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Gazprombank GPB (OJSC), a Russian bank targeted with sanctions by President Obama over the Ukraine crisis, has hired two former U.S. senators to lobby against those sanctions, according to a new disclosure filed with the Senate. Gazprombank is controlled by Russia’s state-owned energy company Gazprom, the country’s largest gas producer; it supplies about a third of Europe’s natural gas. In a filing submitted Friday and effective that day, former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., and former Senator John Breaux, D-La., are listed as the main lobbyists under the Gazprombank account for the firm Squire Patton Boggs, lobbying on “banking...

"The health care system in America is broken. Costs are rising at an unacceptable rate -- more than doubling over the last 10 years, which is nearly four times the rate of wage growth. Too many patients feel trapped by healthcare decisions dictated by HMOs. Too many doctors are torn between practicing medicine and practicing insurance. And 47 million Americans worry what will happen to them or their children if they get sick." Who do you think said that? President Obama? Actually, those words were written by Republicans. They are part of the summary of the Patients' Choice Act, introduced...

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While former Sen. John Breaux is deciding whether to run for Louisiana governor, state Republicans and his potential opponent have already begun the fight. Speculation is mounting that Breaux (D-La.) might enter the race in the wake of Gov. Kathleen Blanco?s (D) surprise announcement this week that she won?t seek reelection. But state Republicans, and to a lesser extent Republican candidate Rep. Bobby Jindal, are already firing shots across Breaux?s bow. State observers say this strategy is three-pronged: Give Breaux second thoughts about getting in, let him know the campaign would be bloody and start the public debate before he...

With Gov. Kathleen Blanco’s pass on running for reelection, a number of observers both in and out of elective office seem fixated that lobbyist John Breaux, a former Democrat senator from Louisiana, will change residency from Maryland and move it back to Louisiana. Breaux himself has encouraged such speculation by asking for an attorney general’s opinion on his citizenship status in the state. A review of both legal facts and political realities shows that Breaux and any Democrats supportive of this move are making a tremendous mistake that could cripple the state party for years to come. Louisiana State University...

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Sen. Breaux dismisses rumors he will run Former U.S. Sen. John Breaux said rumors that he’s eyeing a run for governor are just that — rumors and nothing more. “I am not running for governor right now, and I have no plans of running for governor in the future,” Breaux said during a meeting Friday with reporters and editors at The Advocate. Commissioner of Agriculture Bob Odom has talked up the possibility of Breaux making a bid for governor next year, a slap at Breaux’s fellow Democrat, Blanco. “I am not raising money for it,” Breaux said.

Reported by the Associated Press Agriculture Commissioner Bob Odom says that he has lost confidence in Governor Kathleen Blanco's ability to lead and is trying to convince retired U.S. Senator John Breaux to run for her seat in 2007. When asked if he thought Blanco could turn the state around, Odom said, "No, I don't." Odom made his remarks after a speech he delivered during a West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the West Monroe Convention Center. Odom said he and "several others" - who he didn't identify - were putting together a poll that they hope to...

NEW ORLEANS, LA — New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin's comments about a chocolate city and God punishing America with strong hurricanes ended up on the front page of most major newspapers across the country. National Public Radio carried the story. So did all of the national morning newscasts. U.S. Senators landing at Lakefront Airport on Tuesday were all well versed on the Mayor's shoot from the hip statements. Louisiana Senator David Vitter brought his colleagues on a tour of the hurricane damaged city. Vitter called Nagin's comments that New Orleans is a chocolate city because that's the way God wants...

WASHINGTON - New evidence is emerging that the top Democrat on the Senate committee currently investigating Jack Abramoff got political money arranged by the lobbyist back in 2002 shortly after the lawmaker took action favorable to Abramoff's tribal clients. A lawyer for the Louisiana Coushatta Indians told The Associated Press that Abramoff instructed the tribe to send $5,000 to Sen. Byron Dorgan (news, bio, voting record)'s political group just three weeks after the North Dakota Democrat urged fellow senators to fund a tribal school program Abramoff's clients wanted to use.The check was one of about five dozen the Coushattas listed...

