Longtime aide a key link between contributor and Perry
Posted on September 13, 2011 at 9:38 pm by Nolan Hicks
By PATRICIA KILDAY HART and PEGGY FIKAC CHRONICLE/EXPRESS-NEWS AUSTIN BUREAU
AUSTIN — Although never mentioned by name, Austin lobbyist Mike Toomey's presence was felt keenly at Monday's Republican presidential debate when Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann harshly criticized Gov. Rick Perry for his 2007 executive order mandating that Texas teenage girls receive an HPV vaccine that would have been worth millions in sales to Toomey's client, Merck Pharmaceutical.
Calling it "flat out wrong," Bachmann noted Perry had received campaign contributions from the drug maker and questioned Perry's motives. "Was it about life or about millions of dollars to a drug company?"
Perry's response — that he was "offended" by Bachmann's suggestion that he "could be bought for $5,000" in campaign contributions from the drug maker — belied the powerful role that Toomey, a Houston native who once served as Perry's chief of staff, has played in the governor's political career. From advising Perry on personal legal issues to paying $10,000 to help the Green Party siphon votes from Democrats, Toomey has been a loyal and constant Perry political ally throughout his career.
$29,500 from Merck
The governor's reply also drastically understates the amount of money that has flowed from Toomey and Merck to Perry's campaign coffers.
Campaign finance records show that Merck has contributed $29,500 to Perry during his entire tenure as governor, $22,000 of it prior to his 2007 order.
According to a new report by Texans for Public Justice, the pharmaceutical giant also has kicked in $377,000 to the Republican Governor's Association since 2006, the year Perry became involved as a driving force behind the organization's fundraising. The RGA has given Perry $4 million, more than any other source of funds during his decade in office, according to TPJ.
Toomey has contributed more than $48,000 to Texans for Rick Perry since 2000. He also serves as a lobbyist for other corporations and groups with political action committees that have been generous to both Perry and the Republican Governor's Association, a position that offers him considerable clout in Austin.
"When Toomey spoke — whomever he spoke on behalf of — he spoke holding a huge purse," said Houston attorney Mark Lanier, who has sued Merck Pharmaceuticals over the drug Vioxx, a painkiller alleged to have caused heart attacks. "Not simply a purse of money, but a purse of potential money, people willing to step up and give, should the need arise."
In particular, Lanier said Toomey is "joined at the hip" with not only Merck, but Texans for Lawsuit Reform, which has contributed $221,000 to Perry and "a boatload of money" to Republican lawmakers who favored limiting lawsuits.
Perry's February 2007 executive order mandating that Texas girls receive an inoculation of Gardasil, a drug to prevent cervical cancer, was blocked by the Legislature after a storm of protest. Lanier said Perry's Gardasil decision was part of a national public relations effort by Merck to stem negative public opinion associated with Vioxx.
Merck won't comment
Lanier recalled a New Jersey court hearing in January 2007 in which Merck lawyers pleaded with a judge to be allowed to tell jurors how the company was curing cancer with a drug soon to be mandated by many states. "If they could not influence juries, they tried to influence juries outside courtroom with this national campaign that they were wonderful people," Lanier said.
Less than a month after that court hearing, Perry would become the first governor to mandate the vaccine.
A Merck spokeswoman declined to comment about Perry's order or Toomey's influence. Toomey could not be reached for comment about Bachmann's charges Tuesday, but a spokeswoman for Perry denied any link between the executive order and political considerations.
"Gov. Perry hates cancer and his only motivation on this issue was protecting life," said spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger. "He is proudly pro-life, and on this issue, which was never implemented, he erred on the side of life."
1993 land deal
Toomey and Perry served together in the Texas House in the 1980s and have been linked ever since, from Perry's personal finances to his public legacy.
Toomey acted with Perry's power-of-attorney in a lucrative 1993 land deal. Perry bought a 9.3-acre lot in the West Lake Hills area and sold it to Michael Dell less than two years later for $465,000, a 281-percent increase from his purchase price.
When Perry angered doctors in 2001 by vetoing a measure meant to prompt insurers to more quickly pay doctors, there was speculation that Perry vetoed the bill, in part, as a favor to Toomey, who was a lobbyist retained by Texans for Lawsuit Reform and Cigna, a health maintenance organization.
Toomey called that "a crock" and said he had not talked to Perry about the measure.
Toomey stepped away from lobbying to become Perry's chief of staff in 2002-04. When Toomey resigned as chief of staff, he went back to lobbying.
Toomey went with Perry on a controversial trip to the Bahamas in 2004 with large GOP donors, other staff, anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist and political adviser Dave Carney.
He now owns a private island in New Hampshire with Carney, who is Perry's chief political consultant.
That relationship has raised red flags concerning Toomey's role as head of a Super PAC raising money for the Perry presidential effort because its efforts legally cannot be coordinated with the Perry Campaign.
