Breaking: Swift Boat donor Simmons financing new anti-Obama ads

(UPDATE: We have published new information below)

Texas billionaire Harold Simmons, a major backer of John McCain’s presidential campaign and Swift Boat Veterans for Truth four years ago, is the sole donor to an ad attacking Barack Obama over his relationship with William Ayers, founder of a militant group.

A campaign finance filing with the Federal Election Commission shows Simmons donated the entire $2.87 million being used by a newly formed group, American Issues Project, to air the commercials in Ohio and Michigan during the next week.

Simmons was one of the biggest funders of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, giving $3 million to the group that attacked John Kerry over his Vietnam service. He is No. 43 on Forbes' list of the richest Americans, with a worth estimated at $7.4 billion.

In this campaign, Simmons has given the maximum allowed under federal law to McCain’s presidential campaign -- $2,300.

In April, Simmons gave $7,500 to the Republican National Committee and $7,500 to a committee established by McCain to funnel donations to state Republican parties to aid his general election.

The 60-second ad opens with Obama giving a speech, then asks how much voters know about him. From there, it bores in on his relationship with Ayers, a University of Illinois at Chicago professor who more than 30 years ago was deeply involved in radical leftist politics advocating violence.

The spot notes that the Sept. 11 hijackers failed to crash one of the hijacked jets into the U.S. Capitol and says that 30 years earlier the Weather Underground detonated a bomb in the Capitol.

"Why would Barack Obama be friends with someone who bombed the Capitol and is proud of it?" the ad asks.

Ayers spent years on the run. After he surrendered in 1980, charges against him were dropped because of prosecutorial misconduct.

McCain's campaign has denied any involvement in the ad.

Under federal law, it would be illegal for McCain to be involved in the spot. Obama's campaign has raised the possibility that there is a connection, noting that a board member of the group was a paid McCain consultant earlier in the campaign.

*Update:

Obama attorney Robert F. Bauer charged in a letter to the Justice Department that American Issues Project is engaged in a “willful attempt to evade the strictures of federal election law.” The group claims tax-exempt status. Bauer noted that the law limits the ability of such committees to expressly advocate for the defeat or election of a candidate. ...

Instead, the group should be operating as a political organization. But federal law caps the size of donations to such groups, which would have precluded Simmons from donating the $2.87 million to it.

“We urge and expect the Department of Justice to fulfill its commitment to take prompt, vigorous action to enforce against criminal violations of the campaign finance laws,” Bauer’s letter said.

Separately, Obama’s attacks the ad as “demonstrably false,” and labeled the spot as “crude, disreputable and malicious attempt to link Sen. Obama to domestic terrorist activities.” The national Fox New network has declined to air it, but several Fox affiliates in Ohio and Michigan are showing it, said Christian Pinkston, the consultant working for American Issues.

Pinkston scoffed at the charges, saying: “These people need to study election law. It is totally legal. You can be sure we vetted and vetted and vetted it again.”

Meanwhile, Times researcher Maloy Moore found that in addition to giving $2.87 million to the latest effort, Simmons, a corporate take-over specialist once nicknamed the Ice Man, has donated at least $4.5 million to federal campaigns in the past decade.

McCain’s campaign discloses on its website that Simmons has raised between $50,000 and $100,000 for the candidate.

Simmons also has given direct contributions to McCain and McCain-related committees totaling $17,300 since the presidential campaign began last year. A political action committee affiliated with one of Simmons’ companies has donated another $18,500 to McCain.

-- Dan Morain

Photo credit: Tom Fox / Associated Press

Comments

[Sal B]

The Big Lie: Repeat a lie often enough and people don't remember it's a lie, they just remember the allegations. This is what America is in 2008.

[McCain is Bush]

Watch the lemmings follow one after the other mindlessly towards the depth of their vapid existence. Is there not one Republican amongst all the lemmings who will stand against the inane fairystories? Is there not one Republican with the ability to reason for himself?

If you choose to have others think in your stead then by all means regurgitate the sound bites, argue the absurd, and most definitely vote Republican.

[Richard]

Check out this new anti-obama ad created by the Republican Party of Texas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auG9qsZpL6o

[Jamie]

FOX News aired the ad this morning nationwide on 'Studio B' with Shep Smith at 12:35 Pacific Time. They aired it for free, I saw it. It is all over the blogs now.

They tried to make it look like a mistake.

[Jolly Johnson]

This whole situation in this country has become absurd with these multi-billionaires financing right-wing-smear TV ads. When will the American people wakeup to how our political system is being manipulated and undermined be these super wealth people?

[Jolly Johnson]

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY ASBSURD WITH THESE RIGHT-WING REPUBLICAN BILLIONAIRES FINANCING THESE TV SMEAR ADS. WHEN WILL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WAKE TO THESE SLUGS WHO ARE MANIPULATING AND UNDERMINING OUR POLITICAL SYSTEM?

[Back From Iraq]

[Quote by Sal B] The Big Lie: Repeat a lie often enough and people don't remember it's a lie, they just remember the allegations. This is what America is in 2008. [End Quote]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sal B,
Where is the lie? William Ayres admitted to detonating a bomb in the nation’s capital. He is an admitted terrorist. Do you support his actions? Apparently, Obama embraces the man who committed them and that’s why Obama is sinking like the Titanic. It’s a long hard plung to the bottom, baby.

