Vets for Freedom Says Thousands Of Donors -- We Count Five

In a recent story about Vets for Freedom's new campaign in support of Republican Presidential candidate John McCain, the Virginia-Pilot quoted VFFs Chairman Pete Hegseth on donor disclosure.

Vets for Freedom's efforts are being fueled by donations from thousands of people nationwide, Hegseth said. He said the group will not release donors' names nor the size of their donations. The group is registered under a section of federal tax law that allows it to advertise and organize on behalf of particular policies while maintaining the confidentiality of its donors.

Donations to political campaigns or political action committees, by contrast, generally must be reported and are limited by law.

Thousands of donations? We looked up Vets for Freedom's reporting records and found a total of five (5) donors and $2,050 total donations in the most recent period they reported. This reporting is for their "527" committee, which is legally allowed to " influence the nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates for public office" but is not allowed to coordinate with any candidate's campaign. However, their 501c4 charity arm, the part of the group that does not have to report its donors, can not legally do any of those things.

So what's the takeaway? On one hand, we have a 527 group with a total of $2,050 in donations, not enough to pay for Mark Penn's coffee break, and on the other we have a charity that legally can not be involved in direct political action? What's happening?

Well if you have "thousands" of mystery donors unreported but supporting John McCain's campaign and suddenly, a small fringe front group with just 5 real donors has over $1.5 million dollars to run a television campaign and there are plans for a major push this fall.

We're betting this is nothing more than a conduit for one or two very large donations intended to get around election law to the benefit of candidate McCain.

The Washington Post's blog The Trail tried to pin Hegseth down on why this "non-election" group is advertising with McCain's message in swing states important to McCain, and only just before an election with McCain as a candidate.

From the story,

Hegseth said his group is not operating on behalf of McCain and notes that federal law prohibits the organization from coordinating the ad with the campaign. The states were chosen, he said, not because they are crucial swing states for McCain, but because the heightened interest in the election in those states will give it a larger audience.

What Hegseth didn't mention is that VFF's ads were bought immediately after the McCain Campaign stopped advertising.

What Hegseth didn't mention is that VFF is supporting candidates across the country, but surprise, none of the Iraq War or Vietnam veterans who are running like Jon Powers or Charlie Brown.

What Hegseth didn't mention is that there are real veterans groups with real veterans signing real petitions and supporting a candidate, only those real veterans, are supporting Barack Obama.

The only thing Hegseth could do was concede that the message in the ad is almost identical to McCain's on the stump -- the surge worked; let's continue the war until we win. He said McCain has been the "strongest advocate" for the veterans of the two wars.

Which is about as believable as McCain's claim that real veterans groups support him.

Comments

[memi69]

nice job of reporting guys!!!

[jeff]

Your best post since your Norman Hsu post

[mike53]

Liberals shouldn't say to much about 527s and "shady" financing. Not with Soros on your side.

[thesimulacra]

See: "Swift Boat"

You sound like the little brother whose bigger brother just got him in trouble: "But Mom! He hit me first!"

[bgregs]

Yeah, because Soros completely negates the swift boaters...­.

[DoTheMath]

Thanks for shedding some light on this dark side of the "publicly financed" McCain campaign.

[KingCranky]

The VFF has been running quite a few ads here in El Paso, not a surprise considering it's the home to Fort Bliss.

But what I'd really like to know, if they show only $2050 in their coffers, is where they're getting the money needed for the ad buys.

[scooperss]

I'm old enough that I know a lot of Vietnam vets. To a man, NONE support mccain.

[doodlefarbe]

I know a lot of `Nam vets and other vets who are still quite angry at Sens. McCain and Kerry for the parts of their work viewed (by some veterans groups) as simply giving up on possible POWs still in Viet Nam. Feel like both of them betrayed veterans in the name of normalizing trade relation$$.

[HBeachbum]

What is really funny, is that the ads state that no matter who becomes President, they need to finish the job. And you lefties automatically assume it is supporting McCain. Are you saying tha Obama won't do what's right?

[bgregs]

They will need to finish WHAT job????? Do you mean "victory" in Iraq? The location where we are fighting a "war" against insurgents (read: guerrillas) using traditional military, which is an action which ALWAYS fails!!!

[thesimulacra]

You're right, we're definitely reading too much into this. Clearly, these ads have no intention of supporting McCain at all. By the way, I have some oceanfront property I'd like to sell you. In Montana.

[bgregs]

Does it have a view of the Brooklyn Bridge??

[nomobull]

you can't finish a job you didn't start and since mccain is bush with a bad comb over......­..

[Bluesue]

Finish? What is "finish"? How do we "finish" the job? When do we know the job is "finished"?

How many more lives will it take, how many more of our military needs to be maimed, how much more of our borrowed money spent, before you diehards consider the job "finished"?

[keepemhonest]

McCain's Vet-vote record:

* 5/2008: McCain voted AGAINST Webb's GI Bill.

* 9/2007: McCain voted AGAINST bill to minimize periods of time between deployment of units sent to Iraq.
http://senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00341

* 5/2006: McCain voted AGAINST $20 Million to VA for health care facilities.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00111

* 4/2006: McCain voted AGAINST $430,000,000 to VA for Medical Services.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00098

* 3/2006: McCain voted AGAINST increasing Vet-medical services $1.5 billion in FY2007.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00041

* 3/2004: McCain voted AGAINST increasing Vet-medical care by $1.8 billion.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=2&vote=00040

* 10/2003: McCain voted to TABLE an amendment for $322,000,000 for safety equipment for US Combat Forces. ("Table"= vote never hits floor.)
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=1&vote=00376

* 10/2003: McCain voted to TABLE a vote for $1 Billion for National Guard and Reserve Equipment in Iraq dueto:shortage of helmets, tents, bullet-proof inserts, & tactical vests.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=1&vote=00116

[Dave Johnson and James Boyce - Huffpost Blogger]

thanks for listing this, it is truly shocking and we can only hope media etc and good folks like you keep holding the truth to McCain

[thesimulacra]

This'd better be in an ad in October, running on every network that plays Matlock reruns.

[larry278]

As an aged veteran, I look at any group who says it is an advocate for veterans as carefully as I'd look at a used car that was priced @ $1000.00. VFF's offerings are like a 10 year old car with an odometer that reads less than 5000 miles. Something isn't right about VFF.

[MajorKong]

I bet if you traced it back far enough you'd find Richard Mellon Scaife in there somewhere.

[SeanGardner]

"What Hegseth didn't mention is that there are real veterans groups with real veterans signing real petitions and supporting a candidate, only those real veterans, are supporting Barack Obama."

This is funny.

Its like when the group P.U.M.A. says that they represent "the majority of Hillary supporters who have decided to vote for John McCain". But when you show them the ubiquity of polls revealing the majority of Hillary supporters backing Obama, they have no argument. This is the reality of VETS for FREEDOM.

This phony veterans groups has no argument to stand on, and have no substantive appeal among the 25 million vets in this country.

Barack Obama is still looking good with the nation's vets. They will be out in force for him this November.

[Grissom1001]

Isn't it funny how the truth always makes these 527's look like lap dogs for McCain? I am sure that the true Veterans in this coutry are hanging their heads in shame over the ease with which some of these people lie.

[TexasDem0]

I cannot speak for all veterans, but this vet is disgusted by VFF and its shill, Pete Hegseth, and its agenda, which is in reality, anti-veteran.

[bgregs]

If McBush has been supporting veterans, then I'm the friggin tooth fairy!