Ellis, James

<h1 class="print-title" style=" margin-bottom: .2em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></h1><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">BLUNT, ARMPAC, DeLay</font></div><div><h3><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">---</font></h3><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Control the GOP Congress. The tobacco industry played a crucial role in the "Republican revolution."</b> As Peter H. Stone reports<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">, campaign contributions and a revolving door of operatives— working jointly for tobacco and for key Congress members—have locked the industry and the top Republican leadership in a tight embrace (</span>see The Nicotine Network [3]). For instance, Stone relates how <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Majority Whip Tom DeLay has put a tobacco operative in charge of his main political organization, ARMPAC.</span>  mojo 1996</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><h1 class="gb-volume-title" dir="ltr"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mother Jones Magazine <span dir="ltr">May-Jun 1996</span></font></h1><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nicotine Network</font></p><h1 class="print-title" style="margin-bottom: 0.2em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Nicotine Network</font></h1><div class="dek" style="font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0.5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">How Big Tobacco and Republican congressional leaders help each other gain power.</font></div><p class="submitted"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="byline">By <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/authors/peter-h-stone" rel="author">Peter H. Stone</a></span> | <span class="dateline">Tue Apr. 30, 1996 11:00 PM PDT</span></font></p><hr class="print-hr" /><div class="print-content"><div id="node-20338" class="node node-type-html node-type-article-full"><div class="node-inner clear-block"><div class="content clear-block"><div class="field field-type-text field-field-short-body"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item odd"><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Just four blocks from the headquarters of RJR Nabisco in Winston-Salem, N.C., is a small company called the <b>Ramhurst Corp.</b>, which has been playing an instrumental role in the beleaguered tobacco behemoth's political fortunes.<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Its key mission: to quash the biggest political and financial challenges the tobacco industry has ever faced--from federal efforts to regulate tobacco at the Food and Drug Administration to state attempts to impose excise taxes and smoking restrictions.</span></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Launched in 1993 with the support of RJR, Ramhurst--which coordinates many of its activities closely with RJR--<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">combines <b>"grassroots" </b>lobbying with inside-the-Beltway influence-peddling.</span> <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">"Grassroots" coalitions have become a vital tool for tobacco's survival because of the industry's increasingly negative public image. By forming coalitions with business groups, conservative activist organizations, and other industries, tobacco companies like RJR obtain useful cover and, in effect, go from being a "black hat" to a "white hat" in the political world.</span></font></p></div></div></div><div class="field field-type-text field-field-article-text"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item odd"><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ramhurst occupies a special niche among grassroots organizers for tobacco, however: Its operatives have also forged ties with some of the most powerful GOP leaders in Washington, including Senate Majority Leader Bob <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>Dole,</b> House Majority Leader Dick<b> Armey, </b>and Arizona Rep.<b> John Shadegg, Newt Gingrich's</b></span><b>hand-picked choice to succeed him as director of the powerful political action committee GOPAC.</b></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Most significantly, a key <b>Ramhurst operative has been tapped to head House Majority Whip Tom DeLay's leadership PAC</b>, considered by many the pre-eminent fundraising vehicle in the GOP, after Newt Gingrich's money machine.</font></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><hr class="print-hr" /><div class="print-source_url"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong>Source URL:</strong> <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/1996/05/nicotine-network">http://www.motherjones.com/politics/1996/05/nicotine-network</a>

</font><div id="content-header"><h1 class="title"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Nicotine Network (cont'd)</font></h1></div><div id="node-header" class="clear-block"><div id="node-header-data" class="node-header-data-primary"><p class="byline byline-byline"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">—By <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/authors/peter-h-stone" rel="author">Peter H. Stone</a></font></p><div id="dateline"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">| <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/toc/1996/05">May/June 1996 Issue</a></font></div></div><div id="node-body-top" class="clear-block"><pre><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>M A R R Y I N G G R A S S R O O T S & I N F L U E N C E - P E D D L I N G</b>

