The Mac Ambrose Series: 1-3 (Boxed Set)
Page 17
“Ok.”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about Scimitar. Scimitar is their biggest corporate donor.”
“Ok.”
“We haven’t really chased the corporate angle.”
“Ok.”
“Well, the SFG’s brand is a grassroots membership image, ‘we support gun owners of America’ kind of thing.”
“Ok.”
“But what if that’s not the truth? What if they really, ultimately, support the gun industry? I mean, to the detriment of their members?”
Freda was silent for a few seconds. “Nice work, kid. Get me something tomorrow.”
The following morning, Freda looked up over her morning coffee as Stacia walked into her office. “What have you got for me?”
Stacia checked her notes, squinting in the sunlight. “Background on the gun market.”
“Talk to me.”
“The US gun and ammo manufacturing industry is a $15 Billion market.“
Freda whistled.
“The industry pumps out 6 million guns a year and employs 440,000 people. Civilians buy 60% of the guns. The military and law enforcement make up most of the rest.”
“Wait. Citizens buy more guns than the US military and law enforcement agencies combined?”
“Sadly, yes.”
“Go on.”
“Manufacturers make a crap load on ammunition. You only buy a gun once. You buy tons of ammo over your lifetime.” She looked up. “September 11 and the President’s election made a lot of gun owners twitchy. The market has been growing the last five years. I quote, ‘His election was the best thing that ever happened to the firearm industry.’ Unquote.”
“Lovely.”
“Also, gun sales spike after mass shootings.”
“Double lovely on rocks with a twist.”
“Licensed dealerships are on the rise for the first time in 20 years. Get this, Walmart is the biggest seller of firearms and ammunition in the US.”
“Really? Christ. Ok, so what did you find? How connected is the gun industry to the SFG?”
“The SFG claim they are not affiliated with any firearm or ammunition manufacturers or with any businesses that deal in guns and ammunition.”
“And?”
“They’re liars.”
Freda sat back.
“First, they take in a ton of ‘traditional’ donations from gun manufacturers. Because the SFG is registered as a 501c4, we can’t be sure how much. Best estimates range between $30 million all the way up to $90 million.”
“In ‘traditional’ donations?”
“Yes.” Stacia read from her notes. “Corporate partners who gave $45,000 or more include over 15 firearm manufacturers.” She looked up. “I’m talking all the big names here.”
“Huh. Big names and big fat checks.”
“Yup.” Stacia nodded excitedly. “And interestingly, of those corporate donors, 10 manufacture assault weapons and lots of their corporate partners produce high capacity ammunition.”
“Huh.”
Stacia held up a photo of eleven white men around a campfire.
“What is that?” Freda asked.
“That is the Circle of Liberty. If you donate more than $1M you too can be in the inner circle.”
They both stared at the photo.
Freda lamented, “None of my charitable contributions gets me a campfire.” She looked back to Stacia. “So all these guys have donated $1M or more.”
Stacia nodded.
“So the SFG has a lot of corporate donors.”
“Exactly.”
“What else?”
“Second, aside from donations almost all the gun manufacturers also ‘sponsor’ shit. From what’s publicly available it looks like corporate sponsorships for SFG events run to the tune of $60 million every year.” Stacia started to tick off on her fingers. “One sponsored a fundraising program. Another sponsored an SFG TV show. That ammo company I mentioned, sells ammunition and shooting accessories and are the official sponsor of the SFG Annual Meeting --”
“So they’ve got corporate donors and then sponsors.”
“Exactly.” Stacia held up a picture of Neil Koen accepting an outsized check for $5M from an older gentleman. “This is Koen and the ammo company founder.”
“Not affiliated to gun manufacturers, my ass. They’re getting heaps of cash from corporates.”
“Correct.”
“How about any manufacturers on their board?”
“Funny you should ask. The SFG won’t publish it’s Board of Directors.” She looked up and said, “Which is weird. But, I’ve uncovered that out of the 80 board members, fifteen are lobbyists who lobby on gun issues - ten of which have gun manufacturers specifically listed as clients - and five of the board members are CEOs of firearms or ammunition companies.”
“So the SFG claims to be this big grassroots membership organization but is clearly in bed with gun manufacturers.”
“Yes. And another interesting aside: the SFG won’t let its grassroots members - you know, the members it purports to represent - elect the Board of Directors. The Board’s election is totally rigged.”
Freda whistled again. She stood and walked to the window. “Ok, so clearly they’re not a membership organization.”
“Clearly.”
“Let me ask you this: why are gun manufacturers bending over backwards to give them money?”
“Because they lobby on their behalf.”
“Explain that.”
“There are so many examples. I’ll give you just three. 1. The SFG successfully lobbied to end the federal assault weapons ban. Rifle manufacturing went up 38%. 2. SFG’s worked to pass the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act of 1987 which allowed the biggest ammo producers to ship bullets directly to consumers, dramatically increasing profits. 3. And the SFG successfully lobbied a bill that shields gun makers from liability claims.” Stacia looked up. “You can’t sue gun makers for damages, say, for a city’s health care costs from gunshot wounds.”
