Here is a graphic from the Washington Post that shows part of Blunt's family tree.
From Roy Blunt's official biography:
House Majority Whip Roy Blunt came to the United States House of Representatives in 1997 with a background as a public servant, university president and administrator.
Blunt, who became Majority Whip earlier in his career than any Member of Congress in the last seven decades, was reelected to a second term as Whip in November 2004. As Whip, the third highest job in the House, Congressman Blunt is responsible for corralling the votes necessary to complete the Republican agenda. He selects and leads a team of Deputy and Assistant Whips, which columnist Robert Novak has described as “the most efficient party whip operation in congressional history.”
The people of Southwest Missouri have sent Blunt to Washington to represent them five times, returning him to Congress with more than 70% of the vote against three opponents in 2004.
Having served on then-Governor George W. Bush’s original ten person exploratory committee and as the liaison between the House and the Bush campaign, Blunt has close ties to the Bush Administration. When Blunt was named Missouri’s Republican of the Year in 2000, President Bush described him as “a leader who knows how to raise his sights and lower his voice.”Blunt serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. As the panel with the broadest jurisdiction, the Energy and Commerce Committee has principal responsibility for the promotion of commerce and the public’s health and marketplace interests. Blunt is also on leave from the Committee on International Relations and the Committee on Financial Services. Blunt has served on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which is responsible for oversight of intelligence resources and intelligence activities.
Blunt fought for President Bush’s $1.35 trillion tax cut, working twenty-nine hours through the night to reach agreement on the largest tax cut in a generation. Continuing his focus on tax fairness, Blunt worked to enact four major tax relief packages in the four years of President Bush’s first term, putting more money in the hands of the people who earned it and helping the economy rebound from a recession and the September 11th attacks.
Blunt was the principle sponsor of the Charitable Giving Act, legislation designed to encourage more Americans to help more charities. The legislation, which passed the House and Senate overwhelmingly, would provide 86 million Americans who do not itemize on their tax returns the opportunity to deduct a portion of their charitable contributions, and provide incentives for individuals to make contributions to charity from their Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs).
Blunt, Missouri’s chief election official for two presidential elections, was the first Republican Secretary of State in more than 50 years. Before coming to Congress, Blunt served four years as the president of his alma mater, Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri.
Blunt is married to Abigail Blunt. He has three children: Missouri Governor Matt Blunt; Amy Blunt, an attorney in Kansas City, Missouri; and Andy Blunt, an attorney in Jefferson City, Missouri; and four grandchildren: Davis Mosby, Ben Blunt, Branch Blunt, and Eva Mosby.
Here is a graphic from the Washington Post that shows part of Blunt's family tree.
In 2003, Rep. Roy Blunt divorced his wife of 30+ years and married Phillip Morris lobbyist Abigail Perlman.
Click here to see a pdf copy of Ms. Perlman's latest lobbying disclosure report.
Ms. Perlman, the NRCC, and the $500,000 contribution to the U.S. Family Network
According to a February 11, 1999 Roll Call story, during the 2000 election cycle, Perlman was the finance director at the National Republican Congressional Committee.
NRCC Staffs Up. The National Republican Congressional Committee continues to staff up for the 2000 cycle, bringing several campaign veterans into new positions.
Former national field director Terry Nelson takes over as political director, while Mike McElwain,the NRCC's southern regional field director in 1998, moves into Nelson's old post.
Jill Schroeder moves from Century Strategies, the Atlanta-based political consulting firm founded by Ralph Reed, to become the NRCC's new press secretary, while Abigail Perlman takes over as finance director. Perlman had been with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, serving as corporate development director.
On October 20, 1999, during Perlman's tenure as Finance Director at the NRCC, it made a controversial $500,000 contribution to the U.S. Family Network, a front group used by Rep. Tom DeLay and his allies for various political activities. In 2004, the NRCC was fined $280,000 by the FEC for its contribution to the U.S. Family Network.
Mr. Blunt's Efforts On Behalf Of Phillip Morris
In June of 2003, the Washington Post reported that one of Rep. Blunt's first acts as Majority Whip was to attempt to secretly insert a provision into the Homeland Security Bill, that would have benefitted Ms. Perlman's company, Phillip Morris. Mr. Blunt's actions were so outrageous, not even Majority Leader Tom DeLay could stomach them.
