Roy Blunt Resource Page
KEY REPORTS FROM NONPARTISAN GOOD GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS
CREW, 2006: "Beyond Delay: The 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress"
Blunt comes in at #1: "Rep. Blunt's ethics issues stem from the misuse of his position to benefit family members, his connections to Jack Abramoff, and a trip paid for by a foreign agent."- CREW, 2005: "Beyond DeLay: The 13 Most Corrupt Members of Congress"
"Rep. Blunt’s appointment is a case of ‘new boss, same as the old boss.’ While Rep. Blunt may be new to the job, he has long followed Rep. DeLay’s pattern of ignoring campaign finance laws and ethics rules." 
Public Citizen, 1/13/06: "Roy Blunt: Ties to Special Interests Leave Him Unfit to Lead"
"In this report, Public Citizen compiles a disturbing dossier on Blunt, based on original research and a comprehensive compilation of news accounts of recent months. In the end, what emerges is a portrait of a legislative leader who not only has surrendered his office to the imperative of moneyed interests, but who has also done so with disturbing zeal and efficiency."- CREW, 1/12/06: "Ethically Challenged Reps. Blunt and Cantor Not Fit for Leadership"
“If Members of the House were truly committed to cleaning up the cesspool that Congress has become, they would not even consider Reps. Blunt and Cantor to lead the way." - The Washington Post's WhoRunsGov.com Profile
"As the Republicans’ official K Street liaison, Blunt helped transform the lobbying community into a vote-winning force for House Republicans."
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BLUNT, INC.
- Washington Post, 5/17/05: House Majority Whip Exerts Influence by Way of K Street
"Blunt's organization in scope has begun to rival "DeLay Inc." -- the political fundraising committees, extensive favor-giving and alliances with Republican lobbyists that the majority leader has used to become one of the most influential leaders in memory." - New York Times, 11/21/06: "Same Old Party"
"Roy Blunt embodies the insidious, half-legal corruption that has permeated the G.O.P. majority since 1995. Blunt’s election as minority whip, by a 137-to-57 margin, was a defiant Republican rejection of calls to clean up their act. Warnings by Blunt’s challenger, John Shadegg of Arizona — “We ceded our reform-minded principles in exchange for a ...tighter grip on power” — went unheeded." - The New Republic, 8/7/06: "Arm candy, Beltway-style"
"Since his 1996 election, Blunt's swift rise in the House has been credited to his close ties to K Street--ties undoubtedly strengthened by his friendly relations with the go-to gal for Altria, which just so happens to be one of Blunt's top campaign contributors. Perlman, meanwhile, could not have asked for a more energetic champion of her employer's interests than her congressional beau." - The Star, 11/29/02: "Blunt's elevation to majority whip is proof of insider power"
"His uncontested election this month as majority whip after just three terms shows he has mastered the game. The whip is the third-highest position in the House GOP leadership behind Speaker Dennis Hastert and newly elected Majority Leader Tom DeLay. As such, Blunt is part of the Republican triumvirate that controls the ebb and flow of business in the often-fractious House of Representatives...'There's nothing that happens in Congress that Roy Blunt isn't a major architect of,' said White House Political Director Ken Mehlman." - Washington Post, 1/11/06: "Lobbying Colors GOP Leadership Contest; Rivals for DeLay Post No Strangers to K St."
"The annual vacation, dubbed a "boys' trip" by detractors, points to an issue underlying the current House leadership race: Both Boehner and his rival for majority leader, Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), have extensive ties to the same K Street lobbying world that stained DeLay's reputation and spawned the Abramoff corruption scandal." - NY Times, 10/9/05: "When Lawmaking and Lobbying Are All in the Family"
" Blunt's family ties have raised anew the questions that have been kicked around Washington for years about the propriety of making the business of government a family business." - The Hill, 10/1/03: "House Majority Whip Roy Blunt has had setbacks in politics and his domestic life, but he is still near the top of the greasy pole"
"The Post story reverberated around Capitol Hill, and, like his 1992 bid to become Missouri's governor, it revealed Blunt's normally well-concealed ambition and comfort with hardball politics." - The Star, 2/13/09: "Is Blunt the BEST Senate candidate?"
