E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Flor Cordero / Reuters, file
Billionaire Harold Simmons photographed in 1997.
By Bill Dedman, msnbc.com, and Michael Isikoff, NBC News
with reporting by NBC's Azriel Relph and Lisa Riordan Seville
A Super PAC supporting Texas Gov. Rick Perry received a million dollars from a leveraged-buyout innovator who got Perry's help to locate a radioactive waste disposal facility in the state.
The PAC, called Make Us Great Again, reported receipts of $5.5 million, incuding $1 million from Contran Corp. of Dallas. The billionaire owner of Contran, Harold Simmons, has given to Republican PACs and campaigns since the 1980s, including those of Sen. John McCain, Rudolph Giuliani and Mitt Romney in 2008, and $4 million to the anti-Kerry groups Swift Vets and POWs for Truth in 2004.
Now he's allowed to give far more, in the era after the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, allowing corporate donations to campaigns.
The Dallas billionaire had already given more than $1 million to Perry’s gubernatorial campaigns in recent years, under the permissive campaign finance laws in Texas, according to The Los Angeles Times. The newspaper reported that Simmons won permission to build a radioactive waste disposal facility in Texas after Perry signed a law allowing private companies, such as Simmons’ Waste Control Specialists, to operate such sites. Despite objections of some Texas environmental officials, a Perry-appointed state commission approved the construction of the facility and opened it up to receive nuclear waste from other states.
Another donor to the PAC is Robert McNair, owner of the Houston Texans, who gave $100,000.
The full list of donors is here.
The Perry PAC drew hardly any support outside of Texas. Perry dropped out of the race on Jan. 19 after finishing last in the New Hampshire primary.
Tuesday is the day for the so-called Super PACS to file an annual report of donors. NBC News and msnbc.com will be scouring the filings, and posting details. We'll have updates on msnbc.com, and could always use your help identifying the economic and political interests behind the names.
The Political Action Committees must disclose by midnight Tuesday who gave them money, and how much they spent to support or oppose candidates in the presidential race, including the Republican candidates and President Barack Obama.
The reports may trickle in, and it wouldn't surprise us if some campaigns file late tonight as attention is focused on voting results in the Florida Republican primary.
Super PACS are known to the Federal Election Commission as independent committees, because they are forbidden to coordinate their activities with campaigns. Outside the limits of campaign finance laws, Super PACs may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations and individuals. They can use that money to advocate for or against political candidates.
Read more about the reports filed Tuesday:
After TV cameras leave, Romney PAC discloses $18 million
Spielberg, labor union are big backers of Obama Super PAC
Major GOP Super PAC raised $51 million in 2011
Not 'Desperate' for cash: Obama lists his big fundraisers
Sugar Daddy: Huntsman's father gave $1.9 million to Super PAC
Colbert Super PAC raises $1 million; non-satirical PACs to follow
Leave a Comment:
"Wow" ...some are willing to pay big money to be allowed to store contaminants in a state near you....that stinks..
This is why I hate super pacs.
I am both shocked and dismayed to see that some people think politicians get big donations in exchange for 'favors' to those donors. I know this does not happen in today's political environment, and any attempts to say otherwise is just sensational journalism...
What a novel idea. Getting something in return for your campaign contributions. The idea never crossed my mind.
And our beloved SC opened the flood gates even more. John Roberts and his cohorts should be impeached. Wait a minute, that's another Pandora's Box the rethugli-cons opened wide.
on't deport illegals. Deport rethugli-con suporters. They do way more damage to this country than any illegal.
Texas voters will never notice a little bit of extra nuclear waste sludge. It's all natural stuff anyway. Someone should hide it under "W's" house and let him discover it. "Aha, there they went, them WMD's. Evil doers smuggled them from Iraq and hid them under my house. Smoke them out and nuke'em."
LOL Eltex.
Me:) : isn't, "nuclear waste," somehow just a, "food product?"
Just Wow. I gasp at the damage done by the 5 right wing Justices. If it wasn't bad enough.
