Columbus Dispatch: Dems Say Mandel's Campaign Trips Illegally Funded
On February 15, the Columbus Dispatch reported:
The Ohio Democratic Party today filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging that state Treasurer Josh Mandel illegally used money from his state candidate fund to pay for activities related to his campaign for the U.S. Senate. Mandel, the Ohio GOP-endorsed candidate against incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, "appears to have paid for a least 10 trips" from his state fund -- Citizens for Josh Mandel -- for the purpose of gathering support for his Senate, the Democrats allege.
NY Times: Romney Runs As An Outsider But Makes Room For Lobbyists
On February 12, 2012, the New York Times reported:
They have hosted fund-raisers and raised millions of dollars for his campaign. They employed some of his top operatives after his first White House run, helped create the platform for his second bid and have deployed regularly to attack his Republican rivals on the campaign trail. For a candidate running against the entrenched interests of Washington, Mitt Romney keeps an awful lot of lobbyists around.
POLITICO: Mitt's Solyndra? He Handed Out Renewable Energy Subsidies, Too
On February 6, 2012, POLITICO reported:
Just under three weeks into his term as governor, Romney brought a $1.5 million check to Konarka, a well-connected solar startup in Lowell, Mass., itching to buy a new pilot production assembly line. Four other companies also scored renewable energy subsidy awards that same day, including Evergreen Solar, which won $2.5 million for a major expansion and to cover operating losses as it tried to become profitable. Also that day, Romney announced plans to take $15 million from Massachusetts' Renewable Energy Trust Fund — a pot of more than $150 million collected from electricity customers following passage of a 1998 energy deregulation law — and start up a new private venture capital outfit that would back green-minded state businesses with equity, loans and management advice.
AP Investigation: Rehberg Underreports Lobbyist Donations
On February 5, 2012, the Associated Press reported:
But an Associated Press analysis of campaign finance disclosure reports through October turned up nearly three dozen lobbyists, who donated a total of about $20,000 to Rehberg's campaign, with their employment left blank on disclosure forms.
ProgressOhio: AWOL Mandel
On January 26, 2012, ProgressOhio posted the following:
Only one day after the Associated Press reported that Ohio Treasurer and Senate candidate Josh Mandel has never attended a Board of Deposit meeting, he skipped yet another one to attend a high-dollar fundraiser in Washington, DC. American Bridge trackers caught Mandel on his way to the fundraiser in DC, as well as his absence from the Board of Deposit meeting.
Miami Herald: The Boomerang Effect: R's Who Attack Newt Gingrich For Rivera Support Impugn Marco Rubio
On January 14, 2012, the Miami Herald reported:
Yesterday, after Miami Rep. David Rivera made it official that he supported Republican candidate Newt Gingrich, the anonymous conservative whisper campaign began. They pointed out that Rivera, the only one of the three Republican representatives from Miami not to endorse Mitt Romney, had been dogged by state and federal investigations owing to investigative reports in The Miami Herald. [...] But, by this standard, the Republicans' beloved Senator, Florida's Marco Rubio, needs some new furniture. Rivera isn't just an ally of Rubio's. He's a close family friend, like an uncle to Rubio's kids.
AP: Ohio Treasurer Balances Job, Politics In 1st Year
On January 14, the Associated Press reported:
During his first year as state treasurer, Ohio Republican Josh Mandel has been a man between two worlds, balancing duties of his first statewide office with a fledgling U.S. Senate campaign. Mandel has aggressively worked the fundraising and speaking circuit these past months, amassing more than $3.8 million this year in his Senate bid against Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown. That's perhaps more than any other Senate challenger in the country. At the same time, his weekly calendars as state treasurer are almost devoid of appointments outside of staff meetings and speaking engagements. And he's yet to hold a single news conference to discuss the work he's doing for Ohioans.
Mandel “Too Busy” To Meet With The Press – Here’s What He’s Been Busy Doing
The Plain Dealer reported recently that Senate candidate Josh Mandel has been “too busy” to schedule an appearance with the Akron Press Club. American Bridge 21st Century decided to look into what has been taking up so much of his time that he is unable to answer basic questions about his policy positions. “The Ohio press corps should cut Josh Mandel some slack given that he is so busy running for Senate, he just doesn’t have time to answer their questions. As long as there is lobbyist money to be raised in DC and California, Ohioans will just have to wait,” said Matt Thornton, spokesman for American Bridge 21st Century. Check out why Senate candidate Josh Mandel was too busy to appear in Akron after the jump:
iWatch News: K Street, Wall Street line up behind Sen. Scott Brown in his race against Elizabeth Warren
On December 2, 2011, iWatch News reported:
Financial service lobbyists and other K Street advocates have for weeks been working hard to help the freshman senator win his high-stakes battle for re-election against Elizabeth Warren, a liberal Harvard law professor. Warren is anathema for many finance-sector lobbyists and Wall Street leaders who abhor the newly created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau— a centerpiece of the financial services overhaul—of which Warren was the intellectual architect.
Plain Dealer: Shady pics and video: Groups backing Josh Mandel, Sherrod Brown having fun and fits
On December 1, 2011, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported:
Speaking of authentic images, Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, a Republican who plans to run against Brown and is supported by the Chamber of Commerce, was in Washington yesterday to raise money. A video tracking team from American Bridge, a political group that says it wants to "hold Republicans accountable," was waiting for him outside one of the Capitol Hill events, and the video -- of a fast-walking Mandel -- is posted above.