Ablogination

A startling and perverse revelation has emerged concerning the US Chamber of Commerce and donations to the Republican party….

The US Chamber of Commerce is supposed to be an advocate for business in America. They are not. They are advocates for large corporate interests only. And now it’s been discovered that the CoC are also advocates for foreign business interests. At the expense of Americans.

We recently mentioned how the CoC lobbied against American workers and for the outsourcing of our jobs, but now the CoC has crossed the line enough to have actually committed a criminal act.

Think Progress has discovered, through their own investigation, that the money the Chamber uses to buy ads that attack Democratic candidates in fact originates in foreign nations. Some of them financially hostile to the United States and a few anything but “capitalists".
Russia, several Islamic Monarchies like Saudi Arabia and China are just a few…

From Think Progress:

– Like the Chamber’s involvement in Bahrain, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce operates in India through a group called “U.S.-India Business Council” (USIBC), which has offices around the world but is headquartered in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Dozens of Indian businesses, including some of India’s largest corporations like the State Bank of India (state-run) and ICICI Bank, are members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce through the USIBC. Annual membership dues range from $7,500 to $15,000 or more, and the money is given directly into the Chamber’s 501©(6) bank account. Like the USBBC, the USIBC generates well over $200,000 a year in dues for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce from foreign businesses. On the USIBC website, many of the groups lobbying goals advocate changing American policy to help businesses in India. Under the manufacturing policy goal, USIBC boasts that it “can play a helpful role in guiding U.S. companies to India, while supporting various policy initiatives that will enhance India’s reputation as a major manufacturing and investment hub.”

– Many foreign “AmChams” or Business Councils operate outside the direct sphere of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce but nonetheless send dues money back to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. For instance, the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt is a separate entity based in Cairo that raises hundreds of thousands of dollars from both Egyptian firms and American businesses. However, the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt calls itself “the most active affiliates of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in the” Middle East. Another foreign chamber, like the Abu Dhabi AmCham, which includes American firms and Esnaad, a subsidiary of the state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, claims that it is a a “dues paying member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and part of the global network of American Chambers of Commerce.” In Russia, the relationship between the American Chamber of Commerce there and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce here is opaque. This might be because many of the dues-paying members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia are Russian state-run companies, like VTB Bank, and controlled by the Russian government. Asked by ThinkProgress if the Russian Chambers pay dues back to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Ksenia Forsheneva, the membership development manager at the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, replied, “Unfortunately the information that you require is closed for the public.”

Chamber CEO Tom Donohue and Moron of the Century

The US Chamber of Commerce is committing a crime. According to the FEC “The Prohibition

The Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) prohibits any foreign national from contributing, donating or spending funds in connection with any federal, state, or local election in the United States, either directly or indirectly. It is also unlawful to help foreign nationals violate that ban or to solicit, receive or accept contributions or donations from them. Persons who knowingly and willfully engage in these activities may be subject to fines and/or imprisonment.
Who is a Foreign National?

The following groups and individuals are considered “foreign nationals” and are, therefore, subject to the prohibition:

* Foreign governments;
* Foreign political parties;
* Foreign corporations;
* Foreign associations;
* Foreign partnerships;
* Individuals with foreign citizenship; and
* Immigrants who do not have a “green card.”
“

Several groups such as Think Progress and MoveOn are demanding a federal investigation into the Chamber’s illegal and highly un-American activities.

This is what Republicans are about. Catering to foreigners at the expense of Americans. This is what the Teabaggers and their candidates support.
The Chamber of Commerce needs an enema. A complete restructuring preceded by the resignations of the entire upper office which includes:

Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO


Thomas D.. Bell Jr., Chairman of the Board of Directors


John Ruan III, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors

Robert S. Milligan, Immediate Past Chairman and Chairman of the Executive Committee

Steve Van Andel, Treasurer

It’s a sad state of affairs when an institution such as the CoC, which is supposed to support average American businesses, spends their money (foreign money) supporting candidates that are notoriously pro-corporate and anti-small biz.
It’s even sadder when they resort to flagrant criminal activity to further that agenda.

A criminal investigation is appropriate and heads need to roll.