The Chamber of Commerce is pushing back very hard against Think Progress and the allegations they've leveled that the Chamber's attack ads could be partially funded with foreign money. What's notable in that pushback is that they won't categorically deny the charge, but instead attack Think Progress. Yesterday, Greg Sargent interviewed Chamber spokesperson Tita Freeman.
Ms. Freeman, providing more of a glimpse into the Chamber's books than it had previously, says that only a total of roughly $100,000 in dues come in from the AmChams annually -- which is dwarfed by the millions and millions the Chamber is spending on ads:
These accusations by a George Soros-funded, anti-business blog (not a "report," as some in the media are saying) are unfounded, deceitful, and completely erroneous. They are a desperate attempt to silence those who support free enterprise, and a diversion by people upset about their grim prospects in the upcoming election.
Ah, the George Soros boogeyman. However,
When I asked Ms. Freeman whether the dues from AmChams go into the same general fund that bankrolls the Chamber's ads, she declined to answer. "We don't feel obligated to answer that question because we follow all applicable law, and no foreign money funds our voter education activities," Freeman told me.
The Chamber has yet, in any response to this report from Think Progress, to deny categorically that foreign funds could be going into political attack ads, or to demonstrate by opening up their books that the system they have in place does create a firewall in spending.