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Subscribe to RSSA major conservative advocacy group, funded by Koch family oil interests, says it is reviewing its "financial dealings" with a Wisconsin charity headed by Herman Cain's campaign manager, raising fresh questions about the source of tens of thousands of dollars in funds that were used to pay expenses for Cain's presidential campaign.
The Center for Public Integrity reported late Thursday that Americans for Prosperity, one of the largest and most prominent of conservative political groups, has confirmed unspecified financial transactions with two closely linked Wisconsin non-profits -- Prosperity USA and Wisconsin Prosperity Network -- that were founded by Mark Block, Cain's campaign manager.
One of those groups, Prosperity USA, paid for $37,000 in expenses, including iPads, charter flights and items, for Cain's presidential campaign, according to financial documents disclosed this week by the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel.
Non-profits are barred by law from paying for campaign expenses, and when the allegations first surfaced this week -- at the same time as the sexual harassment charges against the presidential candidate -- Cain said he would order an investigation of whether there were improper campaign violations.
Cain's campaign lawyer, Steve Bienek, declined to answer questions from NBC about the transactions between the Wisconsin charities headed by Block and the campaign, saying only that the campaign has retained an outside law firm to review them.
"We take these allegations very seriously," he said.
But the Center for Public Integrity report by Peter Stone raises additional questions as to whether Americans for Prosperity (AFP) funds were used by Block to pay Cain campaign expenses. AFP had "financial dealings with Prosperity USA and/or the Wisconsin Prosperity Network," Levi Russell, the spokesman for AFT is quoted as saying.
(Russell confirmed the transactions to NBC News, but declined to elaborate, and added that the group had no reason to believe there was any wrongdoing on its part.)
Some of those transactions are hinted at in the documents released by the Journal-Sentinel: They show a $5,000 expense in February 2011 for Cain to attend a meeting of a group called RightNation "at request of AFP" and that Block made a trip to Washington to meet with AFP's president Tim Phillips and David Koch."
Koch and his oil industry brother Charles Koch were the founders of Americans for Prosperity, but the group -- like most non-profits -- declines to identify its donors. The group is having a major conference in Washington starting Friday at which Cain and other presidential candidates are scheduled to speak.
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to: 3rdpartyadvocate
What you said would be true if there were only 1 allegation, 3 women came forth. One woman maybe but 3 and journalist have seen the legal papers. He bought them off for their silence.
What legal papers? Was there a court settlement or an employment separation agreement with a severance package? Two very different things. I don't doubt that something happened, but we have yet to see any hard evidence or hear from any of the involved parties other than Mr. Cain.
The Supreme Court decision at work... Cooperations are people, but unlike human people, they are NOT limited in the amounts or dispersement of campaign funds.
"Democracy for Sale" Thank you conservative Supreme Court!
Croked, Unethical, Liar. Crooked, Unethical, Liar. And so it continues. This guy is so done. And I keep going back to the fact that this is the best the GOP can come up with??? If this is the cream of their crop, what they want to make our President, can you imagine the caliber of the Senators, Congressman and local politicians they promote. Crooked, Unethical, Liars.
Ed,
Racist!!!!!!!
What are the Koch brothers and the teabaggers gonna do if we find out these women are white?
Funding will dry up and the hate will come out on Cain. Should get more interesting...
Toyota,
Well,we knew Clinton's women were white.
What's really going to be fun is watching one of them finally break their "Silence", go on Oprah, and while choking back tears say that Cain looked at them on several occasions and one time he even winked. No. These are people that probably didn't like him for whatever reason back in those days and definately don't agree with his political ideology. If there was anything serious happened, there's no way the media would not have found out what it was by now.
Back in those days Richard1550? Its was not back in the 60's it was 12 years ago.
On Ed Schultz's radio program this morning (on Chicago's Progressive Talk), he seemed to think that the Koch Bros. were becoming a cancer on any Republicon associated with them. Let's hope it's true. Obama/Biden 2012
Rock on to Big "Ed"... 760 AM where I'm at....listen everyday and (every night) on channel 65 with Comcast.
Obama/Biden 2012
Doug,
....and you listen to Ed "Fat Boy" Schultz??
I'm laughing........I'm laughing some more......................
@bernie-1722829,
What's the big deal. I listen to him too.
