Ethics

Telecoms Throwing Cash Around Washington

By Ed Brayton

Glenn Greenwald cites records showing that the telecom companies are spending incredible amounts of money on lobbying Congress for immunity from suits regarding their cooperation with the Bush administration on warrantless wiretapping and other illegal programs.

Just in the first three months of 2008, recent lobbyist disclosure statements reveal that AT&T spent $5.2 million in lobbyist fees (putting it well ahead of its 2007 pace, when it spent just over $17 million). In the first quarter of 2008, Verizon spent $4.8 million on lobbyist fees, while Comcast spent $2.6 million. So in the first three months of this year, those three telecoms -- which would be among the biggest beneficiaries of telecom amnesty (right after the White House) -- spent a combined total of almost $13 million on lobbyists. They're on pace to spend more than $50 million on lobbying this year -- just those three companies.

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on May 29, 2008 (boomark / email).