Posted on 07/06/2007 5:33:23 PM PDT by new yorker 77
WASHINGTON (AP) - Fred Thompson, who is weighing a Republican presidential bid as a social conservative, "has no recollection" of performing lobbying work in 1991 for a family planning group that was seeking to relax an abortion counseling rule, a spokesman said Friday. The Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site that Thompson was retained by National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association to lobby the administration of President George H.W. Bush to ease a regulation that prevented clinics that received federal money from offering any abortion counseling.
At the time, Thompson, a lawyer, worked as a lobbyist at Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn, a Washington firm.
"He may have been consulted by one of the firm's partners who represented this group in 1991," Thompson spokesman Mark Corallo said Friday in a statement. "As any lawyer would know, such consultations take place within law firms everyday."
The newspaper cited minutes from a meeting of the association when Thompson's work was discussed as well as the recollections of five individuals.
Judith DeSarno, the association's former president, told The Times that she had specific memories of discussing Thompson's lobbying work with him in phone conversations and during meals at Washington restaurants.
Minutes of a Sept. 14, 1991, meeting of the association, cited by the newspaper, states: "Judy (DeSarno) reported that the Association had hired Fred Thompson, Esq., as counsel to aid us in discussions with the administration." According to The Times, DeSarno said Thompson told her he discussed the abortion restriction with John Sununu, then chief of staff to Bush.
Sununu told The Times that he didn't recall Thompson ever discussing the abortion restriction with him. "In fact, I know that never happened."
"It is not unusual for one lawyer on one side of an issue to be asked to give advice to colleagues for clients who engage in conduct or activities with which they personally disagree," Corallo said.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Guiliani and Romney have solid records in this area.
This is yet another post by the Duncan Hunter brigade. Mr. Hunter may be a good man but he is not in the league of Thompson and this just feeds into the notion of the Duncanites “nipping” at the heels of a good man because they can’t stand toe to toe with Thompson.
Sorry pissant but Thompson is a better candidate. Perhaps Duncan can be more useful in the house leadership, but he is not presidential material - in my opinion.
LOL. Who was that Larry guy. Mr Conspiracy. Is he still kicking?
Sure.
Who mentioned Rudy?
The only people who hate Rudy are terrorists and Liberals.
Judith has one hell of a memory. Of course she may be relying on recovered memory that a shrik helped her to regain just in time to join the assault on Fred.
I guess FR is full of libs and terrorists. LOL
And waaaaay too soon to boot.
You FREDHEADS? Your CANDIDATE? Making thinly veiled John Kerry comparisons (for it before against it). Is that what this has come down to?
If you’re one of those “My candidate gets the nomination or I stay home” types, then for Pete’s sake STAY HOME! Let the thinking conservatives pick our next President or it’ll be this country that’s toast. Good grief, man!
Hahahaaha! No he’s not.
Well, he's very, very, very old. He forgets things.
(And he's dying of cancer)
You too? Oh no. The bodysnatchers have been busy. LOL
His vote for CFR and the possiblity that he compromises too quickly worries me more than his discomfort with the ramifications of criminalizing abortion. I would say Bush, Mr pro-life President, holds the exact same view as Thompson. They use the exact same wording about winning hearts and minds. Bush has been very pro-life and I think Thompson will match Bush in that. As for winning hearts and minds, obviously! If the issue is returned to the states hearts and minds must be won or legislatures won't give us pro-life legislation. But you will NEVER win every heart and every mind on anything. A baby is either a human being or he is not. Still, Thompson is right where Bush is on life issues.
Thompson remains on my can vote for list.
No, he is the next President. BTW, it's not true.
Tommorrow’s headline: “He slept with his daughter and molested his son. He beat his wife every week, and was a KKK executive. When asked to respond, he said “I never beat my wife.” They are really sending out the trolls now—must be worried.
Research the stories on Justice John Roberts a couple years ago.
Same thing recycled.
I supported Roberts’ strongly then. I’ve seen nothing to indicate I was wrong to have done so.
Basically I’m supposed to suddenly attack Thompson for participating in the same legal courtesies Roberts’ extended to his collegues? Not happening. I nailed Coulter for doing that on Roberts’, I’m not going to be a hypocrite here and act the way she did then.
I don’t even know what others are trying to prove here anyway. I don’t believe Thompson is as pro-life as Bush.
I don’t think most people do.
I do think he’s more likely then not to appoint a Justice like Alito or Roberts. And I do believe he believes R v W should be left to the states. Nothing that has popped up has changed my mind on that. If anything I’d be more questioning on whether he’d stick to his stance on embryonic stem cells, given the issue is more political now then it was then and even some social conservtaives have no problem with it.
Frankly, I think he’s more vulnerable on amnesty questions, his relationship with McCain and whether when he recognized a bad law (mccain/feingold) he’d VETO it rather then go along with the establishment next time. These are certainly the areas of concern I’m focused on, mainly because I haven’t seen a big red flag suggesting I should worry about his pro-life intentions.
hey, but what do I Know? If folks want to try and weaken his support among the important evangelical block go ahead. I think you’ll find yourselves disappointed since Christians will listen to colson and perkins more then they will these stories. And those two place a lot more importance on his Senate record vs the questionable records of the others running.
This is unreal, almost as stupid as the Romney/Marriott/Porn “news”. Anyone who know D.C. knows how vast this firm is, and how absurd it is to taint one member with the activities of another. I can only conclude that Sidney Blumenthal is behind all this crap.
Nah. that will be one Duncan Hunter.
Give me a break. If FDT makes it to the general election with ANY of the RAtS in contention, his clip will be full ten fold compared to the opposition.
To much wringing of hands this early in the process.
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