</font></pre><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ramhurst grew out of an earlier operation, set up by RJR executive Mike Phillips in the mid-1980s. Phillips' team hosted dozens of smokers' rights group meetings around the country; those groups grew rapidly and were coordinated by an RJR team of field operatives and consultants, some of whom had strong backgrounds in conservative and GOP politics.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Two of these operatives<b style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">, James Ellis,</b> 39, and Doug Goodyear, 36, came up with the idea of launching Ramhurst in late 1993. <b>Ellis, who had worked for Paul Weyrich's ultraconservative<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Free Congress Foundation </span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">before going to RJR </span>in the late '80s, became Ramhurst's president; Goodyear, a former GOP political operative in Colorado and New Jersey, became the company's vice president and treasurer. Ramhurst is secretive about some pertinent details--such as how much money it receives from RJR yearly, and the size of the RJR mailing lists it taps to develop its campaigns.</font></p></div></div></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">==</font></div>

<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>James Walter "Jim" Ellis</b>, who runs <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Thomas_D.DeLay" title="Thomas D. DeLay">Thomas D. DeLay</a>'s <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Political_action_committee" title="Political action committee">political action committee</a> <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Americans_for_a_Republican_Majority_Political_Action_Committee" title="Americans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee">Americans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee</a> (<b><span style=" color: #ED1C24;">ARMPAC),</span></b> is one of the two political associates who were <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0928051delay1.html">indicted</a> with DeLay on September 28, 2005, in "an alleged scheme to use corporate political donations illegally to support candidates in state elections." </span><a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050929/ap_on_go_co/delay_blunt_ellis;ylt=AkmO_MH81eYIdPVQQnsrfYCs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3OXIzMDMzBHNlYwM3MDM-">[1]</a></font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Indictments and More Indictments</b>

Ellis and <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/John_Colyandro" title="John Colyandro">John Colyandro</a>, who "also faces 13 counts of unlawful acceptance of a corporate political contribution," "already faced charges of <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Money_laundering" title="Money laundering">money laundering</a> in the case." They were indicted September 13, 2005, "on additional felony charges of violating Texas election law and criminal conspiracy to violate election law for their role in the 2002 legislative races." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/09/13/election.probe.ap/">[2]</a></font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"The money laundering charges stem from $190,000 in corporate funds that were sent" to the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Republican_National_Committee" title="Republican National Committee">Republican National Committee</a>, "which then spent the same amount on seven candidates for the Texas Legislature." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/09/13/election.probe.ap/">[3]</a></font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Ellis-Blunt-DeLay</b>

"... most people are unaware that Ellis has extensive ties to both Tom DeLay and <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Roy_Blunt" title="Roy Blunt">Roy Blunt</a> that go back at least to 1999." --Roy Temple, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.firedupamerica.com/jimellis"><i>Fired Up America</i></a>, August 15, 2005.</font></p>

<hr />

<h2><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Contents</font></h2>

<ul>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Jim_Ellis#Blunt_Defense"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">Blunt Defense</span></font></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Jim_Ellis#Related_SourceWatch_Resources"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Related SourceWatch Resources</span></font></a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Jim_Ellis#External_links"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">External links</span></font></a></li>

</ul>

</td></tr></tbody></table>

<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Blunt_Defense"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Blunt Defense</font></span></h2>

<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"On September 22, 2004, the day after <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Ellis was indicted by a Texas grand jury, </span>Roy Blunt rushed onto <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/CNN" title="CNN" class="mw-redirect">CNN</a>'s 'Inside Politics' and defended Ellis<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">. Blunt dismissed the indictiments as 'all politics' and then proceeded to attack the prosecutor in the case," </span>Roy Temple <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.firedupmissouri.com/delayblunt">wrote</a> June 9, 2005.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Blunt "then describe[d] the DeLay fundraising tactics for which Ellis was indicted as 'reasonable by any standard that I know of in terms of how political fund-raising is done in the country today.'</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">"On March 8, 2005, <i>Roll Call</i> reported that in January 2004, Roy Blunt, through the political committee that Ellis formerly ran, contributed $10,000 to Ellis' legal defense fund," Temple wrote. "The contributions to Ellis' legal defense fund, are in addition to separate contributions Blunt has made directly to DeLay's legal defense fund."</font></p>

