High-Ranking McCain Campaign Officials Were Paid Lobbyists For Hess
Okay, here's some more on the ties between the McCain campaign and the Hess Corporation, the company whose senior executives all dumped $28,500 apiece into the RNC-McCain fundraising committee at around the same time as McCain reversed his previous opposition to offshore drilling.
It turns out that two high-ranking McCain campaign officials, one of whom is also one of McCain's more prolific bundlers, were both were paid lobbyists for Hess for roughly three years, according to disclosure forms.
The two lobbyists are Wayne Berman, McCain's national finance co-chairman, and John Green, who's been the McCain campaign's chief Congressional liaison since March. Both men worked for a firm called Ogilvy Government Relations. The firm has been paid $800,000 by Hess from 2005 up to the present, including $720,000 during the period that both of the two lobbied for the company, the forms say.
Berman, a prolific fundraiser and bundler for McCain, appears to still be lobbying for Hess. The most recently filed form shows that he was lobbying for the company as late as mid-July. Green took a leave of absence from Ogilvy to join the campaign, but was still on the Hess account up through the first quarter of 2008, the forms show.
There's no suggestion of any wrongdoing here. And it's unclear precisely how the two lobbyists' work is linked to the recent Hess fundraising for McCain, or even whether there's any connection at all.
But their role is newly relevant in light of the recent scrutiny of Hess' bundling for McCain, suggesting more big-money ties between the McCain campaign and the company. And the lobbying raises fair questions, according to one campaign finance watchdog.
"That John McCain's campaign also has Hess lobbyists as two of its top advisers raises additional questions about how McCain and the RNC came to raise $300,000 from Hess employees, including the controversial contribution reported earlier this week," said David Donnelly of Campaign Money Watch.
"Hess oil would stand to make a killing from offshore drilling," Donnelly continued. "Berman and Green were their lobbyists. Did they play any role in lining up these contributions?"
In mid-2005, disclosure forms show, Ogilvy (at the time known as the Federalist Group) began lobbying for Hess on energy issues, a relationship that the forms show has continued to the present. Berman and Green, though they aren't the only two at Ogilvy who worked for Hess, lobbied for the company throughout, the forms say.
None of the parties involved returned our calls.
O Greggy! O {{{{MWAAH!}}}}
This is just perfect.
:)
August 7, 2008 1:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed. This is getting interesting.
August 7, 2008 2:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is just going to keep escalating. Or do I mean "surging"?
August 7, 2008 2:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Greg, you're not let this story go. Great!
Keep the good work.
True Conservative McCain Vs.
Original Maverick McCain: Who will win?
August 7, 2008 1:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Or did the two lobbyists play a role in getting McCain to "change his mind"...
This could be the quid pro quo link.
August 7, 2008 1:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
It could be, but it'll never be proved, without video of the meeting taking place...even then who knows...
August 7, 2008 2:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wow, how McCain is falling. I used to respect the guy.....
August 7, 2008 2:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Even without a quid pro quo, this helps make McCain's change on drilling look even skeevier and undermines the straight-talking maverick image that still clings to him (in defiance of reality).
People have no trouble grasping the role of lobbyists. As Obama is reminding people why drilling wouldn't be much help anyway, he can slip in that John McCain knows this too -- he used to say so -- but then he got all this money from Big Oil, plus two of his top campaign people were oil lobbyists for years, until just recently. And that's one of the problems with Washington. Instead of empty solutions that sound good and help lobbyists' clients, we need real solutions for all Americans, etc., etc.
August 7, 2008 2:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Where is McMaverick getting his campaign staff from - Lobbyists R Us?
August 7, 2008 1:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Old Straight Talk rented his entire campaign from Lobbyists R US.
August 7, 2008 2:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Greg: I have seen reference to your postings on this subject on several other sites, as you probably know. Way to go, great reporting!
August 7, 2008 1:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is getting curiouser and curiouser!
August 7, 2008 1:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
This story is the gift that keeps on giving. Way to go Greg and Eric.
August 7, 2008 1:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
GREAT JOB....................
