The American Conservative Union has sent out a press release today addressing Politico's story from this morning alleging a pay-for-play scheme between the ACU and FedEx for a reported 2 to 3 mil in exchange for the group's endorsement.
The accusation:
For the $2 million plus, ACU offered a range of services that included: "Producing op-eds and articles written by ACU's Chairman David Keene and/or other members of the ACU's board of directors
. (Note that Mr. Keene writes a weekly column that appears in The Hill.)"The conservative group's remarkable demand -- black-and-white proof of the longtime Washington practice known as "pay for play" -- was contained in a private letter to FedEx , which was provided to POLITICO.
And the group's response:
An article containing a false headline has been published by Capitol Hill newspaper Politico today regarding an issue with expansion of the National Labor Relations Board.
This article concerns two letters; one issued by ACU and another issued by a separate organization.
Mr. David Keene's name was on a letter prepared by another organization. This was a personal decision on his part and he was not representing ACU at the time. No permission was given by ACU, and no logo was provided by ACU, to the organization who issued the letter in question.
ACU's policy position on this issue has not changed and it will not change.
ACU's positions on important policy issues have never been for sale.
ACU does not support moving businesses under the jurisdiction of the NLRB or expanding the federal government's power, reach or authority under the NLRB.
In fact, as we pointed out last year when auto bailouts were first proposed, the actions of organized labor in Detroit helped lead to a downfall of America's storied auto industry. This is a clear example of what can happen when organized labor extends its fingers too far into American business.
In this regard, ACU stands with the policy that FedEx should not be placed under the NLRB.
This was ACU policy - before and after - any letters in question were drafted.
No contributions, to date, regarding this issue have been given or promised to ACU from any organization mentioned in the Politico article.