<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Associated Press reported September 28, 2005, that<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Roy Blunt’s "federal PAC, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.politicalmoneyline.com/cgi-win/x_pacpg.exe?DoFn=C0034464806">Rely On Your Beliefs Fund</a>, paid Jim Ellis’s firm, the J W Ellis Company, $3,000 a month</span> from <strike>May</strike> March 2003 to January 2005, and $4,000 a month from February 2005 to at least July 2005. The payment for June and July was made in August, the last month covered by disclosure reports. The payments were identified as political consulting and fundraising services. The total payment for those months was <strike>$88,000</strike> $94,000." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.fecinfo.com/">[4]</a></font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Blunt's political committee has paid fees since 2003 to "a consultant under indictment in Texas with DeLay, according to federal records," Larry Margasak <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050929/ap_on_go_co/delay_blunt_ellis;ylt=AkmO_MH81eYIdPVQQnsrfYCs0NUE;ylu=X3oDMTA3OXIzMDMzBHNlYwM3MDM-">wrote</a> September 28, 2005.</font></p>

<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Related_SourceWatch_Resources"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Related SourceWatch Resources</font></span></h2>

<ul>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Conspiracy_to_violate_state_election_code" title="Conspiracy to violate state election code"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">conspiracy to violate state election code</font></a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Republican_%27culture_of_corruption%27" title="Republican 'culture of corruption'"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Republican 'culture of corruption'</font></a></li>

</ul>

<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="External_links"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">External links</font></span></h2>

<ul>

<li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Bruce Rushton, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.riverfronttimes.com/Issues/2001-10-03/news/feature2.html">"The Ethics Omission. Enforcers of Missouri's campaign-finance laws would rather hide than seek,"</a> <i>River Front Times</i>, October 1, 2001.</font></li>

<li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Roy Temple, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.firedupmissouri.com/delayblunt">"DeLay Gave Roy Blunt $150,000,"</a> <i>Fired Up Missouri!</i>, June 9, 2005.</font></li>

<li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.statesman.com/metrostate/content/metro/stories/07/13trmpac_me.html">"GOP operative should stand trial for money-laundering. Judge makes first ruling in corporate cash case,"</a> <i>Austin American-Statesman</i>, July 12, 2005.</font></li>

<li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050810/D8BT6QI80.html">"Judge Supports Charges Vs. DeLay Colleagues,"</a> Associated Press, August 10, 2005.</font></li>

<li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Roy Temple, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.firedupamerica.com/jimellis">"The Role of Jim Ellis,"</a> <i>Fired Up America</i>, August 15, 2005.</font></li>

<li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Patrick O'Connor, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/081705/ethics.html">"With ethics back in spotlight, Republicans are holding fundraiser for DeLay associate,"</a> <i>The Hill</i>, August 17, 2005.</font></li>

<li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/09/13/election.probe.ap/">"Grand jury indicts two DeLay associates,"</a> Associated Press (CNN), September 13, 2005.</font></li>

<li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Syvia Moreno, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39563-2004Sep21.html">"3 DeLay Workers Indicted in Texas. Aides Charged in Fundraising Probe,"</a> <i>Washington Post</i>, September 22, 2005.</font></li>

<li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Larry Margasak, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050929/ap_on_go_co/delay_blunt_ellis;ylt=AkmO_MH81eYIdPVQQnsrfYCs0NUE;ylu=X3oDMTA3OXIzMDMzBHNlYwM3MDM-">"Blunt Hired Consultant Who's Also Indicted,"</a> Associated Press (Yahoo! News), September 28, 2005.</font></li>

</ul>

</div>

<div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Special:Categories" title="Special:Categories">Categories</a>:

</font><ul>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Category:Corruption" title="Category:Corruption"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Corruption</font></a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Category:Scandals" title="Category:Scandals"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Scandals</font></a></li>

</ul>

</div>

<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">===

 </font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Set up in 1993, <b>Ramhurst Corporation</b> was a PR operation funded by <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/R.J.Reynolds" title="R.J. Reynolds" class="mw-redirect">R.J. Reynolds</a> Tobacco Company to coordinate "smokers' rights" fake grassroots campaigns throughout the U.S. <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Douglas_M.Goodyear" title="Douglas M. Goodyear">Douglas M. Goodyear</a> and <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Jim_Ellis" title="Jim Ellis">Jim Ellis</a> founded and ran Ramhurst.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to internal R.J. Reynolds documents, Ramhurst received in 1994 $2.6 million for "Executing tactical programs on federal, state or local issues; developing a network of <b>smokers' rights groups </b>and other coalition partners within the region that will speak out on issues important to the Company; implementing training and communication programs designed to inform activists and maintain their ongoing involvement in the <b>grassroots</b> movement."</font></p>

