DHS Official who helped McAuliffe's GreenTech gets job with major McAuliffe Donor
Posted by:
Terry McScratchMyBack
()
Date: November 03, 2013 02:53PM
Politico reported on Saturday that Doug Smith, the Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary, who exchanged a series of emails with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe about GreenTech Automotive, has landed a new job with MWW, a high powered Washington D.C. public relations firm headed up by a major donor to McAuliffe's gubernatorial campaign.
According to Politico, Smith "is joining MWW public affairs as Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Washington office." Acting DHS Secretary Rand Beers told Politico "Douglas has played a key role in leading DHS's efforts in working with the private sector and strengthening the collaboration between the department and all of its private stakeholders from aviation security to intellectual property and all points in between."
Virginia Public Access Project records show that MWW founder and CEO Michael W. Kempner has donated a total of $50,000 to the McAuliffe campaign this year. Kempner, who "serves as a member of the White House Council for Community Solutions, appointed by President Barack Obama," donated $10,000 to McAuliffe on June 24, $25,000 on October 16, and $15,000 on October 30.
Federal Election Commission records show that Kempner, who is also a contributor to the Huffington Post, has donated more than $280,000 to Democratic political candidates over the past several years, and more than $100,000 to Democratic joint fundraising committees. A Breitbart News review of FEC records indicates that Kempner's donations to Republicans total a mere $2,250. He donated $1,000 to the Romney campaign in 2011 and 2012, $250 to the McCain campaign in 2008, and $1,000 to a John Kasich political action committee in 1999.
Smith has been heavily criticized by Republicans for playing an inappropriate role as McAuliffe's advocate within the Department of Homeland Security. McAuliffe's company, GreenTech Automotive, which he served as chairman from 2010 to 2012 and chairman emeritus since, is currently under investigation by the Inspector General's Office of the DHS for inappropriate influence in the granting of temporary green cards and permanent visas within the DHS's EB-5 foreign investors program.
Smith's emails to USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas, a top DHS official, apparently played a role in setting up a personal meeting between McAuliffe and Mayorkas in 2011 to discuss a DHS ruling that was unfavorable to GreenTech, which Mayorkas later reversed.