Profiles in Corruption
Page 35
160. Vermont Secretary of State Corporations Division, “American People’s Historical Society,” accessed November 30, 2018, https://www.vtsosonline.com/online/BusinessInquire/BusinessInformation?businessID=41079.
161. “Vermont Patent & Trademark Depository Library,” GuideStar, accessed November 30, 2018, https://www.guidestar.org/profile/03–0350831; “Re: Agenda for Thursday Meeting—Sanders Research,” Wikileaks, November 5, 2015, https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/21823.
162. Jasper Craven, “Sanders Institute has little to show for first year and $500K,” VTDigger, July 29, 2018, https://vtdigger.org/2018/07/29/sanders-institute-little-show-first-year-500k/.
163. Danny Hakim, “Sanders Institute Suspends Operations as Senator Runs for President,” New York Times, March 14, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/14/us/politics/bernie-sanders-public-policy-group.html?action=click&module=RelatedCoverage&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer.
164. Vermont Secretary of State Corporations Division, “The Sanders Institute INC,” accessed November 30, 2018, https://www.vtsosonline.com/online/BusinessInquire/BusinessInformation?businessID=333112; The Sanders Institute, Internal Revenue Service, Form 990, 2017, https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2017/813/250/2017–813250230–0f86c804–9.pdf.
165. Lenny Ben-David, “Lenny Ben David on The Arab Lobby by Mitchell Bard,” Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, April 5, 2012, http://jcpa.org/article/lenny-ben-david-on-the-arab-lobby-by-mitchell-bard-2/; Anne Gearan, “Sanders Wins Greater Say in Democratic Platform; Names Pro-Palestinian Activist,” Washington Post, May 23, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sanders-scores-platform-concessions-from-democratic-national-committee/2016/05/23/e9ee8330–20fc-11e6-aa84–42391ba52c91_story.html?utm_term=.17c72c2489d2.
166. “Clients,” Zogby Research Services, accessed July 22, 2019, http://www.zogbyresearchservices.com/clients.
167. Hussain Abdul-Hussain, “Broken Washington: The Cases of Zogby and the Brookings Institute,” Huffington Post, October 21, 2010, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/broken-washington-the-cas_b_771238.
168. Carney, “Nonprofit Structure Backfires on ‘Our Revolution.”
169. Ibid.
170. Ibid.
Chapter 8: Amy Klobuchar
1. David Choi, “2020 Presidential Contender Amy Klobuchar Doesn’t Deny ‘Throwing’ a Binder Amid Reports of Anger Issues Among Staffers,” Business Insider, February 12, 2019, https://www.businessinsider.com/amy-klobuchar-throwing-binder-office-staffers-minnesota-2019–2.
2. Matt Stieb, “Senator Klobuchar’s Staff Mistreatment Reportedly Goes Back a Decade, Includes Throwing Binders,” Intelligencer, February 8, 2019, http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/02/report-klobuchars-staff-mistreatment-goes-back-a-decade.html.
3. Jeremy Stahl, “A Veep Joke About Leg-Shaving Was Inspired by a Rumor About Amy Klobuchar,” Slate, February 12, 2019, https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/02/veep-amy-klobuchar-leg-shaving-rumor.html
4. Nolan D. McCaskill, “The ‘Worst Bosses’ in Congress?,” Politico, March 22, 2018, https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/21/worst-bosses-congress-476729
5. James Appleby, President, Local 2938, letter to Michael Buseing, RE: Request for ASFCME endorsement by Amy Klobuchar, February 8, 2006, https://www.scribd.com/document/399214761/AFSCME-Letter-on-Amy-Klobuchar-2006; Matt DeLong, “Eight Things to Know About Amy Klobuchar,” Star Tribune, February 10, 2019, http://www.startribune.com/eight-things-to-know-about-amy-klobuchar/505579901/.
