FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 1, 2009

CONTACT: Giovanni Cicione
(401) 732-8282 

(401) 996--3536

MEDIA ADVISORY:

RI GOP Chair Calls on RI Congressional Delegation to

Give Back Their AIG "Bonuses"

RI Delegation Raked in More Than Thirty-Six Thousand Dollars Directly from AIG

Rhode Island GOP Chairman Giovanni Cicione today called for the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation to give back the money they received from AIG to fund their campaigns.  "I hear our delegation calling for AIG executives to give back their bonuses, even though those same members of our delegation voted to allow the bonuses, but when are they going to give back the money they took from AIG?" ,said Cicione.  “Perhaps they didn’t read the bill before they voted on it,” he speculated.

Cicione said the campaign finance website Open Secrets indicates that Senator Reed received $30,600, while Congressman Kennedy took $3,500 and Sheldon Whitehouse took more than $5,300 dollars since they’ve been in office. Congressman Langevin was not listed as receiving any AIG cash, although he did take over $70,000 from the securities, investment, insurance, and finance industries just in the 2007/2008 election cycle.

"It seems to me hypocritical to have taken campaign cash from the very company our delegation is now critiquing," said Cicione.  “It’s bad enough that hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars are going to bail out bad companies, when the people of Rhode Island are suffering through this economic crisis.  To carry their water after they heavily funded your campaigns just erodes what little trust remains in Congress.”

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