Miami Herald: Connie Mack Preaches Penny-Pinching, But Has A Court-Record Past Of Debt And Liens (And Fights)
On February 17, the Miami Herald reported:
Congressman Connie Mack has made penny-pinching debt-reduction central to his U.S. Senate campaign, but privately he has struggled at times with borrowing and paying his own obligations, court records show. Mack sometimes appeared to spend more than he earned, had property liens filed against him, overdrew his bank account and didn’t have enough money to pay his federal income taxes after his 2004 congressional election, according to court records from Fort Myers to Jacksonville to Fort Lauderdale. His finances aside, the records also show that Mack in his youth got into four confrontations — from an arrest at a nightclub to a bar brawl with a pro baseball player. Later, while in Congress, his estranged wife accused him of not living in his Fort Myers district and of using his influence to strong-arm her during their divorce.
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.
Washington Post: George Allen Hires Minister Joseph Ellison For Senate Campaign
On February 16, 2012, the Washington Post reported:
The information on Ellison was provided by American Bridge 21st Century, a liberal-leaning group that formed last year to combat conservative outside organizations in elections. “Twenty five thousand dollars is a huge chunk of campaign cash, and George Allen needs to explain exactly what that money paid for,’’ said Matt Thornton, spokesman for American Bridge 21st Century. “But with his long history of not answering even the most basic questions like who his consulting clients are, Virginians shouldn’t hold their breath waiting.”
Journal Sentinel: Thompson To Amend His Financial Disclosure Report
On February 9, 2012, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported:
Documents obtained by the Journal Sentinel from American Bridge 21st Century, a self-described progressive research and communications organization, and independently verified by the Journal Sentinel show that Thompson listed eight different companies or groups on his 2012 form but did not list them on his 2007 form even though his affiliation with the groups fell under the required reporting period.
Think Progress: Mitt Romney Is Financially Invested In The Birth Control He Seeks To Restrict
On February 8, 2012 Think Progress reported:
Now, an examination of Romney’s financial investments reveals that the very same GOP frontrunner who is now petitioning the White House to extend the regulation’s conscience clause and exclude more women from the benefits of birth control is himself invested in and profiting from pharmaceutical companies that produce the frequently prescribed and extremely common medication:
NY Times: Romney’s Returns Revive Scrutiny Of Lawful Offshore Tax Shelters
On February 7, 2012, the New York Times reported:
Mitt Romney’s tax returns have drawn political scrutiny on multiple fronts, like his relatively low tax rates and the money parked in a Swiss bank account. But on Capitol Hill, his returns have caught the eyes of members of both parties for what appears to be his use of a type of complex shelter that has been debated for years in battles over evasion and fairness in the tax code.
Springfield News-Leader: Brunner Has As Much As $108 Million In Assets
On February 3, 2012, the Springfield News-Leader reported:
But a significant portion of his holdings are in investments related to precious metals. American Bridge, a Democratic political action committee (PAC), noted that of the investments in his personal trust, about 90 percent are related to gold, silver or other metals. For example, Brunner has between $1 million and $5 million in the Tocqueville Gold Fund, which invests in companies that mine or process gold. And he has between $100,000 to $250,000 in the Hecla Mining Company, which is engaged in the silver, gold, lead and zinc markets.
POLITICO: Brunner's $12,500 For 'Media Coaching'
On February 2, 2012, POLITICO reported:
A review of his Federal Election Commission filing by the Democratic group American Bridge discovered just how much went into the making of candidate John Brunner.
BuzzFeed: Marco Rubio Spent Big To Research Himself
On February 2, 2012, BuzzFeed reported:
Marco Rubio isn't running for anything right now, but that didn't stop him from spending more than $20,000 on a top national research firm to check out his own vulnerabilities. [...] "...Now press are digging into things like his family history and his student loans, while liberal Super PACs like American Bridge are doing oppo dumps. So of course we have to do our homework so we can the record straight," said the aide. "The fact that you have sources combing through our FEC report within hours of it being posted says all you need to say about why we are doing our own research." And indeed: The spending was brought to BuzzFeed's attention by American Bridge, a Democratic opposition research group.
AP: Romney Stock Trades Clash With Divestment Pledge
On February 2, 2012, the Associated Press reported:
During his presidential campaign in 2007, Republican candidate Mitt Romney promised that a trust overseeing his financial portfolio would shed any investments that conflicted with GOP positions toward Iran, China, stem cell research and other issues. But Romney's family trusts kept some of those stocks and repeatedly bought new investments in similar holdings as recently as 2010, when they were sold in advance of his latest White House campaign, a detailed review of Romney's financial records by The Associated Press shows. Recently disclosed 2010 tax returns for three family trust funds for Romney, his wife, Ann, and their adult children show scores of trades in such investments, worth more than $3 million when the holdings were all sold in 2010.