Iowa ethics board will investigate National Organization for Marriage

The anti-gay bigots and self-enriching hate merchants at the National Organization for Marriage ("NOM") like to congratulate themselves on their piety and godliness even as they lie through their teeth, seek to breed discord between blacks and gays, and violate campaign finance laws wherever they operate.  The latest state to launch an investigation of NOM is Iowa where NOM bundled money and participated in a campaign to oust Iowa Supreme Court justices who had joined in the Iowa Supreme Court opinion striking down Iowa's ban on gay marriage.  Here are highlights from the Des Moines Register:

A national organization that opposes same-sex marriage may have violated state law by not disclosing its donors in its fight to oust Iowa Supreme Court justices, ethics officials said today.

The Iowa Ethics & Campaign Disclosure Board voted unanimously to investigate the National Organization for Marriage, saying that if the allegations against it are proven true, the marriage group’s actions would violate state law.

The decision to investigate is a triumph for Republican former presidential candidate Fred Karger, who filed the complaint against the National Organization for Marriage on June 13.

Karger said the D.C.-based group spent $635,000 in 2010 and about $100,000 in 2012 to try to oust four of the justices who were part of a unanimous 2009 decision that allowed same-sex marriage in Iowa.

Megan Tooker, the ethics board’s lawyer and executive director, noted that the National Organization for Marriage was “absolutely wrong” in several of its interpretations of state law.

Tooker said if the marriage organization solicited and received donations for the purpose of defeating the Iowa justices, by state law, the names of those donors should have been disclosed.

One piece of evidence in the complaint is an email the National Organization for Marriage sent out on Sept. 21, 2012 that asks for cash donations specifically for the fight against the Iowa justices, Tooker said.

In its written response, the marriage organization argued that the release of donors isn’t required if funds are raised through phone calls and emails.  “That’s absolutely false,” Tooker said.

The folks at NOM make tawdry whores look virtuous in comparison.  I continue to believe that NOM's goal is to hide the fact that a handful of big donors - e.g., the Roman Catholic Church and/or other religious denominations - are its principal contributors.

Who Has Been Secretly Funding the National Organization for Marriage ("NOM")?

NOM's Hate Merchant Brian Brown

After fighting tooth and claw to hide the identities of its donors for over four years the National Organization for Marriage ("NOM") may be about to finally being forced to disclose the names of its mega donors.  There's lots of speculation about what names will come out.  Perhaps the most informed conjecture comes from Fred Karger who helped launch investigations of NOM.  His thoughts can be found in a piece at The New Civil Rights Movement.  Here are highlights:

All evidence points to the fact that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) created NOM in 2007 to qualify and pass California’s Proposition 8 the following year. The Mormon Church conspired with the Catholic Church in California, but the Mormons got busted. The LDS Church raised $30 million of the $40 million it took to pass Prop 8. Between 2008 and 2009 the Mormon Church was also investigated, prosecuted, fined and found guilty on 13 counts of election fraud by the California Fair Political Practices Commission for all it did to pass Prop 8 and didn’t report. By the time Maine rolled around a year later, it appears that the Mormon Church had retreated and tried to fly under the radar.

But did the LDS Church or one of its wealthy members write out the $1 million check to NOM expecting that it would never be discovered? What about the Catholic Church? It was the face of the campaign to repeal Maine’s gay marriage law that year, but Catholic dioceses from around the country gave openly to pass Maine’s Question 1. Its political arm, the Knights of Columbus gave $50,000.  So it’s unlikely that the Catholics wouldn’t launder additional money to NOM, and then go through nearly four years of legal battles to keep it secret.

Maybe the big checks came from California’s Howard Ahmanson who gave $1,395,000 to pass Prop 8 or Philadelphia billionaire John Templeton, Jr. who gave $1,100,000 to pass Prop 8. These two men don’t seem to mind being publically identified opposing marriage equality, but lots of these mega-donors backed away from supporting NOM, because it was under investigation.

