McCain’s oil-company donors draw scrutiny
The first major general-election “contrast” ad from the Obama campaign emphasized a fairly straightforward tagline: “After one president in the pocket of big oil, we can’t afford another.”
As if on cue, we’re learning quite a bit about John McCain’s generous benefactors from the oil industry.
Senator John McCain received a burst of donations in June from oil company employees after he came out in favor of offshore drilling, according to a report released last week by Campaign Money Watch, a watchdog organization.
But the largest collective response from a single company, the report noted, came from the Hess Corporation. Together, Hess employees or their relatives poured out more than $300,000 to Mr. McCain’s joint fund-raising committee with the Republican National Committee in June, according to campaign finance records.
On Monday, after the Web site, Talking Points Memo, listed the names of the Hess contributors, scrutiny fell on a couple, Alice Rocchio, who is identified in campaign finance records as an office manager at Hess, and her husband, Pasquale, who is listed as a foreman at Amtrak. They each gave a whopping $28,500 to Mr. McCain and the Republican National Committee.
Ms. Rocchio said in a telephone interview that she had made the contribution on her own and no one at the company had reimbursed her for it but declined to explain further.
The Rocchios also maxed out in McCain contributions in the primaries and in the general election, for a combined total of over $66,000.
Not bad for a couple that rents a home in a working class community in Queens — and which has never before made a contribution to a federal candidate or party committee.
That the Rocchios’ $57,000 contribution was made on the exact same day as nine other Hess execs and Hess family members contributed to the McCain/RNC fund only helps raise eyebrows further.
The WaPo added, online:
Rocchio is not the only person employed by Hess who made a large contribution to McCain. In addition to the top exectives, Charles Harris, who lists his occupation as a “driver” for Hess, gave $2,300 to the presumptive Republican nominee in March.
Greg Sargent pondered just how many other “low-level Hess employees maxed out straight to the McCain campaign.” Good question.
DDay added:
It’s entirely possible these contributions are legitimate and that Hess staffers just love McCain ever since he flipped on drilling. That’s the charitable explanation. The bad one is illegal straw contributions from oil companies, and McCain’s track record on campaign finance in this election (he’s actually breaking the law as we speak) is not good.
It’s well-established that the McCain campaign is crawling with lobbyists and deeply corrupted by their influence, with the new set of positions matching the concerns of the new corporate contributors. This set of oil company donations is the most vibrant example, and so it makes the most sense to continue on the offense and keep pointing them out.
To be sure, if — and at this point, it’s only an “if” — Hess played fast and loose with campaign finance law to “help” lower-level employees back the candidate willing to do the oil industry’s bidding from the White House, it doesn’t necessarily mean McCain’s campaign broke the law. It just means it took some legally dubious contributions.
It would, however, reinforce the notion that Big Oil has picked their guy in this presidential race, and are attempting to buy John McCain. If Obama’s message is that we can’t afford another president in Big Oil’s back pocket, suspicious oil-industry fundraising only helps make the argument more compelling.
David in NY
says:Maybe McCain didn’t break the law (necessarily), but his campaign folks may have conspired to, and there’s a considerable suggestion that people at Hess and many of its employees did. I’d love to have a look at the Rocchio’s bank account statements, for example. Maybe the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York would take a look as well.
David in NY
says:“Maybe the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York would take a look as well.”
Oh sorry about that. These are REPUBLICANS who may be breaking the law. Just move along.
jen
says:How much oil money has Obama received since he shifted positions on off shore drilling? The answer to that will determine how vigorously his campaign will hit McCain on this issue. Because the corporate press will make that an issue – the tired refrain “they all do it.”
Racer X
says:Big Oil will probably invest in an Obama donation or twelve, and the media will say “they’re all taking oil money”.
Fortunately, the American people know who’s been hugging all over the Toxic Texan, and no amount of oil money will change that.
Mark D
says:You know, I keep reading and hearing this all over the place, so maybe someone can explain something to me.
Did Obama actually “flip” his position and call for giving oil companies new leases offshore?
Or did Obama suggest — as he has before — that the oil companies just go ahead and drill on the 68 million acres (including many offshore) they can already use?
Thanks.