Well, Texas got what they voted for. When you pick a duffus like Perry over and over, you can't really expect better, can you? Luckily, the Great Divide puts that stuff in the Gulf, and I still don't eat Gulf food. Now, I have an even better reason to demand food from the West Coast or Hawaii.
"Go New England Patriots"...ooops
Hey, NBC, didn't anybody tell you that Perry dropped out of the race a couple of weeks ago? Yeah, you can now redirect your entire staff of s**t slingers' efforts at Romney or Gingrich......which ever one you think might have the better chance of defeating your boss and messiah, Obama.
Why beat yourself up spider? Seems you're not happy unless you're being pissy on a blog somewhere.
It can't be good for your health.
And for the third time tonight, F**K your SuperPAC
And where will the sludge waste from refining the tar sands be dumped? Does Contran have a place for that, too? Interesting....well at least Perry is back where he belongs. I wonder, any crossover interstate pollution laws bordering Texas? ;-)
Give a hoot! Don't Pollute!
I feel bad for anyone next to that nuclear waste dump. Something about "creating jobs" at a price.
well at least Perry is back where he belongs
-------------------------
Unfortunately the imbreds in TX will continue to vote for Slick Rick. If the rethugli-con candiate loses this fall I would suspect will see Ricky back for 2016.
What the hell is an "imbred", genius?
IF the pipeline from Canada to the Gulf is built, is is OIL that will flow through it. It will NOT be tar sands; the sand stays in Canada. Yet another uninformed voter.
And once it gets to Texas it gets further refining. Air quality in near by populated areas will take a big hit.
Actually, it will be a mix or sludge of corrosive chemicals used for extraction, oil, and sand, similar to hot asphalt or tar.The pipe will actually have to be heated and a spill or leak of any kind would be a disaster. The refinement waste is toxic and worthless.
thank you the supreme court for selling out this country
So some guy gave the Governor a million bucks and the Governor got the guy a license to dump nuclear waste in Texas?
I'm pretty sure that's the definition of Bribery....
You would think so, but, actually, according to the Supreme Joke, this is just expression of freedom of speech.
I'm guessing it's quite a bit more than a million. I'm guessing for something like that would be about 5 mil at least, possibly 10 tucked away in a swiss bank account.
80% of Obama's big donors now have govt. jobs. Bribery?
mhr--Do you have any reputable evidence with which to back up your scurrilous claim? If so, give us a link.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/report-obama-administration-rewards-big-donors-jobs/story?id=13849435#.TyjC7cVWo-k
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2011/06/obama-donors-get-jobs-contracts-meetings/1
Are these sources satisfactory enough Old Vet?
What the story says is that 184 of 556 bundlers got jobs. That's 33%. It is, of course, customary, for big donors to be rewarded with ambassadorships or other positions. As the report says, "That's business as usual." There is no implication of bribery in the report. That is the scurrilous charge and you have failed to support it.
This is the very next paragraph:
"But the percentages are much higher for the big-dollar bundlers. Nearly "80 percent of those who collected more than $500,000 for Obama took 'key administration posts,' as defined by the White House," the report said."
Pick and choose what you want right?
Seems as if Texas has become an acceptable location for the aforesaid waste,.... take joy,finally an accurate and correct location for such.Trickling down to ya'all!Booya W.boy and Rickie,..hahahahahahhaa!
Shocking ! Right.
is this a surprise to anyone?
Don't mess with Texas! Otherwise they'll pay to put a nuclear waste dump in your backyard, too.
We've had and are dealing with this problem here in Utah. Energy Solutions has bypassed state and federal regulations by basically paying off a small band of the Goshute tribe to store Nuclear Waste on their land. It's amazing what greedy evil corporations can accomplish with money...
I can't wait to retire...out of Texas. It's the most corrupt, backwards state in the union.
Ship the the stuff to our 51st state, I am sure Gov Newt of Moon Base 51 will gladly take it in exchange for bling!.
