H
Harry Hope
Guest
From The New York Daily News, 11/18/07:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/pol...dy_giuliani_jets_to_campaign_stops_usi-4.html
Rudy Giuliani jets to campaign stops using casino kingpin's plane
By DAVID SALTONSTALL
DAILY NEWS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT
Rudy Giuliani is jetting around the country wooing Bible-thumping
conservatives, but his plane is often provided by a king of Sin City.
The Republican presidential hopeful anted up more than $122,000 last
summer alone for jets traceable to casino kingpin Sheldon Adelson,
whose Las Vegas Sands empire has made him the third-richest American,
a Daily News review of campaign records shows.
Last quarter, The Sands' innocuously named Interface Operations LLC
was the top provider of corporate jets to the frequently flying
Giuliani, who was whisked around the country on the casino's plush
Gulfstream G-IV in late August and early September, records show.
"You have to follow the money and ask, 'Why is Sheldon Adelson
partnering with Rudy Giuliani?'" asked Stacey Cargill, an
anti-gambling and Republican Party activist in Iowa, where the
nation's first presidential caucus is set for Jan. 3.
Cargill, who views even legal gambling as a magnet for crime and vice,
said, "If Rudy Giuliani wants to be the crimefighting candidate, why
is he partnering with a large and growing gambling empire?"
Until eight weeks ago, candidates could hop aboard private corporate
jets at a fraction of their actual cost, reimbursing benefactors only
for the price of a first-class commercial ticket between the same two
points.
Critics long viewed the formula as a back-door way for corporations to
donate to campaigns.
Congress agreed, and on Sept. 14, the Federal Election Commission
changed the rules to require presidential campaigns to pay fair-market
prices for corporate planes.
Giuliani certainly took advantage of the bargain rates before they
went away, as did some of his competitors.
Fellow Republicans Mitt Romney and John McCain use corporate aircraft
to varying degrees, as does Democrat John Edwards, records show.
Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama accept no corporate
aircraft, choosing instead to rent planes at full market cost to avoid
the appearance of a conflict.
Some even rub elbows with the common folk:
Democrats Christopher Dodd and Dennis Kucinich were spotted flying
commercial to last week's Las Vegas debate.
In addition to the Las Vegas Sands, Giuliani's fleet of corporate
connections includes more than a dozen big-moneyed interests, among
them:
Hedge fund owner Paul Singer, a top Giuliani fund-raiser whose
Elliott Asset Management provided some $90,000 in air support to the
former mayor from July 1 through Sept. 30 - on top of the $176,000 it
provided the previous quarter.
Zuffa LLC, a company whose creations include "Ultimate Fighting
Championship," a particularly brutal hybrid of boxing and martial arts
that critics have dubbed "human ****fighting."
Two New York real estate developers - Donald Trump and Stephen
Ross of Related, the company Giuliani picked to develop the lucrative
Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle when he was mayor.
Alticor Inc., the parent company of Michigan-based Amway, a
major multilevel marketing corporation with deep ties to the GOP whose
vice president for public policy, Richard Holwill, is a top Giuliani
fund-raiser.
Giuliani's campaign aides insist corporate plane providers are not
promised anything in return and the campaign follows all applicable
laws.
"The bottom line is we have always fully complied with Federal
Election Commission rules and regulations," said Giuliani spokeswoman
Maria Comella.
Campaign watchdogs - while generally pleased by the new, stricter
rules - nevertheless believe planes will remain a valuable perk
corporations will use to build goodwill.
They can also provide critical access, since CEOs often find a way to
share flights with candidates, they note.
"What money buys you in politics these days is access, and that's the
case regardless of the rule changes," said Meredith McGehee, policy
director of the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center.
"For a busy presidential candidate, being able to fly on your own
schedule and not have to stand in line to take off your shoes - it's
an extreme personal convenience."
Adelson - a former City College kid - made his real money when the
Chinese government allowed him to build a casino on the island of
Macao in 2004.
That launched him to the No. 3 slot on Forbes' list of America's
richest men, with a fortune estimated at $28 billion.
He has developed a solid relationship with Giuliani.
The two share many ideological views, most notably a vigorous
commitment to maintaining the security of Israel.
Last month, Adelson - who did not return calls for comment - held a
Giuliani fund-raiser at his Venetian casino in Las Vegas.
High-rollers who agreed to raise $25,000 for Giuliani's presidential
bid got a special treat - cigars with the former mayor.
