Sign In
SHARE
Telcos Make Connections in Congress
Money and politics go hand in hand, of course, but it's still fascinating when direct links are drawn.
That's what nonprofit group MAPLight.org did when it tracked the donations of telecoms companies to lawmakers then correlated that with their votes on giving retroactive immunity to phone carriers.
The conclusion: Big players in the telecoms industry gave 50 percent more to members of Congress who voted to maintain blanket immunity for phone companies that permit government agents to wiretap their customers without court-authorized warrants.
Verizon, AT&T and Sprint political action committees gave, on average, $10,060, to lawmakers who voted against removing immunity granted under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, according to the group's calculations. The three companies gave $7,085 to members who voted "yes."
None of the three phone companies returned calls for comment Friday. They are facing lawsuits accusing them of conducting electronic surveillance of phone calls and e-mail that violated the privacy rights of law-abiding Americans.
"Like many issues in Congress, money closely correlates with votes," said Daniel Newman, executive director of MAPLight, which is based in Berkeley, California.
by Elizabeth Olson
Loading...
Thank you for registering as a Portfolio.com Insider. Your comment has been added.
Create Your Public Profile
- ACBJ to relaunch Portfolio.com
- May 20 2009 1:44PM EDT
- 44, Day 97: On Golf, Swine Flu, and a "Hallmark Holiday"
- Apr 26 2009 5:39PM EDT
- 44, Day 96: Where's the Suggestion Box?
- Apr 25 2009 2:10PM EDT
- 44, Day 95: Let Them Have Student Loans
- Apr 24 2009 6:49PM EDT
- Stressing Out Over Stress Tests
- Apr 24 2009 2:14PM EDT
- King of the Private Equity Hill
- Apr 24 2009 8:23AM EDT
- 44, Day 94: What's in Obama's Wallet?
- Apr 23 2009 6:39PM EDT
- Madoff Clawback Campaign Targets Ex-Clients
- Apr 23 2009 3:00PM EDT
- Merrill, Muzzle, and the Mob
- Apr 23 2009 1:45PM EDT
- 44, Day 93: Earthly Concerns
- Apr 22 2009 7:14PM EDT
- Stanford Prosecutor Arrested for Assault
- Apr 22 2009 5:47PM EDT
- IMF Downgrades the Global Economy
- Apr 22 2009 2:00PM EDT
- Ackman Opens His Target Slate to Questions
- Apr 22 2009 11:51AM EDT
- Freddie Mac Acting CFO Found Dead
- Apr 22 2009 8:42AM EDT
- 44, Day 92: About Those Interrogations
- Apr 21 2009 5:53PM EDT
Archive
