(VIDEO) Swift Boat Funder gets his comeuppance at Senate hearing

[Greeby]

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/02/28/senator-kerry-confronts-swift-boat-funder/

"At his confirmation hearing yesterday for an ambassadorship to Belgium, nominee Sam Fox got grilled by Senator Kerry for the $50,000 contribution he gave to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the same group that spread lies and attacked Kerry's decorated military service during his 2004 Presidential run. Needless to say, Kerry had some business to take care of. It's rather surreal to hear a major swift boat funder tell Kerry that he's a hero for his military service."

[WiseButAngrySara]

1. Whoa! Is that historical irony or what? ....n/t

[LTR]

2. Ooooh... that's good!

Now THAT'S karma!

Kerry turned the tables and made Sam Fox his bitch!

[calimary]

3. Yippee! Five votes! So more people can see this.

;)

[blogslut]

4. I finally saw the vid

That Fox fellow has a real problem with straight answers to clear questions.

"Oh, golly. I'm so rich and generous I just give my money to everybody!"

It was a delicious moment. I still love you, John Kerry.:loveya:

[ClayZ]

5. Way to call him out, Mr. Kerry! Make 'em squirm! K and R

:kick:

[Eurobabe]

6. This is fucking unbelievable! K & R

Does this "liar" really need to be Ambassador of Belgium? Only if he gets a one way ticket to the Hague!!

I am so glad that Kerry called this loser OUT.

[ClintonTyree]

7. Yet another Bush worm squirming on the hook....

what a lying sack of fecal matter. He knew damned well where that money was going and for what purpose. Anyone who lies like that in front of a Senate Confirmation Hearing has no business being an Ambassador of the United States to ANY country. :grr:

Typical repugnant, lying, "good old boy" Republican piece of shit! :mad:

[Arkansas Granny]

8. It does my heart good to see Senator Kerry get a chance to

publicly confront this man about SBVT. This exchange between Kerry and Fox exemplifies Republican hypocrisy. Here is a man who denounces the 527 groups yet he donates $50K to one that he knows is spreading lies and damaging the reputation of a man and then, when it is politically expedient for him, congratulates the man who was the target of the smear campaign as being a hero. And he doesn't remember who asked him for $50K because he gives so much money to charities that he just hands money over whenever someone asks for it? And his excuse is that he thought it would level the playing field?

[blm]

16. He'd know if it was a swiftliar - this tells me the asker was someone HIGH UP who

can't be disclosed because they have already denied involvement because they aren't ALLOWED to coordinate with 527 groups - like Karl Rove.

[Arkansas Granny]

22. You make a very good point there. I thought his "I don't know who

asked me for $50K sounded kind of weak. It may very well be that he is covering for someone and something like the SBVT would be just up Karl's alley.

[racaulk]

28. Oh you're so right! That's what I thought too.

He knows damn well who asked him to contribute $50,000, he just can't say publicly who it was. He's just covering someone's ass as well as his own. Lying sack of shit. :mad:

[FreeStateDemocrat]

9. He gets his only if the other Democractic senators do the right thing& deny confirmation of this ass

[ellacott]

10. Yes, they need to deny his confirmation. n/t

[MH1]

12. CALL THEM. LET THEM KNOW. n/t

[GliderGuider]

11. "They ask, and I give"

LOTS of people ask him for money and he just gives it away, no questions asked.
Hey, Mr. Fox, can I have $50,000, too? It'll go to a good cause. I promise.

And if a terrorist asks for money, he doesn't even need to identify himself. He'll walk away with a hefty cheque in his hand.
And when the police investigation reaches Fox and they ask him why he gave money to a terrorist group, he'll have an air-tight defence, yessireee!

[Plaid Adder]

26. Yes, I think Grovelbot needs to get this guy's cell number. n/t

[mikelgb]

13. what's that bushitler line?

oh yeah "we will make no distinction between the and those who harbor and fund them"

something like that

[Jacklyn75]

14. I hope they don't approve this jerk!!!!!!!!!! n/t

[joefree1]

15. Time for a Senate Investigation

Sink those mofo traitors.

[AlCzervik]

17. Norm Coleman actaully gave his time to Kerry? Wow. Did Coleman know

where Kerry was going with this? Sam Fox is a flipflopping liar.

[KharmaTrain]

23. Coleman's Scared Shit

I posted this video earlier...

Yep, Normie yielded...and I'm sure he knew what was coming. He wasn't gonna get anywhere near this mess cause he knows he's got one of the biggest targets on his head of anyone in the Senate. Normie's opponents would love for him to appear to be defending a Slime Boat asshat...that'd go real good in political ads.

Normie signed his pact with the devil for that Senate seat and climbed in bed with the booosh cabal. Now he appears to have a lot of buyer's remorse. Surely the polling already shows Normie with a tough road ahead...and this would be even if Franken weren't running.

