Donate to Bush or else, drug companies told staff

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/09/05/1062549020461.html

During the 2000 presidential campaign in the US, executives at Bristol-Myers Squibb, one of America's largest drug companies, received an urgent message: Donate money to George Bush.

The message did not come from Republican campaign officials. It came from top Bristol-Myers executives, according to four executives who say they donated to Mr Bush under pressure from their bosses.

The four, who asked not to be named, said they were told to donate the maximum - $US1000 ($1500) in their own name and $US1000 in their spouse's - and if they failed to do so, their names would be forwarded to the company's then chief executive, Charles Heimbold.

Federal election law bars companies from using coercion to force a person to make a political contribution.

A spokesman for Bristol-Myers, John Skule, said on Thursday that while "we ask for active participation in the political process," no one was forced to donate.

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[ComerPerro]

1. Oh I love that

"No one was forced to donate"

Rethugs are great at that shit.

Send a memo saying "Refusal to donate will result in your name sent to the chief executive", but claim that they donated under their free will.

They did everything but directly threaten these peoples jobs.

Nothing like good, old fashioned intimidation.

[Jack Rabbit]

2. Even if this is true, no one will be prosecuted

The only way a federal investigation will be opened would be if the state attorney general looks into the matter. Then the federal investigation will pre-empt the state investigation, just like California's criminal investigation of Ken Lay and Enron is pre-empted the federal "probe."