Genentech Puts Words In The Mouths Of Politicians
8 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // November 16th, 2009 // 8:25 am
If some Congressional statements about health care from Republicans and Democrats sounded similar, there was a good reason. Remarks by more than a dozen lawmakers were ghostwritten, in whole or in part, by Washington lobbyists working for Genentech, The New York Times reports.
E-mail messages obtained by the paper show that lobbyists drafted one statement for Democrats and another for Republicans. And the lobbyists, which were employed by Genentech and two Washington law firms, succeeded in getting the statements printed in the Congressional Record under the names of different members of Congress.
Genentech, which is now owned entirely by Roche, tells the paper that 42 House members picked up some of its verbiage — 22 Republicans and 20 Democrats, to be exact. Representative Bill Pascrell Jr., a New Jersey Democrat, makes this excuse: “I regret that the language was the same. I did not know it was,” adding his statement came from his staff “I did not know where they got the information from.”
For Roche, that’s not bad for $6.2 million in 2009 lobbying expenses (see here). You can read the rest of the story here….
kim steller
The House is such a mess
Evelyn Pringle
This is another classic. Although not the least bit surprising.
Justice in Michigan
Not surprising at all. Here, in Michigan, state reps are always quoting directly from memos and talking points supplied by the Chamber of Commerce, PhRMA, and lobbyists for particular companies.
It would seem potentially embarrassing when allegedly different pols, and groups, put out identical statements. But I haven’t seen anyone appear embarrassed yet!
Robert
Ignorance is never a good excuse, especially from a supposedly respected politician.
Paul
Isn’t this the way Washington (and every state) works? I can’t imagine any of those politicians being able to write anything on their own.
J
Glaring example of bought politicians and corruption. Hopefully this is a wake up call to Americans.
Justice in Michigan
Disagree. The pols I happen to agree with get their scripts from interest groups as surely as does the other side. They just happen to different scripts.
The issue is not where an argument comes from, but whether there is any truth to it.
HMI Motorcycle Watcher
Is our Congress and President then run by Roche?? If anything, our country needs to watch this company’s each and every move like a hawk.