Couple of oddball comments.

On her web page at MyObama and at least one other site, Jennifer Mercurio praises Joe Biden for the Violence Against Women Act. As I've noted before, Joe Mercurio claims he worked as a media consultant for Biden's campaign although I couldn't find his or his firm's name in any FEC filings.

Sounds screwy but what if Peter Leitner and Scott Wheeler were fronting the National Republican Trust PAC on behalf of the Mercurios or someone they represented.

Maybe this was a drive-by hit on Obama financed by disgruntled Dems. I have zero evidence and this is only speculation on my part.

Per NPR: "The National Republican Trust, for example, reported spending an incredible $6.6 million on the election, despite being founded in September."

I'll say it is incredible. I'll go so far as to say it is unbelievable.

On some right wing sites, Scott Wheeler claimed to have raised $1 million as of 10/24 but on other sites, the amount is $3 million.

Curious.

From the FEC summary pa
ge for the National Republican Trust PAC:

As of 11/12/08:
Total receipts $10,342,756
Individual expenditures $10,337,756

Total disbursements $8,585,077
Independent expenditures $7,974,359

Cash on hand $1,757,67
Debts $127,454

Details of who contributed after 10/15 are not available until 12/4.

My spreadsheet updated through 11/14 had expenditures at $6.9 million which included individual expenditures from 24-Hour Notices and the 10/15 Pre-General.

Contributions through 10/15 were $463k of which $255k was unitemized.

I'll update my speadsheet later to see how it ties into the FEC summary.

I'm not sure if the NY Times is right about how many times the National Republican Trust PAAC ads ran, in particular the Obama/Wright one. Nor am I sure the PAC only spent $3.1 million on television advertising.

The NYT claim that the ad first aired on 11/4 is out and out wrong. The Freepers claim the ad ran in OH, PA and FL on or before 10/27.

A couple of days ago, Joe Mercurio (Twitter-natpol) said he was making a media buy and a dayh or so later, the National Republican Trust PAC reported that it paid $101k to the Philipse Brook Group for a media buy.

I think it's a safe bet that Joseph C. A. Mercurio, National Political Services, placed all of the National Republican Trust's sleazy anti-Obama ads under the name of his new firm, Philipse Brook Group, registered in NYS on 8/19 by Sherman F. Sosnow, a Brooklyn attorney.

Joe Mercurio married his fourth wife, Jennifer Byron, in 2004. Jennifer Mercurio, as she now known, is a lobbyist. She supported Hillary Clinton, then Obama. Mercurio is also active in a couple of women's issue groups issue, with a focus on violence against women.

The name of Jennifer Mercurio's consulting firm is JB Mercurio & Associates, Ltd.

It looks like Joe Mercurio registered the Philipse Brook Group specifically to handle media buys for the National Republican Trust PAC which means the plans for the ad campaign were in place before mid-August.

If I planned a hit-and-run media attack on Obama in late October, I wouldn't have counted on contributions made after 10/15 to fund it. Nor would I have waited until after 10/15 to get network approval for my sure-to-be controversial ads.

I'd be surprised if the three ads took more than a day or two to put together nor would a lot of out-of-pocket expenses have been incurred making them.

The whole thing smells fishy to me.

I'm not sure when or if Irwin Katsof crossed paths with Peter Leitner or Rick Davis but his investment company, the Doheny Group, has major investments in Ukraine.

Leitner and another Doheny Group partner, Jacob Rheuban, sit on the board of the US-Ukraine Business Council.

On 11/12/08, Katsof issued a press release about the Doheny Group's plan to invest $100 million or more in Georgia to build 100 megawatts of hydroelectricity facilities. Apparently, the US government has made a $1 billion two-year pledge to help rebuild Georgia after the war.

The Doheny Group website has photos of Katsof with everyone from Tom Ridge to Gary Bauer.

According to Richard Silverstein at the Tikun Olam website (linked in previous comment), Irwin Katsof was one of the founders of the anti-Muslim Clarion Fund, the political arm of a Aish HaTorah, "a network of Jewish educational centers in 35 branches on five continents."

Silverstein has been trying to figure out why Aish HaTorah and the Clarion Fund, would be using their films, Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West and Third Jihad, in thinly veiled attempts to help John McCain’s presidential campaign.

