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Is Obama’s Fmr Comm. Dir. Exploiting White House Contacts? ‘Pissed Off’ Democrats Think So

Oct. 23, 2012 7:21am Mytheos Holt

Former White House Communications Director Anita Dunn is no stranger to controversy. After having been exposed as an admirer of the Communist Chinese dictator Mao Tse Tung in 2010, Dunn seemed to fade from public view. She left her post as White House Communications Director much the same way avowed communist and truther Van Jones abandoned his post as Green Jobs Czar, and much like Jones, receded to private practice and contributor gigs on the major news shows.

Until now.

Through a good chunk of the 2012 election, Dunn has become an increasingly vital force within the Obama campaign, helping with the President’s debate prep (she played Candy Crowley in the preparation for last week’s town hall debate) and offering strategic pointers on White House communications strategies. It’s a lurch back into the halls of power that has many questioning whether Dunn can manage to neatly separate her job as a private communications consultant from her position as a White House adviser, or if she is actually – unethically – using her access to the President to bolster her private work.

Nor is this concern over Dunn’s influence within the administration limited to the President’s critics. Many Democrats, especially from the Clinton era, are disgusted by what they perceive as an ethical lapse from the standards practiced by former President Clinton, according to the Daily Beast:

A White House aide conceded being “pissed off” by the story, expressing concern that Mitt Romney could use it to ridicule Obama’s pledges to change Washington’s political culture.

[...]

As a consultant, not a registered lobbyist, Dunn is not covered by the same ethics rules that mandate disclosing clients or activities. She was required to heed rules for exiting political appointees, effectively barring direct communication with administration officials on behalf of clients for two years.

Still, her activities have troubled even some of her allies, who point to revolving door precedents in Washington and worry that Dunn’s work may have strained those standards. She maintained frequent contacts with the White House while her firm was representing a growing list of companies with interests in government policy. [...]

Criticism of Dunn came, too, from a former high-ranking Clinton administration official who remains friends with many in the Obama administration and thus also requested anonymity.

“I cannot imagine anyone with that kind of ongoing practice being allowed to be a regular participant in White House meetings under Clinton—or any other president,” he said.

Under Clinton, [Chief of Staff] Leon Panetta would have shut it down in a minute,” the former Clinton official argued in an email regarding Dunn’s White House visits. “And it is accentuated by the fact she is obviously profiteering massively and quickly from perceived access—firm doubling to 60 employees since she came back from the White House in 2009!”

To be fair to Dunn, she has apparently been operating under self-imposed, strict rules in terms that outstrip ethical guidelines and the law regarding how she handles access. Nevertheless, for those with a background in Washington business, her conflict of interest still smells funny, though by no means unique. Such conflicts of interest are not only common, but almost expected in the nation’s capital, and the big question among Washington insiders is often not so much whether to trade access for money, but simply to what degree one can do that before falling afoul of the law (as in the case of lobbyist Jack Abramoff).

Nevertheless, the criticism of Dunn also suggests another problem for Democrats — namely, publicized friction in the Obama campaign. The last time discontent over such a high ranking presidential campaign staffer was expressed, it was in late September over Mitt Romney’s chief strategist, Stuart Stevens. Dunn’s venture onto the hot seat may spell trouble for the Obama camp.

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Comments (41)

drphil69
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 1:14pm
What’s the problem? So she idolizes Mao, what’s the big deal? It’s not like he committed genocide or anything.

Gee, kill 80 million people or so and all of a sudden you are a bad guy?

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- TurboCat
  Posted on October 24, 2012 at 7:13am
  But you see, this administration feels ENTITLED to take such liberties for themselves, dontcha know.
  
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obamas sin laden
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 12:58pm
Voting for obama in 2008 – rank stupidity

Voting for obama in 2012 – TREASON

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- tonypro
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 3:07pm
  Well put.
  
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Small World
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 12:49pm
Amen to all above! I’ll also chip in on the plane ticket but Ovomit needs to go also.

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Jenasus
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 12:39pm
Billy Bob Clintwinsky and Baracky Whoisinsane Obammy are the perfect couple for the gay rights movement.