[Jolly Johnson]

This manipulation of our political system by one right-wing Republican Billionaire is Absurd! This ad is a ridiculous,bigoted rehash of an old story from months ago. The ad was financed be just one person---a right-wing Republican Billionaire. I call this unconscionable manipulation of our political system. The ad was put together by right-wing 'smear artists' (see: www.mediamatters.org ). The ad is an insult to a person's intelligence as it invokes the logical fallacy of 'guilt by association'. It is 'red herring' propaganda with no other purpose than to deceive the American voter into thinking Obama has done something wrong. BUT, Obama has done nothing wrong! Barack Obama was 6 or 7 years old when this chapter in our nation's history took place. He has stated he deplores these despicable acts which occurred 40 years ago. Ayers was not prosecuted by the government and it is pure hatemongering to somehow blame Omama. This TV ad is merely more right-wing-smear propaganda based on insinuation, the sole purpose of which is to deceive and distract the American electorate from the REAL ISSUES of TODAY. This election, we voters will not be fooled again by a billionaire and his hired smear-artists. TRICKERY WON'T WORK THIS TIME!

[Looking for Leadership]

Dems should come out with the
ads that link McCain to his political
and financial mentor one Charles
Keating who looted Lincoln Savings
and Loan and used it as his private
piggy bank in the 1980's and 1990's.

McCain was part of the "Keating 5"
corrupt US Senators who "stepped in"
to openly pressure Federal Regulators on
Keating's behalf(that guy was much
worse than Ken Lay).

The Lincoln Savings collapse and bailout
was part of the huge savings and
loan crisis and bailout that directly
cost US taxpayers hundreds of
billions of dollars.

McCain and the 4 other Senators
got off only because they were so
powerful and the Senate would not
"take down" 5 of its own that would
cause major humiliation to the institution.

McCain has recently been reprimanded
by his committee chairs in the US Senate
for blatantly and openly seeking special
favors for his financial backers.

Someone or group needs to get the
truth out about John McCain.
Vote for McCain and get your checkbook
ready for blatant and open "pay to play"
system

[Looking for Leadership]

"Pay To Play" McCain ads would be great
to see featuring smiling pictures of
McCain's political and financial mentor
Charles Keating of the Lincoln Savings
and Loan collapse and
the "billions of dollars" of taxpayer monies
used to cleaned up that mess and
the 300+ billion to clean up other Savings
and loans that McCain and his pals
failed to regulate properly and
received cash from

[Iris]

Given what Bush has done in office to destroy life, property, and the American way of life, McCain's association with Bush is the real problem to the American voters. Swiftboating contributed to that Bush's chance to do damage. Now a Swiftboater wants to repeat the carnage. Shame. Stick to the truths that matter, lies destroy.

[Cooday]

I think a lot of us are getting Rove/Schmit Fatigue in their quest to sell the America Voters a 3rd Bush term with the same old attack ads of the last 8 years. Say no to McCain/Bush/Cheney!

"This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in." -- Theodore Roosevelt

Vote Obama/Biden '08

[Coco Chesap]

This ad, a pathetic and desperate attempt at the lowest common denominator of voters, will have NO impact in this election. Bush has made even the most apolitical citizens sit up and question our officials. Anyone who honestly reviews the credentials of Obama and McCain cannot answer that McCain would be better for this country.
Obama-Biden will win this election easily, and partly thanks to the old politics as usual, smear campaigns the Republicans like to wallow in. We all deserve better.

[Jeff South]

Why is it that libs use the word "truth" so capriciously? It seems to me that anyone who describes the shortcomings of a liberal is able to do so with the facts (truth). Conversely, the attacks from the left are usually grounded in fanatical fantasy, hearsay, and down right hatred. I guess it comes from frustration born out of the harsh realization that the dems have not been able to post a half way decent candidate since JFK, who, by the way, was conservative by modern democrat standards! Why don't libs man up and accept the fact that the nation is center right and they would be accepted and welcome in Venezuela or Cuba and I'm willing to donate for their moving expenses.

[malaguena]

Maybe someone should go and find out who all of John McCaín´s friends are; since apparently you are responsible for what your friends may or may not have done in their past, likely when Barack Obama was a baby, I say we go search the past of all John McCain´s friends and see if they all have squeaky clean pasts.

As a matter of fact, maybe we should search who Senator McCain´s Priest, Preacher or Rabbi is; maybe even his 3rd grade teacher, then we can hold Senator McCain accountable for their actions as well.

As was said in the famous play Purlie said "How low can you get Gitlow?

[blip]

If Mother Theresa were running against a Republican... they would be swiftboating her, too.

After years of listening to the GOP cry wolf... It's hard to pay attention anymore.

Remember when the GOP accused Hillary of killing Vince Foster?

[Carl Frederick]

Harold, keep up the great work as we need to remain a ddemocracy, not a socialist country that the leftist, liberal Democratic Candidate wants us to be. We cannot afford more taxes and more social programs that Barack wants. We need to protect our country from his beliefs and wants of Public Allies and Clinton's AmeriCorps. We have had enough liberalism with Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid and their followers. Ouf forefathers came here to get away from dictators and kingdoms for freedom in democracy.
Thanks for all your support