Lobbying Firm Says It Only Forged 13 Letters, Not 14

[Emit]

Source: WaPo

By David A. Fahrenthold
A day after Congressional investigators said they'd found a 14th forged letter written to Congress by a lobbying firm working for the coal industry, the firm on Friday said that was not the case.

Bonner & Associates, the firm at which a now-fired employee wrote the faked letters, said there were 13 and no more. The 14th letter, which appeared to come from an American Legion post in Rocky Mount, Va., was legitimate, the firm said.

Or at least, legitimate by the rules of Washington lobbying.

Here's the firm's account of what happened, from Bonner's attorneys at the firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld:

An employee at Bonner & Associates, which was working for the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, talked to someone at the American Legion post. Then they FedExed a pre-written letter to the post, asking U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) to protect American energy independence and keep electricity costs low as the House debated a climate-change bill.

Read more: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2009/09/lobbying_firm_says_it_only_for.html

[jeffbr]

1. Thank God

[asdjrocky]

2. Well then, that's a bird of a whole different color now isn't it?

[Turborama]

3. LOL, my thoughts exactly

What a great idiom! I'll have to remember it for future use.

ETA On a serious note, this story should have more prominence, has anyone got the paper version of the WP and, if so, where is it placed?

[Emit]

4. I posted about it a while back, via Grist online

their link is not working, but TPM also had some info:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6248273

Don't know where it was placed in the paper version of WP, though

[Bearware]

5. has anyone got the paper version of the WP and, if so, where is it placed?

Well...:hurts: Sorry, best I can do. :shrug: :evilgrin:

[Turborama]

12. I only asked out of interest

No need to be shitty.

:think:

:silly:

:hi:

[TygrBright]

6. Oh, well that's alright then, isn't it....

:eyes:

[shanti]

7. wow, i'm relieved!

:eyes:

[Hekate]

8. So they admit they forged over a dozen letters. Isn't that illegal?

:argh:

[rpannier]

9. Fortunately for them it's only 13

I think the law allows you 13 forged letters before they can prosecute

It's part of that 14 strikes and you're out law

[gateley]

10. I guess we were a bit harsh in our judgment. nt

[704wipes]

11. oh, well, that's different then

nt

[Solly Mack]

13. Damn

[DCKit]

14. I worked for Akin Gump, briefly.

Either all their attorneys are doing coke in the bathroom, or not one of them washes their hands after taking a dump. Maybe they're doing coke while taking a dump, but they still don't wash their hands.

Either way, it was a very shitty place to work, in or out of the bathroom.