Only hours after Rep. Roy Blunt was named to the House's third-highest leadership job in November, he surprised his fellow top Republicans by trying to quietly insert a provision benefiting Philip Morris USA into the 475-page bill creating a Department of Homeland Security, according to several people familiar with the effort.
The new majority whip, who has close personal and political ties to the company, instructed congressional aides to add the tobacco provision to the bill -- then within hours of a final House vote -- even though no one else in leadership supported it or knew he was trying to squeeze it in.
Once alerted to the provision, Speaker J. Dennis Hastert's chief of staff, Scott Palmer, quickly had it pulled out, said a senior GOP leader who requested anonymity. Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) also opposed what Blunt (Mo.) was trying to do, the member said, and "worked against it" when he learned of it.
This is how the Washington Post characterized Blunt's ties to Perlman at the time.
Several Republicans who learned of the November effort have privately expressed concern that Blunt pushed the provision partly because of his personal relationship with Philip Morris lobbyist Abigail Perlman. Blunt, who several Republicans said spends considerable time with Perlman, would not discuss their relationship or whether the two had talked about the provision.
Phillip Morris' Efforts On Behalf Of Mr. Blunt
According to a May 17, 2005 Washington Post story, Altria, the parent company of Phillip Morris, and the company that employs Ms. Perlman, is Mr. Blunt's largest contributor. In recent years, Altria has given Mr. Blunt more than $270,000.
Mr. Blunt's son, Andy, a lobbyist in Missouri, also represents Altria.
Phillip Morris, The American Turkish Council, and Blunt Staffer's Junkets To Turkey
Phillip Morris, the company that employs Ms. Perlman, has a seat on the board of a group called the American Turkish Council (ATC). Mr. Blunt has taken significant official actions that have benefitted the interests of the ATC.
But the ATC has also been very good to Mr. Blunt's staff. At least three staffers of Mr. Blunt have made junkets to Turkey, courtesy of the ATC. On some occasions, aside from its role on the board of the ATC, Phillip Morris additionally directly sponsored the trips.
Mr. Gregg Hartley--Mr. Blunt's then Chief of Staff, Ms. Amy Field--Mr. Blunt's current Chief of Staff, and Mr. Jared Craighead--a then-Blunt staffer who is now Executive Director of the Missouri Republican Party all took such trips. Here is a link to the travel disclosure forms, signed by Mr. Blunt.
Mr. Hartley is now a lobbyist with Cassidy and Associates. Mr. Hartley hired Jack Abramoff at Cassidy, after a February 2004 Washington Post story about Mr. Abramoff's bilking of Indian gaming clients forced his departure from Greenberg Traurig.
The Campaign for a Cleaner Congress outlined the details of the Blunt-ATC ties in a press release in August of this year.
The Wedding
According to a June 17, 2004 St. Louis Post-Dispatch story, Blunt sought and received two separate waivers from the Ethics Committee, the first asking that the gift ban be waived for his wedding gifts, and the second that that all disclosure requirements be waived as well.
Here are the pdf's of Blunt's letters requesting the waivers, and the Ethics Committee's response.
There is no word on what gift, if any, lobbyist Jack Abramoff gave the happy couple.
Blunt is notorious for his ties to the special interests in Washington. His behavior has proven embarassing to fellow members of the GOP caucus on more than one occasion.
Just days after ascending to the #3 leadership post in the House, Blunt got caught slipping in a special provision to benefit Phillip Morris, a longtime contrbutor to Blunt, and the employer of his then-girlfriend, Abigail Perlman.
He has also be caught up in scandals involving Westar, and has numerous ties to the scandal-plagued DeLay fundraising operation.
Blunt has also been know to do major favors for UPS, and has received large contributions and other favors in return.
In addition, Blunt has performed numerous official acts that favored Jack Abramoff and his Indian gaming clients.
Rep. Roy Blunt's ties to K Street lobbyists are so cozy that he has a staffer on his official payroll, whose job it is to serve as Blunt's liaison to K Street.
Sam Geduldig makes no bones about his role. In fact, he proud enough of it, he includes a reference in his official bio.
Rep. Roy Blunt has performed numerous official favors for GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
He has written three letters to the Department of Interior. In one case, he was joined by the entire GOP House Leadership.
