Joe Scarborough and the rest of the zany cast of Morning Joe should be very ashamed of themselves for saying that there is no proof foreign money is being donated and funneled through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Well here's the proof: read every word of it and weep; better yet, send this email and article over to Joe Blowhard for some really interesting "debate" as to whether or not there is proof the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is getting foreign donations. Moreover, Joe's own MSNBC network has already broadcast this information as fact, in depth, so this makes Joe Scarborough an even bigger dumbass than he already is. btw, be sure and tell Joe I finally got the funding for the Lauri Klausutis documentary.......it's about time, don't you think?
I wonder what all the MSNBC viewers who saw the MSNBC report on the foreign money being funneled through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce think of this Morning Joe crew living in abject denial on this issue????
Last week, ThinkProgress published an exclusive story about the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's foreign fundraising operation. We noted the Chamber raises money from foreign-owned businesses for its 501(c)(6) entity, the same account that finances its unprecedented $75 million dollar partisan attack ad campaign. While the Chamber is notoriously secretive, the thrust of our story involved the disclosure of fundraising documents U.S. Chamber staffers had been distributing to solicit foreign (even state-owned) companies to donate directly to the Chamber's 501(c)(6).
We documented three different ways the Chamber fundraises from foreign corporations: (1) An internal fundraising program called "Business Councils" used to solicit direct, largely foreign contributions to the Chamber, (2) Direct contributions from foreign multinationals like BP, Siemens, and Shell Oil, and (3) From the Chamber's network of AmCham affiliates, which are foreign chambers of the Chamber composed of American and foreign companies. The Chamber quickly acknowledged that it receives direct, foreign money, but simply replied, "We are not obligated to discuss our internal procedures." Instead of providing any documentation or proof to demonstrate foreign money is not being used for electioneering purposes, the Chamber launched an aggressive media strategy to first, attack ThinkProgress with petty name-calling and second, to confuse the media by highlighting the Chamber's relatively minor AmCham fundraising, which the Chamber says (also without documentation) totals "approximately $100,000" from all 115 international AmCham chapters. The Chamber and the media largely ignored ThinkProgress' revelation about the Chamber's direct foreign fundraising to its 501(c)(6) used for attack ads.
Yesterday, the Chamber's chief lobbyist Bruce Josten, who has been spoon-feeding much of the media distortions about our report, went on Fox News (whose parent company donated $1 million to the Chamber recently for its ad campaign) to again try to dilute the issue by dissembling about the Chamber's fundraising and membership. "We have probably 60 or so foreign multi-national companies in our membership that we have had for decades, many of which have been in the United States for half a century or a century," said Josten.
The Chamber is being deceptive. In addition to multinational members of the Chamber headquartered abroad (like BP, Shell Oil, and Siemens), a new ThinkProgress investigation has identified at least 84 other foreign companies that actively donate to the Chamber's 501(c)(6). Below is a chart detailing the annual dues foreign corporations have indicated that they give directly to the Chamber (using information that is publicly available from the Business Council applications and the Chamber's own websites):
| Company | Location | Money/Level |
| 4G Identity Solutions | Hyderabad, India | $7,500 |
| A2Z Maintenance & Eng. | Gurgaon, India | $7,500 |
| Amarchand Mangaldas | Mumbai, India | $15,000 |
| Apollo Hospitals | Chennai, India | $7,500 |
| Arshiya International | Mumbai, India | $15,000 |
| Astonfield Management | Mumbai, India | $7,500 |
| AXA Group | Paris, France | $7,500 |
| Avantha Group | India | $7,500 |
| Avasarala Technologies | Bangalore, India | $7,500 |
| AZB & Partners | Mumbai, India | $15,000 |
| Azure Power | New Delhi, India | $7,500 |
| Bharat Forge | Pune, India | $15,000 |
| Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP | Toronto, Canada | $7,500 |
| Brookfield Asset Management | Toronto, Canada | $7,500 |
| Cameco Corporation | Saskatoon, Canada | $7,500 |
| Credit Suisse | Zürich, Switzerland | $15,000 |
| Devas Multimedia | Bangalore, India | $15,000 |
| DSK Legal | Bombay, India | $7,500 |
| Dua Associates | Hyderabad, India | $15,000 |
| Educomp Solutions Ltd | Delhi, India | $7,500 |
| Essar Group | Mumbai, India | $7,500 |
| Fox Mandal Little | India | $7,500 |
| GMR | Bangalore, India | $15,000 |
| Hindalco Group, The | Mumbai, India | $15,000 |
| Hinduja Group, The | London, UK | $15,000 |
| Hindustan Construction Company | Mumbai, India | $15,000 |
| HSBC | London, UK | $15,000 |
| ICICI Bank | Mumbia, India | $7,500 |
| Infosys | Bangalore, India | $15,000 |
| Infotech Enterprises | Hyderabad, India | $7,500 |
| International SOS Assistance | Singapore | $7,500 |
| Ireo Management | Gurgoan, India | $15,000 |
| ITC Group | Kolkata, India | $15,000 |
| J. Sagar Associates | Mumbai, India | $15,000 |
| J.B.Boda Insurance | Mumbai, India | $7,500 |
| J.M. Baxi & Co. | Mumbai, India | $15,000 |
| Jagran Prakashan | Kanpur, India | $7,500 |
| Jindal Power | New Delhi, India | $15,000 |
| Jubilant Organosys | Noida, India | $7,500 |
| Kimaya Energy | New Delhi, India | $15,000 |
| Kotak Mahindra | Mumbai, India | $7,500 |
| KPIT Cummins | Pune, India | $7,500 |
| KPMG | Amstelveen, Netherlands | $15,000 |
| Lahmeyer International | Frankfurt, Germany | $7,500 |
| Larsen & Toubro | Mumbai, India | $15,000 |
| Leela Hotels | Bengaluru, India | $7,500 |
| Linklaters LLP | London, UK | $7,500 |
| Luthra & Luthra | New Delhi, India | $15,000 |
| Macquarie Capital | Sydney, Australia | $15,000 |
| Majmudar & Company | Mumbai, India | $7,500 |
| NIIT Technologies | Delhi, India | $15,000 |
| Nishith Desai Associates | Mumbai, India | $15,000 |
| Novartis | Basel, Switzerland | $15,000 |
| Oberoi Group | Dehli,India | $7,500 |
| Patni Americas | Mumbai, India | $15,000 |
| Punj Lloyd | Gurgaon, India | $15,000 |
| QuEST Global | Singapore | $7,500 |
| Ranbaxy, Inc. | Gurgaon, India | $7,500 |
| Reliance Industries | Mumbai, India | $15,000 |
| Reliance Communications | Navi Mumbai, India | $7,500 |
| Rolta | Mumbai, India | $7,500 |
| Sanofi-Aventis | Paris, France | $7,500 |
| SKP Crossborder Consulting | Mumbai, India | $7,500 |
| SNC Lavalin | Montreal, Canada | $7,500 |
| State Bank of India | Mumbai, India | $15,000 |
| Sun Life Financial | Toronto, Canada | $7,500 |
| Tata Group | Mumbai, India | $15,000 |
| Tatva Legal | India | $15,000 |
| Urenco Investments | Slough, UK | $7,500 |
| Trilegal | India | $7,500 |
| Walchandnagar Industries | Mumbai, India | $7,500 |
| Welspun | Mumbai, India | $7,500 |
| Wipro | Bangalore, India | $15,000 |
| TAIB Bank* | Dubai | $20,000 |
| Aluminum Bahrain B.S.C | Kingdom of Bahrain | $10,000 |
| Bahrain Financial Harbour Holding Company | Kingdom of Bahrain | $10,000 |
| Gulf Air | Kingdom of Bahrain | $10,000 |
| Midal Cables | Kingdom of Bahrain | $10,000 |
| The Nass Group | Kingdom of Bahrain | $10,000 |
| Bahrain Maritime & Mercantile International | Kingdom of Bahrain | $5,000 |
| The Bahrain Petroleum Company | Kingdom of Bahrain | $5,000 |
| First Leasing Bank | Kingdom of Bahrain | $5,000 |
| Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company | Kingdom of Bahrain | $5,000 |
| TOTAL | | $885,000 |
Again, all of these annual dues are collected in the same 501(c)(6) the Chamber is using to run partisan attack ads. The data above reflects information from public sources, and the Chamber likely has many more foreign corporations as dues-paying members — but refuses to divulge any of the funders for their ad campaign. Unfortunately, many reporters in the traditional press covered the Chamber story, but missed the entire point of our reporting. Most reporters (from the New York Times, McClatchy, the Associated Press, etc.) never contacted ThinkProgress, instead opting to only interview Chamber officials.
