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Jim Sutton: The Fox Guarding the Hen House

Written by FCJ Editor. Posted in News, Opinion, Politics

Published on June 12, 2009 with 3 Comments


Republican Attorney Jim Sutton.
Photo by Luke Thomas

By Larry Roberts

Editor’s Note: The following is a response from Mr. Roberts to political operative Jim Sutton’s editorial which appeared in today’s San Francisco Examiner.

June 12, 2009

Jim Sutton’s opinion piece, “Independent expenditures are not sneaky loopholes,” (SF Examiner, June 12, 2009) omits a relevant piece of information from his biography.

Sutton has repeatedly been subjected to investigation and fines by the San Francisco Ethics Commission for ethical violations involving large sums of money. More of his resume may be examined by Googling the articles “The Political Puppeteer“, “The Repeat Offender” and “They’re Back: Ethics Resumes Meltdowns.” The article “Stealth Dollars” discusses his involvement in under reported independent expenditures in the District 6 Supervisor race.

A lecture from Sutton on the ethics of independent expenditures is like a treatise by an Enron executive on the benefits of energy deregulation.

FCJ Editor

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  • marc

    Sutton was on KQED’s forum several months ago discussing the federal approach to campaign finance reform in light of Obama’s stunning fund raising success, and Sutton was masquerading on the panel as a disinterested professor of ethics.

    I phoned in and mentioned that Sutton had received the highest fine ever assessed to that point by the San Francisco Ethics Commission for concealing $800,000 which PG&E used to defeat public power in 2002, Scott Shafer cut me off abruptly.

    When I ran into Shafer at the gym a few weeks later, I asked him why he cut me off for pointing out that Sutton was an active participant in subverting disclosure and reform to the extent that he received the largest fine levied, Shafer hemmed and hawed about substantiation, as if it was okay for Sutton to not disclose anything to KQED’s viewers about his significant economic interests in fighting campaign finance reform.

    Shafer exposed much about his approach to journalism, ethics and his ability to be regarded as an honest broker when it comes to making sure that listeners are exposed to the entire story.

    Sutton thrives on darkness and secrecy, Shafer seemed obliged to help Sutton keep a lid on things. Wonder why?

    -marc

  • Matt Stewart

    Lycan guarding the hen house is more like it.

  • marc

    Nation of sheep, ruled by wolves, in the service of pigs.