6. Molly Redden and Amanda Terkel, “Harry Reid Rebuked Amy Klobuchar for Mistreatment of Staff,” Huffington Post, February 8, 2019, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/amy-klobuchar-mistreat-staff-harry-reid_n_5c5db1ece4b03afe8d674530 (Note: see letter linked from the article); “Union Urges Minn. Senate Candidate Be Denied Endorsement,” Congress Daily, February 22, 2006.
7. Tina Nguyen, “Terrified Aides Say Amy Klobuchar Is Just Like Trump,” Vanity Fair, February 8, 2019, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/02/senator-klobuchar-temper-rumors.
8. “Top 10 Minnesota Daily Newspapers by Circulation,” Agility PR Solutions, Data as of August, 2019, https://www.agilitypr.com/resources/top-media-outlets/top-10-Minnesota-daily-newspapers-by-circulation/.
9. Amy Klobuchar, The Senator Next Door: A Memoir from the Heartland (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2015), pp. 24–28; Ben Terris, “Amy Klobuchar’s Complicated Political Inheritance,” Washington Post, May 7, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/style/wp/2019/05/07/feature/amy-klobuchars-complicated-relationship-with-her-father-has-defined-her-as-a-person-and-a-candidate/?utm_term=.32a7c3ab0d5f.
10. “Klobuchar, Amy, (1960–),” Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, accessed June 14, 2019, http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=k$00367; Klobuchar, The Senator Next Door, pp. 61, 67, 76.
11. Klobuchar, The Senator Next Door, pp. 77, 80.
12. Josephine Marcotty, “Painful times with dad helped Klobuchar create drive to succeed,” Star Tribune, October 8, 2006, http://www.startribune.com/painful-times-with-dad-helped-klobuchar-create-drive-to-succeed/505576691/.
13. “Walter Mondale Fast Facts,” CNN Library, December 19, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2013/08/30/us/walter-mondale-fast-facts/; Klobuchar, The Senator Next Door, p. 81.
14. Klobuchar, The Senator Next Door, p. 84.
15. “John Bessler—Amy Klobuchar’s Husband,” Superbhub, March 17, 2019, http://superbhub.com/biography/john-bessler-net-worth-wife/.
16. Marcotty, “Painful times with dad helped Klobuchar create drive to succeed.”
17. Klobuchar, The Senator Next Door, pp. 111, 115, 127, and 134.
18. Ibid., pp. 139, 171, and 173.
19. Amy Sherman, “Burnsville, Minn. Contractor Charged in Major Swindle,” St. Paul Pioneer Press, January 31, 2003; Amy Sherman, “St. Paul, Minn.-Area Contractor Gets Two Years in Major Swindle,” St. Paul Pioneer Press, January 16, 2004.
20. “Tax probe now includes 42 Northwest Airlines employees,” Post Bulletin, January 29, 2003, https://www.postbulletin.com/tax-probe-now-includes-northwest-airlines-employees/article_ce5a3069-c4aa-54e6–9565–049d4b48c2a1.html; Klobuchar, The Senator Next Door, pp. 171–73; Associated Press, “More Northwest Pilots Accused of Tax Evasion,” Post Bulletin, March 30, 2002, https://www.postbulletin.com/more-northwest-pilots-accused-of-tax-evasion/article_4350c38d-aeb4–5dea-bef4-c88d2720e7d2.html.
21. Annalyn Censky, “Tom Petters gets 50 years for Ponzi scheme,” CNN Money, April 8, 2010, https://money.cnn.com/2010/04/08/news/economy/Tom_Petters/; Alexandra Sifferlin, “Top 10 Swindlers—Schemers and Swindlers—Tom Petters,” Time, March 7, 2012, http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2104982_2104983_2104984,00.html.
22. “Bill Mondale,” LinkedIn profile, n.d., https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-mondale-2231871/.
23. David Phelps and Jon Tevlin, “Part 1: The collapse of the Petters empire,” Star Tribune, March 24, 2011, http://www.startribune.com/part-1-the-collapse-of-the-petters-empire/33287804/; David Phelps, “Ted Mondale to pay $50,000 clawback to Petters receiver,” Star Tribune, April 23, 2013, http://www.startribune.com/ted-mondale-to-pay-50–000-clawback-to-petters-receiver/204203021/; “Mondale, Ted A.,” Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, accessed August 1, 2019, https://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail?id=10436.