In 9/08, the Clarion Fund distributed 28 million dvds with the Obsession film on it through newspapers in mostly swing states. The NY Times was one of the papers.

30,000 copies of the film were distributed for free to members of the right wing Republican Jewish Coalition. (I seem to recall the RJC was up to some kind of campaign shenanigans.)

The National Republican Trust PAC is linked to the Orthodox Jewish community through Jonathan Ambush, NRT PAC assistant treasurer, and Sherman F. Sosnow, the Brooklyn attorney who registered the Philipse Brook Group on behalf of, I assume, Joe Mercurio.

It's a fair bet that at least half of the $0 million in contributions to the National Republican Trust PAC are not itemized.

I pieced together some info re Washington Center For Peace & Justice.

The organization was first registered in 12/19/00 in Maryland as "The Washington Peace Center, Inc.", not to be confused with the left-leaning organization of many years, the Washington Peace Center.

The original articles of incorporation are not online but the info on the MD SoS site does not indicate that it was non-profit. The center's address was given as 3205 Nerak Road, Baltimore MD 21208. The registered agent was Joshua M. Ambush at the same address.

In 3/02, Ambush filed a change of name amendment, changing the center's name to "The Washington Center For Peace and Justice, Inc."

Peter Leitner is listed as president and Vaughn Forrest as secretary on the name change amendment. Vaughn S. Forrest, former chief of staff for Rep. Bill McCollum (R-FL), is linked to a number of shadowy intelligence ops including Iran Contra. More later.

In July 2002, another amendment was submitted, changing the center's purpose. The directors are listed as follows:

Peter Leitner - President
Ken Stenthem - Vice President
James Cole - Secretary/Treasurer

The center's registration was suspended in 10/04 for failure to file a personal property return.

It was revived on 3/17/08 by Ambush, now at 1726 Reisertown Road in Baltimore. On 3/20/08, Ambush filed a lawsuit in the center's name against the State Dept. in the Isaac Hersch case (see above).

Around 2002, some Arab-run websites posted the exact same complaint about the center's Saudi bashing:

"The Washington Center for Peace and Justice, Inc., a charitable organization based in Arlington, VA, has an elegant Web site that focuses on “victims of Saudi kidnapping” and calls for a boycott of Saudi oil import. Featured on the Web site are the gripping June 2002 testimonies before the US House of Representatives by Monica Stowers, Pat Roush and Ria Davis. Also to be found on the Web site is a statement by discredited terrorist expert Daniel Pipes, who wages a vicious personal crusade against Islam in the press. Thanks to this organization, Saudi Arabia, whose nationals are involved in 46 child custody cases, receives more adverse publicity and public scrutiny, than, for example, Germany, with 116 similar “kidnapping” cases."

The center doesn't appear to be online anymore and I can't find the old internet address.

Even though the center does not appear to be currently operating, Leitner continues to give the impression that it is.

From a Leitner bio:

"He is also the President of the Washington Center for Peace & Justice a non-profit organization providing assistance to victims of terrorism and their families. Dr. Leitner holds the Power of Attorney for the family and estate of John O'Neill the former head of counterterrorism for the FBI who was killed in the collapse of the World Trade Center. He is managing three major 9-11 cases in the Federal court in NY on behalf of the O'Neill's. He also assists children and parents victimized by child abductions to Saudi Arabia by former spouses. The Center assists victims obtain legal counsel and helps advance their cause in the United Nations and other national and international fora."

More later.

Tight group, this bunch. As noted above, Ken Stethem was appointed vice president of Leitner's Washington Center For Peace & Justice in 7/02.

In 1985, Stethem's brother, Robert, a Navy Seabee diver, was on a TWA flight hijacked by Hezbollah to Lebanon. When Hezbollah's demands were not met, they tortured Stethem, then shot him and dumped his body on the tarmac at the Beirut airport. To honor Robert Stethem, the Navy named a destroyer the "Robert Stethem".

In 2005, Robert Stethem's name was again in the news because one of the hijackers in prison in Germany was released in exchange for a German woman held by terrorists.

Ken Stethem was interviewed a number of times about how he and his family felt about the release of the hijacker.

Kenneth J. Stethem, retired Navy Seal and explosive ordinance disposal expert, is now in the stun gun business. He owns Aegis Industries which has a fancy website but doesn't list a physical address.