In addition, he requested a GAO study, which Blunt subsequently used as the basis for a letter to the DOI that benefitted an Abramoff tribal gaming client.
On the same day Blunt joined Rep. Wolf in calling for the GAO study, Wolf sought a six-month moratorium on tribal recognition by the DOI, which would have benefitted those tribes who already had casino operations, as did Abramoff's clients.
See also, Abigail Perlman
Mr. Blunt's Efforts On Behalf Of Phillip Morris
In June of 2003, the Washington Post reported that one of Rep. Blunt's first acts as Majority Whip was to attempt to secretly insert a provision into the Homeland Security Bill, that would have benefitted Ms. Perlman's company, Phillip Morris. Mr. Blunt's actions were so outrageous, not even Majority Leader Tom DeLay could stomach them.
Only hours after Rep. Roy Blunt was named to the House's third-highest leadership job in November, he surprised his fellow top Republicans by trying to quietly insert a provision benefiting Philip Morris USA into the 475-page bill creating a Department of Homeland Security, according to several people familiar with the effort.
The new majority whip, who has close personal and political ties to the company, instructed congressional aides to add the tobacco provision to the bill -- then within hours of a final House vote -- even though no one else in leadership supported it or knew he was trying to squeeze it in.
Once alerted to the provision, Speaker J. Dennis Hastert's chief of staff, Scott Palmer, quickly had it pulled out, said a senior GOP leader who requested anonymity. Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) also opposed what Blunt (Mo.) was trying to do, the member said, and "worked against it" when he learned of it.
This is how the Washington Post characterized Blunt's ties to Perlman at the time.
Several Republicans who learned of the November effort have privately expressed concern that Blunt pushed the provision partly because of his personal relationship with Philip Morris lobbyist Abigail Perlman. Blunt, who several Republicans said spends considerable time with Perlman, would not discuss their relationship or whether the two had talked about the provision.
Phillip Morris' Efforts On Behalf Of Mr. Blunt
According to a May 17, 2005 Washington Post story, Altria, the parent company of Phillip Morris, and the company that employs Ms. Perlman, is Mr. Blunt's largest contributor. In recent years, Altria has given Mr. Blunt more than $270,000.
Mr. Blunt's son, Andy, a lobbyist in Missouri, also represents Altria.
Phillip Morris, The American Turkish Council, and Blunt Staffer's Junkets To Turkey
Phillip Morris, the company that employs Ms. Perlman, has a seat on the board of a group called the American Turkish Council (ATC). Mr. Blunt has taken significant official actions that have benefitted the interests of the ATC.
But the ATC has also been very good to Mr. Blunt's staff. At least three staffers of Mr. Blunt have made junkets to Turkey, courtesy of the ATC. On some occasions, aside from its role on the board of the ATC, Phillip Morris additionally directly sponsored the trips.
Mr.
Gregg Hartley--Mr. Blunt's then Chief of Staff, Ms. Amy Field--Mr.
Blunt's current Chief of Staff, and Mr. Jared Craighead--a then-Blunt
staffer who is now Executive Director of the Missouri Republican Party
all took such trips. Here is a link to the travel disclosure forms, signed by Mr. Blunt.
Mr. Hartley is now a lobbyist with Cassidy and Associates. Mr. Hartley hired Jack Abramoff at Cassidy, after a February 2004 Washington Post story about Mr. Abramoff's bilking of Indian gaming clients forced his departure from Greenberg Traurig.
Mr. Blunt has had long and substantial ties to shipping giant UPS.
Blunt's Favor For UPS
CQ reported in April 2003, that Blunt was pushing a provision that would have prevented DHL, an international shipping company and a competitor to UPS, from competing for certain contracts.
As you can see, Mr. Blunt intervened quite specifically on behalf of UPS.A provision that has quickly come to symbolize the use of must-pass spending bills as vehicles for special-interest legislating is running into a wave of op-position.
The language, which could effectively bar cargo carrier DHL Worldwide Express from winning Pentagon airlift contracts in postwar Iraq, was inserted without debate into the Senate version of the wartime supplemental appropriations bill (S 762) on April 3.
But on Tuesday, as negotiations on the bill's final form intensified, House Appropriations Committee Chairman C.W. Bill Young, R-Fla., signaled his resis-tance to the language -- which was pushed by the Senate Appropriations Chairman Ted Stevens R-Alaska, and House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo.
