lucky wilbury
02-02-2004, 02:20 AM
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/02/01/elec04.prez.main/index.html
Kerry fends off attacks over fund raising
Dean: 'Enormous gamble' didn't pay off
Sunday, February 1, 2004 Posted: 11:13 PM EST (0413 GMT)
FARGO, North Dakota (CNN) -- Sen. John Kerry braved sub-zero temperatures Sunday to stump for votes in frosty North Dakota, while his rivals tried to heat up the race with a new line of attack: that the Democratic front-runner has been too cozy with lobbyists to effectively lead the fight against powerful special interests.
The Kerry campaign was also confronted with a report in the current issue of Newsweek that the senator's office contacted federal regulators to assist a friend of Johnny Chung, a central figure in the 1996 fund-raising scandals, shortly before Chung threw a fund-raiser for Kerry's Senate re-election campaign that year.
Kerry said Sunday that he had "no recollection" of meeting Chung. He also said Chung, who later pleaded guilty to making illegal campaign contributions to both Kerry and former President Bill Clinton, received no special treatment because of his fund-raising help.
"This is old news. It's been thoroughly vetted, it was investigated. The moment we had learned anything about that contribution, we returned the entire contribution," he told reporters in Fargo.
But Howard Dean blasted Kerry over his dealings with Chung, saying he owes the American people an "apology."
"John Kerry has absolutely no credibility at all anymore when it comes to fighting special interests in Washington," the former Vermont governor told reporters aboard his campaign plane Sunday. "This is exactly the kind of behavior that George Bush, on a much grander scale, does."
Earlier in the day, in an interview with NBC's "Meet The Press," Dean also stood behind the criticism he leveled at Kerry on Saturday, after figures from the Center for Responsive Politics surfaced showing Kerry had received more campaign contributions from registered lobbyists since 1989 than any current or former senator.
On CBS's Face The Nation Sunday, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina said Dean's characterization Saturday of Kerry as a Republican was "ridiculous." But as he has throughout the campaign, Edwards tried to position himself as a Washington outsider who would fight special interests, saying he has taken no contributions from registered lobbyists.
"I think we need real change in Washington. I think we need real change in America. And I believe somebody like me, who's not been in Washington for 15 to 20 years, is the best person to bring about that change," said Edwards, who is serving his first term in the Senate.
The CRP's figures on contributions from lobbyists do not include contributions from lawyers, many of whom lobby on behalf of their clients. Among current and former senators during the past 15 years, Edwards, a trial lawyer, has received more money from lawyers than anyone else, followed by Kerry.
In other campaign developments Sunday, Kerry was endorsed by Gov. Gary Locke of Washington, which holds caucuses Saturday, and the United Farm Workers.
Kerry fends off attacks over fund raising
Dean: 'Enormous gamble' didn't pay off
Sunday, February 1, 2004 Posted: 11:13 PM EST (0413 GMT)
FARGO, North Dakota (CNN) -- Sen. John Kerry braved sub-zero temperatures Sunday to stump for votes in frosty North Dakota, while his rivals tried to heat up the race with a new line of attack: that the Democratic front-runner has been too cozy with lobbyists to effectively lead the fight against powerful special interests.
The Kerry campaign was also confronted with a report in the current issue of Newsweek that the senator's office contacted federal regulators to assist a friend of Johnny Chung, a central figure in the 1996 fund-raising scandals, shortly before Chung threw a fund-raiser for Kerry's Senate re-election campaign that year.
Kerry said Sunday that he had "no recollection" of meeting Chung. He also said Chung, who later pleaded guilty to making illegal campaign contributions to both Kerry and former President Bill Clinton, received no special treatment because of his fund-raising help.
"This is old news. It's been thoroughly vetted, it was investigated. The moment we had learned anything about that contribution, we returned the entire contribution," he told reporters in Fargo.
But Howard Dean blasted Kerry over his dealings with Chung, saying he owes the American people an "apology."
"John Kerry has absolutely no credibility at all anymore when it comes to fighting special interests in Washington," the former Vermont governor told reporters aboard his campaign plane Sunday. "This is exactly the kind of behavior that George Bush, on a much grander scale, does."
Earlier in the day, in an interview with NBC's "Meet The Press," Dean also stood behind the criticism he leveled at Kerry on Saturday, after figures from the Center for Responsive Politics surfaced showing Kerry had received more campaign contributions from registered lobbyists since 1989 than any current or former senator.
On CBS's Face The Nation Sunday, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina said Dean's characterization Saturday of Kerry as a Republican was "ridiculous." But as he has throughout the campaign, Edwards tried to position himself as a Washington outsider who would fight special interests, saying he has taken no contributions from registered lobbyists.
"I think we need real change in Washington. I think we need real change in America. And I believe somebody like me, who's not been in Washington for 15 to 20 years, is the best person to bring about that change," said Edwards, who is serving his first term in the Senate.
The CRP's figures on contributions from lobbyists do not include contributions from lawyers, many of whom lobby on behalf of their clients. Among current and former senators during the past 15 years, Edwards, a trial lawyer, has received more money from lawyers than anyone else, followed by Kerry.
In other campaign developments Sunday, Kerry was endorsed by Gov. Gary Locke of Washington, which holds caucuses Saturday, and the United Farm Workers.