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Bush backers donate heavily to veteran ads { September 11 2004 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/11/politics/campaign/11swift.html?hphttp://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/11/politics/campaign/11swift.html?hp
September 11, 2004
Bush's Backers Donate Heavily to Veteran Ads
By GLEN JUSTICE and ERIC LICHTBLAU
WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 - Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, an advocacy group that jolted the presidential race with commercials questioning Senator John Kerry's military service, said it had raised $6.7 million in a windfall brought about by the group's high profile in recent weeks.
Several of the largest donors are longtime supporters of President Bush, according to a financial disclosure report filed on Friday with the Federal Election Commission.
The largest contributor was T. Boone Pickens, a famous Texas oilman and longtime Republican supporter who was a political backer of Mr. Bush's father. Mr. Pickens gave $500,000.
Aubrey McClendon, chief executive of Chesapeake Energy in Oklahoma, gave $250,000; Bob Perry, another Bush supporter from Texas, gave $200,000 to seed the group; and Albert Huddleston, a Texas energy executive who has raised money for Mr. Bush, gave $100,000, records show.
Sam Wyly, the wealthy Texas entrepreneur who financed commercials attacking Senator John McCain in the 2000 Republican primary, gave $10,000, as did his brother Charles, records show.
At least two Swift boat donors are also listed as Bush Pioneers, meaning they raised at least $100,000 for Mr. Bush.
"The words 'tidal wave' come to mind,'' said Mike Russell, a spokesman for the group, who added that "you don't often see that type of grass-roots reaction."
The group's impact is one of the most visible examples of the effect that so-called 527 committees are having on the presidential race. The groups, named for the section of the tax code that created them, can collect unlimited soft money contributions not allowed for political parties and candidates.
Democrats made heavy use of these groups early in the presidential race, raising tens of millions through organizations like America Coming Together, the MoveOn.org Voter Fund and the Media Fund, drawing complaints from Republicans who said the groups were illegal. Mr. Bush's campaign filed a complaint with the election commission in March alleging that the Kerry campaign and the Democratic groups were violating campaign finance laws by coordinating activities.
Indeed, a procession of top strategists have moved back and forth between Mr. Kerry's campaign and the advocacy groups, drawing fresh rounds of Republican protests.
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has spent more than $4.2 million since April, Mr. Russell said, with most of it spent on radio and television advertisements. It had about $2.5 million left in the bank this week, he said, leaving the group in a strong position to continue its barrage of attack ads.
The Swift boat group's disclosure listed only some of its contributors - those who gave $1,000 or more - and was required because the group ran advertisements covered under new campaign finance laws. The group released additional information in a statement and in interviews, saying that much of its money had come in after its provocative advertisements captured media attention. According to the group, almost 60 percent of its income came from donations of $1,000 or less.
Among the donors from President Bush's home state was Lawrence Gelman, a doctor in McAllen, who made six contributions of $1,000 each beginning in late August. Mr. Gelman said he first heard about the group's campaign amid last month's burst of media reports and decided he wanted to support it.
"This thing about Kerry and his medal to me sounded very odd," Mr. Gelman said. "As a physician, I understand that for someone to be wounded that many times and not have to be hospitalized sounded very strange. It made me feel better to help people who had what I thought was a legitimate point of view."
Dr. Gelman, 52, described himself as conservative politically and said that while he had donated to Mr. Bush, he was not a big fan: "To me, he's the lesser of two evils. I'm not thrilled with President Bush, but I think he would be better than Kerry."
He added that the counterattacks on the group and its veracity had spurred him to donate more.
"When someone comes out against them, I get riled up and give another contribution," he said.
The group began attacking Mr. Kerry's record in Vietnam months ago and recently started its commercials, which have monopolized the presidential race at times. The group's most serious claims have been contradicted by official Navy documents.
The group has used only three television advertisements attacking Mr. Kerry, but it has received reams of national publicity in the media. A new book, "Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry'' by John E. O'Neill, a fellow Vietnam veteran who has been criticizing Mr. Kerry for 30 years, and Jerome R. Corsi, hit No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list.
Mr. O'Neill, who has been the group's most visible spokesman, donated more than $35,000 to the group, records show.
The Bush-Cheney campaign has denied involvement in the attacks and Mr. Bush has called for such advocacy groups to stop spending money in the presidential race, saying they are "bad for the system.''
Benjamin L. Ginsberg stepped down last month as the Bush campaign's top outside lawyer after it was disclosed that he had provided legal advice to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.Friday's disclosure drew jeers from Mr. Kerry's campaign, which filed a complaint against the group before the election commission last month, accusing the Swift boat organization of violating campaign laws by coordinating its activities with the Bush campaign.
Chad Clanton, a Kerry campaign spokesman, called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth a "discredited group.''
"No matter how much money they spend," Mr. Clanton said, "two facts remain: their charges have been completely discredited and they're clearly doing the dirty work of the Bush-Cheney campaign."
A spokesman for the Bush campaign, Scott Stanzel, declined to comment on the financial disclosure.
Mr. Russell said that the Swift boat group's money was proof that its commercials were resonating.
"We've been successful at getting our message out,'' he said. "More important, we've been successful at raising questions about Mr. Kerry's character and his fitness as commander in chief.''
After the commission declined to regulate 527 committees for now, Republicans entered the fray with their own groups, which have begun to raise tens of millions of dollars.
Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company
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