WASHINGTON – Dan Coats told journalists in Indiana and Washington on Wednesday it’s official: If he gets enough signatures on qualifying petitions, he’ll be a candidate for the Republican Senate nomination.
Democrats have already mounted a tough push-back, and one of the other candidates for the GOP nomination said the issues the Democrats have raised are legitimate questions that Coats has to answer.
Among them, said state Sen. Marlin Stutzman, are "How involved were you and your firm in securing billions of dollars in taxpayer money for the bailouts? What is your firm’s relationship with Harvest Natural Resources? Harvest is an oil company that partners with Dictator Hugo Chavez. Finally, and probably most concerning, is your firm’s questionable ties to the terrorist breeding ground in Yemen."
Stutzman is one of six Republicans collecting signatures on petitions that allow a candidate to be on the May 4 primary ballot. They have until Feb. 19. So far, according to a report issued by the Secretary of State’s office, none of the candidates has collected 500 valid signatures of registered voters in each of the state’s nine congressional districts.
The winner of the May 4 Republican primary will run against two-term incumbent Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind.
In an interview on WOWO Wednesday morning, Coats said he has done very little lobbying and primarily offers advice to clients.
The lobbying firm Coats worked for in 2000 and 2001 was a registered foreign agent for Yemen. Although he didn’t specifically mention Yemen, Coats told WOWO that "a lot of these so-called clients are other firm partners’ clients. I may have given some consultation." But he said the policy of the two law-lobbying firms he worked for was to register everyone as a lobbyist who might be in contact with lawmakers or members of the executive branch "to avoid the possibility that somebody might slip up and make a contract that’s covered."
Coats said he became a lobbyist after leaving Congress in 1998 because "I wanted to provide some financial security for my family. I’d been in public service for a long, long time on (the) government payroll."
Coats represented Indiana in the House and Senate from 1981 to 1998. He was on the federal payroll before that as an aide to then-Rep. Dan Quayle.
The final personal financial disclosure report Coats filed before leaving office, which covered 1997, said his assets ranged from $977,000 to $2.2 million. Members of Congress must file annual reports on their personal wealth and debts, excluding homes and mortgages, and describe the value of the assets in broad financial categories.
In a statement, Stutzman said he’s not the only one who wants answers about Coats’ years as a lobbyist.
"I can tell you that I am not alone," he said. "There are countless people throughout the state that want to know the details on your career as a D.C. lobbyist. We want to see everything Dan Coats and his firms were involved with from a lobbying perspective. Hoosiers cannot afford a senator who has questionable ties to corporations, banks and anti-American governments."
Coats told WOWO he will release all of the information about his lobbying work but that because of the blizzard in Washington, offices are closed.
"When we get that information, it will be public," he said.
Lobbyists and lobbying firms are required to file reports about their clients, including what issues they are talking to members of Congress or the executive branch and how much the firm is paid.
After leaving office in 1998, Coats became a lobbyist and was ambassador to Germany for 3 1/2 years. During 2000 and 2001, the firm he worked for registered as a foreign agent for Ethiopia, Taiwan, India, Montenegro, Cyprus, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
However, Coats’ work was solely for India and involved contacting several lawmakers to ask that the prime minister of India be allowed to address a joint session of Congress.
"His activities with respect to India were solely limited to these contacts," according to a report the law firm filed. "He took no position on substantive issues, and he does not intend to undertake any further activities for India."
His most recent clients include Google, Junior Achievement, Decision Sciences Corp., John Maneely Corp., Festo Corp., Medicines Co. and Cooper Industries.
