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Family Hiring Archives
It Pays To Be A Princess...
by Matt Margolis :: September 9, 2005 4:47 PM
...especially when your daddy is John Kerry...
JOHN Kerry campaign insiders are blaming some of the high-profile people surrounding the candidate for helping President Bush win re-election.A prime target of the finger-pointers is Kerry's filmmaker daughter Alexandra, who made a splash at the Cannes Film Festival last spring when she appeared on the red carpet in a see-through dress. She then hired a pricey publicist at powerhouse agency PMK — on her dad's dime, sources say — and went on the campaign trail.
But insiders snipe that all she did was rack up major expenses. "She had an entourage of five people with her everywhere she went," one Kerry confidant sniffed to PAGE SIX's Jared Paul Stern. "A hairdresser, makeup artist, publicist and two assistants. It ended up costing something like $8,000 a month. And she didn't exactly do anything."
David Wade, Kerry's spokesman, was quoted in the Boston Herald after the election that Alexandra and Vanessa Kerry "poured their heart and soul into their father's campaign, worked long hours ... reaching out to young voters to bring them into this campaign ... they volunteer for duty for this and it was far from glamorous."
Yeah, I bet Alexandra's trip to Hawaii was just excruciating...
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Okay, He May Not Be a Democrat...
by Matt Margolis :: August 30, 2005 2:43 PM
But Bernie Sanders is a Socialist registered as an independent and was endorsed by DNC Chairman Howard Dean. While Democrats charge Tom DeLay with hiring family members, Sanders paid his wife and stepdaughter over $150,000 for working on his campaign.
UPDATE: OF course, Bernie denies the charges... despite the fact that "his staff confirmed the information and that the data come from public records."
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It Pays To Be Nick Rahall's Sister
by Matt Margolis :: August 27, 2005 11:03 PM
...it pays very well...
Like many sisters, Tanya Rahall talks to her brother often. But unlike most sisters, she gets paid handsomely to do it.Rahall makes $15,000 a month lobbying Congress for the tiny Arab country of Qatar. And the person she frequently lobbies is Rep. Nick J. Rahall II (D-W.Va.), her older brother and one of Qatar's biggest champions in Washington.
Qatar paid her for helping him craft a resolution praising the country for "years of Democratic reform," even though it remained a monarchy without organized political opposition. She has recruited members of Congress for a pro-Qatar caucus that he leads, and accompanied him and other members on a visit to Doha, Qatar.
Of course, there is no wrongdoing at all...
Tanya Rahall, a self-employed government and public relations consultant, said her brother played no role in helping her get the Qatar contract or other clients. "Everything I have gotten I have gotten on my own," she said. "We have both been active on Arab American issues. It is what we care about. I do it for a living."
You see, it's just a coincidence they are brother and sister...
The Associated Press also reported in 2003 that Nick Rahall’s campaign paid his sister $5,000 for fundraising and consulting services...
Perhaps money is thicker than blood?
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I Do
by Matt Margolis :: August 21, 2005 10:35 PM
The Los Angeles Times reported last year that "[t]he campaign fund of Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) paid $251,853 to her husband's firm [Collins Day], according to the candidate's [2001-2004] campaign filings."
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Jesse Jr. Helped Make Hiring Family Legal
by Matt Margolis :: May 21, 2005 8:14 PM
The next time a Democrat makes a fuss about DeLay hiring his wife and daughter, remember who helped make the practice of hiring legal: Democrat Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois. It was Jackson who prompted the FEC to legalize hiring family...
The FEC put its official stamp of approval on such arrangements in 2001, when the agency issued a formal advisory opinion to Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), who wanted to hire his wife, Sandi, as a campaign consultant.Jackson wanted to hire his wife to assist with fundraising, and to provide administrative support and services for his campaign organization and operations.
The FEC ruled it was perfectly permissible for a candidate to pay salaries to family members for “bona fide, campaign-related services” as long as they were being paid “no more than the fair market value” for those services.
So, while the FEC doesn't prohibit family members from receiving salaries from campaigns—as long as they are providing actual campaign services, anyways—the pay rate must reflect a “fair market value.”
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Money Grows On The Family Tree
by Matt Margolis :: April 15, 2005 9:05 PM
Democratic Rep. Howard L. Berman of California sure knows how to pick a good campaign consultant...
Berman's campaign paid $205,500 to two firms headed by his brother Michael, a longtime campaign consultant, over the four-year period. The congressman said he thought the payments included debts he carried over from his 1998 and 2002 campaigns."The good news for me is that one of the most talented campaign strategists happens to be my brother," Berman said.
Yeah, I bet he is...
Berman, a former member of the House ethics committee, said that according to the chamber's rules, "you are not supposed to use your campaign funds for personal expenses or matters unrelated to politics. The test is what kind of work they are performing. I'm getting one of the most talented campaign strategists at a pretty good price. Out on the commercial marketplace, my brother makes a lot more money."
