Insurers were TAB's biggest donors (scum buckets)

[sonias]

http://www.statesman.com/metrostate/content/metro/stories/07/22tab.html
The Texas Association of Business secretly financed its 2002 election effort largely with money from an insurance industry that was trying to fight tougher regulations at the Capitol, the Austin American-Statesman has determined after studying TAB's records.

The state's largest business organization has fought disclosing its corporate donors for almost three years, saying that would violate the companies' First Amendment rights. But among 20,000 pages of documents the business group has released, it left telltale clues that identify 18 corporations — 15 of them insurance companies — that helped finance a Republican takeover of the Legislature.

(snip)
The insurance firms included giants such as United HealthCare, Cigna, Aetna, Humana, PacifiCare, Blue Cross of California, State Farm and Allstate.
(/snip)

Quid pro quo. These bastards got a great return for their investment in repukes who rolled all over Texas citizens to give them alleged "tort reform" as well as higher insurance rates. Bastards.
:mad:

Sonia

[cosmik debris]

1. Is this related in any way to TRMPAC?

I sure would like to see someone go to jail for this.

[sonias]

2. Yes all related

There are two different PACs, one is TRMPAC which is the one DeLay set up and which already has indictments issued against them, for money laundering. That's the PAC that accepted corporate money, sent it along to Washington (in the form of a blank check), and that $190,000 came back to key Texas House campaigns in the exact same amount of $190,0000.

The TAB PAC is not being accused of laundering money, but it is being accused of accepting corporate donations and then using those illegally. Texas campaign finance law only allows corporate donations to go to admin expenses, but TAB used those monies to pay actual campaign expenses. I think they did some phone banking and sent out mailers etc that were coordinated with the campaigns. Although they of course deny it. It was only issue advocacy they claim.

This money as all for the races in 2002, which turned the Texas Legislature repuke and allowed them to do re-redistricting. All of this money influenced those key races in the 2002 election in Texas.

Sonia