AWF Asks White House to Take Position on Andy Stern Investigation After Appointment to Debt Panel
The current investigation into Andy Stern's potentially illegal lobbying activities has not dampened his relationship with the White House as last week President Obama appointed Mr. Stern to the "Debt Panel," a group tasked with finding solutions to America's debt. In response to the White House's appointment of Mr. Stern to the Debt Panel, the Alliance for Worker Freedom sent out the following letter to White House Counsel Robert Bauer asking him to clarify the White House's position on the ongoing investigation into Andy Stern:
[PDF Document]
Dear Robert Bauer:
On behalf of the Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF), I am writing to discern the White House’s position on Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Andy Stern’s potential violation of the Lobbying Disclosure Act.
Months ago, on November 13, 2009, Grover Norqusit and I wrote to the Secretary of the Senate, House Clerk, and US Attorney inquiring about possible illegal lobbying activities by SEIU President Andy Stern. Having formally submitted our request, I have been in contact with the aforementioned parties to determine whether or not Andy Stern, in fact, violated the Lobbying Disclosure Act.
A copy of our initial letter is attached.
Since our investigation request, Mr. Stern and the SEIU have offered no evidence refuting our claims, despite explicitly promising to do so.
On Jan 5 Andy Stern told Carol Costello in a one-on-one interview on CNN, “We’re going to send them a letter and tell them the truth, which is we’ve complied with the law. And we assume whenever the investigation is done it will be fine.”
CNSNews.com reported on Feb 1 that a spokesperson from the U.S. Attorney’s office said they are currently reviewing the matter.
Given the pending investigation into Mr. Stern’s lobbying activities and the lack of cooperation shown by Mr. Stern and the SEIU, does the White House have a position on this matter? If it is shown that Mr. Stern has indeed violated the LDA, will the White House ask him to step down from the “Debt Panel?”
Promising to “refuse to work with lobbyists,” President Obama’s recent appointment of Mr. Stern is highly problematic given his current pending review.
Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter and I look forward to hearing from you. Please contact me if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Brian M. Johnson, MPA
Executive Director
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