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Presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry has pledged to refuse all "special interest" contributions. But Kerry and his wealthy wife--ketchup heiress Teresa Heinz Kerry--found a way to bypass campaign finance laws that limit her personal contributions to $2,000. Their conduit: a network of left-wing foundations and nonprofits that channel donations from the Heinz fortune to anti-Bush advocacy groups. Eyebrows rose when the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), the environmentalist political lobby, jumped on the Kerry bandwagon with an early primary endorsement. Why Kerry? "A clue may be found in grants the Heinz Endowments of Pittsburgh made to environmental groups whose leaders...

Cash and Kerry The Dem challenger needs money fast to counter Bush's overflowing coffers -- and he doesn't much care where it comes from Democratic Presidential candidate-in-waiting John F. Kerry likes to style himself as a foe of "powerful special interests in Washington." But with his campaign fighting off an intense media barrage from President Bush's megabuck reelection effort, Kerry has apparently decided that populism stops at the river's edge -- in this case, the Potomac. On Mar. 16, some 300 Kerry fans from Washington's legal and lobbying powerhouses sipped coffee and nibbled Danish pastries at the tony St. Regis...

<p>Democratic Presidential candidate-in-waiting John F. Kerry likes to style himself as a foe of "powerful special interests in Washington." But with his campaign fighting off an intense media barrage from President Bush's megabuck reelection effort, Kerry has apparently decided that populism stops at the river's edge -- in this case, the Potomac.</p>

Feb. 9 issue - John Kerry needed cash, and soon. In July 1996 the Massachusetts senator was locked in a tough re-election fight, so he was more than happy to help when he heard that a generous potential contributor wanted to visit his Capitol Hill office. The donor was Johnny Chung, a glad-handing Taiwanese-American entrepreneur. Chung brought along some friends, including a Hong Kong businesswoman named Liu Chaoying.

John Kerry has made campaign finance reform an issue ever since he first ran for the Senate in 1984. In fact, the Massachusetts Democrat has been such an ardent and outspoken critic of political action committees that he has refused to accept donations from such organizations during all four of his senatorial campaigns. But the man who has repeatedly decried the influence of PACs on the nation's political system nevertheless began his quest for the presidency by forming one. In December 2001, as a prelude to his presidential run, Kerry created a federal PAC and a non-federal 527 Committee, both...

<p>ODD, JOHN KERRY has not yet spanked Viacom for its raunchy Super Bowl halftime show. This is interesting because Kerry fancies himself the warmonger on special interests who gouge us for our medicines and pollute our environment. Kerry warns he's coming, you're going, and don't let the door hit you on the way out.</p>

John Kerry, the Democratic favourite to face George Bush in the US presidential elections, has taken millions of dollars in financial backing from special interests and lobbyists. Kerry, who has made fighting special interests a key part of his campaign, has also backed legislation favouring some of his donors and written letters on behalf of corporate backers. Questions about Kerry's financial backers come as his campaign has been forced to fight back against sex scandal rumours after a right-wing gossip website alleged the Massachusetts senator had had an affair with a much younger intern. After weeks of positive press, Kerry's...

please watch NBC evening news for those in other time zones. Lisa Meyers torches John Kerry

While most of the establishment media continue their relentless assault on President Bush's military service and keep ignoring rival Sen. John Kerry's mansion-size closet of skeletons, NBC News is finally reporting at least on Kerry's scandal of special interests. NewsMax today acquired a transcript of Monday's broadcast of "NBC Nightly News," which is creating a buzz among those who have seen it. Reporter Lisa Myers, following up on charges brought by rival candidates John Edwards and Howard Dean, noted that "Kerry now brags about standing up to special interests, he actually has sat down with many of them, inviting a...

SEN. JOHN KERRY’S HYPOCRISY, VOL. I, ISSUE 6 Turns Out Cash And Kerry Is A PAC Man ___________________________________________________________________Candidate Kerry: “I’m the only person serving in the United States Senate today who has been elected four times without ever accepting in any of my races one dime of political action committee money.”  (Sen. John Kerry, NBC’s “Today,” 2/5/04)“Kerry also tried to draw a line between taking money from individuals and taking political action committee checks, which he never did.  ‘The maximum I set for myself was $1,000 check and that’s all I ever took.’”  (Noelle Straub, “Dean Rips Insider John,”...