U.S. Chamber broadens attack on Think Progress, alleges Soros-funded plot to silence business

With Dems seizing on Think Progress' allegations that U.S. Chamber of Commerce attack ads may be partly funded with foreign cash, the Chamber sends over its most detailed response yet to the charges, leveling the scorching claim that the liberal blog is part of a Soros-funded plot to stifle the free speech of corporations.

The Chamber's response, from spokesperson Tita Freeman, concerns what are known as "AmChams," or foreign chapters of the Chamber that raise money from foreign corporations and send dues to the Chamber's American headquarters. Think Progress alleged that such dues go into the same general fund that bankrolls the Chamber's multimillion dollar ad campaign against Democrats.

Ms. Freeman, providing more of a glimpse into the Chamber's books than it had previously, says that only a total of roughly $100,000 in dues come in from the AmChams annually -- which is dwarfed by the millions and millions the Chamber is spending on ads:

These accusations by a George Soros-funded, anti-business blog (not a "report," as some in the media are saying) are unfounded, deceitful, and completely erroneous. They are a desperate attempt to silence those who support free enterprise, and a diversion by people upset about their grim prospects in the upcoming election. AmChams are independent organizations, created to represent American companies in overseas markets, and they do not fund U.S. Chamber political programs. Collectively, AmChams pay nominal dues to the Chamber -- approximately $100,000 total across all 115 AmChams. Those dues fund our international programs and have nothing to do with our voter education programs... The Chamber's 300,000 members, a relative handful are non-U.S. based companies. The entire storyline is fallacious and indicates the sad state of journalism. Today, "Think Progress," or anyone else with an axe to grind, can create stories out of whole cloth that are then legitimized by the traditional media. The real motivation behind Think Progress' blog is clearly to take business and its representative organizations out of the advocacy process (whether it be legislative or commenting on a member of Congress' record) -- a playing field that is not exactly level when you consider that labor unions and their allies far outspend business on election efforts.

When I asked Ms. Freeman whether the dues from AmChams go into the same general fund that bankrolls the Chamber's ads, she declined to answer. "We don't feel obligated to answer that question because we follow all applicable law, and no foreign money funds our voter education activities," Freeman told me.

As for the Chamber's new claims about AmChams, the original Think Progress post argued that the Chamber also raises money separately from foreign companies that goes into its general fund. With regard to the Chamber's comparison to labor union spending, the political activities of unions are monitored by the Labor Department and union political spending is bankrolled by membership dues.

I've reached out to Think Progress for a response to the Chamber's latest counterattack, which seems likely to up the temperature and keep the story going.