In 2010, there was court testimony that Toomey paid a young political operative to coordinate a petition campaign to help get the Green Party listed on the ballot in Texas, a move meant to draw votes away from Democratic challenger Bill White.
A lawsuit filed by the Texas Democratic Party is pending in an Austin federal court.
You can email Patti at [email protected]. and Peggy at [email protected]
http://blog.chron.com/rickperry/2011/09/perry-merck-lobbyist-are-campaign-donors/
Maybe Rick Perry can't be bought for $5,000, but Merck gave much more
Posted on September 13, 2011 at 1:26 pm by Patricia Kilday Hart
Gov. Rick Perry expressed deep umbrage during Monday's Republican Presidential debate when Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann suggested his decision to mandate the controversial vaccine Gardisil for Texas teen-aged girls was influenced by his relationship to Merck lobbyist Mike Toomey and campaign contributions from the pharmaceutical giant.
"If you are saying I can be bought for $5,000, I am offended," Perry said, citing the size of a Merck campaign check three months before his February, 2007, order, which would have netted the pharmaceutical company millions in sales had it not been rescinded after a firestorm of resistance in the Texas Legislature.
But Texas Ethics Commission records show he has accepted $29,500 from the Merck PAC during his entire tenure as governor, $22,000 of it prior to his 2007 order. In addition, Toomey, who served in the Texas House with Perry and later as his chief of staff, has contributed more than $48,000 to Texans for Rick Perry during his decade in office.
Furthermore, Texans for Public Justice reported Tuesday that Merck has contributed $377,500 to the Republican Governor's Association PAC since 2006 – the year that Perry became heavily involved in the organization. (He has chaired it twice since then, resigning his most recent chairmanship in July to run for president.) The RGA is Perry's largest contributor, at $4 million during his tenure as governor.
Bachmann slammed Perry by saying that Merck stood to make millions of dollars from Perry's order, noting that its "chief lobbyist" was Perry's former chief of staff and that the company gave Perry "thousands of dollars" in campaign contributions. "This is just flat out wrong. Was it about life or about millions of dollars to a drug company?" she asked.
When Perry responded that he was "offended," Bachman stood her ground, saying she was offended on behalf of Texas girls who would have had to take the vaccine had Perry's order not been rescinded.
http://blog.chron.com/rickperry/2011/09/maybe-rick-perry-cant-be-bought-for-5000-but-merck-gave-much-more/
Posted on September 13, 2011 at 9:38 pm by Nolan Hicks
By PATRICIA KILDAY HART and PEGGY FIKAC CHRONICLE/EXPRESS-NEWS AUSTIN BUREAU
AUSTIN — Although never mentioned by name, Austin lobbyist Mike Toomey's presence was felt keenly at Monday's Republican presidential debate when Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann harshly criticized Gov. Rick Perry for his 2007 executive order mandating that Texas teenage girls receive an HPV vaccine that would have been worth millions in sales to Toomey's client, Merck Pharmaceutical.
Calling it "flat out wrong," Bachmann noted Perry had received campaign contributions from the drug maker and questioned Perry's motives. "Was it about life or about millions of dollars to a drug company?"
Perry's response — that he was "offended" by Bachmann's suggestion that he "could be bought for $5,000" in campaign contributions from the drug maker — belied the powerful role that Toomey, a Houston native who once served as Perry's chief of staff, has played in the governor's political career. From advising Perry on personal legal issues to paying $10,000 to help the Green Party siphon votes from Democrats, Toomey has been a loyal and constant Perry political ally throughout his career.
$29,500 from Merck
The governor's reply also drastically understates the amount of money that has flowed from Toomey and Merck to Perry's campaign coffers.
Campaign finance records show that Merck has contributed $29,500 to Perry during his entire tenure as governor, $22,000 of it prior to his 2007 order.
According to a new report by Texans for Public Justice, the pharmaceutical giant also has kicked in $377,000 to the Republican Governor's Association since 2006, the year Perry became involved as a driving force behind the organization's fundraising. The RGA has given Perry $4 million, more than any other source of funds during his decade in office, according to TPJ.
Toomey has contributed more than $48,000 to Texans for Rick Perry since 2000. He also serves as a lobbyist for other corporations and groups with political action committees that have been generous to both Perry and the Republican Governor's Association, a position that offers him considerable clout in Austin.
"When Toomey spoke — whomever he spoke on behalf of — he spoke holding a huge purse," said Houston attorney Mark Lanier, who has sued Merck Pharmaceuticals over the drug Vioxx, a painkiller alleged to have caused heart attacks. "Not simply a purse of money, but a purse of potential money, people willing to step up and give, should the need arise."
In particular, Lanier said Toomey is "joined at the hip" with not only Merck, but Texans for Lawsuit Reform, which has contributed $221,000 to Perry and "a boatload of money" to Republican lawmakers who favored limiting lawsuits.
