Obama & DNC Took Thousands Of Dollars In Contributions From
Execs At Scandal-Plagued Stimulus Recipient Firm
As President Barack Obama calls for yet another round of costly so-called “stimulus” spending in Washington, reports continue to emerge that Obama and Stabenow’s original $787 billion stimulus debacle not only failed to create the 100,000 Michigan jobs they promised, but stimulus money was sent to benefit well-connected Democrat donors.
As ABC News reported earlier this year:
Several of Barack Obama’s top campaign supporters went from soliciting political contributions to working from within the Energy Department as it showered billions in taxpayer-backed stimulus money on alternative energy firms, ABC News and iWatch News have learned. One of them was Steven J. Spinner, a high-tech consultant and energy investor who raised at least $500,000 for the candidate. He became one of Energy Secretary Steven Chu’s key loan program advisors while his wife’s law firm represented a number of companies that had applied for loans. Recovery Act records show Allison Spinner’s law firm, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, received $2.4 million in federal funds for legal fees related to the $535 million Energy Department loan guarantee to Solyndra, a solar company whose financial meltdown has prompted multiple investigations.
Meanwhile, though Stabenow’s bosses in the Obama Administration projected that the original stimulus would hold unemployment below 8 percent, the United States has lost 2.4 million jobs since Obama took office, and the country is in its 32nd consecutive month of above-9-percent unemployment.
“Once again, Michiganders are reminded that Debbie Stabenow has spent the last several years in Washington putting the special interests of liberal donors ahead of the best interests of middle-class Michiganders,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Jahan Wilcox. “Hardworking Michiganders shouldn’t have to worry about Debbie Stabenow showering well-heeled Democrat donors with their hard-earned tax dollars.”
Obama And The DNC Received Thousands Of Dollars In Campaign Donations From Those Connected With Solyndra
“Some Of The Biggest Investors In Solyndra, Which Makes Easy-To-Install Solar Panels, Were Venture Capital Funds Associated With Tulsa Billionaire George Kaiser, A Key Obama Fundraiser.” (Carol D. Leoning, Joe Stephens, and Alice Crites, “Obama’s Focus On Visiting Clean-Tech Compaines Raises Questions,” The Washington Post, 6/25/11)
· George Kaiser Bundled Between $50,000 And $100,000 For Obama’s 2008 Campaign. (Center For Responsive Politics, opensecrets.org, Accessed 9/9/11)
Ben Bierman, Executive Vice President At Solyndra Has Given $2,300 To Obama, And Has Given $2,150 To Democrat Party Committees And Democrat Aligned Committees.(Matthew Mosk And Ronnie Greene, “Did Obama Administration Cut Corners For a Green Energy Company?,” ABC News And IWatch News, 5/24/11; Center For Responsive Politics, opensecrets.org, Accessed 8/31/11)
- Including $500 To Priorities USA Action, A Super PAC Supporting President Obama. (Center For Responsive Politics, opensecrets.org, Accessed 8/31/11; Michael O’Brien, “Obama Alumni Launch New Outside Group To Boost Reelection,” The Hill’s “Briefing Room” Blog, 4/29/11)
Karen Alter, Solyndra’s Senior VP Marketing, Donated $2,300 To Obama In 2008, And Has Donated $11,000 To The DNC. (Center For Responsive Politics, opensecrets.org, Accessed 8/31/11; Solyndra, Bloomberg Government, Accessed 8/31/11)
Since 1998, James F. Gibbons, A Member Of Solyndra’s Board Of Directors, Has Contributed $13,500 To Democrat Campaigns And Affiliates. (Center For Responsive Politics, opensecrets.org, Accessed 8/31/11; Solyndra, Bloomberg Government, Accessed 8/31/11)
Since 2008, Winston Fu, A Member Of Solyndra’s Board Of Directors, Has Contributed $4,550 To Democrat Campaigns And Affiliates, Including $3,050 To Obama. (Center For Responsive Politics, opensecrets.org, Accessed 8/31/11; Solyndra, Bloomberg Government, Accessed 8/31/11)
Steven R. Mitchell, A Member Of Solyndra’s Board Of Directors, Donated $2,300 To Obama In 2007. (Center For Responsive Politics, opensecrets.org, Accessed 8/31/11; Solyndra, Bloomberg Government, Accessed 8/31/11)
Obama Applauded Solyndra’s CEO At A White House Event In March 2009
Serious Materials Board Member Paul Holland: “And renewable energy companies like Sunron and Solyndra which, as many of you know, just received one the first disbursements associated with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, thanks to President Obama, our friend Steven Chu, and Matt Rogers over at the Department of Energy. And I know the CEO of Solyndra is here today, so it’s great to see you guys.” (Paul Holland, Remarks at the White House, 3/23/09)
· Click To Watch Obama Applaud Solyndra CEO
Obama Initially Planned To Announce The Loan
Obama Planned On Announcing Solyndra Loan Guarantee In March, Two Months Before The DOE Intended To Commit To A Loan. “A March 6, 2009 email among staffers at the White House OMB, read, ‘DOE staff just told me there’s a 99 percent certainty that President Obama, on March 19 in California for other reasons, will announce that DOE is offering a loan guarantee to Solyndra. As far as I can tell the obligation won’t be entered into until May, but once the President endorses it, I doubt seriously that the Secretary will withdraw for any reason.’” (Phillip Klein, “OMB Had Warned Solyndra ‘NOT Ready for Prime Time,’” The Washington Examiner, 9/14/11)
Obama Visited The Solyndra Factory In 2010
“Obama Visited Solyndra’s Factory In May 2010, Only Weeks After It Became Public That Independent Auditors Had Questioned Whether It Could Remain A ‘Going Concern.’” (Carol D. Leoning, Joe Stephens, and Alice Crites, “Obama’s Focus On Visiting Clean-Tech Compaines Raises Questions,” The Washington Post, 6/25/11)
- Obama: “The True Engine Of Economic Growth Will Always Be Companies Like Solyndra …” (President Obama, Remarks By The President On The Economy, Freemont, California, 5/26/10)
A Few Months Later, Obama Was Warned About The Department Of Energy’s Loan Program
Obama Was Personally Warned About The Financial And Political Risks Of The Department Of Energy’s Loan Guarantee Program That Aided Solyndra. “Long before the politically connected California solar firm Solyndra went bankrupt, President Obama was warned by his top economic advisors about the financial and political risks of the Energy Department loan guarantee program that boosted the company’s rapid ascent.” (Tom Hamburger, Kim Geiger and Matea Gold, “Obama Advisors Raised Warning Flags Before Solyndra Bankruptcy,” Los Angeles Times, 9/26/11)