<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ORIGINS?</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Control the GOP Congress.</b> The tobacco industry played a crucial role in the <font color="#FF0000">"Republican revolution." </font>As Peter H. Stone reports, campaign contributions and a revolving door of operatives— working jointly for tobacco and for key Congress members—have locked the industry and the top Republican leadership in a tight embrace (see <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/1996/05/nicotine-network">The Nicotine Network</a> <span class="print-footnote">[3]</span>). For instance, Stone relates how Majority Whip Tom DeLay has put a tobacco operative in charge of his main political organization, ARMPAC.   MOJO 1996</font>

<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Americans_for_a_Republican_Majority_Political_Action_Committee"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Americans_for_a_Republican_Majority_Political_Action_Committee</font></a>

<h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading"><span dir="auto"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Americans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee</font></span></h1>

<div id="jump-to-nav" class="mw-jump"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Jump to: <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Americans_for_a_Republican_Majority_Political_Action_Committee#mw-head">navigation</a>, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Americans_for_a_Republican_Majority_Political_Action_Committee#p-search">search</a></font></div>

<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>Americans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee</b>, also known as <b>ARMPAC</b>, was former House Majority Leader <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Thomas_D._DeLay" title="Thomas D. DeLay">Thomas D. DeLay</a>'s leadership committee. ARMPAC was "quietly closed" at the end of April 2007 "after a decade-long run as one of the most influential - and infamous - PACs run by members of <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Congress" title="Congress" class="mw-redirect">Congress</a>.</span>" <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2007/05/delays_pac_closes_shop.html">[1]</a></font></p>

<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="DeLay.27s_Political_Money_Carousel"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">DeLay's Political Money Carousel</font></span></h2>

<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">ARMPAC was run by <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Jim_Ellis" title="Jim Ellis">Jim Ellis</a>, who was also the founder of <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Texans_for_a_Republican_Majority_PAC" title="Texans for a Republican Majority PAC">Texans for a Republican Majority PAC</a></span> (TRMPAC), DeLay's leadership <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Political_action_committee" title="Political action committee">political action committee</a>.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">TRMPAC was "launched, in part, with a $75,000 contribution" from ARMPAC, Texans for Public Justice <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.tpj.org/page_view.jsp?pageid=632&pubid=382">reported</a> June 28, 2004.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">According to <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Federal_Election_Commission" title="Federal Election Commission">Federal Election Commission</a> records, "in its first year DeLay's ARMPAC pulled in $312,000; in 1996, $681,000; and in 1998, $904,000. This year [2000], ARMPAC is on track to collect a staggering $2 million. <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The list of ARMPAC political contributors is twenty pages long, from <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Philip_Morris" title="Philip Morris" class="mw-redirect">Philip Morris</a> and the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/National_Rifle_Association" title="National Rifle Association">National Rifle Association</a> to <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Banking" title="Banking">banks</a>, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Oil_industry" title="Oil industry">oil companies</a>, insurers, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Pharmaceutical_industry" title="Pharmaceutical industry">drug makers</a>, <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Merrill_Lynch" title="Merrill Lynch">Merrill Lynch</a>, and <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Microsoft" title="Microsoft">Microsoft</a>.</span>" --<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.texasobserver.org/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=142"><i>Texas Observer</i>, February 4, 2000</a>.</font>

<b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">See the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Thomas_D.DeLay" title="Thomas D. DeLay">main article</a> on Tom DeLay and <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Thomas_D.DeLay:Complaints,Investigation_%26_Indictments" title="Thomas D. DeLay: Complaints, Investigation & Indictments">Complaints, Investigation & Indictments</a> for details.</font></b></p>

<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="SourceWatch_Resources"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">SourceWatch Resources</font></span></h2>

<ul>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Thomas_D.DeLay:Related_SourceWatch_Resources" title="Thomas D. DeLay: Related SourceWatch Resources"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Thomas D. DeLay: Related SourceWatch Resources</font></a></li>

</ul>

<h2><span class="mw-headline" id="External_links"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">External links</font></span></h2>

<ul>

<li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Michael Weisskopf and David Maraniss, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/campfin/stories/cf031295.htm">"Forging an Alliance for Deregulation,"</a> <i>Washington Post</i>, March 12, 1995.</font></li>