"That's an issue," Young said. DHL's headquarters for North and South America is in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Young said Republican Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida told him he opposed the provision.
The White House also opposes it, arguing in a statement that it would have an "immediate and adverse effect on our nation's airlift capabilities." House Ma-jority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, also opposes the rider, according to industry officials.
DHL is a subsidiary of German-owned Deutsche Post AG, and domestic rivals FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service Inc. have argued for years that DHL does not meet foreign ownership requirements for U.S. air carriers.
In conference, Stevens strengthened language in the Senate bill that would effectively bar DHL from Pentagon airlift contracts and could complicate DHL's pending acquisition of Seattle-based Airborne Express.
Blunt's son Andrew is a UPS consultant, and FedEx and UPS have major pres-ences in Missouri. Alaska is home to Lynden Air Cargo LLC, which recently lost out to DHL on a Pentagon contract.
If the provision is retained, it also could complicate DHL's pending acquisition of Seattle-based Airborne Express Inc.
Favors By UPS For Blunt
UPS-A Generous Contributor To Blunt
According to a May 17, 2005 Washington Post story, UPS is one of Blunt's most generous contributors.
Over the years, seven companies with business before Congress stand out as the most reliable Blunt supporters: Altria, SBC Communications, Union Pacific, Burlington Northern, Verizon, United Parcel Service and BellSouth have together given more than $1.2 million to political committees tied to Blunt. Altria is the largest contributor, giving more than $270,000. Blunt, a vocal social conservative, divorced Roseann Blunt, his first wife, to marry Altria lobbyist Abigail Perlman in October 2003.
UPS has contributed more than $153,000 to Blunt controlled political entities during his tenure in Congress.
In addition, a September 22, 2000 Washington Post story reported on a "thank you" event that Rep. Tom DeLay sponsored in appreciation for those special interests who had helped fund the events co-sponsored by DeLay and Blunt at the 2000 Republican National Convention. UPS was once again very generous.
Jim Ellis, executive director of DeLay's PAC, Americans for a Republican Ma-jority, said DeLay organized the trip to raise money and accommodate some donors to the GOP convention who had not been able to participate in the golf tournament there. Some participants paid $ 5,000 and the weekend netted $ 50,000, Ellis said, adding that it cost roughly $ 20,000 to sponsor.
UPS spokesman Ted Segal said the company donated the plane as an "in-kind" contribution to DeLay's PAC and was still tabulating the costs based on compara-ble commercial flights. He added that the contribution would likely range be-tween $ 30,000 to $ 50,000.
At that time, Jim Ellis was also the director of Roy Blunt's Rely On Your Beliefs PAC. An exhaustive review of the campaign finance reports filed by both DeLay and Blunt fail to reveal any disclosure for the costs of the plane trip referenced above.
Roy Blunt's Son, Andy, Was Hired By UPS
As noted in the CQ story above, Rep. Blunt's youngest son, Andy, is a registered lobbyist for UPS in Missouri.
This April 9, 2003 editorial from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch raises serious questions about the ties between Rep. Blunt, UPS and Andy.
ANDREW BLUNT would seem an unlikely choice to be a legislative lobbyist for a $30 billion Atlanta-based worldwide express corporation. After all, he is only 27 years old, fresh out of the University of Missouri School of Law, and a newly-minted partner in a new law firm in distant Jefferson City, Mo.
But according to The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Blunt had a special attraction for United Parcel Service, Inc., when UPS decided to hire him as a lobbyist. Mr. Blunt's father is the third-ranking Republican in the United States House of Representatives, where -- by the sheerest of coincidences -- UPS had a key piece of legislation pending.
What can Brown do for you? It can give your kid a job. And what can you do for Brown? If you're Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Stafford, you can quietly urge Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, to secretly amend the $79 billion emergency appropriation for the war in Iraq in a way that benefits U.S. shippers like UPS and FedEx Corp.
If you're Roy Blunt, the amendment has the added political benefit of punishing a German-owned rival of UPS. The amendment requires that military cargo be carried only by companies with no more than 25 percent foreign ownership. These rules on foreign ownership of U.S. air carriers date to the 1920s, but have been honored more in the breach than the observance.
