Dick DeVos: a Tom DeLay kind of Republican

Dick DeVos and Ethics Connections to GOP Culture of Corruption Dick DeVos and Karl Rove Dick DeVos was personally offered an Ambassadorship by Karl Rove for his help on the Bush Campaign. Dick DeVos' campaign Matthew Dowd has been described as 'former top lieutent' and at one point second only to Rove. Alex Castellanos worked with Rove on Media Strategy. Castellanos' past media strategy has included the infamous 'Rat Ad'. Rove chose Calvin College as one of two places Bush gave a commencement speech this year because of the DeVos family. DeVos Family has contributed to Rove's friends PACS. Betsy DeVos worked personally with Rove on Election strategy. DeVos Refuses to Disclose Tax Returns Dick DeVos refuses to disclose his taxes, even though that has been the tradition in Michigan. All challengers, including Governor Granholm, disclosed their taxes in 2002. LISTEN: Dick DeVos on the Kevin Fobbs Show DeVos and the Amway China Special Interest Tax Break Dick DeVos has been one of the biggest campaign contributors in Washington. According to the Wall Street Journal, the DeVos family "contributed more than any other to the Bush campaign and the Republican Party," around "$602,000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington." Taking advantage of the family political influence created by soft money contributions to the GOP, as President of Amway DeVos sought and got federal tax breaks on Amway's China investments and favorable China trade legislation, legislation which resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars of benefits for Amway, himself and his family. Dick DeVos and Tom DeLay Dick DeVos personally allowed Tom DeLay to hold a Republican Majority Issues Committee meeting on his yacht. According to the FEC, DeVos and his Political Action Committee (PAC), Restoring the American Dream have exchanged thousands of dollars with DeLay, his campaign committee and his PAC, Americans for a Republican Majority. DeVos gave the Tom DeLay Congressional Committee $1,000 in 2000 and gave DeLay's PAC $5,000 in 1999. DeLay's PAC in turn gave DeVos' PAC $5,000 over the course of two weeks in the fall of 2000. "RAD (Restoring American Dream PAC, founded by Dick DeVos) has played an essential role in maintaining Republican control of the House of Representatives in both 1998 and 2000. Dick's commitment to electing men and women of integrity and character is unmatched. I look forward to working closely with RAD in identifying and recruiting conservative candidates for the year 2002." Congressman Tom DeLay (R-Texas) Majority Whip, U.S. House of Representatives