Oh, I guess that makes it okay...
A 2003 article in Roll Call also quotes Berman defending the "business" relationship:
“If you could find me somebody who is more skilled at political campaigns and political advice than he is, I’d be happy to hire them because they’d probably be cheaper,” joked Berman, who pointed out that his brother has been a political consultant since 1980.“This is not one of those situations where you create a [job] to get a relative money,” Berman added. “The guy who happens to be the best happens to be my brother and his partners.”
Berman, however, noted that his colleagues have to be careful about their “intent and motivation” when hiring relatives, who are banned from working for a Member’s personal office under House rules.
“If the reason that you’re hiring that person was a way of getting money to your family, as opposed to that’s the most sensible decision based on background and training ... it raises questions about personal uses of political funds,” said Berman.
I wonder how many other Democrats happen to be related to "the best" people to hire?
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Daddy's Little Campaign Finance Director
by Matt Margolis :: April 13, 2005 10:30 PM
Rep. Tim Bishop got his little girl a nice job in his campaign last year:
New York Democratic Rep. Tim Bishop: Daughter Molly was paid $46,995 as his 2004 campaign's finance director.
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It Runs In The Family
by Matt Margolis :: April 13, 2005 10:27 PM
The Forward reported in July of 2003 that Dick Gephardt's daughter,Chrissy Gephardt, was "working full-time for the presidential campaign of her father ... and [was] being paid $3,500 a month, according to Gephardt campaign spokesman Erik Smith."
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A Family Campaign
by Matt Margolis :: April 13, 2005 9:58 PM
Tennessee Democrat Rep. Lincoln Davis is no stranger to hiring family:
Rep. Lincoln Davis, D-Tenn.: Sister-in-law Sharon Davis has been his campaign treasurer since 1994,and daughter Libby Davis was his campaign coordinator in the last half of 2004. Libby Davis was paid about $2,334 a month; Sharon Davis was paid about $1,000 a month for bookkeeping last year.
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Does It Costa Lot To Hire Your Cousin?
by Matt Margolis :: April 13, 2005 9:51 PM
I don't know, ask Rep. Jim Costa, he hired his cousin as a co-campaign manager:
Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif.: Cousin Ken Costa made about $45,000 for serving as a co-campaign manager last year.
I wonder how much the other co-campaign manager made?
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Strictly Professional
by Matt Margolis :: April 13, 2005 9:44 PM
Bart Stupak hired his wife as his campaign finance director...
Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich.: Wife Laurie Stupak earned about $36,000 annually the past two years as the finance director for her husband's campaign.
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So, I'm Married To My Campaign Consultant
by Matt Margolis :: April 13, 2005 9:38 PM
Pete Stark hired his wife as a campaign consultant...
California Democratic Rep. Fortney "Pete" Stark: Wife Deborah earns $2,400 a month for serving as campaign consultant.
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Say It Ain't So, Joe
by Matt Margolis :: April 13, 2005 9:25 PM
Apparently, Joe Lieberman's kids don't work cheap...
The presidential campaign of Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman lost its two top finance staffers this week in a staff purge that drew attention to the six-figure salaries the campaign was paying to Lieberman's children for their work as fundraisers.Finance director Shari Yost and her deputy, Jennifer Yocham, resigned, in what the campaign described as a dispute with campaign director Craig Smith over "vision" and the best way to cut expenses.
Even as the campaign was shedding staff, some observers were raising their eyebrows at the salaries of Lieberman's two eldest children — who were being paid wages that would net each of them $100,000 a year, a source said.
Something doesn't seem kosher here...
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That's One Heck of an Allowance
by Matt Margolis :: April 7, 2005 12:49 PM
It's nice when mommy has her own political action committee isn't it?
Disclosure statements also show that Senator Barbara Boxer, ... directed $15,000 from her political action committee in 2003 to a consulting firm run by her son.
Roll Call also reported in May of 2003 that "Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) funneled $115,000 last cycle to Douglas Boxer & Associates, a company run by her son, from PAC For A Change, her leadership political action committee."
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That's What Big Brothers Are For
by Matt Margolis :: February 13, 2005 11:36 PM
Howard Dean had his brother take over as chairman of his PAC.. Yearrrrggggh!
Shortly after Dean's election, it was announced that his younger brother, Jim, would take over as chairman of Democracy for America, the political action committee the former governor started last year after leaving the presidential race.
What are big brothers for, right?
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How Did Tierney Get That On That Committee?
by Matt Margolis :: February 8, 2005 3:13 PM
Pardon My English notes that Nancy Pelosi has appointed Mass Rep. John Tierney to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), which is a "highly sought after committee assignment," that gives its members "full intelligence clearances," and it's just a "coincidence" that John Tierney's chief of staff is Christine Pelosi, Nancy's daughter.
