WASHINGTON - June 9 - Long before Congressman John Boehner of Ohio rose to his current position as House Republican Leader, he created the "Thursday Group" - a weekly discussion around a U.S. Capitol conference room table with conservative and business lobbyists, including representatives of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. So perhaps it's no surprise that Boehner's top career donors include a lobbyist-turned-tobacco executive, two former CEOs of an insurance company, the head of a coal company, and a former telecommunications lobbyist. His PAC supporters are led by corporate political action committees for two tobacco behemoths, two shipping companies, and four financial services firms and associations.

These are among the findings in the third installment of the Center for Public Integrity's Who Bankrolls Congress? investigation, a comprehensive look at the top donors to Washington's most powerful lawmakers and their interests - not just recently, but over the entire course of these politicians' careers. Through analysis of CQ MoneyLine records on contributions to Boehner's campaign committee and leadership PAC, the Center calculated the ten top PAC donors and five top individual contributors to Boehner.

Today's report on Boehner notes that his top individual donor is tobacco executive and lobbyist Bruce A. Gates. Gates was part of Boehner's Thursday Group and he served as treasurer of Boehner's leadership PAC. For more than a decade, Gates was a registered lobbyist representing clients included Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc., Eli Lilly & Co., and Reynolds American Inc., parent of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco. Since 2008, Gates has been vice president of government affairs for Altria Group Inc., the parent company of Philip Morris USA. Boehner, a chain smoker himself, is a strong supporter of Big Tobacco.  

Boehner's top PAC supporters include AT&T,  the giant futures market CME Group,  Bank of America Corp., Altria Group Inc., and United Parcel Service Inc.

AT&T has benefited from Boehner's work in Congress. The Ohio Republican was a strong supporter of immunity for AT&T and other companies that were sued for aiding the Bush administration's anti-terrorism surveillance. Boehner blasted Congressional opponents for "leaving companies who assisted our government after 9/11 exposed to frivolous and costly lawsuits simply to line the pockets of the Democratic leadership's trial lawyer allies." With his support, legislation was enacted in 2008 to grant immunity to AT&T and others.  

The first two examinations of the four-part series looked at the ten top PAC contributors and five top individual donors to Sens. Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell, and were released earlier this week. The final story, looking at the donors to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, will be posted on the Center's website tomorrow.

Career Patrons Homepage:  http://www.publicintegrity.org/congressional_patrons/
Overview Story:  http://www.publicintegrity.org/articles/entry/2111/
Reid:  http://www.publicintegrity.org/congressional_patrons/entry/2113/
McConnell:  http://www.publicintegrity.org/congressional_patrons/entry/2112/
Boehner:  http://www.publicintegrity.org/congressional_patrons/entry/2109/
Pelosi: (Link will be functional June 10, at 7AM (EST)) http://www.publicintegrity.org/congressional_patrons/entry/2110/