Release on Obama DHL Ad
New Ad Spotlights McCain's Lobbyist Ties in DHL Deal
Highlights roles of McCain and lobbyist-turned-campaign manager in aiding deal that now places 8,200 jobs in jeopardy
Columbus, OH -- The Obama Campaign is airing a new television advertisement in Ohio that spotlights John McCain's role in helping pave the way for foreign-owned DHL to take over an American shipping company and putting more than 8,200 jobs at risk in Wilmington, Ohio.
“It's tough times,” Ed Rutherford, a Morrow, OH, resident says in the ad. “When it's a foreign entity, coming in and sucker punching us. That's how this felt.”
Despite promises to bring “straight talk” to Ohio, McCain and his lobbyist-turned-campaign manager Rick Davis failed to reveal their role in the DHL deal before it was reported in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
As the Plain Dealer reported on August 5, McCain and Davis played roles in the future of DHL Express and its Ohio operation as far back as 2003. As the Chairman of the Commerce Committee, “McCain took steps that helped Davis's clients,” including DHL and Airborne Express, the Washington Post reported June 26.
According to the Plain Dealer, Senate filings show Rick Davis' lobbying firm, Davis Manafort, was hired to help both companies lobby Congress on the deal. Davis' firm earned $185,000 for the DHL-Airborne Express work in 2003, and went on to earn $405,000 more from Deutsche Post for work on other issues in 2004 and 2005, according to Senate records.
In July, Senator Barack Obama met with DHL workers who could be impacted by the merger and Wilmington Mayor David Raizk. Following the meeting, Obama sent a letter to the White House asking the Administration to carefully examine the consolidation of DHL air operations under UPS. In the letter, Obama called on the White House to urge the Department of Justice to examine the agreement to ensure it is not in violation of antitrust laws. He also asked the Department of Labor to detail its efforts to help workers who could be impacted by the deal.
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