CREW, NYT: Jindal Foundation helps donors curry political favor
Citizens for Reform & Ethics in Washington is accusing Gov. Bobby Jindal, mainly through innuendo, of favoring large corporations that have made substantial contributions to First Lady Supriya Jindal’s educational charity.
In an investigation published March 2, CREW says its researchers uncovered nine companies that contributed to Jindal’s campaigns have also pledged nearly $800,000 to the Supriya Jindal Foundation for Louisiana’s Children, which donates white board technology to classrooms in impoverished schools.
Louisiana campaign finance laws set $5,000 as the limit for campaign contributions, but contributions to charities can be much larger. CREW found that some of the contributions to the Jindal Foundation by the nine targeted companies were as high as $250,000. The implication, CREW suggests, is that the companies use donations to the foundation as a means of currying favorable policy from the Jindal administration. The corporations include AT&T, Northrop Grumman and Marathon Oil. The CREW investigation also reveals that Gov. Jindal’s chief fundraiser also serves as treasurer of the Jindal Foundation.
“Gov. Jindal’s donors aren’t the first to use a family charitable foundation as a path to influencing a politician,” CREW writes in an introduction to the report. “But just because it represents business as usual doesn’t mean it’s acceptable.”
Jindal’s press secretary, Kyle Plotkin, dismisses the report, telling political columnist John Maginnis that CREW’s tacit conclusion “has plainly been dreamed up by partisan hacks living in fantasy land.”
The link between charitable donations to the Jindal Foundation and Jindal administration policy was also probed by The New York Times in an article published Wednesday.
... written by Doctor Ciano , March 04, 2011 - 02:38 am
What else is new ? Mama Supriya needed a set of togs imported from India via the childrens charity, We talking 1,000,000.00 rupees heah, and that is business as usual in Louisiana, no-one can say that Jindal does not know his way around the political baseline all the way to home.
... written by Farrow , March 04, 2011 - 06:22 pm
Oh, I see, Jindal is of Indian descent, so The Ind uses the word "curry" in its headline -- get it, Indian, curry?
I'm just kidding.
... written by Cajun Yodeler , March 04, 2011 - 06:43 pm
The curse of Shiva is now on the Citizens for Reform & Ethics.
... written by James Melancon , March 04, 2011 - 06:48 pm
From Wikipedia "Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has taken aim almost exclusively at GOP members of Congress. Since its founding in 2003, it [helped] investigate 21 lawmakers, only one of them a Democrat." ----------------------------
Like a lot of Washington groups, take their observations with a grain of salt.
... written by Cowboy , March 09, 2011 - 04:45 pm
He did re write the ethics laws didn't he?
... written by Gaius Cilnius Maecenas , March 09, 2011 - 11:44 pm
How dare CREW accuse a Republican of ethical fraud! Does this organization not know that the Republican Party is a kleptocracy nationally, and simple criminality regionally, and utterly corrupt locally! We need more filthy, nasty, ugly Republicans stealing from the tax base to feed their corporate clients, so they can be re-elected and their ignorant children can be on the public and corporate tax rolls.
After all, the people's money is not for public affairs and the people themselves---its for enrichment of the vile, vulgar and meretricious in the political culture! This is how you promote social injustice, religious bigotry, and massive endebtedness of government! Starve the belly of the beast of government, destroy the people screwed by non-unionized labor, and render anger, fear and pain in our million plus households---this will unleash violence! Shoot the silly people who think they are free when they fight for bread on our street corners!
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