"Blunt, though, is D.C. personified. Not only does he have more K Street ties than Mark Shale and Jack Henry combined, he’s married to a lobbyist. His son is one. His links to that world, and by extension former Majority Leader Tom “The Hammer” DeLay, and by extension (again) disgraced superlobbyist Jack Abramoff, are ingredients for a Democratic campaign feast. Those connections are a big reason why Blunt’s fellow Republicans rejected the Missourian as majority leader in 2006, ultimately denying him his dream of becoming House speaker." - AP, 9/29/05: "New majority leader hired man charged in DeLay case"
"A consultant under indictment with Rep. Tom DeLay has been paid roughly $88,000 in fees by the political committee of Rep. Roy Blunt, who is temporarily replacing DeLay as House majority leader, according to federal records....Ellis is one of three political associates of DeLay, R-Texas, who have been indicted in an alleged scheme to use corporate political donations illegally to support candidates in state elections. Ellis also runs DeLay's national political action committee, Americans for a Republican Majority."
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WHY ROY BLUNT ISN'T THE HOUSE GOP LEADER
- Politico, 11/6/08: "GOP in dire straits"
"Beyond demography, the party is now, thanks to the outgoing president and some members of Congress, perceived by many voters as either incompetent, corrupt or just not standing for much." - Post-Dispatch, 2/3/06: "Fresh face isn't Blunt's"
"Blunt's downfall was not solely due to his status as an incumbent. Lawmakers said that his deep ties to the lobbying effort, his status-quo agenda, and his close relationship with ex-House Majority Leader Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, helped doom his bid. DeLay was forced to step aside after a Texas grand jury indicted him last year; he also is under scrutiny in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal." - Washington Post, 2/3/06: "Post-Abramoff Mood Shaped Vote for DeLay's Successor"
"What Blunt presumed would be his greatest asset -- his links to the current leadership's system of power and favors -- turned out to be a liability. "
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DIRECT CONNECTIONS TO JACK ABRAMOFF
- AP, 1/11/06: "Blunt, DeLay shared connections to lobbyist Abramoff"
"Blunt's own connections to Abramoff or his clients could complicate GOP plans to distance its leadership from the corruption investigation before the fall elections for control of Congress." - NY Times, 7/6/05: "For Lobbyist, a Seat of Power Came With a Plate"
"Often, guests dined with Mr. Abramoff and did not receive a check, employees said, though Congressional rules prohibit lawmakers from receiving expensive gifts, including food...Other lawmakers whose names carried the "FOO" notation [i.e., "Friend of Owner"] include Republican Representatives Roy Blunt of Missouri..." - AP, 10/5/05: "DeLay, House successor swapped donations; AP campaign document review shows transactions took circuitous routes"
"When the financial carousel stopped, DeLay’s private charity, the consulting firm that employed DeLay’s wife and the Missouri campaign of Blunt’s son all ended up with money, according to campaign documents reviewed by The Associated Press. Jack Abramoff, a Washington lobbyist recently charged in an ongoing federal corruption and fraud investigation, and Jim Ellis, the DeLay fundraiser indicted with his boss last week in Texas, also came into the picture.
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THE PHILIP MORRIS FAVOR SCANDAL
- Washington Post, 6/11/03: "GOP Whip Quietly Tried to Aid Big Donor; Provision Was Meant To Help Philip Morris"
"Several Republicans who learned of the November effort have privately expressed concern that Blunt pushed the provision partly because of his personal relationship with Philip Morris lobbyist Abigail Perlman. Blunt, who several Republicans said spends considerable time with Perlman, would not discuss their relationship or whether the two had talked about the provision." - The Washington Post, 6/17/03: Relationship with Perlman "raising eyebrows and giving fits to self-appointed ethics cops."
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THE 2003 MEDICARE PART D VOTE
- The Hill, 11/06/05: "The night the clocks, scoreboard stood still"
"A frustrated Blunt, unable to reach Emerson on her cell phone, awoke her husband at a quarter till five in the morning. Emerson, however, wasn’t at home. She was hiding on the Democratic side of the floor, crouching down to avoid eye contact with the Republican search team."
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THE TROPHY CASE
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