From Daily Kos... _____________________ Bush Campaign Paying Firm That Specializes In Paramilitaries by DHinMI Fri Mar 19th, 2004 at 22:13:05 GMT There are plenty of things a campaign must pay for, but the Bush campaign may be the first presidential campaign to employ a company that specializes in paramilitary protection. In reports filed today with the Federal Election Commission, the Bush campaign showed February receipts of $13.7 million, and cash on hand of $110 million. Obviously much of that money will be spent on television advertising. But a quick look at Bush's FEC filing shows something curious--they paid almost $200,000 to Vance International for "personnel services/equipment." Vance International may not be familiar to a lot of people, but they should be, because they are the Pinkertons of our era. Vance was founded and until recently run by Chuck Vance, a former Secret Service agent who at one time was married to Gerald Ford's daughter. Vance used his Secret Service background in security and investigation to specialize in providing security during labor disputes. From the strikes at Pittston Coal, to Caterpillar, to Detroit Newspapers, if there was violence on the picket line of a high-profile strike, it was most likely provoked by the maladjusted ex-soldiers, angry cop wanna-be's, and CIA rejects who wear the jack-boots of Vance's Asset Protection Team: Professional and responsive asset protection services has made our Asset Protection Team (APT) the undisputed leader in the field of labor unrest and major event security since 1985. APT provides security personnel who are trained to protect people and property during potentially disruptive situations, such as strikes, union organizing drives, and plant closings. In addition, APT supplies seasoned professionals during special events and emergency situations, including traveling exhibits, conferences, demonstrations, fund-raising events, and man-made and natural disasters. Discipline and restraint characterize APT, whose operations pioneered the use of photo and video documentation. Our capabilities include business interruption contingency planning and consulting, security personnel and services (e.g., access control, critical area monitoring, crowd control and observation, photo documentation, and emergency response), logistics support, and pre- and post-crisis counseling. Here are just a few capabilities that Vance believes set it apart from their competition: ·Client choice of uniform style ranging from discreet, non-threatening attire to full riot gear ·Full-time executive protection agents and investigators ·Evidence technicians and coordinators to cross-index photos and videotape ·35mm and video equipment; long-range and night vision lenses available ·Pre- and post-incident counseling by forensic psychologist Provoking picket line violenceAsset protection isn't Vance's only business. They provide executive protection, investigate current and prospective employees, and consult on security matters for corporations, governments and wealthy individuals around the world. (They've just opened an office in--you guessed it--Iraq.) But George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and their families and top aides already received protection from a pretty good outfit known as the Secret Service. So, here's the question to the Bush campaign: What possible legitimate use do you have for a firm that specializes in high-tech surveillance, personal investigations, and paramilitary protection? ---------------- Yesterday I posted that Vance International, a firm that specializes in, among other things, Secret Service-like personal protection, surveillance, and corporate security during labor disputes, had received almost $200,000 from the Bush-Cheney campaign committee. I was wrong. Since July, Bush-Cheney Inc. has paid Vance International and one of its subsidiaries approximately $750,000. Should they continue at their current rate, by election day the Bush campaign will have paid over $1.5 million to a firm known for high-tech security and surveillance and low-tech picket line thuggery. Since September 15th, Bush-Cheney Inc. has made 15 payments totaling $626,727.90 to Vance International for "equipment/personnel services." (Citations can be found below.) Prior to that, between July 11th, 2003 and August 26th, 2003, the campaign made 7 payments totaling $122,421.78 to Vance Uniformed Protection, a subsidiary of Vance International. The Bush HQ in Arlington VA occupies several floors of an office building, and upscale office buildings such as this one typically provide security for their tenants. It's not unreasonable to accept that the Bush campaign would want to have additional security of its own on the floors it occupies, but that requires a far smaller presence than securing an entire building, parking lots, and the surrounding area. So again, it's hard to imagine that the campaign has standard office security needs that cost $1,500,000.00 per year. Many folks here and elsewhere have commented that the press should pursue this issue and ask why the Bush campaign is paying so much to a security firm, especially one with such an unsavory record for being associated with violence during labor disputes. It's possible there is a very simple and reasonable answer, but it would be nice to see someone ask the question. This time it might happen, in part because some of Vance's most heavy-handed incidents have been against members of the Newspaper Guild, some of whom were among the 61 Detroit newspaper strikers in the mid-1990's who were "attacked or injured by scabs, [Vance] security guards, or police...The injured include 15 who have been run over by cars and 19 or 20 who were assaulted." Vance was also called in on the Seattle newspaper strike a few years later, by which time the company learned to tighten Vance's leash and the strikers knew about the Vance goons' bite. And it's not just Detroit and Seattle journalists who know about Vance' role on picket lines; in 1997 the Columbia Journalism Review published an analysis of the Detroit strike written by Mike Hoyt, CJR's executive editor, and NPR's Don Gonyea, whose beat included organized labor before he became NPR's White House correspondent. Surely Mr. Gonyea, a good reporter who has seen first-hand the Vance goons in actions on several occasions, might be at least a wee bit curious about this? In their October quarterly report, the Bush campaign reported payments to Vance Uniformed Protection on 07/11/03, 07/23/03, 07/28/03, 07/30/03, and 08/26/03. The same report also showed 4 payments to Vance International on 09/15/03. The Year End report showed single payments to Vance International on 10/20/03, 11/25/03, and 12/16/03. In their February monthly report, the Bush campaign showed one payment to Vance International on 01/09/04. Their March report shows 7 payments, all on 02/05/04. One final thing. The Bush campaign has been repeating the same error on each of its reports. Vance International is located, as listed in the Bush CFR's, at Suite 210, 10467 White Granite Dr, in Virginia, and the ZIP code is in fact 22124. But Vance isn't located in Roanoke, it's in Oakton.
This smells fishy. I would like to see more investigation on this. Of course it could lead nowhere, and turn out to just be a little paranoia by the administration, but I definitely want to know if the whitehouse has a goon squad going out and starting trouble.
I thought a bit before I posted this, thinking that there is probably a legitimate explanation. Then I remembered who is paying these guys...
