Reince Priebus, a candidate for chair of the Republican National Committee, worked at a law firm that helped clients seek stimulus funds. In 2009, Priebus’s firm, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, created a “Stimulus Legislation Team” — of which Priebus was listed as a member — that promised clients to “identify opportunities, prepare appropriate proposals and make targeted contacts to secure funds.” Tim Mak at Frum Forum has more:
In response to an inquiry, Priebus denied any involvement with the team, despite his name being listed in conjunction with the team on several places on his law firm’s website.
“I have never worked on or been involved with that group or any group that involves stimulus money in any way. I’m not involved with any effort to secure any funds from the stimulus bill, period. I have discovered that the link on my bio page was put there in error. The link will also be removed as soon as possible,” he said to FrumForum.
Priebus’ assertion comes despite the fact that the ‘Stimulus and Economic Recovery’ is listed as one of his services on his biography; his co-authorship of four client alert briefings for the Stimulus and Economic Recovery Team; and his name listed on the announcement of the creation of the team.
“I’m co chair of the Government Practice Group, so my guess is that I was simply listed,” said Priebus.
The denial bothers me more than the actual story. Assuming he did help his clients to secure stimulus funds, so what? His law firm exists to help clients, it does not write the laws. Whether he worked on securing stimulus funds or not is to me immaterial, however if he did so and lied about it then his candidacy should be DOA.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhy shuld only those that support pork feed at the trough? Once the funds are committed to be spent I would hope conservative casues would push as hard as possible to get their priorities funded. Would we want all of the funding to go to "green" initiatives and those who support pork or would we rather have the funding go to highways?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI unconvinced and concerned if any of this is true.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLet me just say, "Yeah, Yeah, Sure, Sure."
Next!
Who's the next unpronounceable name running for RNC Chair with issues?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHe should deny it if his denial is accurate, but if he did this work, so what? But it sounds weaselly. I represent clients on a variety of matters, and i am free to turn them away, and have. I don't have a moral problem with taking government money that has been appropriated -- the crime is the appropriation.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSince he is the co-chair of the Government Practice Group I find it difficult to believe he did no work on securing stimulus funds. Even if that work consisted solely of assigning associates to do the work. At the very least he must have been fully aware of what was going on.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNext!
Anyone who is that weaselly in their defense of legitimate work shouldn't be considered.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseStupid denial. If he can't handle something as simple as this then forget it.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNext.
How about someone whose face in front of the cameras is the same one as that seen by his (or her) buddies behind closed doors?
Although I've consistently given to the RNC in the past, I gave nothing in 2010 and gave instead to individual candidates who impressed me. I realize this bypasses party strategy to back the guy or gal most likely to assure the body counts that may gain majorities and leadership positions in Congress, but as we all learn every time a RINO casts a vote, all Republicans are not alike and the more contributors and voters are taken for granted the less conservative those Republicans become.
No more RINO's. The first sign of one is when he is revealed as more of a politician than he is a principled conservative.
Give us the guy or gal in the game, NOT the game in the guy or gal.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSo, he's a slippery liar - so what?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThat's not a crime, that's not a fatal character flaw, that doesn't make him the scum of the earth.
That's a resume-enhancing virtue for this post.
The lawyerly defenses here are misplaced. Seeking stimulus funds is certainly legal, and is well within the ethics (such as they are) of the legal profession. But the judgement being made here is whether to put this guy incharge of a specific organization, the RNC. The optics alone of this are a disqualifier. How can the party properly excoriate those who perpetrated the "stimulus" if it is chaired by a guy who sought to take full advantage of it? I will not judge Mr. Preibus too harshly for doing what attorneys do, but I also don't need a guy with this baggage in charge of the RNC.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse@ panic:
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHe just got caught, proving that his slippery quotient is not very high. Even by your cynical logic, this is not a resume enhancer.
I agree that the optics probably look bad. Hypocrisy will be the word on the lips of every member of the media should he win. Nevermind that nobody would scream hypocrisy if a wealthy Democrat who takes full advantage of the lower tax rates that his Party vehemently opposes were to lead the DNC (oh wait.....).
I also agree that the response sounds weaselly. But he's a lawyer, and lawyers sound weaselly more often than not - just the nature of talking like a lawyer to sound slippery.
There are a number of great candidates, and I don't think Priebus is so far above and beyond the rest of them that we should be willing to overlook these issues. We overlooked a lot in electing Steele and that hasn't turned out quite the way we all hoped. Let's not repeat that mistake.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSo the information is all over his CV but he didn't do nuthin'??? What is WRONG with this person??? Is mewling dishonesty now an accepted requisite inside the Beltway?
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question, now, what had happened to the face of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which."
-George Orwell, "Animal Farm"
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAs a lawyer now for 16 years, I can tell you it is not that far fetched to think this inforamtion was put out there without his knowing. Things like that in a large firm are usually handled by adminstrators and markteting people, with little oversight by the individual lawyers. However, what he should have said nonetheless is: so what? I am opposed to the stimulus, but since each and everyone one of us, including his clients, are going to pay for it, it is logical to attempt to benefit from our increased taxes. I agreed with Jindal, Stanford, and the other governors who argued that they were against the stimulus, but if you are going to jam it down our throats we are obligated to insure we get the benefits you say it offers.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse