Blumenthal Returns More Donations
by Christine Stuart | Sep 3, 2010 3:00pm
(7) Comments | Commenting has expired
Posted to: Election 2010
This week Richard Blumenthal’s U.S. Senate campaign returned two checks received earlier this year from lawyers who have contracts with the Attorney General’s office.
A $250 check from Anthony Fitzgerald of Carmody and Torrance, and a $250 check from Gary Jones of Levy and Droney were returned by the campaign Aug. 30 once they were made aware that the two law firms had open contracts with the attorney general’s office.
Another $500 from two other attorneys was returned earlier this year when the Blumenthal campaign became aware of them. Roughly 40 of the 8,000 contributions received by the Blumenthal campaign to date have been returned because they violate his “self-imposed” fundraising rules.
Linda McMahon, his Republican opponent in the U.S. Senate race, has hammered Blumenthal by suggesting he has not been honest about his fundraising efforts by accepting PAC money. However, McMahon’s campaign declined to comment on the latest two checks to be returned.
“Our in-house compliance staff does everything possible to make sure the ones that don’t comply with our self-imposed restrictions are refunded, but no system is infallible,” Maura Downes, Blumenthal’s campaign spokeswoman, said Friday.
In addition, Downes said the campaign is not allowing attorneys that have contracts with the attorney general’s office to host fundraisers.
The one hosted by Larry Price of Brown, Paindiris, and Scott on March 26 of this year was an oversight. Price’s law firm has one open contract with the attorney general’s office, which was opened in February 2009.
It is allowing attorneys at firms that no longer have contracts with the attorney general’s office to donate and to host fundraisers.
Still Blumenthal’s fundraising efforts pale in comparison to the $50 million McMahon has mentioned she would spend on the race. Asked by the Stamford Advocate in August if he would dip into his family’s fortune to help fund his campaign Blumenthal seemed to dismiss the idea.
“I’ve said from the beginning we’re relying on a very active and so far energized and successful grassroots fundraising effort,” Blumenthal told Brian Lockhart of the Stamford Advocate.
McMahon’s campaign used Blumenthal’s statements regarding his acceptance of PAC money to continue to gain ground on his image, which was first wounded in May when he admitted he “misspoke” about his service during the Vietnam era.
One day after entering the race this January, Blumenthal appeared on MSNBC and told the hosts, “I’ve never taken PAC money, and I have rejected all special interest money because I have stood strong and taken legal action against many of those special interests.”
Blumenthal’s campaign has said he was talking about his past races for attorney general and not the U.S. Senate race, which at that point was just 24-hours old.
According to the Federal Elections Commission Blumenthal has accepted about $480,000 in PAC money and had about $2 million cash on hand at the end of June. The last reporting period ended this week, but reports aren’t yet available.
In July Blumenthal told CTNewsjunkie and WTNH’s Mark Davis that “the people of Connecticut know me. They know that no donation from anyone will change the fact that I have fought for them and I will continue to fight for them.”
(7) Comments
posted by: hawkeye | September 4, 2010 6:17pm
The bottom line is that Richard Blumenthal is in Pres. Barack Obama’s pocket.
Obama is coming to Fairfield County to collect big bucks for Blumenthal, as he needs him for a YES MAN in Congress, “as he will lose some of his Democratic rubber stamps, on Nov. 2.”
ON THE OTHER HAND. lINDA MCMAHON, IS NOT IN ANYONE’S POCKET, AS SHE IS PAYING FOR HER OWN ELECTION CAMPAIGN.
Like Dan Malloy, Blumenthal does not want to use any of his family money for his campaign.
posted by: lothar | September 4, 2010 9:58pm
Yeah that may be your bottom line, but reality is this - Blumenthal is making the effort to remain ethical and true to the mission of the AG’s office, while Linda McMahon is herself a special interest group. She’s using her own money for the campaign in order to preserve the Bush tax cuts that will in turn allow her to keep another $182 million.
Criticize Blumenthal all you want. McMahon has zero standing as anything but a special interest group trying to buy an office and line her own wallet.
Here’s a link below to the JI story about this money-grab that McMahon calls a campaign… it’s a subscription-only paper so feel free to use your own money to read it.