Jonathan Wayne, executive director of The Maine Commission on Governmental and Election Practices has indicated that its nearly four-year investigation of NOM should be wrapped up by September of this year. That’s just about four years from the day I went to testify before the Commission, filed my sworn complaint and asked them to investigate NOM for alleged campaign money laundering. It was an exciting day when the Commission voted to investigate NOM. After the vote and before his press conference Brian Brown excused himself from the proceedings and went to make one phone call. I would sure love to know exactly whom he called.

Brown’s emails often said, “Give your money directly to NOM and your names will be kept secret.” Then Brown denied that, in his sworn affidavit which he had “notarized” in Virginia before flying up to testify in front of the Ethics Committee.

Wonder if there is any law against filing a false and misleading affidavit when testifying before the Maine Commission on Governmental and Election Practices?

Tawdry whores have more integrity and honesty than the "godly Christians" at NOM, many of who like Brian Brown have lined their pockets with lots and lots of money while peddling hate and bigotry.

FBI Investigating Bob McDonnell Ties with Donor

With his term as governor winding down and aspirations for higher national office, the last thing Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell needs is the FBI investigating what seem to be growing questions swirling around his relationship with Star Scientific and its chief executive, Jonnie R. Williams Sr.  Worse yet, but not being forthcoming from the outset, McDonnell may well have dug his own hole deeper.  Both he and his would be successor, Ken "Kookinelli" Cuccinelli seem to have constant ethics issues surrounding them.   Frankly, it could not happen to a more deserving duo and I hope the dirt just keeps on coming out.  A piece in the Washington Post looks at the FBI's entry into the picture.  Here are highlights:

FBI agents are conducting interviews about the relationship between Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell, his wife, Maureen, and a major campaign donor who paid for the food at the wedding of the governor’s daughter, according to four people familiar with the questioning.

The agents have been asking associates of the McDonnells about gifts provided to the family by Star Scientific chief executive Jonnie R. Williams Sr. and actions the Republican governor and his wife have taken that may have boosted the company, the people said.

Among the topics being explored, they said, is the $15,000 catering bill that Williams paid for the 2011 wedding of McDonnell’s daughter at Virginia’s historic Executive Mansion. But questions have extended to other, previously undisclosed gifts from Williams to Maureen McDonnell as well, they said.

The interviews, at which Virginia State Police investigators were present, began in recent months as an outgrowth of a federal investigation of securities transactions involving Star Scientific, which produces a dietary supplement called Anatabloc. The company disclosed that probe in a regulatory filing last month, saying it had received subpoenas from the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Now, federal officials are trying to determine whether to expand that investigation into a broader look at whether McDonnell or his administration took any action to benefit Star Scientific in exchange for monetary or other benefits, according to the four people familiar with the interviews. It is unclear whether the probe will be broadened.

[T]he FBI interviews represent a potential escalation of the growing controversy about McDonnell and his wife’s relationship with Williams, which has consumed the state capital in recent weeks.  Williams and Star Scientific have given McDonnell and his political action committee more than $120,000 in publicly disclosed campaign donations and gifts, while the McDonnell family has received other benefits, such as a vacation at Williams’s lake house in western Virginia.

The focus of the FBI interviews has been to determine whether any of those actions constituted a quid pro quo — McDonnell using his office to promote the company in return for anything of value for him or his family — people familiar with the questioning said.

[I]f investigators gather enough other evidence, they may open a formal public corruption inquiry, the people said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because the interviews are private and they are not authorized to discuss them.

I've known McDonnell for almost 20 years.  He's not stupid.  I keep wondering whether this mess is due to greed or hubris.  With Cuccinelli, who has his own Star Scientific baggage, it's an easier call - he thinks he's above the law not to mention the man is crazy.