Yossef Bodansky is a on the Aegis board of advisors:

"Until December 2004, Yossef was the Director of the Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare at the US House of Representatives. He remains as advisor to the US Congress. He is also the Director of Research at the International Strategic Studies Association, as well as a Senior Editor for the Defense and Foreign Affairs group of publications. He is the author of nine books ...

In the 1980s, he acted as a senior consultant for the US Department of Defense and the US Department of State. He was also a visiting scholar in the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. He is the only representative from Congress at the US-Russia Dialogue Group and at the US-European Dialogue Group: The Transatlantic Drift. He is the Senior Professional Staff of the Leadership of the US House of Representatives responsible for the analysis of the situation in key regions of the world, and for formulating US policy towards the important countries in those regions. An important part of his task is maintaining contact with the highest level of select few Governments in order to better understand their positions."

I'm starting to wonder if these guys are fooling around in the over-the-counter market which everyone knows is crooked.

In late 2006, Aegis Industries was supposed to merge with a publicly traded penny stock company with no operations namd Major Creations after another Navy Seal, Philip Evancoe, had just beeen named president of Major.

In a series of 8-Ks filed with the SEC, Major Creations became Fortified Holdings, then somehow it was Aegis Industries. But the merger with Stethem's Aegis Industries had fallen through and the new Aegis Industries merged with another company, Z5.

I have no idea how two Aegis Industries came about or why but it doesn't sound right to me.

Also in late 2006, AFG BioSolutions, Inc. was involved with another penny stock, Viragen, that has since stopped trading.

Oddball website: Non-Lethal Weapons

Scary website: PA Terror Panel

Wingnuts at work. Peter Leitner holds seminars in Jupiter and Boca Raton in which he advises senior citizens about how to i.d. a terrorist.

From the website of the Citizens for National Security (CNS), a membership-fee nonprofit organization:

"There is a large body of ordinary citizens within the U.S. population which is vitally concerned over threats to our national security - and would like to become proactive in addressing them. They cut through all segments of our society, from youthful leaders in the private sector to seniors with a great deal of available time and a lifetime of potentially valuable experience. They all see themselves as patriots, however, and want to contribute in some way to thwarting those that seek to bring us harm. Citizens for National Security educates, motivates and activates these people.

Citizens for National Security (CNS), a membership-fee nonprofit organization:

Distributes documents, CD's and e-mails containing insider information related to intelligence and national security;

Establishes face-to-face member contact through regional and national conferences, seminars and workshops;

Guarantees instant 7x24 response to members who report suspicious activities or behavior which might be associated with terrorism or other extremist threats;

Provides an interactive e-mail and telephone clearinghouse for dialogue on matters of national security with CNS principals and their team;

Organizes task forces to focus and act upon specific issues - for example, the penetration of radical Islamic ideology into public K-12 school programs.

CNS fills a vital need. With its people, contacts and experiences in the intelligence and national security arenas, and its concept of two-way dialogue with its members, it offers an efficient forum and format that brings concerned citizens into the national security mix."

Check out the senior citizens in the photo taken at a CNS seminar in Boca on how to identfy a terrorist.

The CNS has six "task forces" which members of the CNS community can join and contribute to.

Here is Task Force #6:

TASK FORCE 6. Examine Florida K-12 public school programs to determine the extent of Islamic influence on curricula, student clubs, joint school/community projects, etc.

Learn the process for how books are selected.
See who is on the boards for choosing the books.

Determine the book selection criteria.

Find out the names of publishing companies and organizations which provide deliberately biased books and teaching materials regarding the Middle East.

Find out names and backgrounds of administrators and teachers responsible for initiating, promoting or influencing Islamic student groups.

Identify relationships between Islamic student clubs and groups, and Islamic community organizations.

Let me try again.

I posted about Joe Mercurio and the Republican National Trust PAC at Room 8 because it is frequented by NYC insider political types. In fact, Mercurio has posted there on occasion.

In my last comment, I meant to say that the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET)was reportedly involved in producing "Obsession" and I think Leitner is involved with the EMET.

I know Leitner has ties to Frank Gaffney, Daniel Pipes and James Woolsey who are on the EMET advisory board.

Note this announcement about the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Policy Seminar Series:

Official transcript of the recent seminar that EMET held on Capitol Hill regarding the Saudi penetration into our national infrastructures.

The Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Policy Seminar Series

SEPTEMBER 11TH MEMORIAL POLICY SEMINAR

WELCOME AND MODERATOR:
SARAH STERN,
PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER,
ENDOWMENT FOR MIDDLE EAST TRUTH

SPEAKERS:

ALI AL AHMED, DIRECTOR,
INSTITUTE FOR GULF AFFAIRS

E.J. KIMBALL,
THE INVESTIGATIVE PROJECT ON TERRORISM

REED RUBINSTEIN,
ATTORNEY, GREENBERG TRAURIG LAW FIRM

ILAN WEINGLASS,
EDITOR, TERROR FINANCE BLOG

FRANK GAFFNEY, JR.,
PRESIDENT, THE CENTER FOR SECURITY POLICY

WINFIELD MYERS,
DIRECTOR, CAMPUS WATCH

ANDREW COCHRAN,
CO-CHAIR, THE COUNTERTERRORISM FOUNDATION

SANDRA ALFONSI,
CHAIR, CURRICULUM WATCH

ANNE KORIN,
CO-DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR ANALYSIS OF GLOBAL SECURITY

=================================================
Followed by:

On Wednesday, September 10, 2008, EMET hosted the first Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Policy Seminar Series to a packed house on Capitol Hill.

In attendance were members of congress, staffers, members of the Washington policy establishment, and the public at larger. This seminar was devoted to the memory of the 2,974 Americans who had lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and explored the many subtle and pernicious ways that the Saudi, with their vast petro fortunes, have successfully penetrated into the American infrastructure and our national way of life.

Ali Ahmed, the Director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs, spoke about the Saudi culture of corruption and intimidation, and how it has made its way into the United States.

E.J. Kimball, of The Investigative Project on Terrorism, spoke about the so-called, "mainstream", U.S. Muslim organizations, such as the Council for American Islamic Relations,(CAIR), and how they are directly connected to the Muslim Brotherhood and the Saudi Royal Family.

Reed Rubenstein, of the law firm of Greenberg Traurig, presented the evidence that had linked CAIR to various terrorist groups in the Middle East, as well as the Saudi Royal Family and Muslim Brotherhood, and how that had successfully been used to prevent CAIR from suing the American intellectual and academic, Andrew Whitehead.

Ilan Weinglass, the editor of The Terror Finance Blog, spoke about Rachel Ehrenfeld's case, and how the Saudis have used foreign courts to suppress the freedom of speech of American writers and journalists.

Sarah Stern, Founder and President of EMET, spoke about Title VI of the Higher Education Act, and how the Saudis have been using a little-known loop-hole in the law, to educate, on American Middle Eastern Studies programs on college campuses, the teachers of American youngsters from Kindergarten through twelfth grade, and how the Saudi American oil conglomerate, ARAMCO, is funding the curriculum guides.

Frank Gaffney, President of the Center for Security Policy, spoke about the Saudi penetration into our nation's financial infrastructure, and "Shariah Financing", or how the Saudis have made some of our financial houses compliant to Shariah law.

Winfield Myers, the Director of Campus Watch, discussed the Saudi funding of the American college campus, and its inhibitive effect on objective scholarship.

Andrew Cochran, Co-Chair, of the Counter-Terrorism Foundation discussed the Islamic Saudi Academy of Northern Virginia and how American Muslim students there are being incited to commit "jihad" on American soil, as well as the reluctance of certain American government officials to take the appropriate actions.

Dr. Sandra Alfonsi of Curriculum Watch discussed the Islamist revisionism in American textbooks, and how certain Muslim American groups have gotten involved in the "vetting process" of what American students study.

And finally, Anne Korin, Co-Director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, spoke about the REAL root cause of the problem, our dependence on foreign oil, and the state of alternative energy, research and development.

Because the extent of the Saudi tentacles on the American infrastructure are so vast and so deep, EMET has decided to continue our investigation and disclosure of this subject with Part II of the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Policy Series on Capitol Hill, next month.

EMET – Taking Middle East Foreign Policy by Storm

The Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET) is an explicitly pro-Israel and pro-American think tank and policy institute in Washington, D.C. Our mission is to inspire an intellectual revolution. For years, policy makers in Washington have been operating on a "land for peace" foreign policy paradigm which has empirically proven to be fundamentally flawed. Sadly, very few other think tank or policy centers in Washington have the intellectual honesty and integrity to examine whether this paradigm has indeed brought us closer to the goal-post of 'peace,' or if in fact, it has endangered both Israel and the survival of the free, Western world, as we know it.