McMahon family got $182 million from Bush tax break she seeks to preserve
posted by: hawkeye | September 5, 2010 11:47am
LOTHAR:
Cut the ‘GOBBLY-GOOK” about “Bush Tax Cuts for the Rich!” Obama is retaining tax cuts for the rich, as he is now a multi-millionaire, since getting into the White House.
Get on a fresh page, and stop using the Democratic National Committee “Play on Words,” that got Obama elected, courtesy of the liberal press.
You use the same strategy now, to get the attention away from the failure of Obamanism. Nice try!
Blumenthal is a protege of Obama, and makes Linda McMahon look like “a breath of fresh air!”
posted by: lothar | September 5, 2010 12:01pm
HAWKEYE! USING ALL CAPS DOESN’T MAKE YOU REMOTELY MORE CONVINCING!
You’re sounding pretty shrill and desperate, Hawkeye. Linda McMahon’s campaign is about lining her own pockets. That’s it. It’s obvious. She’s a clear and present danger to the Republican Party, and many Republicans know it. She’s the queen of smear. You should have stuck with Simmons - an honorable man. You blew it, suckered in by the massive wave of mailings and commercials - so much nonsense propaganda that even many right-leaning moderates aren’t sure what’s true anymore.
posted by: hawkeye | September 5, 2010 1:24pm
Lothar:
Your comments are seething with hate, and false! Take your medication!
You have the right name, Lothar, because you LOATHE: detest, abominate,and are hateful!
Linda McMahon is not lining her pockets. She is paying $50. million, for her election campaign.
Have a good life!
posted by: Opining Quill | September 9, 2010 2:43pm
Oh please say it is not so, the Connecticut Democratic candidate for the United States Senate Richard Blumenthal is returning inappropriate campaign contributions. During the past week his campaign has returned checks received earlier this year from lawyers who have contracts with the Attorney General’s office.
Mr. Blumenthal has brushed off concerns about past indiscretions saying, “the people of Connecticut know me.” That could be his greatest hurdle in his race to the Senate.
Mr. Blumenthal is correct the people of Connecticut have heard him say, “the people of Connecticut know me. They know that no donation from anyone will change the fact that I have fought for them and I will continue to fight for them.”
In various forms the people of Connecticut have heard Mr. Blumenthal say he will stand up to special interest groups and fight for them. Unfortunately Mr. Blumenthal has failed to do that when it comes to the largest special interest in the State of Connecticut. He has failed to protect the interest of taxpayers and the working men and women in Connecticut. He did not fight against mandates for prevailing wage on municipal construction that continue to drive up the cost to taxpayers. But wait there’s more.
Let’s hear Mr. Blumenthal speak on the issue of card check. Either you oppose that or like Mr. Blumenthal you endorse the right to deny a worker a secret ballot in voting to join or reject a union. Of course by Mr. Blumenthal’s ethics and standards I guess unions are not a special interest. He must consider them a personal interest to be protected and supported at every turn in exchange for political support.
Yes, Mr. Blumenthal the people of Connecticut do know you, they know you as a self promoting, politician, more interested in self preservation of political office than standing up to special interests. You misspoke on serving in Vietnam, you misspoke on standing up to special interests and now you are returning inappropriate campaign contributions. Well that does sound like a career politician but I am not sure that is what the people of Connecticut want in their next United States Senator.
posted by: Henry Berry | September 4, 2010 10:21am
I wonder if Blumenthal’s returns of these donations has anything to do with my comment at another CT news blog of possible donations to Blumenthal from members of a prominent statewide corporate law firm I have made accusations of crime and corruption against (including bribery or payoff to a judge in Bridgeport). This corporate law firm is now plaintiff co-counsel with Blumenthal’s former Stamford law firm on a Madoff civil case at the Stamford courthouse.
I am not a Linda McMahon supporter, nor an opponent either. I don’t pay much attention to politicians, but I am interested in and often concerned about values, trends, behaviors, and corruption in politics.
I see Blumenthal as a proponent of big government allied with corporate law firms. I do not see this as an improvement over the present situation of big government allied with corporations.
I’m not sure McMahon would be any better than Blumenthal. I make my remarks here and at other CT blogs as an investigative journalist/freelance writer to inform CT voters, citizens, and residents of conditions in CT as I am aware of these from first-hand experience.