You libs need a prozac
and you need more intelligent posts.
Thanks Dad
no problem. Glad I can help out people who waste posts here. :)
What would really start concerning me would be if he had ties to left wing environmental or other groups. It don't bother me near as much when politicians have ties to organizations that support their cause rather than politicians having ties to organizations that are trying to sway their stand on issues. Taking Obama for example. He'll bad mouth big Wall Street firms all day long all the while holding out his hand to them for support.
"ties" are fine. Illegal funding is another matter if it comes to that.
If the right wing got all the votes they need why are they rigging the voting process by making people show ID's just to vote. By the way which was never ever needed to vote. Just this past year.
Just one more example of the need for a Constitutional amendment. Here goes: "Only a citizen of the United States of America, of voting age and registered to vote may contribute to the political campaign of a candidate for Federal office. Contributions by each citizen are capped at $2500 per candidate per year. Citizens may also contribute to a political party. Contributions to political parties are capped at $5000 per party per year for each citizen. Political action committees are banned in the United States of America. Corporations may not contribute any money or services to any candidate or party at the federal, state or local level. Trade groups, lobbying organizations and all groups representing for profit entities may not contribute any money or services to any candidate or party at the federal, state or local level."
Political contributions to Republicans and Democrats are the cancer that is killing our political system.
Sounds good! Long overdue. This and term limits would go a long way to cleaning up Washington.
Ya better hope these women aren't "white" teabaggers...you love some Cain though don't you...let's see how long that will last...LOL
Some of the stuff floating around on this issue suggest that at least one was white and that two were married women, not that that makes a difference, sexual harassment is a crime regardless of the ethnicity or marital status of the victims.
Cain supporters see right through, and are ignoring the blatant racism coming from the left.
Dominick: color will matter to the teabaggers. Believe me.
Cain supporters are ignoring the blatant shortcomings of their messiah. (see, two can play the "messiah" game!)
Lock up the Koch Bros., Cain, and the Tea Party Nuts!!!
Cain got more alibi than a legitimate illegal immigrant.
The point is, Cain is a pussy hunter, the wife?
Wife is after the good food and lavish White House life style.
No more plantation this time.
quit worrying about cain, he won't be any worse than the last few we have had. We haven't had but few presidents that truely worried about our country. Most just do what they are told to do.
Amazing grace?????????????????????????????
How about; "turn out the lights, the game is over."
Bless, Frank Gifford.
Boy, the media. Washington establishment and left wing are so afraid of this guy that they just cannot stop with these stories. I only wish the entire field of candidates from both sides in this election cycle and in 2008 were being vetted like this. If this was 2008 and candidate Obama had been hit with these kinds of stories many people would have been crying "racism". The fact that they are not speaks volumes about how they fear Cain as a candidate.
He wouldn't have even made it past the property deal between him and Rezko.
lol, cain can't win. the left doesn't fear him. Perry fears him, which might explain the leak better than your silly theory. :)
I've read alot of these posts and one thing I never seem to see is how the republicans have all of these bad people behind them and I never seem to see anything of George Soros. He is probably as crooked as the Koch bros. yet noone mentions him. He controls more radical left groups around the world and his control goes into the White House. The problems within this country need to be addressed and to start we need term limits for all politicians and their staffs. Two terms and youre done no benefits , not allowed to lobby , just go home. These people are all bought and paid for by special interest groups.
maybe because the story isn't about soros?
Why because the media say's so? Yet the dems never have a problem determining who the bad guys are on the repub side. Once again we have double standards, I remember hearing about sexual harassment coming out of the WH from an AP report . That was squashed real quick wasn't it!!
I know it is too much to hope for, but it seems to me that the discussion should be about the increasingly obvious fact that our political system is entirely captive to small groups of individuals (corporations now being "people") holding vast wealth. Congress is utterly useless and our presidential elections are simply a contest to see which team has more money. I think you should be seriously worried about where this all will end, rather than calling each other names. Just sayin...
Todays American media is disgusting. There is nothing of interest being reported and what is isn't worth reading.........................goodbye.