Despite the fact that EMET is only two years old, we managed to accomplish much more than many older and much wealthier organizations that have been around for decades. Day by day we are making a positive difference, standing up for Israel on the ‘front lines’ of foreign policy.

Recent Activities
Over the past few months we have been extremely busy. Our annual Rays of Light in the Darkness Dinner was held in June. This event honored those few Muslim and Arab intellectuals who have risked everything to speak out about their experiences regarding radical Islam. The efforts of these courageous individuals, some of whom have fatwas placed on their heads have been, up until now, wholly underappreciated. We are proud and humbled to take up the slack and give these heroes the recognition they deserve. This year’s event, held on Capitol Hill, was a resounding success. Over 200 people came to honor the nominees, Wafa Sultan, Zeyno Baran and Farid Ghadry. In addition, we honored three Americans for their service to the truth, syndicated columnist Cal Thomas, Representative Shelley Berkley (D- NV) and Representative Jim Saxton (R-NJ).

To see excerpts of the speeches given, click below:

Wafa Sultan
Farid Ghadry
Zeyno Baran

EMET also strives to influence policy as much as possible by writing articles relevant to Israel’s security. Our articles and letters are not only published on our website, but have been included in a host of publications, such as

The New Republic online
Commentary
The Jerusalem Post
Washington Jewish Week
Middle East Quarterly

As always, our articles deal with the most pressing issues facing Israel. Two of our latest pieces include dealing with Syria’s disingenuous peace overtures and a nuclear Iran.

In addition, we at EMET aim to educate as much as possible through direct discussions about security issues relevant to Israel, such as the peace process and the Iranian nuclear threat. Two of our fellows recently spoke to a group of Oxford and Cambridge students on these very issues, as well as defending Israel from attacks on college campuses.

What is it about Wisconsin this year?

At the request of the Republican Party, Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen attempted to suppress voter turnout and the party hired infamous voter registration fraudster, Nathan Sproul, to register WI "voters". (Sproul stiffed his workers as usual.)

Scott E. Detweiler's Maelstrom Technology Solutions ran the Wisconsin Republican Party's online operations as well as JB Van Hollen's.

Detweiler makes no pretense about being a staunch supporter of the Repubican Party.

It is no surprise that Maelstrom Solutions processes credit card contributions for the National Republican Trust PAC.

The company also manages the Coalition for America's Families website. The Coalition is run by former head of the Wisconsin GOP, Steve King, who has recently taken heat for the Coalition's controversial ads.

King reportedly is the Nixon security guard who manhandled Martha Mitchell during Watergate when she tried to call Helen Thomas.

In 2002, the Coalition was Allen Raymond's biggest client. Raymond, of course, was convicted in the NH phone jamming scandal.

In 2004 and 2005, the Coalition's revenue was less than $400k, according to 990s filed with the IRS. In 2006, the date of the most recent 990 available online, revenue jumped to $2.4 million of which $1.3 million went to consulting fees.

The names of the Coalition's benefactors are not public.

National Republican Trust PAC's Reverend Wright ad sightings:

Sunday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Amazing Race
Morning Joe
Rachel Maddow
Lou Dobbs
Keith Olbermann
Hardball
Saturday Night Live special prior to McCain's SNL appearance
CNN

Pennsylvania
Michigan
New York
Florida
Ohio
Illinois
North Dakota
Arkansas
Texas
Colorado
Virginia
Washington
Missouri
Oregon
Tennessee
California
New Mexico
Kansas
Minnesota
Oklahoma
North Carolina
Nevada
Louisiana
New Hampshire
New Jersey
Georgia
Indiana

New Room 8 post about the NRT PAC and Obsession film.

Sheinkopf, Roger Stone and Al Sharpton circa 2004, per Village Voice story by Wayne Barrett.

According to the Center for Public Integrity, Dick Morris brought Hank Sheinkopf into Clinton's 1996 campaign.

Sheinkopf Communicatons has interesting clients.

Per Elizabeth Benjamin in the NY Daily News:

“I’m a member of the Harmonie Club, and I’m not a racist,” said Democratic political consultant Hank Sheinkopf. “Anyone who wants to join just have to apply and go through the administrative process, just like everybody else.”