Freda stood quietly by the window, listening.
“One CEO said that liability shield bill was the only reason the US has a firearms industry.”
Freda turned. “If that law had passed, we wouldn’t have a firearms industry in America?”
“Correct.”
“The gun lobbyists saved the firearms industry.”
“Correct.”
Freda looked back out the window. “In a nutshell: they’ve lied all along about not being affiliated to gun manufacturers.”
“Correct.”
“They’re a gun for hire in Washington.”
“Check.”
“Every year they’re taking in 100s of millions in membership fees. And as we’ve seen, they are then ignoring their grassroots members’ interests. They are simply lobbying on behalf of the gun industry and themselves.”
“Check.”
“It’s like me paying for OPEC’s lobbyist because I use their oil.”
“Check.”
“And SFG members are none the wiser.”
“Check mate.”
“No reputation - I don’t care if you’re the establishment, the entitled, the rich, or the popular - no reputation is so superior it’s above scrutiny. Not here in the US anyway.” Freda looked up. “That’s it. That’s the first article. Get drafting.”
32
Dupont Circle, DC
The morning’s New York News was up on Cal’s laptop screen on his desk in the apartment. He sipped his first coffee as he finished reading it.
As an ATF Agent he knew that once every three months the media put out a heated, but despairing, piece on the gun control debate. This article was striking in that it was the second in two days from the New York News.
It also had a surprisingly sarcastic tone.
The SFG: Simply A Gun for Hire
By STACIA DeVries
New York News
As the US Senate considers a new bill on assault weapons, one of the
country’s fiercest and most powerful lobbies stands ready for a fight. The Society for Guns brands itself as a civil rights group representing millions of the 74 million Americans who own guns. Many are starting to question if this is the case.
The latest polls find a majority of SFG members are in favor of limited gun control. It appears a growing theme is that the SFG has lost sight of their members’ interests. Said one member, “Protecting my family isn’t just about owning a gun. It’s also about keeping the guns from bad guys. I think the SFG has lost sight of this, to my detriment.”
The SFG’s strategy to fight any infringement on the Second Amendment for the sake of citizens may be a sleight of hand to cover for a darker agenda. The SFG helps to maintain the very lucrative $15 Billion gun manufacturing industry despite the organization’s protestations that it is ‘not affiliated to gun companies.’
Estimates put gun industry charitable donations to the SFG anywhere up to $90 Million. But more importantly, gun manufacturers ’sponsor’ many of the SFG's events and programs. Watchdogs estimate corporate sponsorships to the SFG may be as much as $60 million a year, likely a serious under-estimation.
Corporate support frees up the millions the SFG receives in membership dues to pay for staff salaries, including the $1 million-a-year they pay their Executive Director.
The SFG may have chosen a strategy that will eventually fail. An insider at a gun control advocacy group notes,“The SFG has drawn an imaginary line in the sand. Their extremism in the face of logic and reason will eventually exhaust most of their members. Even President George W. Bush cancelled his membership…”
Cal stopped reading and opened a new site. He researched the journalist and realized she was the one that did the piece on the Scimitar raid. He also learned she was quite young and had only been at the paper a year. It was becoming more interesting that the New York News had chosen someone so young to lead on two, back-to-back SFG stories.
An email inbox pinged.
It was a fourth email from Maar.
SUBJECT: BLUE LANTERN: POST-SHIPMENT END-USE CHECK ON LICENSE 88088
Origin:Embassy KABUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL
Classification:TOP SECRET
To: SECSTATE WASHDC
Date: 25 July 2013
HIGH PRIORITY
REF: STATE 88088
1. Blue Lantern Coordinator Kabul reports the recovery of a U.S. licensed M4 rifle with E-trace confirmed serial number matching License 88088.
3. The rifle has been confirmed in relation to the September 7 death of Neha Malhotra, US Embassy, by small arms fire attack in Kandahar province.
- JACOBY
Cal whispered, “Jesus Christ.”
He stared down R Street letting the revelation sink in. “Jesus Christ.”
He quickly pulled up Ranty’s contacts and calls him.
“Ranty here.”
Cal was almost breathless. “Ranty, it’s Cal.”
“My friend! What —“
“Listen Ranty, can we meet? Like urgently?”
“Ok, ok, can you make it out to Langley?”
“I’ll be there in 30. In the main parking lot.”
“I’ll be there.”
Cal raced back to the bedroom, muttering. “Holy Mother.”
In the parking lot of the CIA Headquarters in Langley, Cal canted heavily against the hot hood of his Jeep then righted himself. “Are you kidding me? Not only did someone cover up the Blue Lantern investigation out of Pakistan, but they fucking covered up that one of Scimitar’s guns killed a US diplomat!”
Ranty stared down at the cable opened on Cal’s cell phone screen. He couldn’t hide the stunned look on his face.
Cal pointed his finger at Ranty. “Just exactly like you predicted; this one is Top Secret. This one only went to the top floors of CIA and State. It only went to the Mandarins.”
Ranty whispered, “What are we going to do?”
“First, you’re going to stay out of this. You have a wife and kids and a job. I’m going to prove there was a cover up.”