24. Phelps, “Ted Mondale to pay $50,000 clawback to Petters receiver.”
25. Kevin Diaz, “Donor Loyalties Are Clear in U.S. Senate Race; Kennedy’s donations come from political action committees and corporations; many of Klobuchar’s financial backers are lawyers,” Star Tribune, October 28, 2006; Matthew Boyle, “Documents: Sen. Klobuchar Took Ponzi Schemer’s Campaign Contributions, Didn’t Prosecute,” Daily Caller, October 19, 2012, https://dailycaller.com/2012/10/19/documents-sen-klobuchar-took-ponzi-schemers-campaign-contributions-didnt-prosecute/; FEC data.
26. Boyle, “Documents: Sen. Klobuchar Took Ponzi Schemer’s Campaign Contributions, Didn’t Pr
osecute.”
27. Ibid.
28. Ibid.
29. Tom Scheck, “Klobuchar Calls Daily Caller Story ‘Inaccurate,’ ” Minnesota Public Radio, October 22, 2012, https://blogs.mprnews.org/capitol-view/2012/10/klobuchar_calls_2/.
30. Associated Press, “Minn. Businessman Tom Petters Rose Quickly, Fell Faster,” Post Bulletin, November 15, 2008, https://www.postbulletin.com/minn-businessman-tom-petters-rose-quickly-fell-faster/article_bb5cf23b-d016–5dba-b72d-f25d91a7e802.html.
31. Nicole Garrison-Sprenger and John Welbes, “Early Signs of Petters Debacle Unheeded,” Twincities.com, October 15, 2008, https://www.twincities.com/2008/10/15/early-signs-of-petters-debacle-unheeded/.
32. Mariah Blake, “The Turnaround Men,” New Republic, October 26, 2011, https://newrepublic.com/article/96713/petters-ponzi-scheme; FEC data.
33. Garrison-Sprenger and Welbes, “Early Signs of Petters Debacle Unheeded”; Daily Caller, “Klobuchar Petters Documents the Daily Caller,” Scribd, October 19, 2012, https://www.scribd.com/doc/110532291/Klobuchar-Petters-Documents-the-Daily-Caller.
34. Blake, “The Turnaround Men”; Government Exhibit 353-A, FBI phone call between Tom Petters and Bob White, October 1, 2008.
35. “Introduction to My Forthcoming Book: Ponzi-Dot-Gov: How the Government Defrauds Innocent Citizens,” James L. Merriner’s website, accessed on April 16, 2019, http://www.jamesmerriner.com/ponzi-dot-gov_intro.html; “Author & Freelance Editor/Writer,” James L. Merriner’s website, n.d., http://www.jamesmerriner.com/bio.html; Jim Klobuchar, Minstrel: My Adventures in Newspapering (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1997), pp. 218–19.
36. Brian Lambert, “Five More Questions: Doug Kelley’s high-stakes, high-profile, high-altitude adventures,” Minnesota Post, June 23, 2014, https://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2014/06/five-more-questions-doug-kelleys-high-stakes-high-profile-high-altitude-adve/.
37. Boyle, “Documents: Sen. Klobuchar Took Ponzi Schemer’s Campaign Contributions, Didn’t Prosecute.”
38. Ibid.
39. Blake, “The Turnaround Men.”
40. “Polaroid and Petters Group Worldwide Sign Definitive Merger Agreement,” Exhibit 99.1, January 7, 2005, https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1227728/000110465905000847/a05–1214_1ex99d1.htm; http://www.startribune.com/bankruptcy-jurors-award-petters-co-victims-3–5-million-in-clawback-money/502211391/.
41. “Update 2—Tom Petters found guilty of Ponzi scheme fraud,” Reuters, December 2, 2009, https://www.reuters.com/article/petters-verdict/update-2-tom-petters-found-guilty-of-ponzi-scheme-fraud-idUSN024978920091202; Associated Press, “50-Year Term for Minnesota Man in $3.7 Billion Ponzi Fraud,” New York Times, April 8, 2010, https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/09/business/09ponzi.html.
