Research Briefing

Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) Advised Congress Against Getting Cozy With Lobbyists And CEO’s, But Evidence Shows She Is Not Taking Her Own Words To Heart

PINGREE IS UNDER FIRE FOR TRAVELING ON HER FIANCE’S PRIVATE JET AND TAKING CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS FROM HIM AND HIS HEDGE FUND BUDDIES

Maine Democrat Congresswoman Chellie Pingree Has Been Accused Of Taking Frequent Flights On A Private Jet Owned By Her Fiancé, Hedge Fund Founder S. Donald Sussman. “U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, has taken frequent flights on a private jet owned by her partner Donald Sussman, founder and chairman of a billion dollar hedge fund called Paloma Partners, while conducting business as a member of Congress, according to an investigative blog called MaineWatchdog. … MaineWatchdog's investigation included photographs and videotape of Pingree walking from a private jet and flight logs of Sussman's plane.” (Rebekah Metzler, “Pingree's Corporate Flights Contradict Past Values,” The Portland Press Herald, 9/23/10)

• S. Donald Sussman Is The “Founder And Chairman” Of Paloma Partners “A Billion Dollar Hedge Fund.” “U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, has taken frequent flights on a private jet owned by her partner Donald Sussman, founder and chairman of a billion dollar hedge fund called Paloma Partners, while conducting business as a member of Congress, according to an investigative blog called MaineWatchdog. … MaineWatchdog's investigation included photographs and videotape of Pingree walking from a private jet and flight logs of Sussman's plane.” (Rebekah Metzler, “Pingree's Corporate Flights Contradict Past Values,” The Portland Press Herald, 9/23/10)
• Paloma Partners Received $200 Million In Financial Bailout Money. “Scontras noted that Sussman's Paloma Partners has received $200 million in financial bailout money from the U.S. government. Paloma was a counterparty to insurance giant AIG when AIG received a $170 billion bailout package. About $108 billion went to counterparties, including Paloma, according to 2009 reports in BusinessWeek.” (Glenn Jordan, “Pingree Blasts 'Political Motivation' In Recent Attacks,” Kennebeck Journal, 9/27/10)

Sussmann And His Colleagues Contributed “More Than $52,000” To Her 2008 Congressional Campaign.  “More than $52,000 in Pingree's campaign kitty came through wealthy hedge fund manager S. Donald Sussman, whom she has been dating for several months and has counted among her supporters for several years. The money includes contributions from his colleagues at Paloma Partners, a hedge fund based in Greenwich, Conn.” (Kelly Bouchard, “Ex-Legislators Looking To Speak From Larger Stage Pingree Presents Both Statistics And Stories,” Portland Press Herald, 9/21/08)

Donald Sussman Has Given Pingree The Maximum $4,800 Donation For The 2010 Cycle. (Federal Election Commission Reports, fec.gov, Accessed 10/1/10)

• Paloma Partner Employees Have Given Pingree $40,000 In The 2010 Cycle. (Federal Election Commission Reports, fec.gov, Accessed 10/1/10)

And She May Have Violated FEC Rules When She Recently Flew To New York For A Campaign Fundraiser On Sussman’s Jet. “The Maine Republican Party says it's filing a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission against Maine 1st District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. GOP spokesman Lance Dutson says the complaint alleges that Pingree violated campaign finance laws when she flew to New York City on a jet owned by a corporation controlled by her fiance, S. Donald Sussman, a wealthy financier. … Pingree maintains that the jet is privately owned, and that any flights she took on it passed muster with the the U.S. House's ethics panel. The panel recently issued a written opinion clearing Pingree of any wrongdoing in the matter. But Dutson says the jet is owned by a corporation, and the flight in question brought Pingree to a campaign fundraiser in New York City, a violation of the law.” (“Maine Republican Party Files FEC Complaint Against Pingree,” Maine Public Broadcasting Network, 10/1/10)