Mr. Blunt and Mr. Stevens want to enforce them on war-related cargo, in part to punish the German government for refusing to join the U.S.-led war coalition and in part to benefit UPS and FedEx. The Stevens amendment effectively squeezes the German-owned firm DHL Worldwide Express out of billions in war cargo and re-construction business.
Not only that, it threatens DHL's plans to acquire Airborne Express of Seat-tle, which could create a formidable challenger to the UPS and FedEx strangle-hold on all U.S. air-express business. If the Transportation Department were to enforce rules limiting U.S. air carriers to no more than 25 percent foreign ownership, that merger would be dead.
This is protectionist legislation that makes no sense in a global economy (even if it does scratch a patriotic itch). It panders to Congress' worst xeno-phobic instincts, punishes U.S. trading partners and stifles competition. House and Senate conferees should remove Mr. Stevens' amendment.
This affair also carries the unpleasant aroma of peddled influence. Andy Blunt is a bright young man who ran big brother Matt's successful race for Mis-souri Secretary of State in 2000. He might well run Matt Blunt's race for governor next year. He can look forward to a long and successful career in business and politics. He shouldn't need -- or accept -- freebies from Dad's friends.
In fact, Andy did run his brother Matt's campaign for Governor in 2004, and Andy's lobbying practice has only grown from that point forward.
Gregg Hartley served as Rep. Roy Blunt's longtime Chief of Staff on the Hill. In 2003, Hartley left Blunt's office and joined the K Street firm, Cassidy & Associates.
Hartley was very active with Blunt's leadership PAC, the Rely On Your Beliefs Fund (ROYB). In turn, Blunt's PAC was closely intertwined with DeLay's ARMPAC, the U.S. Family Network, the Alexander Strategy Group, and lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
During his tenure with Blunt, Hartley went on a junket sponsored by the American Turkish Council (ATC). Phillip Morris, the company for whom Blunt's wife, Abigail Perlman lobbies, is represented on the ATC board.
According to a report in Roll Call, in January of 2004, Hartley was one of a handful of lobbyists, including Jack Abramoff, who attended a secret meeting with Rep. Tom DeLay at Abramoff's Signatures restaurant, to plan a strategy to extract larger sums of money from GOP-leaning K Street lobbyists.
In March of 2004, when Jack Abramoff was forced out at Greenberg Trauring after disclosures by the Washington Post that he had bilked his Indian gaming clients out of millions of dollars in fees, Hartely recruited Abramoff to join Cassidy and Associates.
In 2005, the DOJ and FTC wrote Governor Matt Blunt urging him to veto a bill
because it was anti-competitive and created an unfair advantage for the
realtors.
After Blunt received the letters from the DOJ and FTC urging
a veto, the Missouri Realtors Association hired Hartley's firm for a
one month contract for a fee of $50,0000.
Hartley's firm was
charged with urging Governor Blunt to sign the bill over the objection
of the DOJ and FTC. Blunt ultimately signed the bill.
Jared Craighead, a former staffer to Rep. Roy Blunt, and a former lobbyist at Cassidy & Associates under Hartley, served as Governor Blunt's Deputy Chief of Staff at the time Hartley was lobbying Blunt to sign the bill over the objection of the DOJ and FTC.
Here is a link to more background on the Hartley's $50,000 contract to lobby the Governor.
According to a profile of Hartley in The Hill, reprinted on the Cassidy & Associates website, as of November 2003, Hartley's daughter Hallie was employed at Alexander Strategy Group. It is unclear whether she worked there while Hartley was working on the Hill for Blunt.
Other Alexander Strategy Group Alumni include Ed Buckham, Jim Ellis, Tony Rudy, and Christine DeLay.
During Hartley's tenure with Blunt's office, the Alexander Strategy Group was the recipient of several hundred thousand dollars in fees from Roy Blunt's leaderhip PAC, the Rely On Your Beliefs fund.
A recent WP story outlined Blunt's extensive ties to the special interests on K Street.
House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the man one step behind Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) in the Republican leadership, has built a political machine of his own that extends from Missouri deep into Washington's K Street lobbying community.
