Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, an advocacy group that jolted the presidential race with commercials questioning Sen. John Kerry’s military service, said it has raised $6.7 million in a windfall brought about by the group’s high profile in recent weeks.
Several of the largest donors are longtime supporters of President Bush, according to a financial disclosure report filed Friday with the Federal Election Commission. The largest contributor was T. Boone Pickens, a Texas oilman and longtime Republican supporter who was a major political backer of Bush’s father. He contributed $500,000 to the swift boat group.
Aubrey McClendon, chief executive of Chesapeake Energy in Oklahoma, gave $250,000; Bob Perry, another Bush supporter from Texas, gave $200,000 to seed the group; and Albert Huddleston, a Texas energy executive who raised money for Bush in 2000, gave $100,000, records show.
At least two of the swift boat group’s donors also are listed as Bush “Pioneers,” people who have raised at least $100,000 for Bush’s re-election.
The swift boat group’s disclosure listed only part of the group’s contributions–donors who gave $1,000 or more–and was required because the group ran advertisements that necessitate such a filing under new campaign finance laws. The group released additional information in a statement and in interviews, saying much of its money had come in after its provocative advertisements captured media attention in recent weeks.
“The words `tidal wave’ come to mind,” said Mike Russell, a spokesman for the group, who added that “you don’t often see that type of grass-roots reaction. People tune things out, but we were able to punch through.”
Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has spent more than $4.2 million since April, Russell said, most of it on radio and television advertisements. It had about $2.5million left in the bank this week, he said.
Meanwhile, Dan Rather on Friday vigorously defended his “60 Minutes” story on Bush’s National Guard service, saying the 30-year-old memos he disclosed on the show this week “were and remain authentic” despite questions raised by some handwriting and document experts.
“Until someone shows me definitive proof that they are not, I don’t see any reason to carry on a conversation with the professional rumor mill,” the CBS anchor told The Washington Post. “My colleagues and I at `60 Minutes’ made great efforts to authenticate these documents and to corroborate the story as best we could. … I think the public is smart enough to see from whom some of this criticism is coming and draw judgments about what the motivations are.”
The memos, carrying the signature of Bush’s squadron commander, Lt. Col. Jerry Killian, indicate Bush got special treatment as a pilot in the Texas National Guard and failed to carry out a superior’s order to undergo a physical exam. Several experts consulted by news organizations say the memos contain typographical and formatting features that suggest they were written on a computer or word processor rather than an early-1970s government typewriter.
Rather said CBS’ lead expert was Marcel Matley of San Francisco, a member of the National Association of Document Examiners who has taught, lectured and written about his field, testified in numerous trials and consulted for government agencies. Matley said Friday that a “60 Minutes” executive had asked him not to give interviews.
CBS News President Andrew Heyward also defended the story. “This was thoroughly vetted,” he told the Post.
Killian’s widow and son have challenged the documents’ authenticity. White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters, “We don’t know whether the documents were fabricated or are authentic.”
Conservatives hammered Rather and CBS Friday on talk radio and Web sites. “I predict … that it’s only a matter of time before CBS admits it was deceived,” wrote Weekly Standard Managing Editor Richard Starr.
In a lengthy interview with the Post, Rather stressed that CBS had talked to two people who worked with Killian in the Texas Guard–his superior, retired Maj. Gen. Bobby Hodges, and his administrative assistant Robert Strong–and both described the memos as consistent with what they knew of Killian.
Rather also defended the report on Friday night’s “CBS Evening News.” He interviewed Matley, who said he concluded after comparing Killian’s signature on the memos to other undisputed documents that “yes, it’s the same person.”
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Trail Guide
A daily look at the presidential campaign
52 DAYS TILL ELECTION DAY: President Bush toured West Virginia and Ohio by bus Friday, speaking of his resolve for the war against terrorism and accompanied by Sen. Zell Miller, the Georgia Democrat trying to help Bush court conservative Democrats as well as Republicans. Sen. John Kerry, campaigning in St. Louis, said the president should have used his influence to ensure congressional extension of the assault weapons ban, which expires Monday.
THE FRONT LINES
Vice President Dick Cheney tried to clarify what he meant this week when he linked making “the wrong choice” in November to another terrorist attack.
“I did not say if Kerry is elected, we will be hit by a terrorist attack,” he said in a Friday interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer.
“My point was, the question before us is, will we have the most effective policy in place to deal with that threat? George Bush will pursue a more effective policy than John Kerry.”
VERBATIM
Ohio Republican Tom Terez, quoted by AP, about his Web site
anotherrepublicanforkerry.com:
“Every day we’re averaging about 100 e-mails from people. About five of those 100 are pretty rough e-mails to me, calling me a turncoat.”
BY THE NUMBERS
85
Percentage of respondents to a Washington Post Poll who say they are very closely or somewhat closely following the presidential race.