“Cal, if there was a cover up, it’s all the way at the top. Not only in this Agency, but State, and quite possibly other institutions —“
“It doesn’t matter. Someone got killed! This Malhotra woman got shot by a fucking Scimitar M4. This has got to get righted.”
“Long established institutions in this town. Powerful institutions.”
Cal walked all the way around his car to calm himself. He stopped in front of Ranty. “Go back. Go back inside. I’m sorry I called you out here. This is too risky for you.”
Ranty paused then handed him back the cell phone and turned toward the lobby door without a word.
33
Courthouse, VA
At 8 a.m., Mac saw Amanda Hughes leave her apartment building. She was wearing a similar summer dress, slim and bright and was carrying her leather briefcase. On her feet were tidy sneakers over pale yellow running socks. Her hair was freshly blown out.
Her stride was even and long. Her chin was up.
This was a woman who was now angry.
Mac threw out a cup of lukewarm coffee and hailed a taxi.
Capitol Hill, DC
Four hours later, Mac watched Amanda exit the SFG Lobby building on her lunch break and started off after her. When they were well out of range of the SFG Lobby, Mac strode up next to her and spoke into her ear. “We need to talk.”
Amanda stumbled, glanced over, and recognized Dora. “Jesus.”
“We need to talk.”
Amanda stopped, turned toward Mac. “I’m totally not ok with this. I have no idea who you are. I’m not getting involved. All I know is you’ve presented me with a recording and a photo that shows my boss …”
Mac took her elbow and steered her toward an alley. Amanda reluctantly complied, hissing, “I’m totally not ok with this. I don’t know who you are. I am not getting involved.”
Mac stopped them near a back door. “I’m from a reputable foundation. I represent very wealthy, very established people. As part of my due diligence on a large donation to the SFG, I discovered your boss was misappropriating funds. That’s the language, Amanda. Misappropriating funds. Fraud.”
Amanda stared down the alley. Her resistance was palpable.
Mac continued, “I spoke with Mrs. Bodie last night. We strongly believe Neil is tarnishing a valued and respected institution.”
“I want no part of this.”
“Mrs. Bodie believes it is our patriotic duty to blow the whistle.”
Amanda’s lips tightened and her head jerked side to side.
“Amanda, we want to clean out the one bad apple so that the SFG Lobby can continue doing the great work you do. We’d like your help.”
A door opened and a waiter dropped a trash bag in a dumpster.
Mac asked, “Do you know many wealthy people?”
Amanda wouldn’t meet her eyes.
“Mrs. Bodie is extremely wealthy. The bankers call them Ultra High Net Worth individuals. These types of people, Amanda, get things done. They have huge networks, they have serious influence. Mrs. Bodie is going to do this with or without you. If we move forward without you, I don’t know what will happen to you.”
Amanda hissed, “I’m not ok with this conversation. I want nothing to do with this.”
“I hear you. I hear that. Did you hear me?”
Amanda stared off in the distance, her mind spinning.
Mac said, “We are going ahead with or without you. Hear me. You will be left out in the cold.”
Amanda’s voice, while still angry, was softening, ever so slightly, “I want nothing to do with this. I am not ok with this.”
“What you need to understand is that you being ok, is not the point. It stopped being the point when Neil crossed the line into corruption.”
Amanda looked away, biting her lip.
Mac hammered her hesitation. “Amanda, you being ok with corruption is also not relevant any more. Your opinion does
not in any way change the fact that you are working for one of the biggest civil rights organizations whose key leader is abusing his power. If you do nothing, you are complicit, you are a major part of the problem.”
“Me?”
“Yes, Amanda, you. You’re part of them and by doing nothing you’re condoning their behavior. You’re part of the problem.”
Amanda’s eyes searched the alley for an answer, her mind racing. Eventually she stared down at the ground and her shoulders slumped.
Mac was gentle. “Amanda, we’re moving ahead to clean house. You want to be on our side when this hits the fan.”
Mac took a step back and let her arms hang loose by her sides.
Amanda looked up. “What do I have to do?”
“Not much. We’ll arrange it all. Ms. Bodie believes we need to make Neil’s actions public in order to ensure that the institution does not cover this up. Your identity will be protected. In fact, you’ll be sitting pretty, once Neil is replaced. Amanda, we need something in addition. Something strong. It’s not enough that he and the Senator have been caught misappropriating funds. Once. We need to prove there is a culture of fraud. Of defrauding donors and members. Of treating them inappropriately. Of using them.” Mac looked directly into Amanda’s eyes and softened her voice. “Amanda, Newtown was a turning point. Small kids. Innocent kids. Gunned down.” Her voice was barely a whisper as she watched Amanda’s face. “Did Neil respond to Newtown in a way that wasn’t ok?”
Amanda’s eyes rose left as she sifted through her memory, then stopped and looked back at Mac.
There. There it is.
Mac’s voice was smoother, stronger. “We need to prove Neil is corrupt. Get me something.”
She turned and retreated back down the alley.
Langley, VA
Odom dialed Beam. “Beam here.”