More:
Here in Washington, Blunt has converted what had been an informal and ad hoc relationship between congressional leaders and the Washington corporate and trade community into a formal, institutionalized alliance. Lobbyists are now an integral part of the Republican whip operation on par with the network of lawmakers who serve as assistant whips.
And still more:
Over the years, seven companies with business before Congress stand out as the most reliable Blunt supporters: Altria, SBC Communications, Union Pacific, Burlington Northern, Verizon, United Parcel Service and BellSouth have together given more than $1.2 million to political committees tied to Blunt. Altria is the largest contributor, giving more than $270,000. Blunt, a vocal social conservative, divorced Roseann Blunt, his first wife, to marry Altria lobbyist Abigail Perlman in October 2003.
This chapter will outline the extensive ties between Majority Leader Tom DeLay and Majority Whip Roy Blunt and their political operations.
The growth of the GOP money machine in Washington, D.C. is directly linked to the growth of DeLay's Americans For a Republican Majority, and to Blunt's Rely On Your Beliefs Fund.
The ties between those two entities, in terms of fundraising styles and tactics, personnel, and political activity is quite substantial.
In November of 2005, The New Republic's John Judis did an in-depth story outlining the ties between Rep. Tom DeLay and Rep. Roy Blunt.
This story is a must read for anyone who wants to understand just how intermingled the political worlds of Rep. DeLay and Rep. Blunt really are.
Ellis Was the Founding Staffer of ROYB Fund
Many people are aware of Jim Ellis, only because of his role in Texans For a Republican Majority. Ellis, along with two other DeLay associates are currently under indicitment in Texas.
However, most people are unaware that Ellis has extensive ties to both Tom DeLay and Roy Blunt that go back at least to 1999.
On May 26, 1999, Rep. Roy Blunt inaugurated the Rely on Your Beliefs Fund. At that time, it was simply a non-federal leadership PAC. It later became a 527.
In a May 30, 1999 St. Louis-Post Dispatch article, Jim Ellis is quoted as the PAC's coordinator:
"We broke $ 50,000, which was our goal," said Jim Ellis, the PAC's coordinator. Ellis said the reception, held in a townhouse near the Capitol, drew about 60 people from Washington's business community, from real-estate industry folks to a United Parcel Service representative.
In a December 8, 1999 National Journal story, Ellis was identified as:
Meanwhile, Jim Ellis - director of the federal and non-federal arms of House Majority Whip DeLay's Americans for a Republican Majority PAC and the Rely On Your Beliefs Fund sponsored by Chief Deputy Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo. - said the committees are concentrating on fundraising and keeping an eye on strong candidates at every level.
Contributions Between ARMPAC and ROYB
Ellis was still running both PACs, when in the spring of 2000, ARMPAC made contributions totalling $150,000 to Blunt's non-federal PAC ROYB.
The 2000 Republican National Convention and Subsequent Thank You Event
For the 2000 Republican National Convention, DeLay's ARMPAC and Blunt's ROYB Fund jointly sponsored numerous events and perks for the Republican members.
On July 9, 2000 the Washington Post reported:
A car and driver at the disposal of every Republican member of Congress. A five-car hospitality train where lawmakers can unwind and watch the GOP convention in comfort. A round-the-clock concierge service.
These are some of the perks House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) has arranged for his colleagues at the GOP convention in Philadelphia later this month. Sources said the services are expected to cost nearly $ 1 million, and will be paid for by political committees tied to DeLay and his top deputy--but which unlike other committees do not disclose their donors.
The story later makes clear that these amenities were jointly sponsored by DeLay and Blunt, and that Ellis was in charge of all of these activities, and both PACS.
Ellis is quoted further in the same story saying:
"We comply with state law [in states] where we're active in," Ellis said, adding that none of them require the committees to report their contributors. Donors will receive tickets to events and "other sponsorship benefits" depending on the amount of money they give, Ellis said.
Subsequently, the ROYB Fund was forced to enter into a consent decree with the Missouri Ethics Commission (pdf of consent decree) for failing to comply with Missouri law by filing a statement of organization and required reports in a timely fashion.
According to a September 22, 2000 Washington Post story, Ellis also coordinated a massive thank you event in Las Vegas for those who contributed $50,000 or more to the DeLay/Blunt convention activities:
House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), legendary on Capitol Hill for his aggressive efforts to cultivate corporate interests, hit on a new way of rewarding his friends last weekend, flying more than 30 lobbyists to Las Vegas for a golf tournament and a round of partying.
