Obama Is Tapping Anita Dunn’s Better Half, Hyper-Partisan Election Attorney Bob Bauer, As White House Counsel

BAUER IS DEMOCRAT PARTY’S LAWYER OF CHOICE

Bauer Has Been Counsel To DNC, DSCC, DCCC, And Obama’s Presidential Campaign. “Bob is General Counsel to Obama for America and General Counsel to the Democratic National Committee, and he has been counsel for many years to the Democratic Senatorial and Congressional Campaign Committees.” (Perkins Coie Website, www.perkinscoie.com, Accessed 11/13/09)

Obama Made Bauer “Democratic Party’s New Lawyer,” Giving Him “Unmatched Power In Democratic Legal Circles.” “President Barack Obama has installed his personal and political attorney, Bob Bauer, as the Democratic Party’s new lawyer, a move that gives Bauer unmatched power in Democratic legal circles and marks him as a top behind-the-scenes player in the president’s inner circle.” (Kenneth P. Vogel, “Bauer's New, Unmatched Legal Power,” Politico, 2/2/09)

Bauer Serving As Counsel For Organizing For America. “In addition to representing Obama in personal matters, such as the federal investigation of disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, and political matters stemming from Obama’s presidential campaign, Bauer also will play that role for Obama’s new political network, Organizing for America, and the Democratic National Committee, which is administering the network.” (Kenneth P. Vogel, “Bauer's New, Unmatched Legal Power,” Politico, 2/2/09)

BAUER: “PARTISAN REGULAR WITH A STREET-FIGHTER’S ZEAL”

ABA Journal: Bauer A “Partisan Regular With A Street-Fighter’s Zeal.” “As a partisan regular with a street-fighter’s zeal, Bauer has earned a reputation among some Republicans as the ‘focus of all evil.’” (Terry Carter and Stephanie Francis Ward, “The Lawyers Who May Run America,” ABA Journal, 11/08)

Bauer Has Reputation For “Pushing The Bounds Of Campaign Finance Law,” Contradictory To Obama’s Articulated Principles. “But the confluence of duties could pose something of a challenge, partly because of his reputation for pushing the bounds of campaign finance law. Obama, on the other hand, has cast himself as an ardent supporter of stricter campaign finance rules.” (Kenneth P. Vogel, “Bauer's New, Unmatched Legal Power,” Politico, 2/2/09)

BAUER PLAYED ROLE IN OBAMA’S PUBLIC FINANCING FLIP FLOP

Bauer Played Key Role In Obama’s Decision To Break His Pledge And Forego Public Financing During His Campaign. “Yet they blasted candidate Obama for a campaign maneuver in which Bauer played a central role: Obama’s reversal of a pledge to participate in the public financing system if his Republican opponent agreed to do the same. Campaign finance advocates predicted the move likely killed the system.” (Kenneth P. Vogel, “Bauer's New, Unmatched Legal Power,” Politico, 2/2/09)

OBAMA HAS BEEN A CASH COW FOR BAUER

Bauer Has Made Almost $1.5 Million Representing Obama Since 2005. “It has reaped nearly $1.5 million in payments from Obama’s presidential campaign and an earlier political group since Bauer started representing Obama in 2005.” (Kenneth P. Vogel, “Bauer's New, Unmatched Legal Power,” Politico, 2/2/09)

BAUER WAS LOBBYIST FOR SEIU/SOROS-FUNDED “AMERICA VOTES” GROUP

From 2005 Through 2007, Bauer Was Registered Lobbyist For Legislative Proposals Affecting Registration, Disclosure, And Financing Requirements For Political Organization And Committees For “America Votes Inc.” (U.S. Senate Office Of Public Records Website, sopr.senate.gov, Accessed 2/25/08)

America Votes Is A Coalition Of Liberal Groups Aimed At Creating Permanent Left-Wing Infrastructure Nationally. “America Votes is a coalition of the largest membership-based progressive groups in the country, representing a broad range of issues including the environment, civil and human rights, choice, education and labor. America Votes works with 47 national and more than 260 state-based partner organizations. The mission of America Votes is to coordinate the independent electoral activity of these groups to create a permanent progressive infrastructure nationally and in the states. Our coalition partners share innovative strategies and resources to maximize our electoral impact.” (America Votes Website, www.americavotes.org, Accessed 5/22/08)

NOTE: America Votes Has Been Heavily Funded By Variety Of Noted Liberals And Liberal Groups Including SEIU, Soros Fund Management, Linda Pritzker, And The AFL-CIO. (Center For Responsive Politics, www.opensecrets.org, Accessed 5/22/08)

