Huckabee’s Money Trail…
1994: Action America – Huckabee takes $71,500 from Big Tabacco then supports a smoking ban
NEWSWEEK reported in an article entitled, A Pastor’s True Calling that Huckabee and friends set up a secretive non-profit group and “incorporated in Texas because ‘we didn’t want anybody to find out about it.’” They called it Action America and eventually “$71,500 was paid directly to Huckabee as payment for speeches and traveling expenses.” The group’s largest donor was none other than R.J. Reynolds, the tobacco giant, who kicked in $40,000. “The company hoped to use Huckabee’s political skills to drum up grass-roots opposition to the national health-care plan then being pushed by First Lady Hillary Clinton. The idea was that Huckabee would fly around the country persuading evangelicals to come out against the Clinton proposal, which included a cigarette tax.” But the relationship soured when “Huckabee signed a statewide ban on smoking in the workplace. ‘I just felt like he was betraying some of the people who helped him when he needed it,’” said one of the R.J. Reynolds consultants that helped Huckabee set the organization up.
2007: 12 Stops Inc. – Huckabee takes $35,000 from biomedical company as he opposes embryonic stem-cell research. He also received royalties when the company arranged to purchased and translate 35,000 copies of his book.
The Wall Street Journal and Caucus Cooler report that in 2007 Mike Huckabee took $35,000 in speaking fees from Novo Nordisk through his organization 12 Stops Inc. Huckabee was further linked to the company when they purchased 35,000 copies of his book and arranged to have it translated into Spanish for distribution.
Novo Nordisk engages in embryonic stem-cell research, an issue for which Huckabee has been an outspoken oponent. Here is a quote from the policy position on the Novo Nordisk site:
Novo Nordisk, along with the majority of the scientists working within the field of stem cell research, finds that it is essential at this time to proceed with research in both adult and embryonic stem cells in parallel.
You’ll recall that earlier this year Mitt took substantial flack simply for unknowingly investing in Novo Nordisk through a blind trust. When he became aware of the issue Romney immediately instructed his trustee of the blind trust to “endeavor to make my investments conform with my positions, and I am confident that he will.”
Note the double standard and disparity in coverage here. There’s a profound difference between inadvertently investing in a company (Romney) and creating a speaking and business arrangement (Huckabee).
We’ll see if Mike takes a similar approach to Mitt and returns the speaking fees and book royalties that he received.