Three independent sources have informed us that former U.S. Senator John Breaux is telling political insiders that he is in fact running for Governor. Breaux, a darling of the courthouse crowd, is seen by Democratic Party operatives as the only hope of keeping them in the mansion and shoring up the down ballot statewide incumbent’s political futures. Breaux began his career as an understudy to then Congressman Edwin W. Edwards and followed him in that Acadiana district seat serving many years prior to his election to the Senate. Breaux’s most famous political quote came in the context of a deal...

UPDATED: 1:11 pm PDT September 10, 2005 NEW ORLEANS -- Although he said it's not time to point fingers, former Louisiana Sen. John Breaux said he deserves some criticism for the problems in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Breaux, a Democrat, said he and other current and former members of Louisiana's congressional delegation failed to get more money for evacuation efforts and the strengthening of levees. But for now, he said, attention should be focused on relief efforts. "Blaming each other does not save a life, does not feed a single family," Breaux said. Meanwhile, a current Louisiana senator who's...

The Talk Shows Sunday, September 4th, 2005 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Chertoff; Scientific American editor Mark Fischetti; former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial; author Mike Tidwell. FACE THE NATION (CBS): pre-empted by U.S. Open (Tennis). THIS WEEK (ABC): Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La.; Chertoff; author and journalist Rick Bragg. LATE EDITION (CNN) : Chertoff; Sen. Trett Lott, R-Miss.; Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Julie Gerberding; Reps. William Jefferson, D-La., Richard Baker, R-La.,...

M. O'BRIEN: Let me ask you this, though. Let's flip this around for a moment. This is kind of turning in, I'm seeing shreds of this on the web and on the blogs of this being the allegation is that Democrats are using this as a political issue. What to you say to that? BREAUX: I've heard the racial implications. I would categorically reject that. Our good Mayor Ray Nagin is African- American and almost all the city council is African-American. The sheriff is African-American. The areas south of New Orleans, Plaquemine and St. Bernard Parishes are predominantly white and...

Breaux, 'hottest hire' in D.C., keeps pace By GERARD SHIELDS gshields@theadvocate.com Advocate Washington bureau WASHINGTON -- In joining the powerful Washington lobbying firm of Patton Boggs, newly retired U.S. Sen. John Breaux, D-La., will become the 106th former Congress member active in the lucrative lobbying field. "John Breaux is just the latest of the revolving door and that revolving door is out of control," said Craig Holman, campaign finance lobbyist for the nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog group, Public Citizen. Breaux follows his former LSU Law School roommate U.S. Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-Chackbay, who recently took the job of directing lobbying efforts...

President Bush yesterday appointed a commission to think of ways to simplify the federal tax code, giving it until July 31 to report its ideas. "A simple code will make it easier on the taxpayers," Mr. Bush said after meeting in the Oval Office with the chairmen of his commission, former Republican Sen. Connie Mack of Florida and former Democratic Sen. John B. Breaux of Louisiana. "These fine, distinguished citizens will be taking a good hard look at the tax code and coming up with recommendations as to how to make sure the tax code encourages economic vitality and growth,"...

WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Friday called streamlining and reforming the U.S. tax code an "essential task for our country," but offered few hints of how he intends to get it done. Treasury Secretary John Snow said "everything's on the table," including possibly the popular home mortgage and charitable deductions and a former senator leading a tax-reform panel for Bush said that a national sales tax or flat tax also could be in the cards. "I am firm in my desire to get something done," Bush said at the end of a White House meeting with former Sens. Connie Mack,...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush on Friday appointed two former senators -- Florida Republican Connie Mack and Louisiana Democrat John Breaux -- to head a panel to come up with recommendations on reshaping the tax code. snip Bush said Mack, the chairman, and Breaux, the vice chairman, would lead an effort to come up with recommendations on how to make sure the tax code "encourages economic vitality and growth," instead of discouraging it and requiring Americans to spend billions of hours filling out tax forms. snip The tax panel is to look at a broad array of options, ranging from...

Boustany, Melancon top vote Tauzin III awaits final tally By PATRICK COURREGES and ANGELA SIMONEAUX Acadiana bureau Southern Louisiana voters Saturday appeared to have decided the last two congressional races in the nation, electing Democrat Charlie Melancon in the 3rd District and Republican Charles Boustany Jr. in the 7th District, giving the Democratic and Republican parties a split of the final two seats available. But the 3rd District race was decided by slightly more than 500 votes out of more than 114,000 cast, and 3rd District Republican candidate Billy Tauzin III is not conceding the race. In the 3rd District,...

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