NLPC Blasts Ford Motor Company For Bankrolling Sharpton Convention Featuring Biden

FALLS CHURCH, VA - April 6, 2009: Ford Motor Company is receiving billions in taxpayer funds*, and has an additional $9 billion line of credit to access TARP funds. Yet, the company was a financial sponsor of Al Sharpton's national convention last week that featured a speech by Vice-President Joseph Biden.

In a Complaint filed today with TARP Inspector General Neil M. Barofsky, National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) President Peter Flaherty wrote,

"Ford's major donation to Al Sharpton's group at this critical time calls into question CEO Alan Mulally's commitment to what he called 'shared sacrifice' at Congressional hearings in December."

In a letter today to Steven Rattner, who directs President Obama's auto industry task force, Flaherty wrote,

"Ford's financial support for Sharpton places into doubt the judgment of Ford executives. I can think of no expenditure further removed from the core mission of saving the company and the American auto industry than bankrolling Sharpton. It is your responsibility to ensure that no more capital is wasted on controversial political causes, no matter how supportive they are of the administration you represent."

Ford was a sponsor of the National Action Network 2009 National Convention (NAN) that took place April 1-4, 2009 in New York City. NAN was founded by Al Sharpton and the convention is his major fundraising event of the year.

NAN did not disclose the exact amount of Ford's gift, but a "sponsor" designation for last year's event cost $50,000. Ford has recently closed 17 plants in North America and has laid off over 50,000 employees. Last year, the company lost $14.6 billion.

Other corporate sponsors of last week's event included American Honda, Anheuser Busch, Colgate-Palmolive, Comcast, Entergy, Home Depot, Johnson & Johnson, Macy's, PepsiCo, Pfizer and Wal-Mart.

Bailout recipients GM, Chrysler and Citigroup were sponsors of the same event in 2008, but were not identified as sponsors for 2009.

Reportedly, sponsors of last year's event received subpoenas as part of the federal investigation into Sharpton's personal and organizational finances. NAN's finances have been the subject of several investigations over the years. In 2008, the group reported that it owed $1.9 million in unpaid payroll taxes.

Last week's event featured a speech by Vice-President Joseph Biden, and two members of the Obama cabinet, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

During last year's campaign, Sharpton blasted Biden for calling Obama "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy."

Sharpton seemed pleased by the administration's attention. According to the New York Daily News, he said, "I think it's noteworthy that this is the first civil rights organization the administration has sent their top people to [and this is Biden's] first trip to New York as vice-president."

NLPC promotes ethics in public life. For additional information visit their website at www.nlpc.org/

*According to Peter Flaherty, Ford has applied for and in the process of receiving $5 billion from the monies earmarked through the U.S. Energy Independence Act.