Bernie-I used to be a Republican. After 8 years of W. Bush, after he put a couple people in his cabinet from the Vietnam era, and he appointed John Ashcroft Attorney General (after Ashcroft lost an election to the Senate from Missouri-he lost the election to a person who died in a place crash during the campaign-his name escapes me right now), and every decision Bush made domestically and internationally (Iraq, especially) was, in my opinion, wrong, is why I changed parties. As far as Ed Schultz is concerned, or Rachel Maddow, or Thom Hartman, etc. they don't have to make any of their points up. The Great Obstructionist Party/TPers are doing a great job making themselves look foolish and blatantly showing that the Republican Party is a tool for the Big Corporations and the Koch Bros. I'm not a slave to ANY political party. If the Democrats were doing what the GOP is doing, I'd be a ranting, raving Republican. But they're not. That's why I'm now a Democrat. Obama/Biden 2012
Doug,
Welcome to the Club.
The Club as in "Ex-Republicans"
Apllications are being approved at an alarming rate.
News from the left:
Why in the world would a minority, particularily a black man, be a Republican, especially a conservative? Even if he denies it, he COULD not have been successful without the help and backing from the government. It's the Democrats that laid the foundation for him to be successful and he should be appreciative of that fact today. If you are a minority you'd better hope conservatives never get complete control of all three branches again or they'll be taking us back to the days of slavery and hanging your butts in the nearest oak tree. Regardless of your ambition and self-dertermination, you'll never be successful without the help of the Democratic party.
Fortunately, there is a huge percentage of minorities that have learned they do much better with their own hard work and determination and are tired of Democrats saying they can't do it without their help. The left's biggest fear is probably going to come true. That is that blacks, and probably hispanics, are going to look at Cain and realize he's right, their biggest obstacle to success is excuses.
Lets get a Black man in office!!!!!! just not one that is a republican... the dems undies are showing badly.
Except for maybe a few here and there, every black I met during 20 years of military service were conservative, at least in the way they lived their lives. Most, but not nearly all, were Democrats. I'd be willing to bet today they're taking a hard look at Cain and realizing he's more representative of the way they are than Obama would ever hope to be!
hmm..thanks for your personal experience which is, statistically speaking, meaningless.
So is yours!!!
Koch brothers products to boycott:
Koch Industry Gasoline: Chevron / Union / Union 76 / Conoco
Koch Industry/Georgia-Pacific Products: Angel Soft toilet paper / Brawny paper towels / Dixie plates, bowls, napkins and cups / Mardi Gras napkins and towels / Quilted Northern toilet paper / Soft ‘n Gentle toilet paper / Sparkle napkins / Vanity fair napkins / Zee napkins
Cain works for Americans for Prosperity which is an extreme right wing corporate group run by the Koch brothers. This group is for greed, for no government and for profiting without any consideration for the American population. We really do not need a Koch puppet like Cain in the presidency. The right wing better wise up and throw this fool out. If they keep sticking with Cain it shows just how moronic republicans really are. More and more tea party fox watching believers will bring this country to serious despair.
Where were these sorts of stories when Obama was reaping in millions of dollars from unknown out of country sources during the last campaign. Oh, that's right, Obama was the messiah. I forgot.
Isn't the "campaign" supposed to give the public a chance to view and evaluate the character and abilities of would be candidates to hold high office? If so, then Cain has failed the test whether you are from a liberal or conservative stripe.
He cannot display the integrity to answer a direct question. The question was not "unfair" - were you accused of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior while head of the Restaurant Association? That is a simple yes or no question than any fool could answer. If the follow up question was: were you guilty? an answer again could be yes or no. The fact that he lied and tried to cover it up [ineptly] shows a lack of judgment and a lack of political skills. Remember that one of Cain's "stories" was that his subordinates handled it and he did not know what people under him had done.
Now, his campaign manager is involved in illegal campaign contribution matters and again Cain shows that he cannot lead even his own staff, much less the country. Makes you wonder how much intelligence and skill is required to run a pizza business.
Humpty-Hermin-Dumpty had a great fall
And, all the t-gopers and all his bodyguards,
Couldn't put the mobster pimp together again.
Cain must have the "powers that be" pretty nervous! Dismissed sexual harassment charges and now possible campaign contribution issues? Why isn't the media checking out every single person in the race? Why didn't they do this kind of reporting about Obama or Perry or Bachmann?? They (whoever they are!) must think that Cain has a chance!
or Perry is ticked off that cain bumped him as frontrunner.