Republicans See Cash Opportunity in Gay Marriage Shift

GOP Senator Rob Portman

The caption of this post which comes from a Politico article will have Tony Perkins, Brian Brown, Phyllis Schlafly, Linda Harvey and similar anti-gay hate merchants in full blown apoplexy along with convulsions on the floor and pools of spittle.   Yes, you read the title correctly.  A growing number of Republicans see a shift towards accepting gay marriage as a way to bring more cash into their coffers.  Apparently, Perkins' threat that the Christofascists will walk away if Republicans accept gay marriage hasn't struck fear in as many GOP hearts as Perkins had hoped.  Let's hope the trend trickles down to the level of the Virginia GOP which acts like a bunch of trained circus dogs that jump through the hoops held up by The Family Foundation.   Here are some highlights from the Politico piece:

Republican fundraisers say the changing views of gay marriage in their party could unlock big money from GOP donors in places like New York, California and Florida — where some Republicans have kept their checkbooks closed over what they saw as misplaced priorities, at best, or intolerance, at worst, at the highest ranks of the party.

Several Republicans pointed to Sen. Rob Portman’s switch in support of gay marriage as a watershed moment for the party. And more than two dozen high-profile GOP-ers asked the Supreme Court to back gay rights.

“Republicans’ intolerance to marriage equality has been detrimental to winning,” said Aaron McLear, a California Republican strategist. “Big donors understand that they don’t want to invest in campaigns focused on a losing issue, and I think certainly the fiscal issues for Republicans are much more marketable.”

It’s not clear how much money could come from donors supportive of the party’s move toward new thoughts on gay marriage. Pro gay-rights donors have long been an important source of campaign cash for Democrats, including after President Barack Obama pushed through a repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which barred openly gay people from serving in the military.  And operatives believe the money is there for Republicans, too.

Several lawmakers told POLITICO the issue has come up in meetings with potential big donors, who take a different view than the party base.  Portman himself has taken heat from New York donors who believe the party’s emphasis on social issues is one of the major reasons for losses this fall. Their views were taken so seriously that Portman, vice chairman of finance for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, held a dozen meetings with big New York donors recently in an attempt to assuage their fears about the direction of the party.

American Unity PAC, a super PAC started by Elliott Associates hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer to push Republican candidates to support gay marriage, plans to announce big changes related to its fundraising in the coming weeks as it ramps up for the midterm elections.  .  .  .  .  “I expect we’re going to play a major, major role in 2014. As more and more true conservatives come out in support of the freedom to marry, it gives us a lot more opportunity to play a role and make a difference in races,” said Jeff Cook-McCormac, a senior adviser to American Unity PAC.

David Herro, a major GOP donor who gave $50,000 to American Unity during the 2012 cycle, said Portman reconsidering his stance on gay marriage was “a huge positive” for the party.  .   .   .   Herro said he will continue to give to American Unity and that he welcomes Portman’s leadership on this issue.   "I think the Republican Party needs to be more libertarian on our views on these social issues,” he said.

One can just imagine the shrieks and wailing at the offices of FRC and AFA and Focus on the Family.  Let's hope the trend continues and that as a result more in the GOP make the shift to supporting marriage equality and in the process begin to marginalize the Christofascists. For its long term survival, the GOP needs to kick the Christianists to the curb at a minimum in terms of allowing them to control the party's position on social issues.

 

NOM's Tax Return: Two Major Anonymous Donors and a Self-Enriching Leadership

The National organization for Marriage ("NOM") continues to falsely describes itself as a broad based grass roots organization.  It's 2011 tax return - conveniently file with the IRS just AFTER the 2012 election - shows that two anonymous donors provided 75% of NOM's income in 2011 which was down overall from the year before.  It also reveals that in 20011 NOM's four salaried employees collectively took home a whopping $625,663.00, with Brian Brown and Maggie Gallagher drawing the largest amounts of money.  Who says that there isn't money to be made peddling hatred and lies.  Brian and Maggie have a gig that pays them more than most working class families can only dream of and yet they act constantly as if they are martyrs.  Paid whores and hat merchants might be a more apt description.  