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- Jenasus
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 12:55pm
  Now french kiss each other and make up Billy and Baracky.
  
  Report this comment
QuincySmith
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 11:31am
“Nor is this concern over Dunn’s influence within the administration limited to the President’s critics. Many Democrats, especially from the Clinton era, are disgusted by what they perceive as an ethical lapse from the standards practiced by former President Clinton….” ~~~ Really, an oblama ethical lapse, really? What ethical standards do the clintons adhere to?

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Outlaw_Josey_Wales
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 11:11am
I would like to buy Anita Dunn a one way ticket to China.

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- jeann
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 11:33am
  I’ll go half with you
  
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- OhioRifleman
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 12:41pm
  I’d go in with you, but it would be a wasted effort. Once she was done touring the old sites of that pudgy pervert Mao, she would still have enough cash to come back and haunt us some more.
  
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vorpal
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 11:05am
It is amazing to me that anyone would hail the “ethics” of the clinton admin…REALLY?
b. hussein’s regime has no ethics so there is no story here – transparency finally arrives albeit too late.

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Rich
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 10:59am
Obama is destroying America. It has only taken 4 years to fall so far. I can’t imagine what we will become if he is re-elected.

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LukeAppling
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 10:48am
Ethics is unknown to Anita Dunn, Obama, Frank Marshall Davis , Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan, Bill Ayers and the hundreds of others in Obama’s past to whom he was very close but they, like Dunn, are explosive people who when their past is exposed Obama shuns[Van Jone et al].
Ethics has gone the way of transparency, truth, college costs and Cass Sunstein as Obama desperately tries to save his office and destroy our country.

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zoro51
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 10:46am
america needs to RID its self form the ISTS there.. COMMUNISTS. SOCIALISTS. MARXIST. LEFTISTS DEMOCRATS.. seems OBAMA has his COMRADES in high places.. IMPEACH N THROW OUT OF THE USA OBAMA NOW RID AMERICA OF THIS FILTH

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nueces
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 10:42am
How far this nation has fallen. The mere fact that Obama is ‘friends’ with any avowed communist should cause him to be impeached … let alone he actually hires them to positions of national import. I hate what has happened so quickly to a once great land.

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- Rich
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 10:58am
  I totally agree with you. I was proud to be an American until Obama began President through lies and deceit. The fact that he is still in power is numbing as he is almost out of the closet. More and more people are waking up to the fact that he is a communist and doesn’t love our consitution or our free enterprise economic system. Obama hates sucessful people and will do just about anything to take their money away from them and distribute it to those at the bottom. Obama is a disgrace and he seems to get away with his destructive ideology to the detriment of the world. Lets pray that Mitt Romney wins so we can purge our government of all communists, muslim brotherhood and others that want to do harm to our way of life.
  
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Cymry
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 10:41am
barry is going to be very p***** off at The Donald very soon.

could it be that Mitt knows what The Donald is going to release and that Mitt’s demeanor during the last debate was directly attributable to that knowledge and the subsequent “relaxed victor” attitude (really not a question).

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Ziggy
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 10:20am
Obama = an angry black man.

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Proverbs17-12NLT
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 10:00am
i gotta say democrat women are the ugliest bunch rejects, bet they don’t trim up either.

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- Midwestgirl1116
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 12:29pm
  Well they say it takes more muscles to frown than smile. I do agree with you!
  
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oldincarolina
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 9:43am
Dunn and Jones should be arrested for even coming close to the White House. It seems to me
that Obama is with them all the way.

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- turkey13
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 10:00am
  Dunn & Van Jones are on one of Obamas Pardon List to cover all bases just to make sure the New President won’t be able to prosicute these people as Terriosts or traitors to the US.
  
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term limits for congress
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 9:42am
Infidels, this is the new normal.

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denkat56
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 9:35am
in the obama presidency your worried about conflict of interests, using your job as a stepladder. get a grip thats all this administration does. money laundering for the unions, the vodka vote, the double ballots. geeze where do these people come from, and worst of all they act so mad about it, cmon get a grip.