The weekend, aimed at raising money for the whip's political action committee, was also described by DeLay aides as a reward to corporate donors who helped underwrite his activities at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia this summer. DeLay raised roughly $ 1 million from corporations to help pay for chauffeur service for GOP lawmakers, a Blues Traveler rock concert and other activities.
From the same WP story:
United Parcel Service provided a chartered flight between Washington and Las Vegas for between 50 and 60 people--including lobbyists, top aides and political supporters--at DeLay's request, according to a company spokesman. DeLay flew separately on a Federal Express corporate jet. Lobbyists with the National Association of Manufacturers, the D.C. law firm Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand, and the National Association of Convenience Stores were among those present for the weekend.
According to the story, Blunt also attended the thank you event in Las Vegas. The thank you event in Las Vegas was also the scene of a now infamous episode involving DeLay's daughter.
The weekend included a late-night party Saturday in DeLay's suite at the Rio Hotel and Casino, which featured a living room, bar and hot tub on the balcony. DeLay was not present, aides said; the event was hosted by his daughter, Dani Ferro, the campaign manager for DeLay's reelection campaign. After the party, Ferro told associates that a lobbyist poured champagne on her while she was in the hot tub.
At least one group that participated explicitly stated that they wanted credit with both DeLay and Blunt for their donations to the convention package:
Lindsay Hutter, spokeswoman for the National Association of Convenience Stores, said her group's director of political affairs, Dan Mulvaney, attended the event in recognition of the $ 50,000 contribution the association made to the convention package of DeLay and Chief Deputy Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.).
Ellis' Role Continued Through At Least 2001
As late as December 2001, Roll Call still cited Ellis as a consultant to both ARMPAC and ROYB.
As chief deputy whip of the House, Missouri Republican Roy Blunt has established a close working relationship with his boss, Majority Whip Tom DeLay of Texas. And their partnership extends to their respective leadership political action committees, making the duo a potent fundraising force and likely benefactor of dozens of GOP candidates in the 2002 election cycle.
DeLay's Americans for a Republican Majority and Blunt's Rely On Your Beliefs Fund earlier this year co-hosted the first fundraising event for the GOP's Retain Our Majority Program, and Jim Ellis, ARMPAC's director, is a consultant for the ROYB Fund.
At the time of the story, DeLay and Blunt also jointly operated a website called, GOPToday.com.
Since Ellis' Indictment Blunt Has Defended Him Rhetorically and Financially
On September 22, 2004, the day after Ellis was indicted by a Texas grand jury, Roy Blunt rushed onto CNN's Inside Politics and defended Ellis. Blunt dismissed the indictiments as "all politics" and then proceeded to attack the prosecutor in the case.
He then describes the DeLay fundraising tactics for which Ellis was indicted as "reasonable by any standard that I know of in terms of how political fund-raising is done in the country today."
On March 8, 2005, Roll Call reported that in January 2004, Roy Blunt, through the political committee that Ellis formerly ran, contributed $10,000 to Ellis' legal defense fund.
The contributions to Ellis' legal defense fund, are in addition to separate contributions Blunt has made directly to DeLay's legal defense fund.
The U.S. Family Network was a DeLay-Blunt controlled front group that was largely funded by Jack Abramoff's clients and the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Below are two Fired Up! America posts that lay out the connections between DeLay, Inc., Blunt, Inc. and the U.S. Family Network. The first includes a link to the definitive Washington Post story on the funding behind the U.S. Family Network.
DeLay, Abramoff, Blunt and the U.S. Family Network
DeLay, Blunt, Abramoff Are Becoming Anchors For The House GOP
For more general information on Rep. Roy Blunt (R-K Street), here's a backgrounder.
This glossary will serve to define terms and provide background information on players that aren't otherwise discussed in depth in the text of the book.
The United Parcel Service has been one of Rep. Roy Blunt's seven most reliable contributors during his tenure in Congress.
UPS was mentioned as a contributor at the first event ever held for the ROYB fund.
They are also a client of his son, Andy.
Below are some places to look for more information on Rep. Roy Blunt:
If you know of other resources that should be added, or you have specific questions about Blunt, email me at roy at firedupmissouri.com