Note: This Is Not The First Time Pingree Has Had A Run-In With The FEC

Pingree’s 2002 Senate Committee Was Audited By The Federal Election Commission For Failure To Properly Disclose Receipts. (“Report Of The Audit Division On Chellie Pingree For U.S. Senate,” fec.gov, Accessed 10/01/10)

 ONCE UPON A TIME THE CONGRESSWOMAN FROM COMMON CAUSE USED TO BLAST THE COZY RELATIONSHIP WALL STREET “FAT CATS” AND LOBBYISTS HAD WITH CONGRESS

While President Of Common Cause, Pingree Said That The Lobbying Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 “Misses The Mark On The Problem Of Registered Lobbyists Traveling Around With Members On Chartered Company Jets.” “I would like to also briefly discuss Section 303 of the Lobbying Accountability and Transparency Act, which would prohibit registered lobbyists on corporate flights. I think this legislation misses the mark on the problem of registered lobbyists traveling around with members on charted company jets. The lobbyists are not the problem, the jets are. Here again, the public perception is critical. Most Americans never have and never will fly on a chartered jet, much less a fancy corporate jet complete with wet bar and leather couches.” (Chellie Pingree, Committee On House Judiciary Subcommittee On Constitution, U.S. House Of Representatives, Prepared Remarks, 4/6/06)

• “So When Members Of Congress Constantly Fly Around On Corporate Jets And Pay Only The Cost Of A Commercial Ticket, It Contributes To The Corrosive Public Perception That Members Of Congress Are More Like The Fat Cats Of Wall Street Than They Are Like The Rest Of Us.” (Chellie Pingree, Committee On House Judiciary Subcommittee On Constitution, U.S. House Of Representatives, Prepared Remarks, 4/6/06)
• “The Problem With Privately Funded Congressional Travel, As We Have Seen, Is The Coupling Of Lavish, All-Expense Paid Trips With Specific Legislative Requests.” (Chellie Pingree, Committee on House Standards of Official Conduct, U.S. House Of Representatives, Prepared Remarks, 6/7/06)

Pingree: “We All Know Entities With Interests Before Congress Spend Money To Get Access, And This Is One More Way To Go About Doing That.” “‘There's a fine line between the importance of an elected official getting a broader view of the world . . . and then trips which are really designed to give lobbyists close access to elected officials in more informal settings,’ said Common Cause President Chellie Pingree. ‘We all know entities with interests before Congress spend money to get access, and this is one more way to go about doing that.’” (Juliet Eilperin, “Lawmakers And Lobbyists Mingle On Trip To London,” The Washington Post, 8/29/03)

AND BEFORE BEING ELECTED TO CONGRESS,

CHELLIE PINGREE WAS THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF COMMON CAUSE

“Common Cause Is A Nonpartisan, Nonprofit Advocacy” Group Aimed At Holding “Elected Leaders Accountable.” “Common Cause is a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1970 by John Gardner as a vehicle for citizens to make their voices heard in the political process and to hold their elected leaders accountable to the public interest. “ (About Us, CommonCause.org, Accessed 10/1/10)

• Common Cause Focuses On Campaign Finance, Ethics, And Transparency Reforms. “Common Cause has led successful efforts for campaign finance reforms, ethics and accountability in government, and open government at the national, state and local levels. We joined with coalitions fighting for civil rights legislation, ending wasteful weapons programs and working for reforms to our nation’s system of voting.“ (Our Issues, CommonCause.org, Accessed 10/1/10)

Pingree Was President And CEO Of Common Cause From 2003 To 2007. “From 2003 to 2007, Chellie served as the National President and CEO of Common Cause, a non-partisan citizen activist group with nearly 300,000 members and 35 state chapters. Common Cause's mission is to help citizens make their voices heard in the political process and to hold their elected leaders accountable to the public interest.  Under Chellie's leadership, Common Cause increased its membership and diversified its agenda to include limiting media concentration and consolidation, promoting Net Neutrality, and election reform, while continuing to pursue its traditional goals of campaign finance reform and oversight of government ethics and accountability.” (Biography, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, Accessed 10/1/10)