hoped the Senate could "figure out some way to be helpful to them." Congressman Hunter, who has served on the House Armed Services Committee for 26 years, called the sentence the worst case of "injustice" toward any law enforcement officer he has ever seen. Congressman Rohrabacher lamented, "It just tears at your soul to think of these two men… who put their lives at risk every day trying to do one of America's toughest law enforcement jobs… in solitary confinement for an activity that stems from their interdiction of a drug dealer."
During witness testimony, T.J. Bonner criticized the prosecution's portrait the drug smuggler who was wounded—an operative for Mexican drug cartels—as an innocent civilian who was shot in the back while trying to earn money to take care of his sick mother. Bonner defended the actions of the agents, concluding, "The wrongdoing here was bringing 743 pounds of marijuana into the country. That is a felony. And the person who did that was granted immunity by our federal government." However, Luis Barker, Deputy Chief of the Office of Border Control for the Department of Customs and Border Protection, charged that the agents' first wrongdoing was shooting the drug smuggler as he fled the scene. Senator Feinstein asked how Mr. Barker thought the agents should have reprimanded the fleeing man, to which Mr. Barker replied that their only real option was to shout and chase the man by foot. To this Senator Feinstein retorted, "No wonder so much drugs are coming across the border."
A large focus of the hearing was the application of a federal gun statute (18 U.S.C. 924(c)), a charge against the agents that was added after the original indictment. This portion of the United States Code requires a minimum sentence of ten years for discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. The Senators on the committee repeatedly discussed the fact that Section 924(c) was intended to be a deterrent to drug smugglers, not law enforcement officers pursuing them. However, Johnny Sutton, United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas, said the agents were "not heroes" and that it "is a crime to discharge a firearm during a crime of violence, and we will continue to bring those charges where the law and the evidence warrant." Senator Feinstein and other supporters disagree with Sutton's decision to charge the border patrol agents with a crime under Section 924(c), denouncing it as "prosecutorial overreach."
Senators Feinstein and Cornyn sent a joint letter to the White House Wednesday asking President Bush to immediately commute the sentences of both Ramos and Compean. Representatives Hunter, Rohrabacher, Tom Tancredo (R-CO), and Ted Poe (R-TX) have proposed similar measures in the House. In his closing statements, Congressman Rohrabacher added, "And as we now see, Scooter Libby can be set free. Two Border Patrol agents who languish in solitary confinement, whose lives are in danger, their lives don't count a bit with this administration."
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