WASHINGTON - The Minnesota DFL called Tuesday on Sen. Norm Coleman to divest campaign donations made by employees of a firm that lobbied for Myanmar's junta, three days after the firm's chief executive resigned as coordinator of this year's Republican National Convention.
The Coleman campaign quickly rejected the call and tried to turn the tables by questioning likely DFL opponent Al Franken's role in improper financing at his old employer, Air America Radio.
At issue are donations from DCI Group's political action committee and employees. The firm's chief executive, Doug Goodyear, who had been picked by John McCain's campaign to run the convention in St. Paul, resigned from that role Saturday after Newsweek reported that the company was paid $348,000 in 2002 and 2003 to represent Myanmar's military government.
The DFL urged Coleman, R-Minn., to donate to charity the roughly $10,000 in donations made to his campaign and leadership PAC by DCI's PAC and employees, including Goodyear.
"Senator Coleman should rid himself of tainted contributions from DCI, a lobbying firm that has represented an oppressive regime that is denying vital assistance to its own people during a time of crisis," DFL Party Chairman Brian Melendez said.
He also called on Coleman to reveal what he discussed with DCI lobbyists, including whether the firm lobbied him on behalf of Myanmar's junta.
Human rights organizations and dissident groups have bitterly accused the junta of neglecting disaster victims and blocking foreign donations of relief supplies following the May 3 cyclone. The United Nations estimates the death toll could be between 62,000 and 100,000.
Justice Department records show DCI signed a contract to work to "improve relations between the United States and Myanmar" and to act as the junta's public relations agent in Washington.
In a statement, Coleman campaign spokesman Tom Erickson referenced an improper $875,000 transfer from the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club in New York City to the liberal radio network Air America when Franken was a star host there. That transfer prompted a probe by the city's Department of Investigation.
"Franken continues to remain silent about his role in this matter," Erickson said. "As for returning a legal contribution from an individual and company engaged in legal activities, of course we will not be returning the contribution."
In 2005, the new owners of the Air America, Piquant, returned the money to the children's organization.
"Norm Coleman took nearly $10,000 from a firm representing an oppressive military regime," Franken campaign spokesman Andy Barr said in an e-mail. "He won't return the money, and he won't say what he did in return for it. That's shocking. And if the best he can do by way of explaining this stunning and suspicious behavior is to recycle long-discredited smears, Minnesotans are going to start to wonder if there isn't an even uglier story soon to come."
Campaign finance records show that Coleman and his leadership PAC received a total of just under $8,000 from DCI partners and other high-ranking officials in 2004 and 2007. DCI's PAC donated $2,000 to Coleman in 2007. He is one of nine Senate candidates — including five Democrats — to receive donations from the PAC in this election cycle.