As for the identities of the mystery donors, I know that many of us suspect that NOM is a Vatican/Catholic bishops front organization so it is an interesting question as to whether or not NOM may be using foreign funds to try to influence elections in America.  Personally, I believe that it is far past time that NOM be forced to reveal its donors.  Obviously, as was the case with Mitt Romney's tax returns, you do not hide things - in this case, the identity of donors - unless you know the blow back from full disclosure would be extremely negative.

Here are highlights from HRC's anaylsis of the NOM tax return:

Washington – The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) saw a steep decline in the amount of money it raised in 2011 – dropping to $6.2 million from the $9.1 million it raised the previous year. Just two donors were responsible for funding 75 percent of the anti-gay group – the organization reported two donations of approximately $2.4 million each. The information is available in NOM’s 2011 990, which NOM made available this evening after HRC requested the documents in-person at their Washington, D.C. office earlier this morning.

“The National Organization for Marriage continues to push the notion that there is some sort of grassroots support for their discriminatory anti-gay agenda,” said HRC Vice President of Communications Fred Sainz. “Last week, that notion was soundly rejected by voters in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington State. Now, NOM’s own financial records are serving as the latest proof that support for LGBT equality is common-sense and mainstream. NOM is nothing more than a conduit channeling the anti-gay agenda of a few secretive, wealthy donors.”

 In addition to illustrating that more than $4.7 million of NOM’s total $6.2 million reported came from just two mysterious mega-donors, the documents also reveal some interesting information about NOM’s closest affiliates. For example, NOM paid $870,000 to CC Advertising – a group HRC recently filed an FCC complaint against for spamming unsuspecting cell phone users with anti-gay, anti-Obama text messages. The organization also paid nearly $375,000 to Frank Schubert, their ad guru who makes his living largely off of promoting anti-LGBT propaganda.

More background on NOM, including information on the organization’s leadership and details on its close financial ties to religious institutions such as the Roman Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus and the Church of Latter Day Saints, is available via HRC’s NOM Exposed project at www.nomexposed.org.

Fox Business News: Romney Donors Shifting Money to GOP House and Senate Candidates

If what Fox Business News is reporting is true - i.e., that the big money donors are beginning to shift their money from the Romney/Ryan ticket to the GOP House and Senate races - it can only mean that the big money GOP fat cats see Romney/Ryan as dead meat and have concluded that they do not want to throw their money down a losing rat hole.   It is perhaps too early to know if this report is true and I hope no one who sees the GOP as an obstacle to progress, but it seems to be encouraging.  Here are some highlights from the Fox Business News article:

The Romney campaign is experiencing what some officials believe could be the beginning of a mass exodus of big money donors diverting their cash away from the Republican presidential hopeful and toward Republican candidates for the House and Senate races more likely to win in November, the FOX Business Network has learned.

The trend isn’t at the acute stage, at least not yet, said one person with direct knowledge of the matter. This person, a major player in Romney’s New York fundraising circles, confirmed to FOX Business that a few New York donors have backed away from financial commitments to the Romney campaign and instead said they will spend their money to help the Republicans hold on to the House of Representatives, and pick up seats in the Senate.

But another person with direct knowledge of the matter says the trend, though nascent, is more geographically broad based, and reflects an increasing degree of anxiety both with what they believe is the tentative nature of the Romney campaign, and recent poll numbers that show President Obama with a lead, particularly in key battleground states, that some Republican contributors are starting to believe is insurmountable.

“This isn’t just a New York trend,” this person said. “It’s beginning to occur all over the place.”  A spokeswoman for the Romney campaign said “many donors like to also donate to other candidates in addition to the support they have already given Gov. Romney.”  

One bright spot is that at least so far, the big donors that are moving away from Romney have not diverted their cash to President Obama, in attempt to cozy up to the administration during its second term, according to people inside the campaign.

“The debates will be very important,” said one person with knowledge of the matter. “If Romney does well that money could come back.”

I hope that anti-GOP voters continue to work as if they are the underdog and keep up a forceful ground game and do all in their power to assure a massive turn out.  I want to not only see the GOP standard bearers defeated but defeated resoundingly.