The ghost of Paul Wellstone hangs over Normie...and he's not very comfortable with it...especially since we know how Paul stood up to this regime when few did and how sadly he's missed not just in Minnesota but by freedom loving people everywhere.

[KharmaTrain]

24. Delete

[karynnj]

30. yep - he let Kerry continue

It might be that he had no more questions, but if he wanted to let the guy have a break he could have asked some softballs - rather than letting Kerry continue

[JI7]

37. some of the Kerry questions weren't tough

regarding the ammbassador job. they were things anyone who is even considered for the job should know which this guy didn't.

my guess is Coleman didn't want to ask anything because of this. he knew the guy wouldn't even be able to ask softballs. that's why he played up the crap about the great american success story. as if that had anything to do with the job.

[Hamlette]

18. the most riviting 17 minutes I've seen in ages...spell binding k&r

watch this, so much more than you might imagine, reminds me why we nominated Kerry.

[Quantess]

19. Imagine being ambassador to Belgium and not knowing their language.

Hi, I'm the ambassador to your country. Can we please all speak English, for my sake?

[Gruenemann]

31. He'd be in deeep shit--

--Belgium has TWO official languages!

[Quantess]

33. Dutch and French. I just looked it up.

In a news story I read today, Fox cannot speak either Dutch or French.

[jillan]

20. Payback can be so sweet!

I bet Kerry loved every minute of this....
and this little weasel was probably shittin in his pants knowing he would have to come face to face with the man whose career he ruined.

[Beetwasher]

21. Typical Cowardly Piece Of Shit Didn't Have The Balls To Say It To Kerry's Face

These rightwing Repub scum are all the same. Cowardly pieces of garbage.

[Plaid Adder]

25. That was truly worth watching.

Thanks for posting that.

What this really is, is a guy who understands the concept of personal responsibility attempting to teach it to a man who not only has no sense of personal responsibility but refuses to understand the concept. It's a perfect tutorial for anyone who doesn't understand what the fuck is WRONG with the Republican party as it now exists.

And how about the argument that he was 'forced' to give dough to the Swift Boat liars because the bad government wouldn't ban the nasty 527s? Dude, are you a Republican or what? Part of personal responsibility? Hel-LOOOO! I would like to show that to a libertarian just to see what would happen when he got to that part of the argument. But I think you would have to have a defibrillator and/or a barf bag standing by.

:argh:

The Plaid Adder

[racaulk]

27. Beautiful!!!

Fox's stalling and sidestepping of Kerry's direct questioning was so obvious, and I think Kerry did a great job of calling him out on that. You don't begin the response to a yes/no question with "well, Senator, let me say this." What an ass.

Kerry showed true class here and gave Fox a lot more respect that he deserved. I'm so proud of him!

I'm so glad to K&R this post!!!

:patriot:

[mloutre]

29. Update: Swifties' bogus sister group fined $750K for violating campaign finance laws in 2004

see also: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x318655


During the hearings mentioned in this thread, Sam Fox claimed that he had no idea when, why, to whom, or for what he gave away the $50K. FEC records show him also donating another $50,000 to a SBVT sister 527 group, 'Progress for America', at the time as well.

One can only presume that he had no idea when, why, to whom, or for what he gave away that $50K, either. (Must be nice to be so rich one can hand out a hundred grand at a time without even being aware of it, ahem.)

Given the following news report from the Associated Press, once can hardly be surprised at his faulty memory while being questioned on the record about his 527-related activities:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/01/washington/01fec.html

Group Reaches Settlement With F.E.C. Over 2004 Campaign Advertising

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 — A major conservative group agreed to pay a $750,000 penalty as part of a settlement with the Federal Election Commission, which found that the group violated campaign finance laws by spending more than $30 million on advertisements and mailings supporting President Bush’s re-election.

{snip}

The agency found that the group, the Progress for America Voter Fund, operated as a political action committee, soliciting money and financing advertisements.

It spent $26.4 million alone on advertising in battleground states in 2004 for the purpose of retaining Mr. Bush as president.

Its actions violated campaign laws because it was not registered as a political action committee that would be subject to strict limits on donations. The agency said it circumvented a ban on corporate money and accepted contributions that well exceeded the caps on individual donations.

The group’s most memorable advertisements included “Ashley’s Story,” featuring Mr. Bush hugging a girl whose mother died in the World Trade Center attacks and who said the president kept her safe. That cost $16.5 million and was broadcast in 11 states and on national cable, the agency said. ... {The group} reported raising $44.9 million in 2004, with nearly three-fourths from 13 donors.

{snip}

Benjamin L. Ginsburg, a prominent Republican lawyer representing the group in this case, cited the financial stakes as a reason for the agreement.

Mr. Ginsburg also represented the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, another 527 group, which attacked Senator John Kerry; it reached a settlement with the F.E.C. in December.