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aquablue
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 9:07am
I will never forget how she repeatedly licked her lips while telling her love of Mao. It was disgusting. Mother Theresa would have been very disgusted.

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Hickory
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 8:54am
Face it folks, this is the standard Democrat mode of operation. They all cheat, steal and lie.

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- PATTY HENRY
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 11:13am
  I wish I could think of a simplified version of this: Liberals are immature. They want to avoid pain at all costs. They typically don’t believe in God. They have this abstract desire to make everything right ‘for everyone’ but mainly for themselves exhibiting no understanding that life is just a ‘prep school’ for eternal life as given by God. They ignore the fact that everyone who is decent wants good for others, they think they are the only ones. They are easily led (their immaturity does not allow for logical thinking – they are purely emotional. They have none of the Adult characteristics: Dependability Honor, Consistency. They take the easiest way regardless. BECAUSE OF THIS IMMATURITY they should never be leaders. Liberalism is supposed to be a PHASE that people go through in their maturing process…not a place they get to and stay !!!
  Anita Dunn is just another one of the totally inept, obnoxious, crooked, Communistic brats (just like Obama) that he surrounds himself with.
  I challenge any person still thinking about voting for his TALKING POINT LIES to name ONE Patriot (who has not been corrupted – General Petraeus_) – on Obama’s staff or close to him…ONE PERSON. THEY CANNOT NAME ONE HONORABLE PERSON even near Obama. NOT ONE !!!
  
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voting-for-romney
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 8:25am
What part of not have contacts with the White House, does not have contacts with the White House mean, if those are the rules?

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Psychosis
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 7:54am
Many Democrats, especially from the Clinton era, are disgusted by what they perceive as an ethical lapse from the standards practiced by former President Clinton,

your joking right????

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- ReallySeriouslyNoWay
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 8:18am
  You know it’s bad when someone from the Clinton White House is saying anything is an ethical lapse. That’s like Charles Manson calling someone a murderer.
  
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NOFX
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 7:50am
I’m sure this is more common than I know of but I’d have to say that both Robert Bauer and Anita Dunn have used their past positions within the Obama Administration to gain an unfair and illegal advantage against the competition in acquiring personal wealth.

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toiletclogga
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 7:50am
You can bank on the knowledge that before restrictions are imposed by Democrats on the rest of the unwitting public they know the way around those restrictions. It’s simple, the same rules which the rest of us have to play by do not apply to the Liberals!

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- commonsenseguy
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 8:23am
  @toiletclogga, you are correct as with obama care,the politicians and their families will not have to have the same kind of limited care are have some bureaucrat decide how much care they receive unlike the rest of america who will be given health care based on how productive you are to the state { government } that is communism. one more thing under obama care the blacks have their own bureaucrats to decide how much they receive, i thought we were all equal under the constitution,seems like obama has decide to give blacks more than whites that is racism,if care is based on color then whites lose for 100 years of pass desecration to which we had nothing to do with,but are being force to pay for it,and if it is based ob work performance, then whites will be working for the state while supporting the blacks healthcare that is not equal,that is communism and racism.
  communist believe they labor for the common good of the state
  money is unnecessary
  individual liberties take a back seat to the needs of the collective good
  there is no god, just the state.
  what is sad is under this do as is say government we are heading down that road and we will never recover if we don’t stop it now.
  
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RJJinGadsden
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 7:46am
What else can we expect from Anita Dunn? And, 0bama for that matter?
On another note, Donald Trump is supposed to be releasing a Tweet sometime today regarding some sort of October Surprise. Looking forward to it just out of curiosity, but to me it would make more sense to have made a press release.

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- NOFX
  Posted on October 23, 2012 at 7:56am
  I don’t think Trump cares about the right or the left. I don’t think he really cares about the rest of the world. Donald Trump only cares about Donald Trump. In Trump’s world, everything from commerce to the solar system revolves around him.
  
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TerryJ70
Posted on October 23, 2012 at 7:32am
More of the same crap. Once again, nothing will get done about it.

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