Among Kerry Donors: the Special Interests He Condemns

Throughout his political career some of Sen. John F. Kerry’s biggest supporters have been the very interest groups that he now condemns.

Among his top presidential fundraisers are nearly a dozen lobbyists who have collected $50,000 apiece for his campaign. Their clients in the telecommunication, healthcare and finance industries often seek legislation before Senate committees upon which Kerry serves.

Stephanie Cutter, a Kerry spokeswoman, insisted the senator “has the strongest record of anyone in this race of fighting special interests.”

“If anyone thinks they can buy a vote from John Kerry, they’re wasting their money,” she said.

Cutter cited his long advocacy for campaign finance reform, the annual release of his tax returns, disclosure about his major fundraisers, as well as his refusal to take money from political action committees.

Kerry, who has served in the Senate since 1984, also has called for stiffening the regulation of lobbyists by extending the current one-year lobbying ban by government officials to five years and requiring a public record of all meetings between government employees and lobbyists.

Lawyers and lobbyists have accounted for roughly $3 million of the $15 million that Kerry has raised in his White House bid, according to Dwight L. Morris & Associates, a Virginia firm that tracks political donations.

In a report last year, the Center for Public Integrity, a nonpartisan group, documented Kerry’s support of issues pushed by the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Assn., a lobbying group represented by Kerry’s biggest donor, the Boston law firm Mintz Levin. The firm, which employs Kerry’s brother, Cameron, has given Kerry nearly $187,000 throughout his career, including $57,000 in his presidential campaign.

The senator, who is a member of a Senate subcommittee on communications, sponsored two bills and co-sponsored six more on issues lobbied by the association since 1999, the center reported.

Kerry “does seem to respond when contributors or clients of his contributors need a favor,” said Bill Allison, a center spokesman.

But Cutter responded that for as many votes Kerry may show supporting the interests represented by Mintz Levin, there are “dozens of votes against the telecommunications industry.”

Chris Putala and Thomas Wheeler, former executives with the telecom group, are among Kerry’s biggest fundraisers.

“Sen. Kerry has on occasion agreed on a policy basis on some of the issues that the wireless industry has advocated and on others he has disagreed,” Putala said. “You could say that about any senator on the Commerce Committee.”

Nine other lobbyists whose business interests often intersect with Kerry’s public duties are also among his top fundraisers. Together, they and employees of their firms and their clients have contributed nearly $600,000 to Kerry since 2002, according to Morris’ research.

Those contacted said they have never gotten special treatment from the senator.

“I raise money for him because I believe in him,” said Norman Brownstein, a Colorado lawyer whose company represents Comcast and AT&T.;

Ivan Schlager, head of the public policy practice in Washington for the Skadden Arps law firm, is also one of Kerry’s top fundraisers. He represents AOL-Time Warner and SBC Communications.

Schlager said Kerry has not done him any favors.

“He’s never been chummy with lobbyists. He’s never been part of the old boy establishment,” he said.

In fact, Schlager said, he has lobbied the senator twice -- unsuccessfully. “Kerry takes it as he sees it,” he said.

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Kerry Money

Although Sen. John F. Kerry decries the power of special interests in Washington, his biggest supporters have traditionally been lawyers and lobbyists. Since 1992, he has collected nearly $600,000 from lobbyists now raising money for his presidential bid, their firms and their clients.

*--* ’02 ’04 Company Senate Presidential Total Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom (legal & lobbying services) $13,500 $88,900 $102,400 Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky & Popeo (legal & lobbying services) 42,950 57,300 100,250 Piper Rudnick (legal & lobbying services) 11,000 57,000 68,000 Verizon Communications (information) 44,150 3,500 47,650 Citigroup Inc. (finance & insurance) 2,000 41,800 43,800 Time Warner Inc. (information) 10,500 21,750 32,250 News Corp./FOX Entertainment Group Inc. (information) 5,800 24,900 30,700 Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (finance & insurance) 1,500 17,500 19,000 Microsoft Corp. (manufacturing) 12,000 5,500 17,500 AT&T; Corp. (information) 9,000 6,500 15,500 Raytheon Co. (defense/aerospace) 9,250 5,250 14,500 Merrill Lynch & Co. (finance & insurance) 5,750 7,800 13,550 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (professional, scientific & technical services) 5,500 6,250 11,750

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Source: Dwight L. Morris & Associates, Senate lobbying disclosure forms, Kerry committee.