Robin Carnahan's new TV ad: "Clean Up the House"

The Story of Congressman Blunt's 14-Year Record of Corruption in Washington Continues to Unravel

Today, Robin Carnahan's Senate campaign released a new television ad titled "Clean Up the House." The new ad is the latest in mounting evidence against Congressman Blunt - now from Fox News host Chris Wallace - on his 14-year record of corruption in Washington. In the ad, Wallace cites some of Congressman Blunt's most infamous acts of corruption in Washington including:

* Slipping a secret provision into the Homeland Security Act to benefit tobacco giant Philip Morris while he was dating the company's lobbyist

* Paying $485,000 to a firm linked to convicted felon and super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff

"This ad is just the latest in a mounting case against Congressman Blunt and his 14 year-record of wasteful spending and corruption in Washington,"said Linden Zakula, Robin Carnahan's campaign spokesman. "Congressman Blunt's record of corruption is just another example of how he has become the very worst of Washington and why he does not deserve a promotion to the Senate."

Watch the video here: http://www.robincarnahan.com/cleanup

The new TV ad comes on the heels of two detailed stories from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star that exposed Congressman Blunt for his record of corruption and how he has left Missouri behind:

* Kansas City Star Exposes Blunt's Record of Using His Position to Reward Political Donors and Help Family and Friends, Like Philip Morris: "Blunt also has faced criticism that his legislation rewarded political donors and helped family and close friends. One episode occurred not long after he was chosen as majority whip in 2002. Blunt tried to slip an amendment for tobacco giant Philip Morris, a political contributor, into a bill establishing the Homeland Security Department. The amendment, according to The Washington Post, was crafted to protect the company from competition from contraband cigarettes and Internet sales of tobacco products." The Kansas City Star continued, "The Philip Morris lobbyist at the time was Abigail Perlman, a close friend whom Blunt married the following year after divorcing his first wife. Andrew Blunt, the congressman's son and a lobbyist in Missouri, also worked for the company. Prior to the tobacco amendment, executives for Philip Morris and two of its subsidiaries, Kraft Foods and Miller Brewing Co., donated more than $30,000 to Blunt's PAC, according to campaign finance disclosure records. The Miller PAC also had donated $10,000 to another Blunt committee set up to collect unregulated donations known as "soft money." The year before, Philip Morris donated $100,000 to the same PAC. [Majority Leader Tom] DeLay and [House Speaker Dennis] Hastert killed the amendment once they learned of it." [KC Star, 9/3/10]

* St. Louis Post-Dispatch Reports on Blunt's Ties with Convicted Felon and Former Super Lobbyist Jack Abramoff.The St. Louis Post-Dispatch noted that "Blunt's meteoric rise through the ranks of Republican leadership coincided with Abramoff's ascension as one of the Beltway's most influential lobbyists." Additionally, the Post-Dispatch reported that Blunt's "political circle had substantial overlap with Abramoff's, and at least two former Blunt staffers benefited from the gifts that Abramoff and associates used as currency to curry favor on Capitol Hill." The ties between Blunt and Abramoff paid off - for Abramoff's clients. As reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "In 2003, U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt sent a letter to the federal Department of Interior that appeared to have little relevance to his constituents in southwest Missouri. Blunt, then one of the top-ranking Republicans in Congress, urged the interior secretary to reject the efforts of a tiny group of American Indians to open a casino in western Louisiana, nearly 500 miles from Blunt's home district in Springfield, Mo. In fact, the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians were ensnared in a larger drama--one that is now being used against Blunt by his opponent in Missouri's race for the U.S. Senate. The Jena Band's casino would have competed with a gambling facility operated by another tribe that was a client of super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Blunt was one of several lawmakers who signed letters urging the federal agency to reject the Jena tribe's proposal." [STL PD, 9/7/10]