42. David Phelps, “Petters largesse follows politicians,” Star Tribune, January 27, 2012, http://www.startribune.com/petters-largesse-follows-politicians/138241909/.
43. Brian Friel, “The Utility Man,” National Journal, June 2, 2007.
44. Philip Klein, “Amy Klobuchar is actually quite liberal,” Washington Examiner, February 28, 2019, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/amy-klobuchar-is-actually-quite-liberal; “Head to Head: Compare Voting Records—Bernard Sanders and Amy Klobuchar,” ProPublica, voting records as of August 3, 2019, https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/S000033-bernard-sanders/compare-votes/K000367-amy-klobuchar/116.
45. Kevin Diaz, “Klobuchar: Aiming for the middle ground,” Star Tribune, March 29, 2010.
46. Lisa Lerer, “Calling Herself ‘Progressive,’ Klobuchar Tries to Widen Appeal on Fox,” New York Times, May 9, 2019; Lisa Lerer, “On Fox News, Amy Klobuchar Makes Her Case to the Left and the Right,” New York Times, May 8, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/08/us/politics/klobuchar-town-hall.html.
47. Jim Geraghty, “Twenty Things You Probably Didn’t Know about Amy Klobuchar,” National Review, January 23, 2019, https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/01/twenty-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-amy-klobuchar/.
48. Opensecrets.org, “Sen. Amy Klobuchar—Minnesota,” n.d., https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/earmarks?cid=N00027500&cycle=2018&fy=FY08. Earmarks of note: 2008, Northstar Commuter Rail $53.9 million, Central Corridor Light Rail $10.2 million. In 2009 Central Corridor Light Rail Transit Project $20 million. In 2010, Northstar Commuter Rail extension $3 million, Central Corridor Light Rail $2 million.
49. Ibid.
50. “Northstar Commuter Rail Line,” Metro Transit, accessed June 12, 2019, https://www.metrotransit.org/northstar.
51. “Jocelyn Knoll,” Dorsey & Whitney LLP, n.d., https://www.dorsey.com/people/k/knoll-jocelyn (see “Experience”); Opensecrets.org, “Sen. Amy Klobuchar—Minnesota: Contributors,” 2005–2020, n.d., https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/contributors?cid=N00027500&cycle=CAREER&type=C.
52. Metro Transit, “Northstar Commuter Rail Line,” https://www.metrotransit.org/northstar.
53. La Velle E. Neal III, “Family will continue to run Twins,” Star Tribune, January 5, 2009, http://www.startribune.com/family-will-continue-to-run-twins/37125144/.
54. Brandt Williams, “Pohlad: Contribution to Twins Ballpark ‘Fair, Substantial,’ ” Minnesota Public Radio, April 25, 2005, http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2005/04/25_williamsb_twins/.
55. Stuart Lavietes, “Carl R. Pohlad, Owner of Minnesota Twins, Dies at 93,” New York Times, January 5, 2009, https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/sports/baseball/06pohlad.html; “Minnesota Twins awarded the 2014 All-Star Game,” MLB News, August 29, 2012, https://www.mlb.com/news/minnesota-twins-awarded-the-2014-all-star-game/c-37546072.
56. J. Patrick Coolican, “Big Donors Propelled the DFL to Victory,” Star Tribune, February 2, 2019, http://www.startribune.com/big-donors-propelled-the-dfl-to-victory/505253002/; Bob Collins, “Carl Pohlad, 1915–2009,” MPR News, January 5, 2009, https://blogs.mprnews.org/newscut/2009/01/carl_pohlad_1915–2009/.
57. FEC data.
58. Clare Kennedy, “Pohlad grandson joins United Properties,” Finance & Commerce, December 1, 2017, https://finance-commerce.com/2017/12/pohlad-grandson-joins-united-properties/; Brandt Williams, “Target Field: A hit with the fans, but has it been an economic success?,” MPR News, April 8, 2011, https://www.mprnews.org/story/2011/04/07/target-field-second-year.