<li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Alison Mitchell and Marc Lacey, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://menic.utexas.edu/%7Ebennett/__310/DeLay.htm">"DeLay Inc.. -- A special report: A Lawmaker Amasses Power, and Uses It. A CLOSER LOOK: DeLay's Fund-Raising Vehicles,"</a> <i>New York Times</i>, October 26, 1999.</font></li>

<li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Roberty Dreyfuss, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.texasobserver.org/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=142">"DeLay, Incorporated,"</a> <i>The Texas Observer</i>, February 4, 2000.</font></li>

<li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ellen Miller, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/8/15/131134/779">"Auditing DeLay,"</a> <i>TPM Cafe</i>, August 15, 2005.</font></li>

<li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/100505/brief1.html">"Republicans return DeLay PAC donations,"</a> <i>The Hill</i>, November 26, 2005.</font></li>

<li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.citizensforethics.org/press/newsrelease.php?view=140">News Release: "CREW FEC Complaint Against Rep. DeLay PAC – ARMPAC – Results in $115,000 Fine. One of Largest Fines in FEC History,"</a> <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Citizens_for_Responsibility_and_Ethics_in_Washington" title="Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington">Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington</a>, July 20, 2006.</font></li>

<li><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Paul Kane, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2007/05/delays_pac_closes_shop.html">"DeLay's PAC closes shop,"</a> <i>Capitol Briefing</i> Blog/<i>Washington Post</i>, May 1, 2007.</font></li>

</ul>

<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Also see:

 </font></p>

<ul>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Thomas_D.DeLay:External_Links" title="Thomas D. DeLay: External Links"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Thomas D. DeLay: External Links</font></a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Thomas_D.DeLay:External_Links_2004" title="Thomas D. DeLay: External Links 2004"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Thomas D. DeLay: External Links 2004</font></a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Thomas_D.DeLay:External_Links_2005" title="Thomas D. DeLay: External Links 2005"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Thomas D. DeLay: External Links 2005</font></a></li>

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</font><ul>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Category:Corruption" title="Category:Corruption"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Corruption</font></a></li>

<li><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Category:Scandals" title="Category:Scandals"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Scandals</font></a></li>

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<h1 class="print-title" style=" margin-bottom: .2em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Nicotine Network</font></h1>

<div class="dek" style=" font-style: italic; margin-bottom: .5em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">How Big Tobacco and Republican congressional leaders help each other gain power.</font></div>

<p class="submitted"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="byline">By <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/authors/peter-h-stone" rel="author">Peter H. Stone</a></span> | <span class="dateline">Tue Apr. 30, 1996 11:00 PM PDT</span></font></p>

<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Just four blocks from the headquarters of RJR Nabisco in Winston-Salem, N.C., is a small company called the <b>Ramhurst Corp.,</b> which has been playing an instrumental role in the beleaguered tobacco behemoth's political fortunes. Its key mission: to quash the biggest political and financial challenges the tobacco industry has ever faced--from federal efforts to regulate tobacco at the Food and Drug Administration to state attempts to impose excise taxes and smoking restrictions.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Launched in 1993 with the support of RJR, Ramhurst--which coordinates many of its activities closely with RJR--<b>combines "grassroots" lobbying with inside-the-Beltway influence-peddling</b>. "Grassroots" coalitions have become a vital tool for tobacco's survival because of the industry's increasingly negative public image. By forming coalitions with business groups, conservative activist organizations, and other industries, tobacco companies like RJR obtain useful cover and, in effect, go from being a "black hat" to a "white hat" in the political world.</font>

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<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Ramhurst occupies a special niche among grassroots organizers for tobacco, however: Its operatives have also forged ties with some of the most powerful GOP leaders in Washington, including Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, House Majority Leader Dick Armey, and Arizona Rep. John Shadegg, Newt Gingrich's </b>hand-picked choice to succeed him as director of the powerful political action committee GOPAC.</font>

<font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Most significantly, a key Ramhurst operative ELLIS has been tapped to head <b><span style=" color: #ED1C24;">House Majority Whip Tom DeLay's leadership PAC, ARMPAC</span></b> considered by many the pre-eminent fundraising vehicle in the GOP, after Newt Gingrich's money machine.</font></p>

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<div class="print-source_url"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><strong>Source URL:</strong> <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/1996/05/nicotine-network">http://www.motherjones.com/politics/1996/05/nicotine-network</a></font></div>

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