August 7, 2008 1:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Let the fit hit the shan!
August 7, 2008 2:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
And Erik - you too - your name is on this, too, and I know you've worked on it.
You guys really deserve a prize for this.
August 7, 2008 2:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Obama campaign should just all over this.
August 7, 2008 2:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
They won't be...who do you think makes up his campaign staff? Lobbiests from the other side...
August 7, 2008 2:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Keep it up. You'll get that McCain bobble head any day now.
August 7, 2008 2:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Jesus, you're tedious. If you're going to be a paid troll, at least try to be interesting, okay?
August 7, 2008 4:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
No the MEDIA should be all over this. But will they bite? Maybe once Eric and Greg do all of the work for them.
August 7, 2008 2:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is what 26 years of experience in Washington gets you. Maverick (TM) indeed!
August 7, 2008 2:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good job, guys.
Hey, MSM. Drill here, drill now.
August 7, 2008 2:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
You boyz are on the case baby!
August 7, 2008 2:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good on you!
Great work!
August 7, 2008 2:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is GREAT NEWS! for John McCain. I'm sure the AP will tell me so soon.
August 7, 2008 2:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
The fact that all of McCain's staff are crooks means that there are less crooks on the street. Way to go John!
August 7, 2008 2:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
I like the ad the Ohio dems are running against McCain re his connection to DHL job losses and lobbyists. We should all figure out a way to fund it.
August 7, 2008 2:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is The Real John McCain being John McCain.
He has always been on the take. Check out his history with the Keating S&L Corruption Scandal.
http://www.politicalhitman.com/political_hitman_blog/2008/02/mccains-role-in-the-keating-sl.html
You can't teach an old cash for influence mongrel new ethical behavior.
Beware of the person who is always telling everyone how pure he is. McCain is corrupt.
August 7, 2008 2:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
McCain: Lobbyists First!
August 7, 2008 2:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Next up on the McSame agenda: Nuclear Drilling!
August 7, 2008 2:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
McCain = graft
August 7, 2008 2:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
We need answers...
August 7, 2008 2:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh damn...
I meant,
Psst. Wayne. Was that what I was supposed to say?
August 7, 2008 2:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
The odor of this would make a maggot upchuck. The thing is this is campaign finance law championed by McCain. All perfectly legit. You think he didn't figure this out well in advance? Duh!!!
August 7, 2008 3:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is from Open Secrets:
HESS, JOHN
NEW YORK,NY 10036
OGILVY GOVT RELATIONS/MANAGING DIRE
11/1/07 $5,000
Fund for a Conservative Future (R)
Is this the same John Hess who is president of Hess Corporation, that hires Wayne Berman's company, Ogilvy Government Relations to lobby for Hess Corporation; while in turn Berman becomes a high ranking McCain official, and then John Hess was milked questionable donations from his employees, for John McCain?
August 7, 2008 3:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
This story is so big that it might just get a three-inch blurb on page C-19 of the Washington Post, right after the obituaries.
August 7, 2008 4:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
""Hess oil would stand to make a killing from offshore drilling," Donnelly continued. "Berman and Green were their lobbyists. Did they play any role in lining up these contributions?""
In the immortal word of Senator Stevens: "NO!"
August 7, 2008 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
CAMPAIGN ALERT
MSNBC just announced that the McCain camp will be looking into these blundlers to see if there is any problems.
I have a feeling that soon they will send this "funny money" to charity.
Any problems with campaign finance could REALLY hurt McCain's brand and they know this. Thus the more bloggers and media look into this, the more we may find.
August 7, 2008 4:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
I hope you'll forgive a bit of humor at your expense...
blundlers = blunders + bundlers
August 7, 2008 4:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
You might want to look into the $70mil Pentagon contract Hess was awarded last week...
http://www.defenselink.mil/contracts/contract.aspx?contractid=3830
August 7, 2008 4:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
now let's see he's the maverick,why country first,when fighting earmarks,how? just asking, &why is msm silent.this is the kind of journalism that may sway an undecided so now i understand.
August 7, 2008 9:30 PM | Reply | Permalink