In the mean time, I’ll still wonder how the hell McCain can continue breaking campaign finance law with nary a peep from anyone not a blogger, and be assured that this potentially damaging information about Hess will never see the light of day.
Because, you know, Obama potentially changing his position is so, so very much more important than McCain breaking the goddamn law he helped write!
Mark D
says:Note–
Wasn’t trying to rip you, Jen. I am honestly curious as to whether Obama truly flipped his position.
Just wanted to make that clear — not trying to start a fight with ya.:-)
Frak
says:It’s important for SOMEONE in the SCLM to follow the money to McCain from the low level Hess employees if only to give future scammers some pause. There must be some prosecutor somewhere who can investigate this. It will give the next office manager or truck driver some backing to resist this sort of coercion as they would be the ones in legal hot water for going along with this. Although the Rethugs can always figure out another way to get the big to McCain…
zie
says:JUSTICE DEPT & FEC: move along there’s nothing to see here!
Oh Johnny-boy, if corruption was a cancer you’d be dead now…
SteveT
says:Mark D said:
Did Obama actually “flip” his position and call for giving oil companies new leases offshore?
It sounded to me that Obama was saying he would vote to open some new offshore areas for drilling because the only way Republicans will only vote for ANY energy reform is if the bill includes giveaways to the oil companies.
Now if someone in the campaign would just say it that way . . . .
karen marie
says:i’m with you, steve t. that’s what i heard obama say.
i’ve sent an email to the obama campaign store asking when they’re going to start stocking tire gauges — i would be so thrilled to have my very own “obama energy plan” tire gauge! i only drive my car once or twice a month when i have to drive to the big city, a three hour round trip, to see clients, and i drive my local garage nuts because i usually make them check the pressure before i get on the highway. they would appreciate my being able to check it myself!
sdh
says:@10, tire gauges are inexpensive and can be found in any auto parts store, or in the auto parts dept. of any general store (i.e.: Sears, Target, etc…).
@9, SteveT, /nod, that’s what I understood Obama to say.
Now for my comment… (drum roll…)
Hess is a pretty large gasoline distributor in New York state, with stores scattered throughout the northeast. I’m not sure that a general boycott is in order, but I’m not going to be shopping at any of their stores until this donation situation is sorted out.
Tom Cleaver
says:All those who think a couple with a maximum combined income of probably no morethan $100K (if t hat) gave 60% of it to a political campaign, step forward and raise your hand.
(dead silence)
Thought so….
The good news is, this is the kind of thing the morons in the MSM can understand and get exercised about. But I ain’t holding my breath to see it become an Actual Issue.
jen
says:I repeat my suggestion from yesterday that the Obama campaign buy a bunch of tire gauges and hand them out at Nascar events. It would get tons of press.
Joe
says:So is the IRS going to investigate these criminals?
Bruno
says:It is not McCain’s fault that Hess screwed up the way he tried to cover up the multiple donations.
What would you say if Rove concocts an idea to have a group of ‘swiftboaters’ donate the maximum to the Obama campaign. Be loose with the evidence and leak it to the press. Would you expect Obama to get legally in trouble because Rove, being the despicable person he is, came up with the scam?
I’d say that Obama needs to get in front of this and say something along the lines:
I understand that McCain has received some dubious donations. I do not blame Senator McCain for that, but to avoid any appearance of misconduct it would be best that he donate those questionable donations to a charity.
It would keep it in the news a few days longer, and put McCain on the spot having to answer the press on what his take is on Obama’s suggestion
Bruno
says:Pushed the send button too fast…
What’s McCain going to do in front of an audience? Scream NO!! NO!! NO!!, like Ted Stevens did, when they suggested he give up the “Bridge to Nowhere” pork to help the Katrina victims?
To save his campaign he’d have no other choice than to divest that valuable money.
libra
says:They may be “drawing scrutiny” as you say, but, so far, only online — even in the case of NYT and WaPo. To be sure, it’s been only 30 or so hours since TPM started digging and time flies at a different rates online and in print/TV but… If they don’t “get ’roundtoit” before Friday afternoon, it”ll have dissipated by Monday morning , leaving only clear skies and no questions for McCain’s campaign.
Certainly, you can’t prove complicity on McCain’s side. Of course, he’s as clean as a whistle. As far as we know.