59. Kennedy, “Pohlad grandson joins United Properties.”
60. To Amend the Criminal Penalty Provision for Criminal Infringement of a Copyright, and for Other Purposes, S. 978, 112th Cong. (2011), https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-112s978rs/pdf/BILLS-112s978rs.pdf; Chloe Albanesius, “Senate Panel OKs Bill That Makes Streaming Pirated Content a Felony,” PC Magazine, June 17, 2001, https://www.pcmag.com/news/265860/senate-panel-oks-bill-that-makes-streaming-pirated-content-a.
61. Ted Johnson, “Justin Bieber: Sen. Amy Klobuchar Should be ‘Locked Up’ for Anti-Piracy Bill,” Variety, October 28, 2011, https://variety.com/2011/biz/opinion/justin-bieber-sen-amy-klobuchar-should-be-locked-up-for-anti-piracy-bill-37185/.
62. FEC data.
63. OpenSecrets.org, “Minnesota Senate Race: Contributors,” 2012, accessed June 12, 2019, http://www.opensecrets.org/races/contributors?cycle=2012&id=MNS2.
64. John Eggerton, “Senate Bill Gets Tough on Pirates,” Multichannel News, May 16, 2011; https://www.multichannel.com/news/senate-bill-gets-tough-pirates-264986.
65. FEC data.
66. A Bill to Amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to Provide a Renewable Electricity Integration Credit for a Utility That Purchases or Produces Renewable Power, S. 1291, 112th Cong. (2011), https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-bill/1291?s=3&r=67.
67. Lobbying relationship, Lobbying by XCEL ENERGY, INC., n.d., https://projects.propublica.org/represent/lobbying/300986187.
68. See Klobuchar’s speech on the Senate floor, October 9, 2018: “Floor Speech on Climate Change,” Amy Klobuchar’s Senate page, October 9, 2018, https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cf
m/mobile/events-speeches-and-floor-statements?ID=610EE17B-7C40–4DDA-A190-D16CABDB1AB1. She specifically mentions Xcel Energy. “Xcel Energy is another example of a company that appears to be ahead of the Federal Government. They supported the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan. . . .” In March of the year before (2017), Xcel Energy announced a $1.6 billion project in New Mexico and Texas incorporating a 2.5 cents per kilowatt-hour federal tax credit; see: “New Xcel Energy Wind Facilities Offer $2.8 Billion in Customer Savings over 30 Years,” Xcel Energy, March 21, 2017, https://www.xcelenergy.com/company/media_room/news_releases/new_xcel_energy_wind_facilities_offer_$2.8_billion_in_customer_savings_over_30_years. Seven weeks later she cosponsored the Clean Energy for America Act of 2017. Title I of that act incorporates a per-kilowatt-hour tax credit directly into Chapter 1 of the U.S. tax code.
69. FEC data.
70. Clean Energy for America Act, S. 1068, 115th Cong. (2017), https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/1068; “This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify or replace several existing energy-related tax incentives to provide consolidated tax deductions and credits for the production of or investment in clean electricity. . . .”
71. “Head to Head: Compare Voting Records, Compare the Voting Records of Bernard Sanders and Amy Klobuchar in 2017–18,” ProPublica, accessed June 14, 2019, https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/S000033-bernard-sanders/compare-votes/K000367-amy-klobuchar/115; Opensecrets.org, “Sen. Bernie Sanders—Vermont: PACs,” n.d., https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/pacs?cid=N00000528&cycle=CAREER; Opensecrets.org, “Sen. Amy Klobuchar—Minnesota: PACs,” n.d., https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/pacs?cid=N00027500&cycle=CAREER&type=I.
72. Anna Yukhananov, “Senators propose relaxing FDA conflict rules,” Reuters, October 13, 2011, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-fda-devices-bill/senators-propose-relaxing-fda-conflict-rules-idUSTRE79C7HY20111013.