Here's how the Chamber's unusual foreign fundraising operation works. According to this internal Chamber staff chart obtained by ThinkProgress, the Chamber has an international division devoted to promoting free trade and related policy issues. U.S. Chamber staffers, based here in Washington, D.C. with offices in the Chamber's building at 1615 H Street, create bilateral "Business Councils" fundraising programs to solicit money from foreign corporations in Korea, Egypt, Brazil, Bahrain, India, and other places. For instance, the Chamber's US-Egypt Business Council directs potential members to wire their checks to the US Chamber of Commerce. The application also notes that checks should be marked "ATTN: Leila Vossoughi." Vossaoughi is a regular staffer at the Chamber. Promotions to join the Chamber have included promises that foreign firms obtain "access to the US Chamber of Commerce and everything that it does" and pledges to help the foreign firms promote free trade policies in America. All of the staffers who manage the Business Councils work directly for the Chamber. These Business Councils are nothing like the Chamber's AmChams, which are foreign affiliates of the Chamber composed of American and foreign businesses abroad. Business Councils are based in the Chamber and even hosted on the U.S. Chamber's website domain. Bylaws from the US-Bahrain Business Council confirm that the money the U.S. Chamber raises from these applications — which welcome foreign-owned businesses — goes into the Chamber's 501(c)(6). Click below to see one such application:
Again, the information above documents the fact that foreign donations go directly to the Chamber without any intermediary, for instance, through an "AmCham" or another Chamber affiliate organization. The same Chamber account funded by these foreign corporation is running a $75 million attack campaign. In fact, a Chamber spokesperson acknowledged the foreign funds go into the Chamber's general account. Any responsible reporter should have to note these direct donations given to the Chamber, which the Chamber has refused to discuss. Or, reporters should contact us directly if there is any confusion about our report.
ThinkProgress intern Riley Waggaman contributed to this post.
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/10/05/foreign-chamber-commerce/
In recent years, the Chamber has become very aggressive with its fundraising, opening offices abroad and helping to found foreign chapters (known as Business Councils or "AmChams"). While many of these foreign operations include American businesses with interests overseas, the Chamber has also spearheaded an effort to raise money from foreign corporations, including ones controlled by foreign governments. These foreign members of the Chamber send money either directly to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, or the foreign members fund their local Chamber, which in turn, transfers dues payments back to the Chamber's H Street office in Washington DC. These funds are commingled to the Chamber's 501(c)(6) account which is the vehicle for the attack ads:
– The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has created a large presence in the small, oil-rich country of Bahrain. In 2006, the Chamber created an internal fundraising department called the "U.S.-Bahrain Business Council" (USBBC), an organization to help businesses in Bahrain take advantage of the Chamber's "network of government and business relationships in the US and worldwide." As the USBBC's bylaws state, it is not an actual separate entity, rather it is simply an office of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's 501(c)(6) trade association. Many of the USBBC's board members are Bahrainian, including Aluminum Bahrain, Gulf Air, Midal Cables, the Nass Group, Bahrain Maritime & Mercantile International, the Bahrain Petroleum Company (state-owned), Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company, and First Leasing Bank. With each of these foreign board members to the USBBC contributing at least $10,000 annually, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce raises well over $100,000 a year in money from foreign businesses through its operation in Bahrain. Notably, the membership form provided by the USBBC directs applicants to send or wire their money directly to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The membership form also explicitly states that the foreign-owned firms are welcomed.
– Like the Chamber's involvement in Bahrain, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce operates in India through a fundraising department called te "U.S.-India Business Council" (USIBC), which has offices around the world but is headquartered in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Dozens of Indian businesses, including some of India's largest corporations like the State Bank of India (state-run) and ICICI Bank, are members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce through the USIBC. Annual membership dues range from $7,500 to $15,000 or more, and the money is given directly into the Chamber's 501(c)(6) bank account. Like the USBBC, the USIBC generates well over $200,000 a year in dues for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce from foreign businesses. On the USIBC website, many of the groups lobbying goals advocate changing American policy to help businesses in India. Under the manufacturing policy goal, USIBC boasts that it "can play a helpful role in guiding U.S. companies to India, while supporting various policy initiatives that will enhance India's reputation as a major manufacturing and investment hub."
