Perry Donor's Radioactive Waste Site Deal Scrutinized

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http://www.npr.org/2011/09/15/140506401/perry-donors-radioactive-waste-site-deal-scrutinized

by Peter Overby

September 15, 2011

<snip>Perry defended taking a contribution from a drug company and then mandating use of the company's new vaccine. "I raised about $30 million, and if you're saying I can be bought for $5,000, I'm offended," he said.

Actually, the drug company, Merck, has given Perry $28,500 overall. But that's still pocket change compared with what Perry's truly big donors have given.

In his career as governor of Texas, a state where millionaires are plentiful and contribution limits are lax, Perry has raised about half his campaign cash from just 204 big donors, according to an analysis by the watchdog group Texans for Public Justice. And his administration has helped many of those donors, even when it comes to disposing of radioactive waste. snip

Perry donor Harold Simmons, an 80-year-old billionaire, is a political player. He gave millions of dollars to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth in 2004, financing ads that knee-capped Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry.

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1. Merck also contributed $337,000 to the Republican Governors Association

for which Rick Perry was chairman until he resigned to launch his primary presidential campaign. That was $337,000 that Perry was able to direct into various election campaigns.