Bloomberg: Private-Equity Lobbying Helped Protect Romney’s Tax Benefits
On February 7, 2012, Bloomberg reported:
The largest U.S. private-equity funds and venture capital firms have relied on a five-year, multimillion-dollar lobbying campaign to protect the carried interest tax break that helped drive presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s 2010 effective tax rate below 14 percent.
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.
TPM: GOP Senate Candidate’s Solar Company Took Stimulus Cash
On February 6, 2012, Talking Points Memo reported:
Former Rep. Mark Neumann (R-WI), who is running in a three-way primary for the state’s open Senate seat on a platform of cutting government, has in fact taken government spending from a particular Obama administration initiative: stimulus grants. What’s more, the money was for his solar energy company.
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.
Washington Post: On Campaign Trail, Romney Skips Questions In Taking Up Mantle Of Likely GOP Nominee
On February 5, 2012, the Washington Post reported:
Mitt Romney answered his last question from a voter three weeks ago, and just about every day since then, he has swept through towns across America like a whistling train conductor proclaiming, “All aboard.” [...] Although Romney’s avoidance of questions from voters helps prevent him from making unforced errors, it does pose a risk that voters may see him as too cautious, calculating and detached.
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: Brown Pays Own Daughter To Sing
On February 3, 2012, POLITICO reported:
he Brown campaign made three payments to Ambient Entertainment, the company that represents Ayla Brown, since the end of 2010 — $5,000 on Dec. 3, 2010, $500 on Oct. 5, 2011 and $4,000 on Dec. 7, 2011, for a grand total of $9,500, according to 2010 and 2011 FEC filings.
Boston Globe: Scott Brown’s Daughter Was Paid $9,500 To Sing At Campaign Events
On February 3, 2012, the Boston Globe reported:
Family members often help out on campaigns, stuffing envelopes, making phone calls, and smiling on stage. Usually, it’s for free. Senator Scott Brown’s campaign has spent $9,500 since December 2010 to pay his daughter to sing at three campaign events, including a pair of Christmas parties.
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.