BAUER REPRESENTED SOROS-FUNDED “AMERICA COMING TOGETHER” ORGANIZATION; A.C.T. FINED NEARLY $1 MILLION BY FEC

During 2004 Campaign, Bauer Represented America Coming Together (ACT), An Independent 527 Political Organization, While Representing Presidential Campaign Of John Kerry (D-MA). “Bob Bauer, a Washington lawyer, is legal counsel both to the Kerry campaign and America Coming Together.” (Joseph Perkins, Op-Ed, “Hypocrisy On Political Advertising, GOP Claims,” The San Diego Union-Tribune, 8/27/04)

Last Year, A.C.T. Was Fined $775,000 By The FEC. “The Federal Election Commission today issued another in a string of six-figure fines against partisan political groups -- this time against America Coming Together, a group financed by George Soros and labor organizations that sunk more than $100 million into campaign activities intended to help Democrats in the 2004 elections. The decision to fine the group $775,000, the FEC’s third largest penalty in its three-decade history, was intended to send a stern message to independent groups.” (Matthew Mosk, “Soros-Tied Group Fined Over '04 Ads,” The Washington Post’s “The Trail” Blog, blog.washingtonpost.com, 8/29/07)

• FEC Fined A.C.T. For Illegal “Materials That Targeted President Bush In The 2004 Contest, Including One Ad Attacking Bush's Health Care Policy,” Same Behavior That Bauer Accused Pro-Clinton 527 Of Committing. “[T]he FEC determined that ACT was spending its money on political ads, telemarketing, and door-to-door canvassing targeting clearly identified federal candidates. It cited several examples of materials that targeted President Bush in the 2004 contest, including one ad attacking Bush's health care policy. The ad asserted that seniors face skyrocketing prescription drug costs and big insurance and drug companies were reaping record profits ‘because George Bush blocked re-importation of less expensive medicines from Canada. And Bush said ‘no’ to guaranteeing price controls on health care costs.’ ‘ACT failed properly to attribute and report expenditures attributable to specific candidates, failed properly to allocate and report joint administrative activities and used non-federal funds to pay the federal share of such allocated expenses,’ the FEC determined.” (Matthew Mosk, “Soros-Tied Group Fined Over '04 Ads,” The Washington Post’s “The Trail” Blog, blog.washingtonpost.com, 8/29/07)

BAUER SAID ACORN INVESTIGATION WAS JUST A REPUBLICAN SCARE TACTIC

In Response To Investigations Into ACORN Voter Fraud Last Year, Bauer Claimed White House Was Using Law Enforcement For A “Scare Tactic” Before An Election. “With the news Thursday that the FBI is conducting a national investigation into ACORN's activities, Obama campaign counsel Bob Bauer said Friday that the White House had enlisted law enforcement in a ‘partisan plot’ to give credence to a Republican ‘scare tactic’ on the eve of the election.” (Molly Ball, “Election Inquiry Widens,” Las Vegas Review-Journal, 10/20/08)

Bauer Claimed Republican Criticism Of ACORN Was Intended To Create “Ominous Atmosphere” To Discourage Voters. “Robert F. Bauer, who is general counsel for the Obama campaign and is overseeing its voter protection program, said that what was different this year was ‘the very aggressive involvement of the top of the ticket in promoting this fear message.’ Mr. Bauer said this was intended to create ‘an ominous atmosphere’ to discourage people from voting. ‘I don't recall in recent history,’ he added, ‘a presidential candidate before the fact trying to suggest in a nationally televised debate that the entire electoral system was under assault, the fabric of democracy was at risk.’” (Katharine Q. Seelye, “McCain's Warning About Voter Fraud Stokes a Fiery Campaign Even Further,” The New York Times, 10/26/08)

Bauer Called Justice Department Investigation Into ACORN “War On The Voters.” “A day later, senior officials in the U.S. Justice Department confirmed an investigation of ACORN. On Friday, the Obama campaign asked the Justice Department to have a special prosecutor examine the claims, which it said were reminiscent of unproven voter-fraud cases at the heart of the controversial firing of at least one federal prosecutor in late 2006. ‘It's a war on the voters,’ said Bob Bauer, Obama's general counsel.” (Ronald J. Hansen, “Will Every Vote Be Counted?” The Arizona Republic, 10/19/08)

• Bauer Called Investigation “Anti-Fraud Circus” And “Ugliest Form Of Partisan Politics.” “‘It appears now that the political people and the senior officials in law enforcement are working hand in glove . . . collaborating in this anti-fraud circus to create an environment of fear and intimidation,’ said Obama campaign attorney Robert F. Bauer. He called it ‘an unholy alliance of law enforcement and the ugliest form of partisan politics.’” (Bob Drogin & Seema Mehta, “Trust, Taxes And 'That Texas Accent,'” Los Angeles Times, 10/18/08)