Now that's funny, no one can say that's not funny. Thumbs up
This is free enterprise at its best, we don't need no stink'n regulations, this will make our country great, you libtards are so ignorant, jobs will be created cleaning up the mess, and if toxic pollution occurs, what do I care, it ain't my backyard, that's Texas problem, like the Keystone Pipeline, just because some people living in South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas complain that they're worried their water supply and livelihoods are threatened, does that mean we have to delay a decision to go ahead until we can determine if there is a safer route, for what, this involves profits for businesses, what is more important than that, if something goes wrong (like BP in the gulf), that's their fault for living there in the first place, if you don't like it, then frigg'n move? Glen Beck would be proud.
Apparently that Simmons guy is specialized in wastes. He just wasted $1 million on Perry. Of course it's pocket change in regard to the money he is making at the expense of the good people of Texas who were dumb enough to fall for Perry. I guess everybody got what they paid for.
Perry is really big on cronyism, just like BushyBoy was. Remember "Nice job, Brownie"?
80% of Obama's big donors now have govt. jobs. Bribery?
mhr--Do you have any reputable evidence to back up your scurrilous claim? If so, give us a link. (OK, so I'm not expecting anything close to the truth from you. Your reputation precedes you.)
see the links I provided above
What the story says is that 184 of 556 bundlers got jobs. That's 33%. It is, of course, customary, for big donors to be rewarded with ambassadorships or other positions. As the report says, "That's business as usual." There is no implication of bribery in the report. That is the scurrilous charge and you have failed to support it.
This is the very next paragraph:
"But the percentages are much higher for the big-dollar bundlers. Nearly "80 percent of those who collected more than $500,000 for Obama took 'key administration posts,' as defined by the White House," the report said."
Pick and choose what you want right?
Dear Texans,
You have 1 Freedom of Speech. Harold Simmons has 1,000,000 Freedoms of Speech. Whose voice do you think rings the loudest in Rick Perry's ears?
Harold Simmons, owner of Contran Corporation has lobbied Texas legislators to let him bury low-level radioactive waste despite water contamination risks. He has donated over a million dollars to Perry’s campaigns. He was once sued by his family for all allegedly involving them in illegal campaign donations. Real nice guy; but then he is a conservative.
And why is anyone surprised? This sort of thing has been going on for years in the State of Texas! Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has now made it perfectly legal. Now the politicians don't have to act surprised when they get caught. They can just say "so what?"
stupid and corrupt.... how wonderful it be ...
and if it weren't for the debates he would be your nominee!!!
It proves our "system" has evolved into pay-for-play. Cronyism is a way of life here in Texas and has been forever. Corrupt local law enforcement officials are uncovered/exposed on a regular basis. But if you're delusional enough to think it's all safely relegated to Texas, get over it. The same Trickle-Down-(yeah-that's-it) voodoo that was the Reagan Happy-Talk has lead to a judicial system that can be purchased and one that has legalized the "corporations are people, too" voodoo. Pay-for-Play. Took 30 years to make it happen but it's here, so get used to it. Oh... Don't have a billion dollars to play??? Sucks to be you...
Gee. Wonder how that happened. Not.
I wonder if they practice the look of indignatiion in front of a mirror when someone asks if his actions in allowing the waste dump be built had something to do with the large donation or when someone suggests that the super PAC run by his ex campaign manager might be conferring with the candidate which is contrary to law?
Rick Perry was the one Gene Simmons wanted to be President. Maybe he and Shannon can move closer to a waste dump and be proud of his choice now.
So you mean to tell me that some rich guys gave a bunch of money to a politician and got preferential treatment in return? Why can't all these lazy unemployed people show that kind of initiative?
Geez, ya can't hold a little common gratitude against a guy, can ya?
Gee too bad he dropped out I was enjoying the drip drip drip of the slime coming from him, guess I will have to be satisfied with the circular firing squad they have lined up now. Ron Paul please stay in we may need another Ralph Nader to skew the elections, 'cause some of the people in the USA are really too dumb to vote ie. republicans, the party of handed down money or money made from corruption.