Andy Stern Appointed to Debt Panel While Under Criminal Review for Lobbying Activities

[PDF of Press Release]

In response to President Obama’s appointment of Andy Stern to the bi-partisan debt panel, the Alliance for Worker Freedom sent out the following release:

President Obama’s appointment of Service Employee International Union (SEIU) leader Andy Stern to his bi-partisan Debt Panel should raise a major red flag. Stern has an open investigation file into his potentially illegal lobbying activities with the United States Attorney’s office.

105 days ago, the Alliance for Worker Freedom and Americans for Tax Reform filled a joint request for investigation into Andy Stern for potentially violating the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) 2 U.S.C. 1601, et seq. Specifically, evidence was compiled that suggests Stern spent more than 20 percent of his time per quarter actively engaged in lobbying and lobbying activities.

The problem, Stern de-registered as a lobbyist in 2007. Failure to file accurate reports or to register under LDA is a violation of the Act, which provides for civil penalties of up to $200,000 and criminal penalties of up to 5 years in prison.

“52 days ago, Stern was on CNN and he promised to contact us and explain his situation and provide evidence that he has not been engaged in illegal lobbying,” says Brian Johnson, executive director of the Alliance for Worker Freedom. “Not only have we never been contacted by Stern, but now, the President is sneaking his friends and political supporters in the back-door with this no-show fluff panel to allow the lobbying to continue."

Permalink | Email | Print

Comments

Add a Comment