[laundry_queen]

32. Thanks for the link.

That was some kind of fun, watching that weasel squirm. Senator Kerry nailed him good.

[MasonJar]

34. What a slimy little weasel (my apologies to the animals who are

actually weasels)! If he is confirmed after that pathetic display of nothingness, it will be a true miscarriage of justice. Belgium deserves better. That a__hole is no diplomat.

[Hamlette]

35. kicking for the night crew n/t

[Unbowed]

36. A little googling brought up some interesting information on this scumbag.

This old bastard isn't someone who forgets where he laid 50K. Not a chance. This is all about money. He gives to get. It's what these all these rotten scumbags do: they sell out America for power and money. And make no mistake, this is our money they're playing with. The tax cuts for the rich are heaping debt on our children and our children's children. Jobs are lost here while Fox's company chews up smaller companies and spits them out.

With annual revenues of more than $1.5 billion, Sam Fox’s Harbour Group has executed more than 100 leveraged buyouts since its inception in 1976. Harbour specializes in the takeover of manufacturing companies. Products of its companies include high-pressure cleaning equipment, plastic processing equipment, auto accessories, textile machinery, building products, industrial fasteners and heat exchange equipment. Through large investments in China, Harbour Group has developed close ties with the Chinese government. As the top individual donor to the Republican Party, Fox is the ultimate “Republican Regent,” the elite group of donors who gave $250,000 or more to the GOP in the 2000 election cycle. A New York Times story on the Regents in 2000 noted that the party often disguises the identities of these donors by scattering their contributions among multiple party committees. While campaign records indicated that Fox had given $275,000 to the Indiana Republican Party, for example, he told the Times that never wrote a check to the Indiana party and Republican National Committee officials said they could not explain this discrepancy. Fox, whose personal wealth has been pegged at more than $500 million, hosted a record-setting Washington fundraiser in 2000 that took in $21 million. Earlier, Fox flew to Austin to meet with Bush in early 1999 along with three other Missouri Pioneers: Adele Hall, Stephen Brauer and John Mahaffey. Fox was among 22 wealthy business leaders whom President Bush, who calls this donor “Foxie,” invited to lunch in 2001 to discuss his tax cut for the rich. Fox told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he got involved in politics in the 1980s out of concern over the huge federal deficit, which the Bush administration itself predicted would exceed half a trillion dollars in 2004. Fox chairs the national Republican Jewish Coalition. He and Pioneer coalition members Ned Siegel and Fred Zeidman accompanied House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on his 2003 trip to Israel. Harbour Group companies received $3.3 million in federal contracts in fiscal 2002. Sam Fox’s sons Jeffrey Fox and Gregory Fox are Bush Pioneers and Harbour executives.

Follow the money. This guy isn't giving a dime unless he
1. Knows where it's going and
2. Knows exactly what the return on his investment will be

[lyonn]

38. Thanks for this info. Yes, Fox no doubt had quite a return on

his investment/contributions. Bush's Pioneers have no doubt tripled their income since he became our great leader.

Why would Fox even want to be Ambassador? What do you want out of life when you are worth approx. $500,000,000. Must be like the English paying big bucks for a Title. Fox wants an ambassadorship and in a nice clean country that isn't close to a war zone.

[Unbowed]

42. It's always about money with these guys.

This guy didn't give a red cent out of the goodness of his heart. He's a business man. This was simply good business to him just as was swallowing up over 100 other companies. The Bush tax break that he collaborated on alone has already paid him back tenfold.

You ask a very good question: why would Fox want an ambassadorship? Maybe he wants something that even his millions can't buy: respect. And I think Senator Kerry blew that one out of the water for him.

[Vadem]

39. I thought this was going to be a slam down by Kerry! It was a ...

Milquetoast put down! I was very disappointed! Kerry was so soothing in his questions! He should have gone full blast against this warmongering admin! I was very disappointed in his questioning! My G-d! When are the Dems going to go all out against this warmongering administration????? We have to raise holly hell to get these bastards out!



:banghead:

[Unbowed]

41. Kerry did a great job of showing Fox is not qualified for the position.

You miss the point of the questioning. Kerry wasn't there to get revenge or to put Fox in his place. Kerry was there to make certain there was no doubt (or wiggle room) whatsoever that the committee should vote against this nominee. Kerry made it clear to anyone watching that this Fox guy isn't fit for the position for which he's been nominated. That's the point.

Any democrat who votes for this guy now is going to look like a fool. If Kerry had ranted, he would have looked like the fool and would have given weak democrats an out to vote for the guy.

No, Kerry's performance was perfect. Now let's see how the votes go.

[mconvente]

40. Wow that fucker squirms

What a squirrelly motherfucker. The Senate should definitely NOT confirm this asshole.

[emlev]

43. Guess we know who to ask for money now...eom