COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Mastermind of $850,000 smear campaign against Occupy Wall Street co-hosting Mitt Romney fundraiser

Two weeks ago, a leaked secret memo written by a Republican lobbying firm, Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford, outlined an $850,000 plan for the American Bankers Association (ABA) to combat the growing resonance of the Occupy Wall Street movement’s message — that we need an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthiest 1 Percent. (The ABA claims the smear campaign proposal was unsolicited and that they decided not to act on it.)

Today, Politico Influence reports that one of the four masterminds of the proposed smear campaign, Republican lobbyist Sam Gelduldig, will be co-hosting a Young Professionals for Mitt Romney fundraiser in Washington D.C on December 14. Before becoming a lobbyist Geduldig was a top adviser to House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH). This year, Geduldig has lobbied on behalf of various finance industry clients, including the ABA, Financial Services Roundtable, Financial Services Forum, MasterCard, American Insurance Association, and Koch Industries (whic