Did AIG use "bailout" money for political contributions?

[moundsview]

http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/recips.php?id=D000000123

American International Group: All Recipients
Among Federal Candidates, 2008 Cycle
Total: $632,618
Name Office Total Contributions
Dodd, Chris (D-CT) Senate $103,100
Obama, Barack (D-IL) Senate $101,332
McCain, John (R-AZ) Senate $59,499
Clinton, Hillary (D-NY) Senate $35,965
Baucus, Max (D-MT) Senate $24,750
Romney, Mitt (R) Pres $20,850
Biden, Joseph R Jr (D-DE) Senate $19,975 (snip).

While the Senate constructed the $787 billion stimulus last month, Dodd unexpectedly added an executive-compensation restriction to the bill. That amendment provides an “exception for contractually obligated bonuses agreed on before Feb. 11, 2009,” which exempts the very AIG bonuses Dodd and others are seeking to tax. The amendment is in the final version and is law.

Also, Sen. Dodd was AIG’s largest single recipient of campaign donations during the 2008 election cycle with $103,100, according to opensecrets.org.

There needs to be some investigation done into what really is going on, but who can you trust to investigate.

And oh, BTW, it's ME asking because nobody else seems to be!

[babylonsister]

1. How about dates? Did they contribute this money prior to

getting a bailout? I think they did, but maybe you can clarify since no one else is interested.

[moundsview]

5. So does it make you feel better that they got

"reimbursed" for their contributions, because that's what would have happened under your scenario.

[babylonsister]

7. Baloney. You are 'concerned' whether bailout money was used

for contributions. Prove it. And your 'concern' is noted.

[terisan]

2. Sen Chris Dodd is a Corporate Snake-ever poised to inject their venom into the veins of the people.

[FrenchieCat]

3. So many new DUers lately,

convenient. :eyes:

[vaberella]

9. I don't trust the OP either. The post stinks of Freeper tactics. n/t

[Frank1]

18. Tactics

What are Freeper tactics?

[jefferson_dem]

4. A bit concerned, are we?

n/t

[ProSense]

6. These are employees personal donations contributed over a two-year cycle, which has

nothing to do with the companies finances. Individual employee contributions are limited to a couple of thousand dollars.

[moundsview]

10. And now those "Individual employees"

Now have an “exception for contractually obligated bonuses agreed on before Feb. 11, 2009,” which exempts the very AIG bonuses Dodd and others are seeking to tax. The amendment is in the final version and is law.

So I guess they are getting their little tiny contributions worth.

[ProSense]

11. What?

AIG has 116,000 employees. The bonuses when to the top executives.

That's like finding my employer and claiming the money I and my coworkers donated to candidates collectively over the past two years bought political favors. Wonder why there are no raises this year?

Ludicrous.

[vaberella]

12. Thanks for the slapdown. Much needed.

I've only seen these sort of tactics from freepers with exact same talking points.

[liberal1973]

13. Hmm

You're just another pos freeper.

[Frank1]

17. Law

You don't seem to understand that the law has virtually never been able to compell retroactively. You can't go around penalizing people that have done things legally just because you don't like it.

[vaberella]

8. Actually...I don't care who they donated to because w/o political ties they're still a problem.

They are connected to international banks as well. If you're implying that politicians are in some way protecting them...I think that's actually a very weak excuse. These guys if they were to collapse would be detrimental to the world economy. $52 million if not more of their pay out from the bail out went to European banks like Deutsche Bank/Barclays/HSBC. Don't try to make this a US problem. It is a US based insurer of World Banks it seems, it's power far goes beyond any meager politician in this nation.

I'm more concerned by the fact that company managed to get its hooks into the crap it did and that was before President Obama was even running. This company has been around for years and I'd like to know who allowed it to get so big and during the time period the politicians who might have been profiting to look the other way.

Give me those names and you'd have something more viable for me. Because currently of the people mentioned President Obama had the some of the least amount of power to do anything as you're implying in your list.

[Frank1]

16. Size Matters?

Are you saying that we should have laws to limit the size of a company?

[AllentownJake]

14. This is individual contributions from employees

This is not the AIG PAC.

Some people on here need a lesson on campaign finance and civics.

I gave $1000 to Obama...if you do a database search on my company my company will be listed for that $1000.

[Frank1]

15. Contributions

For some reason the movie "Schindlers List" keeps coming to mind when government and business are in cahoots controlling things. As you may know there were many Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac officials that were in and out of the Clinton Administration and lots of money was going back and forth too, not to mention the members of congress that defended what FMs were doing.