Sen. John F. Kerry on Wednesday released a lengthy list of his meetings over the last 15 years with lobbyists, a move that responded to his critics and sought to draw a distinction to what he called President Bush's secret relationship with corporate interests.
In an 11-page summary, the Massachusetts senator lists about 200 meetings he held with lobbyists since 1989, including face-to-face discussions with bankers, corporate raiders, broadcasting chiefs, union leaders, consumer advocates, trial lawyers and many other special interests.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Friday April 23, 2004 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 32 words Type of Material: Correction
Kerry's records -- An article in Thursday's Section A about presidential candidate John F. Kerry's military service records identified Kerry as an enlisted man. He was a Navy officer, lieutenant junior grade.
The list is the most complete disclosure by any senator or presidential candidate of contacts with lobbyists, a spokeswoman for the presumptive Democratic nominee said Wednesday evening.
The public release appears to be part of a broader effort by the Kerry campaign to counter Republican claims that he is withholding information, and to put forth the image of a presidential candidate who is open to public scrutiny.
Wednesday's release of information about Kerry's interactions with lobbyists came on the same day that the campaign posted online 145 pages of official military records about Kerry's service in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. Kerry had promised to release the records Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" and encountered swift criticism earlier this week when he delayed making the release.
During the Democratic primaries, Kerry was dogged by critics who accused him of close relationships with lobbyists while serving on the Senate Commerce Committee, but at the same time campaigning in the presidential race as a foe of special interests.
The records dump comes after Kerry had been questioned about his war record and his acceptance of campaign contributions from Washington lobbyists. Although Kerry does not accept donations from political action committees, he has raised substantial sums from lobbyists and top corporate executives.
After releasing the lobbyist contacts, Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter called on President Bush to make a full disclosure of all the lobbyists who met with Vice President Dick Cheney in formulating the administration's energy policy. Bush is fighting the disclosure of the names of industry lobbyists in federal court.
"This is part of our effort to be as transparent as possible, in contrast to the Bush administration," Cutter said.