– Unlike Business Councils, which are internal fundraising departments of the Chamber geared towards raising foreign money, many foreign "AmChams" operate outside the direct sphere of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce but nonetheless send dues money back to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. For instance, the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt is a separate entity based in Cairo that raises hundreds of thousands of dollars from both Egyptian firms and American businesses. However, the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt calls itself "the most active affiliates of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in the" Middle East. Another foreign chamber, like the Abu Dhabi AmCham, which includes American firms and Esnaad, a subsidiary of the state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, claims that it is a a "dues paying member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and part of the global network of American Chambers of Commerce." In Russia, the relationship between the American Chamber of Commerce there and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce here is opaque. This might be because many of the dues-paying members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia are Russian state-run companies, like VTB Bank, and controlled by the Russian government. Asked by ThinkProgress if the Russian Chambers pay dues back to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Ksenia Forsheneva, the membership development manager at the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, replied, "Unfortunately the information that you require is closed for the public."
Previously, it has been reported that foreign firms like BP, Shell Oil, and Siemens are active members of the Chamber. But on a larger scale, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce appears to rely heavily on fundraising from firms all over the world, including China, India, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Russia, and many other places. Of course, because the Chamber successfully lobbied to kill campaign finance reforms aimed at establishing transparency, the Chamber does not have to reveal any of the funding for its ad campaigns. Dues-paying members of the Chamber could potentially be sending additional funds this year to help air more attack ads against Democrats.
Here's how it works. Regular dues from American firms to the Chamber can range from $500 to $300,000 or more, depending on their size and industry, and can be used for any purpose deemed necessary by the Chamber leadership. For example, the health insurance giant Aetna has reported that it paid $100,000 in annual dues to the Chamber in the past. But for specific advocacy or advertising campaigns, corporations can hide behind the label of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and give additional money. Last year, alongside their regular dues, health insurance companies like Aetna secretly funneled up to $20 million to the Chamber for attack ads aimed at killing health reform (publicly, health insurance executives claimed they supported reform). Last week, Politico reported that News Corporation, the parent company of Fox News, gave an extra $1 million to the Chamber for its election season attack campaign.
There are many reasons foreign corporations are seeking to defeat Democratic candidates this November. The Chamber has repeatedly sent out issue alerts attacking Democratic efforts to encourage businesses to hire locally rather than outsource to foreign counties. The Chamber has also bitterly fought Democrats for opposing unfettered free trade deals. To galvanize foreign businesses, the Chamber has commissioned former Ambassador Frank Lavin — who served as the McCain-Palin Asia campaign director and has appeared on television multiple times recently saying a Democratic Congress is bad for business — to speak before various foreign Chamber affiliates to talk about the stakes for the 2010 midterm elections.
Because campaign finance laws prohibit foreign entities from contributing to political races here in America, we asked the Chamber to defend the legality of its fundraising operation. We have yet to receive a response. But as word of our investigation began to leak out yesterday, the Chamber informed Politico's Mike Allen that it is now "preparing a response."
Update The US Chamber of Commerce has responded to this post in a statement to the Politico's Ben Smith. The Chamber's Tita Freeman did not dispute that the Chamber's 501(c)(6) organization running attack ads receives foreign funds, and simply
claimed, "We have a system in place" to prevent foreign funding for the Chamber's "political activities."
Update This post has been edited for clarity about the role of the Chamber's "Business Councils," which are internal fundraising departments of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce geared towards soliciting foreign businesses as dues-paying members of the Chamber. The US-Bahrain Business Council, the US-India Business Council, the US-Brazil Business Council, and others are
departments of the Chamber, located within the Chamber's headquarters at 1615 H Street, and hosted by the Chamber's
website domain. US Chamber staffers coordinate these Business Councils and manage their foreign fundraising. For instance, the Chamber's US-Egypt Business Council directs potential members to wire their checks to the US Chamber of Commerce. The application also notes that checks should be marked "ATTN: Leila Vossoughi." Vossaoughi is a
coordinator at the Chamber. Unlike AmChams, which are foreign affiliates of the Chamber, Business Councils solicit direct contributions from foreign corporations -- the the Bahrain Petroleum Company -- directly to the Chamber's 501(c)(6), the same general account used to run partisan attack ads.