________________________________________________
Harry
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/pol...dy_giuliani_jets_to_campaign_stops_usi-4.html
Rudy Giuliani jets to campaign stops using casino kingpin's plane
By DAVID SALTONSTALL
DAILY NEWS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT
Rudy Giuliani is jetting around the country wooing Bible-thumping
conservatives, but his plane is often provided by a king of Sin City.
The Republican presidential hopeful anted up more than $122,000 last
summer alone for jets traceable to casino kingpin Sheldon Adelson,
whose Las Vegas Sands empire has made him the third-richest American,
a Daily News review of campaign records shows.
Last quarter, The Sands' innocuously named Interface Operations LLC
was the top provider of corporate jets to the frequently flying
Giuliani, who was whisked around the country on the casino's plush
Gulfstream G-IV in late August and early September, records show.
"You have to follow the money and ask, 'Why is Sheldon Adelson
partnering with Rudy Giuliani?'" asked Stacey Cargill, an
anti-gambling and Republican Party activist in Iowa, where the
nation's first presidential caucus is set for Jan. 3.
Cargill, who views even legal gambling as a magnet for crime and vice,
said, "If Rudy Giuliani wants to be the crimefighting candidate, why
is he partnering with a large and growing gambling empire?"
Until eight weeks ago, candidates could hop aboard private corporate
jets at a fraction of their actual cost, reimbursing benefactors only
for the price of a first-class commercial ticket between the same two
points.
Critics long viewed the formula as a back-door way for corporations to
donate to campaigns.
Congress agreed, and on Sept. 14, the Federal Election Commission
changed the rules to require presidential campaigns to pay fair-market
prices for corporate planes.
Giuliani certainly took advantage of the bargain rates before they
went away, as did some of his competitors.
Fellow Republicans Mitt Romney and John McCain use corporate aircraft
to varying degrees, as does Democrat John Edwards, records show.
Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama accept no corporate
aircraft, choosing instead to rent planes at full market cost to avoid
the appearance of a conflict.
Some even rub elbows with the common folk:
Democrats Christopher Dodd and Dennis Kucinich were spotted flying
commercial to last week's Las Vegas debate.
In addition to the Las Vegas Sands, Giuliani's fleet of corporate
connections includes more than a dozen big-moneyed interests, among
them:
Hedge fund owner Paul Singer, a top Giuliani fund-raiser whose
Elliott Asset Management provided some $90,000 in air support to the
former mayor from July 1 through Sept. 30 - on top of the $176,000 it
provided the previous quarter.
Zuffa LLC, a company whose creations include "Ultimate Fighting
Championship," a particularly brutal hybrid of boxing and martial arts
that critics have dubbed "human ****fighting."
Two New York real estate developers - Donald Trump and Stephen
Ross of Related, the company Giuliani picked to develop the lucrative
Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle when he was mayor.
Alticor Inc., the parent company of Michigan-based Amway, a
major multilevel marketing corporation with deep ties to the GOP whose
vice president for public policy, Richard Holwill, is a top Giuliani
fund-raiser.
Giuliani's campaign aides insist corporate plane providers are not
promised anything in return and the campaign follows all applicable
laws.
"The bottom line is we have always fully complied with Federal
Election Commission rules and regulations," said Giuliani spokeswoman
Maria Comella.
Campaign watchdogs - while generally pleased by the new, stricter
rules - nevertheless believe planes will remain a valuable perk
corporations will use to build goodwill.
They can also provide critical access, since CEOs often find a way to
share flights with candidates, they note.
"What money buys you in politics these days is access, and that's the
case regardless of the rule changes," said Meredith McGehee, policy
director of the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center.
"For a busy presidential candidate, being able to fly on your own
schedule and not have to stand in line to take off your shoes - it's
an extreme personal convenience."
Adelson - a former City College kid - made his real money when the
Chinese government allowed him to build a casino on the island of
Macao in 2004.
That launched him to the No. 3 slot on Forbes' list of America's
richest men, with a fortune estimated at $28 billion.
He has developed a solid relationship with Giuliani.
The two share many ideological views, most notably a vigorous
commitment to maintaining the security of Israel.
Last month, Adelson - who did not return calls for comment - held a
Giuliani fund-raiser at his Venetian casino in Las Vegas.
High-rollers who agreed to raise $25,000 for Giuliani's presidential
bid got a special treat - cigars with the former mayor.
________________________________________________
Harry
pcek3th0fr75qoes5astt7coah71h6d7l@4ax.com...