Perry's February 2007 executive order mandating that Texas girls receive an inoculation of Gardasil, a drug to prevent cervical cancer, was blocked by the Legislature after a storm of protest. Lanier said Perry's Gardasil decision was part of a national public relations effort by Merck to stem negative public opinion associated with Vioxx.
Merck won't comment
Lanier recalled a New Jersey court hearing in January 2007 in which Merck lawyers pleaded with a judge to be allowed to tell jurors how the company was curing cancer with a drug soon to be mandated by many states. "If they could not influence juries, they tried to influence juries outside courtroom with this national campaign that they were wonderful people," Lanier said.
Less than a month after that court hearing, Perry would become the first governor to mandate the vaccine.
A Merck spokeswoman declined to comment about Perry's order or Toomey's influence. Toomey could not be reached for comment about Bachmann's charges Tuesday, but a spokeswoman for Perry denied any link between the executive order and political considerations.
"Gov. Perry hates cancer and his only motivation on this issue was protecting life," said spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger. "He is proudly pro-life, and on this issue, which was never implemented, he erred on the side of life."
1993 land deal
Toomey and Perry served together in the Texas House in the 1980s and have been linked ever since, from Perry's personal finances to his public legacy.
Toomey acted with Perry's power-of-attorney in a lucrative 1993 land deal. Perry bought a 9.3-acre lot in the West Lake Hills area and sold it to Michael Dell less than two years later for $465,000, a 281-percent increase from his purchase price.
When Perry angered doctors in 2001 by vetoing a measure meant to prompt insurers to more quickly pay doctors, there was speculation that Perry vetoed the bill, in part, as a favor to Toomey, who was a lobbyist retained by Texans for Lawsuit Reform and Cigna, a health maintenance organization.
Toomey called that "a crock" and said he had not talked to Perry about the measure.
Toomey stepped away from lobbying to become Perry's chief of staff in 2002-04. When Toomey resigned as chief of staff, he went back to lobbying.
Toomey went with Perry on a controversial trip to the Bahamas in 2004 with large GOP donors, other staff, anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist and political adviser Dave Carney.
He now owns a private island in New Hampshire with Carney, who is Perry's chief political consultant.
That relationship has raised red flags concerning Toomey's role as head of a Super PAC raising money for the Perry presidential effort because its efforts legally cannot be coordinated with the Perry Campaign.
In 2010, there was court testimony that Toomey paid a young political operative to coordinate a petition campaign to help get the Green Party listed on the ballot in Texas, a move meant to draw votes away from Democratic challenger Bill White.
A lawsuit filed by the Texas Democratic Party is pending in an Austin federal court.
You can email Patti at [email protected]. and Peggy at [email protected]
http://blog.chron.com/rickperry/2011/09/perry-merck-lobbyist-are-campaign-donors/
Maybe Rick Perry can't be bought for $5,000, but Merck gave much more
Posted on September 13, 2011 at 1:26 pm by Patricia Kilday Hart
Gov. Rick Perry expressed deep umbrage during Monday's Republican Presidential debate when Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann suggested his decision to mandate the controversial vaccine Gardisil for Texas teen-aged girls was influenced by his relationship to Merck lobbyist Mike Toomey and campaign contributions from the pharmaceutical giant.
"If you are saying I can be bought for $5,000, I am offended," Perry said, citing the size of a Merck campaign check three months before his February, 2007, order, which would have netted the pharmaceutical company millions in sales had it not been rescinded after a firestorm of resistance in the Texas Legislature.
But Texas Ethics Commission records show he has accepted $29,500 from the Merck PAC during his entire tenure as governor, $22,000 of it prior to his 2007 order. In addition, Toomey, who served in the Texas House with Perry and later as his chief of staff, has contributed more than $48,000 to Texans for Rick Perry during his decade in office.
Furthermore, Texans for Public Justice reported Tuesday that Merck has contributed $377,500 to the Republican Governor's Association PAC since 2006 – the year that Perry became heavily involved in the organization. (He has chaired it twice since then, resigning his most recent chairmanship in July to run for president.) The RGA is Perry's largest contributor, at $4 million during his tenure as governor.
Bachmann slammed Perry by saying that Merck stood to make millions of dollars from Perry's order, noting that its "chief lobbyist" was Perry's former chief of staff and that the company gave Perry "thousands of dollars" in campaign contributions. "This is just flat out wrong. Was it about life or about millions of dollars to a drug company?" she asked.
When Perry responded that he was "offended," Bachman stood her ground, saying she was offended on behalf of Texas girls who would have had to take the vaccine had Perry's order not been rescinded.
http://blog.chron.com/rickperry/2011/09/maybe-rick-perry-cant-be-bought-for-5000-but-merck-gave-much-more/
