Perry campaign paid Bell $426,000 to settle suit

[sonias]

Postcards from the Lege blog AAS 7/16/10
Perry campaign paid Bell $426,000 to settle suit

Gov. Rick Perry’s campaign paid $426,000 to former Democratic challenger Chris Bell to settle a lawsuit.

Bell, Perry’s unsuccessful Democratic challenger in 2006, sued the Perry campaign a few years ago, claiming that it had accepted contributions that were improperly routed through the Republican Governors Association to hide their true source.

Shortly before giving Perry $1 million in the closing days of the 2006 campaign, the RGA received a couple of major donations from Houston homebuilder Bob Perry.

Just goes to prove how dirty Perry fights. He will go to illegal lengths to win - because he's a cheat! :puke:

So excuse me for not believing him one bit about not knowing who financed the Green Party petition and not having any involvement in that illegal corporate run effort. :mad:

Great news for Chris Bell! Way to go Chris! :applause::applause::applause:

[sonias]

1. Perry campaign settles lawsuit charging he hid $1 million contribution

Trailblazers blog DMN 7/16/10
Perry campaign settles lawsuit charging he hid $1 million contribution

The Rick Perry campaign has paid $426,000 to his 2006 Democratic opponent to settle a lawsuit accusing the governor of trying to hide a $1 million contribution from Houston homebuilder Bob Perry (no relation). Democrat Chris Bell filed the lawsuit claiming the money was illegally funneled through the Republican Governors Association in the final days of the 2006 campaign. Voters didn't know the full extent of the funding arrangement until after the election.

(snip)
Shortly before the November general election four years ago, Bob Perry gave $1 million to the RGA, which delivered the total to Perry in two payments shortly before election day. Democrats complained about the arrangement, saying it happened so late it was hidden from voters. This week, Democrat Bill White reported that he has received $1 million from the Democratic Governors Association. A review of the Democrat group latest filing shows that it got sizeable contributions from Texas trial lawyers -- $400,000 from Steve Mostyn of Houston, $125,000 from the Houston firm of Williams Kherkher Hart & Boundas and $75,000 from Beaumont attorney Walter Umphrey.

See the difference. The Democratic Governors Association discloses who the donors are and the voters know it well in advance of the election. Rick Perry and the republicans are so ashamed of where their money comes from (Bob Perry) that they hide behind secrecy. They did the same kind of money laundering scheme with DeLay's TRMPAC. It's the only thing they know how to do - cheat and steal elections.

Texas voters should take note - that's Perry's m.o. - he doesn't believe anyone should know what he's up to. He feels he's not accountable to anyone.

He lies and cheats and hides his money connections from the voters all the time. :mad:

[white cloud]

2. Spots on a Leopard

He is getting to be a well known crook about the world. Keep it up til Novemeber.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

3. In politics timing is everything

In this case the timing is all to our advantage!

I love the smell of smoking hairspray in the morning. :D

[sonias]

4. "the smell of smoking hairspray"

:rofl:

Perry is having a few bad cycles. Woot! :)

[sonias]

5. Chris Bell Speaks Out about lawsuit

Texas Tribune 9/24/10
An Interview with '06 Gubernatorial Nominee Chris Bell

Houston attorney Chris Bell, the 2006 Democratic nominee for governor, won a $2 million judgment against the Republican Governors Association earlier this summer and received a $426,000 payment from Gov. Rick Perry's campaign earlier this year — all as a result of allegedly illegal RGA contributions to Perry at the end of the 2006 governor's race. Those awards don't go to Bell's campaign; under Texas law, they go straight into the candidate's pocket. Bell, a former congressman and Houston city councilman, finished in second in the four-way '06 contest, which also included Kinky Friedman and Carole Keeton Strayhorn, who both ran as independents. Neither of the other candidates sued over the contributions, though they now might wish they had. The RGA has said it will appeal this summer's ruling.

Bell talked to the Tribune by phone recently about the lawsuit and its aftermath; an edited transcript follows.

TT: Tell us what the infraction was and why there was a settlement.

Bell: In the closing days of the 2006 race, when all of those reports have to be filed, a million-dollar contribution was made, or showed up as having been made, by the RGA to the Perry campaign. We thought it was a little strange at the time. R.G. Ratcliffe apparently had some of the same feelings and after the race decided to make note of it and track it and see what the RGA filed with the IRS, and learned that just prior to the contribution to Perry being made, that Bob Perry, the developer in Houston, had contributed over a million bucks to the RGA. So it looked like a fairly clever way to funnel Bob Perry's money into the Rick Perry campaign.

There's an audio interview on the site that's about 10 minutes long. The damages are statutory, set by law set to two times the amount of the illegal contribution.

Carole and Kinky just passed up on filing a suit for the money. :shrug: