Dean paid $7.2 million to aide's company

[rodbarnett]

Trippi consulting firm got nearly one-quarter of his television ad buys

WASHINGTON - As Howard Dean's presidential campaign tore through the millions it raised last year, nearly a quarter of it went to the company owned in part by his former campaign manager.
The campaign paid $7.2 million to Trippi, McMahon and Squier, the Virginia-based consulting and media firm - 23 percent of the $31 million it spent through Dec. 31, according to PoliticalMoneyLine, which tracks political spending.

Joe Trippi, one of the company's partners, was Dean's campaign manager for a year - until he was ousted last month and replaced by Roy Neel as chief executive. Dean asked Trippi to stay with the campaign as an adviser, but Trippi quit.

Instead of a salary, Trippi's company had been paid a commission of the campaign's television advertising buys - a percentage he and his company's partners said he never knew.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.trippi08feb08,0,25744,print.story?coll=bal-nationworld-headlines

[kcwayne]

1. As a contributor to the Dean campaign

I feel very ripped off. I was contributing to the campaign because I wanted Dean's grass roots movement to take hold and get a voice. I applauded Dean for standing up to the Bush Administration when the rest of the Democrats silence was utter appalling.

I did not contribute to a campaign to make some insider in that campaign wealthy. Trippi's conflict of interest in this is exactly what is wrong with democracy today, and stands in stark contrast to Dean's rhetoric about Washington insiders. Replacing Washington insiders with Vermont insiders is no change, no change at all.

[AirConditionedGypsie]

2. I saw another report that said Trippi

earned on third of the money paid to his firm.

That would mean that Trippi made ten percent, or $3 million, of the $31 million raised by Dean.

If true, it makes me wonder if Trippi is in the right party.

[tobius]

3. Money shot-

Trippi angrily dismissed such criticism.

"I had no conflict of interest because I wasn't interested in money,:+

[Moderator]

4. Dupe

Please continue here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=292408

Thanks,
DU Moderator