Update on Rick Santorum's "Charity"

An eagle-eyed reader of this blog e-mailed me this link this morning.

The story, by Channel 4's Jim Parsons, was broadcast this past Wednesday and it looks like Parsons has dug up even more dirt on "Operation Good Neighbor" Rick Santorum's "charity."

The thing that makes me very happy is that I was writing about this last month. So maybe it means that Jim Parsons reads this blog. Maybe not. Maybe it means that I'm so good at this blogging thing that I'm actually a few weeks ahead of Pittsburgh's TV news stations! Maybe not.

Anyway, here's the story's lede:

Senator Rick Santorum calls himself the Republican point man on lobbying reform in Washington.

But Santorum's reform plan doesn't deal at all with lobbyists running charities on behalf of members of Congress.

Good thing for the Senator, because Team 4 has discovered that's exactly who's in charge of his charity, Operation Good Neighbor.

But we kinda already knew that.

Parsons reported that almost half ($216,000 out of $501,000) of the money donated to community organizations (mostly in Philadelphia) went for "unexplained travel and meetings" through 2004. Lil Ricky doesn't want to mix the charity with politics.

Bad choice of words, Rick. You opened yourself up for Parsons to say this:

But politics is involved in the charity. Santorum put political lobbyists and campaign staffers in charge of Operation Good Neighbor.

Parsons then goes on to discuss the politicos who are active with Rick's "charity." The tasty morsel happens right there. Check this paragraph out:

Barbara Bonfiglio is treasurer of Operation Good Neighbor. She's also treasurer of Santorum's reelection campaign and his political action committee, America's Foundation. Bonfiglio is a principal in Williams and Jensen, a top Washington lobbying firm.

When I wrote about her last month, I didn't know that along with being the treasurer to Both Rick's "leadership PAC" and his "charity" she's also the treasurer to Rick Santorum's reelection campaign.

Small world, ain't it?

I have to end this posting with some of our junior Senator's choiciest weasel words in some time. Parsons, bless his heart, actually got some face time with Rick. Here's it is:

Parsons: "Why are you paying a lobbyist, Rob Bickhart, to run that charity of yours?"

Santorum: "Well, first of all, he's not a lobbyist, No. 1."

Parsons: "Well, he's a principal in a lobbying firm."

Santorum: "No, he's a principal in a public affairs firm, a government relations firm. And he does a whole bunch of other things."

But Capitol Resource Group's Web site clearly lists lobbying as a service it provides to clients.

And just last month, when Sen. Arlen Specter was facing questions about his ties to lobbyists, published reports in the Post-Gazette and New York Times said Bickhart and his Capitol Resources Group lobbied Specter.

Parsons: "Sen. Specter said last month that he was lobbied by Rob."

Santorum: "That's fine. Look, the bottom line is, I have a charity … My name is associated as the founder."

"Beyond that, the operation of the board is the board's decision. It's not my decision," Santorum said.

But Santorum is chairman of the board for Operation Good Neighbor, according to the charity's most recent IRS tax filings.

Rick's the Chairman of the Board? For a board that he says he doesn't have any control over??

I especially like how when confronted with a fact that he couldn't weasel away from (that Rob Bickhart lobbied Senator Spector) Rick did what every weaselly politician does, he changed the subject. But Rick, and I am assuming he had that "deer in the headlights" look going on right about that time, changed the subject into something ELSE he would stumble on - the Governing Board of his "charity."

Rick Santorum - Best friend to lobbyists everywhere (on K Street).