A U.S. trade director looking for professors to help sell still-secret TPP.

[madfloridian]

From Campaign for America's Future:

Ramping Up The Campaign To Sell The Secret TPP

The U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement is shopping around to professors, trying to get them to help “expand the conversation” around the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with the public – even though TPP is still secret. In other words, “We can’t share what’s in TPP with you, but would like you to write about how great it is.”

Here is an example of a professor being solicited to write about how great TPP is, without knowing what is actually in it:

From: Gainer, Mitch <[e-mail]>
Date: Wed, Oct 7, 2015 at 12:45 PM
Subject: USTR Trans-Pacific Partnership professor outreach
To: XXX

Dear Professor XXX,

The U.S Trade Representative is enthusiastic to inform you and your office that The Trans-Pacific Partnership has closed ministerial negotiations!

We believe that your expertise in labor standards in international trade would be significant in expanding the conversation about the benefits of this historic trade agreement to your larger community. I would be delighted to set up a call if you are interested in writing an op-ed, writing a blog post, doing research, or being on background for reporters – to highlight the benefits of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. We would love to provide you with as much information as we can and answer any questions....

"as much information as we can"....oh yeah. And we hope you don't ask too much about it cause we can't tell you until it is actually over and done.

More of the letter at the link.

It is signed;

Best,
Mitch

Mitch Gainer
Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement
Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
[e-mail]

[cascadiance]

1. I wonder if these are first going to places like Florida State's Business School faculty...

... who are bought, paid for, and hired at the advice of by the Koch Brothers...

[madfloridian]

2. Also remember that Koch Foundation bought rights to chairs in economic department of FSU

http://fcir.org/2014/09/19/koch-foundation-proposal-to-fsu-teach-our-curriculum-get-millions/

[cascadiance]

3. Yep, that's what I was referring to...

Didn't have the link handy, thanks for it. And there are probably many other schools with the same bought and paid for faculty that will be "used" to sell this crappy bill.

[Art_from_Ark]

4. The Kook Brothers

are a bane on America.

[madfloridian]

5. Yes, there are others, can't think of them now.

FSU was really a shock.

[AzDar]

6. Jesus.