Vets For Freedom Won't Reveal Donors

The issue-advocacy group Vets for Freedom officially launched a $1.5 million ad campaign on Wednesday, touting of the Iraq surge policy and pushing a not-so-subtle dig at Barack Obama.

"We changed strategy in Iraq, and the surged worked," says the spot, a spliced testimony of more than a dozen veterans. "Now that is change you can believe in."

And yet, despite hitting the airwaves in Ohio, Virginia, Michigan, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania, and looking to expand even further, the group refused to reveal exactly who was funding its effort, citing no legal obligation to do so as a 501c4.

"I don't want to have to print out names of thousands of Americans for everyone to dish through," said Pete Hegseth, executive director for Vets for Freedom, "nor have they signed on saying this is something we have to disclose."

Hegseth insisted that the group was funded by thousands of backers, primarily through the Internet. Another official posited that groups like Vets for Freedom never offer such levels of financial disclosure. But the refusal of VFF divulge any details including, for example, the size of the largest donation, will undoubtedly fuel speculation that the organization is operating as a front for McCain-backing conservative financiers.

There is already concern within Democrat circles that like-minded advocacy organizations will be the central actors in GOP attacks. As evidence, they note several ties between Vets for Freedom and the McCain campaign. Sens. Joseph Lieberman and Lindsey Graham both hold chairs with the Arizona Republican's candidacy and served on VFF's board of advisers before stepping down due to the campaign's conflict of interest policy.

On Tuesday, moreover, it was reported that VFF's ad buy in Virginia was for a slot that McCain had just vacated. Democrats pounced on this as potential evidence of an illegal coordination of efforts and a stain on the Senator's reputation of standing up to interest groups. Vets for Freedom call the ad slot sequence a "complete coincidence."

Whether in cahoots with McCain or not, the group has clearly not shied away from taking jabs at Obama. In late May, VFF put out a web advertisement ripping the Senator for not meeting combat veterans, not traveling to Iraq in more than two years, and not sitting down with Gen. David Petraeus. On Wednesday, Hegseth criticized Obama not just for calling for an Iraq withdrawal, but also for not meeting with a member of his group: "Senator Obama was indeed in his office and we tried to get a meeting for more than a month. We never were able to and when our veterans went there they weren't allowed a meeting. They met with a low-level staffer."

UPDATE: The Washington Post reports (as emailed out by the Obama campaign) on another instance that seemed like collaboration between Vets for Freedom and the McCain camp.

Today... there appears to be another, similar coincidence in the way Vets for Freedom's ads are going up, just as McCain's ads are going down. According to a Democratic media firm, Vets for Freedom purchased advertising time in three Michigan television markets, Flint, Grand Rapids and Traverse City, covering July 10 to July 16. At the same time, the McCain campaign decreased its advertising in those three markets for the period from July 8 to July 14.

Coordination between the group and the campaign would be illegal.

Comments

[ofbbg]

The Clinton Library ( the only presidential library with an Adults Only section ) won't release its' list of donors, either. What's your point?

[sueno]

These are GOP operatives, who happen to be vets!
They do a disservice to themselves and our country-

[keepemhonest]

Coincidence.

1. McCain pulls down ad slot in Va. -- Vet for Freedom take that spot. (saving money mccain?)
2. McCain pulls down ad slot in Flint, Grand Rapids, Traverse City Mi. -- Vet for Freedom take the spots.

How Rove-ish of McCain.

[Jules1]

Their donors are the GOP.

[marc1antony]

How they can support someone who votes against or not at all for legislation in their interests shows this group do not have brains. "Our is not to question why, ours is but to do or die" - mentality is so antiquated.

[OriginalScreenName]

And this is the perfect example to why the public financing system is broken. Thanks for proving Obama's point.

Sorry, if you want you political views heard on main stream television louder than any other american citizen's voice, you'd better pony up your donor list allowing you to do just that. Obviously more campaign finance reform is needed.

$20 bucks says that their main donors are known smear artists on Obama's fight the smears page.

[ShamusNYC]

Actually, given the comments of the Iraqi government, the one ad that the group's put out doesn't really help McB that much - as Iraq is telling us the job's basically over.

It was funny watching their talking head/mouth piece Petey on Hardball try to make the Rube Goldberg-esque argument that the comments from the Iraqis basically supported McB's position - when Matthews repeated body slammed him with the truth that the statement was closer to the Obama vision - if not an outright endorsment of that position. Petey was sooo carefully trying not to admit anything that might get him at odds with Camp McB.

