The past couple weeks the Arkansas left has gladly paraded a report from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) as proof that Republican Tim Griffin is a repugnant human being. Ernie Dumas writes in a column for the Arkansas Times…
Griffin, the anointed Republican candidate for Congress from Central Arkansas, was named by a Washington ethics watchdog as one of the 11 most corrupt candidates for Congress who are not already in Congress. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington is a bipartisan scourge of ethical malefactors in the national Capitol, both Democrats and Republicans.
Dumas then regurgitates the standard dribble drivel floating around the internet, most of which simply points to an ambitious politician and also most of which has been debunked.
What Dumas completely misrepresents is the nature of CREW, which is about as “bipartisan” as the Club for Growth. Roll Call did a good piece a couple years back laying out how they were funded by the left to be their attack dogs.
But a review of entities against which CREW has filed complaints and information about its donors suggests that the organization may be guilty of the same practice — attacking groups and individuals who are the foes of CREW’s donors.
The organization refuses to reveal information about its donors, and Deputy Director Naomi Seligman told Roll Call that “donors play no role in CREW’s decisions as to the groups or politicians we target.”
Several news stories — in this newspaper as well as in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and others — have pointed out that much of CREW’s funding comes from liberal groups and big donors to Democratic candidates and causes.
And all but a handful of its complaints against Members of Congress have targeted Republicans.
The handful of Democrats that have been targeted by CREW are all what most would consider to be conservatives. Our own Rep. Mike Ross is an example.
CREW filed a complaint with the Department of Justice back last year when Rep. Ross was leading the Blue Dogs to oppose the health care bill. The complaint was based on the unfounded charges that he received a sweetheart deal for the sale of his Prescott pharmacy. If you recall, these charges turned out to be nothing but the liberal blogosphere posted CREW’s compliant as their proof that Ross was in bed with health insurance companies.
CREW is once again attempting to attack another Arkansas politician that stands in the way of their leftist agenda. With the exception of the liberal blogs and Ernie Dumas, I hope Arkansas won’t get fooled again.