Posted: May 2, 2012 at 7:32 am
Hill Campaign Financed by Convicted Felons
Rick Hill set the bar high when he first ran for congress.
He attacked his opponent in the press for taking money from an organization he said “had ties to organized crime.”
An Associated Press article (pasted below the fold) from ’96 quoted Hill as saying:
“The fact that he took this contribution is arrogant, insensitive to our Montana values and insulting to Montana voters.”
As it turns out, Congressman Hill has himself taken large sums of money from well-known convicted felons.
Super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Former Congressman Tom Delay, and former Montana Businessman Dick Dasen have exactly two things in common.
1. They’re convicted felons.
2. They finance Congressman Rick Hill’s campaigns.
Tom Delay is the former U.S. House Majority Leader. Delay is also a convicted felon who contributed $5000 from his Americans for a Republican Majority (ARMPAC) – as well as $1,000 from his Congressional Committee PAC – to Congressman Hill’s campaigns. Delay earned his felony conviction after he was found guilty of conspiring to circumvent a state law against corporate contributions to political campaigns. Specifically, that meant conviction for one charge of money laundering, and one charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Dick Dasen – a felon and former Montana businessman – contributed $500 to Congressman Hill. He later was convicted in Montana on five counts of sex charges related to a major prostitution scandal. Dasen spent an estimated $1 million to $5 million for women to have sex with him, usually in hotels.
Jack Abramoff is a convicted felon and former lobbyist who amassed a fortune by bilking Indian tribes of millions of dollars. His fortune allowed him to contribute $250 to Congressman Hill. He later plead guilty to fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials in a wide-ranging, D.C. corruption scandal. Furthermore, he plead guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges related to the casino boats he bought.
And so, it looks like Congressman Hill’s hypocrisy is coming back to haunt him. Besides treating his staff like dog crap and being a terrible boss, this former congressman has a seedy crowd of convicts who have funded his political endeavors.