Do agree that all 527s and 501c4's should have to disclose their donors - this includes moveon & vets4freedom and any others. At the same time, to the extent that scumbags like the swiftboaters lie would love to see hard-hitting rebuttals not only to the remarks but to the people making them and supporting them.

The above is not to say that Petey & Co are anywhere as slimey as the Swiftboat scums. Thus far, they seem fairly ernest & honest in their position - though they really should admit when they are clearly wrong. (Petey - I'm talking to you)

[Erdgeist]

VFF, why not be honest--use a name like Veterans For More War Casualties (VFMWC) or Veterans For War With Muslims (VFWWM), or how about Veterans For Armageddon (VFA) or Veterans For a Hundred Years War (VFHYW)? Anyhow, your side does not represent freedom--try oppression. Oh, and I am a veteran, too, of the Vietnam War--a US Navy Corpsman.

[JohnTalbutt]

V.F.S. Vets For Sale

[gage]

"There is already concern within Democrat circles that like-minded advocacy organizations will be the central actors in GOP attacks. As evidence, they note several ties between Vets for Freedom and the McCain campaign. Sens. Joseph Lieberman and Lindsey Graham both hold chairs with the Arizona Republican's candidacy and served on VFF's board of advisers before stepping down due to the campaign's conflict of interest policy."

Glad you brought that up that subject.

Votevets.org, which is the Dems counterpart to vetsforfreedom, boasts several Democratic politicians on its advisory board, such as Paul Hackett and Wesley Clark. Interesting. vetsforfreedom had their politicians step off their advisory board for the election, but votevets did not.

Obviously, vetsforfreedom has set a higher standard for itself than votevets.

votevets board member Wesley Clark has actively been campaigning for Obama, or at least he was, before his recent faux pas made him persona non grata.

And I have never seen a list of who the big donors are for votevets, but since it's a moveon offshoot, i can make some pretty educated guesses.

[levibatgirl]

blackwater, halliburon and the oil companies.

[MemphisBuffalo]

Boone, Exxon, Shell, Chevron we all know who is behind this garbage. If it is such a good idea then send them back. Why did they cut and run? I want all who appeared in the ad to have service records and personal information to become public.

[Tommygun264]

I notice that it's all veterans of the Iraqi Occupation who are demanding that we "finish the job" in Iraq, meaning they're safely back at home and now it's time to send someone else's sons and daughters into the Haliburton human meat grinder that it Iraq. Are any of these people shouting "finish the job" re-enlisting?

[gage]

"Are any of these people shouting "finish the job" re-enlisting?"
Yes.

[Tommygun264]

Really? Which ones?

[karela]

VoteVets.org is also an organization of veterans, but they have a membership of 100,000 which is more than ten times as large as Vets for Freedom. VoteVets.org are strongly in favor of Obama and strongly in favor of bringing the troops home. Here is one of their earlier ads titled "Priority".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsMumUEPMCY

John McCain believes in trillions for Baghdad, but not one red cent for Americans.

[gage]

In 2007, only about 5% of vote vets membership was Iraq or Aghanistan vets. The organization, an offshoot of moveon.org, has grown a lot since then, but there's no reason to believe that the percentage of vets as members has gone up.

[karela]

The swift boat fat cats return. The question is, will America buy it a second time around? I don't think so. I think two terms of Bush has been more than enough for most of us. No third term McBush.

[donttasemebro]

T. Boone Pickens, is that you?

[Diplomacy]

Ditto. Is that you T. Boone Pickens?

See you on TV with the new ad: "It's our CRISIS and we'll Solve It". Well, where the hell you been, man, for the last 20 years. Too busy waiting for OIL to go to $200. a barrel?

Over the next weeks you say that you'll lay it all out. Where the hell you been, man, for the last 20 years?

Wind Turbines & Solar energy are answers? Natural gas? Nuttin NEW there Pickens!

This Vet Freedom group has T. Boone Pickens funding written all over it. Nice try! (-:

[JohnTalbutt]

Just wait. The turbines and solar energy is just the come on - the pitch is drilling off Fla. and other states.

[Diplomacy]

Oh. For those of you who are not familiar with T. Boone Pickens, why he just happens to be a TEXAS OIL & GAS MAN.

You know, one of George Bush's FRIENDS. He's a "Grand Old Party" man.

And, now supporting John McCain.

He's also a funder of the "Swift Boat Campaign" against John Kerry in 2004.