U.S. Sen. Susan Collins has long been both the state’s junior senator in tenure and in financial worth. Now she’s the senior senator and – thanks to her marriage – part of the millionaire’s club, though she still trails new colleague U.S. Sen. Angus King when it comes to personal wealth.

According to financial disclosure reports released Wednesday, Collins and husband Tom Daffron, who were wed in 2012, are worth between about $630,000 and $3.5 million. The range is a result of the inexact nature of the reporting requirements. Daffron is a former Senate staffer turned Tom Daffron chief operating officer at Jefferson Consulting Group, a defense contract lobbying firm. Collins also reported mortgage debts of between $500,000 and $1 million on two homes. That’s quite the leap from the reported about $250,000 Collins was worth in 2010.

Collins’ financial disclosure also revealed a few fun facts about wedding gifts she received because those worth more than $350 must be reported.

Former Sens. Bob Dole and wife Elizabeth Dole gave Collins and Daffron a $400 silver serving dish; former Department of Defense official Charles Cragin, who now works as a lobbyist with Maine Street Solutions, and his wife gifted a $550 painting; former Defense Secretary and U.S. Sen. Bill Cohen and his wife gave a $595 vase; recently retired L.L.Bean chairman Leon Gorman and his wife gave $391 worth of dishes and silverware, as did Maureen, Jim and Barbara Gorman; Dartmouth business school professor and Republican fundraiser Gregory Slayton and his wife gave a wine and picnic set worth $695; and a California couple, Meg Gerstner and Alan Glendinning, gave a grill and BBQ tools worth $450, according to the records.

Family members who give gifts above $350 do not have to be listed, according to the disclosure requirements. But since members of Congress are banned from receiving gifts worth more than $50 or that aggregate to more than $100 from one person in a year, Collins requested and received a wedding and shower gift waiver.

King and wife Mary Herman, are worth between about $5.6 million and $27 million, according to their filings. Notable on King’s disclosure forms is the income he earns from serving as a director or consultant with a variety of organizations, such as the law firm Bernstein Shur, the Bank of Maine and Hancock Lumber Company. He also earned more than $200,000 as the executor of Roger C. Kline’s estate. King stepped down from almost all of the positions he had held and earned money from in 2012.

King also is reportedly holding between $245,000 and $650,000 in debt, between mortgages and tuition payments to the University of New England and St. Lawrence University.

Click here to see a list of the 50 richest members of Congress in 2011 as calculated by Roll Call.

In Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal, a potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate, abandoned his effort to get rid of the state income tax after his approval rating sunk like a stone.

“Here is what I’ve heard from you and from the people of Louisiana — yes, we do want to get rid of the income tax, but governor you’re moving too fast and we aren’t sure that your plan is the best way to do it,” Jindal said to lawmakers in his 2013 State of the State address in April.

The Republican Governors Association chair said while it wasn’t the reaction he was hoping for, he would respect it.

“Here is my response: ‘Ok, I hear you,’ ” he said. “So I am going to park my tax plan.”

National anti-tax groups had praised Jindal’s efforts, but it didn’t translate to support in-state, where many Republicans and business groups feared they would suffer from a greater tax burden under anti-income tax reforms.

A March poll said 63 percent of voters opposed his zero income tax proposal and only 38 percent approved of the job Jindal was doing, down from 51 percent in October.

But despite publicly announcing he was throwing the breaks on his tax elimination proposal, Jindal is reportedly still trying to work with lawmakers to find a more amenable way to achieve his goal.

As LePage pitches his anti-tax plan, it will be worth watching if he reveals any details about where he would make up the lost revenue or make cuts to state spending to balance the budget – and where his already low approval rating moves as a result.

There are currently seven states without income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas and Washington. Tennessee and New Hampshire only tax income on dividends and interest income above a certain threshold.

Snowe’s segment with Stewart focused on – what else – the dysfunction of Congress, but also her role in crafting the Accountability Review Board, which creates a means of finding out who is ultimately responsible for attacks on diplomatic outposts. And while Snowe seemed ready to crack some jokes, Stewart kept the content pretty serious.

Here’s a smattering of links to some of Snowe’s many media appearances and interviews over the last few days -

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Charlie Rose

MSNBC’s Morning Joe

CNN’s Piers Morgan Live

National Public Radio

ABC’s This Week

The Daily Beast/Newsweek

While on its face this seems a case of pure hypocrisy, the reality is a bit different.

Collins was cited by the NAACP in a press release as one of several GOP lawmakers who had demanded the IRS investigate its grassroots get-out-the-vote activities as it related to their tax exempt status. But what Collins’ office said about the incident is that she simply passed on requests from her concerned constituents to the Bush administration, rather than called for an inquiry herself.

A Collins spokesman says news reports at the time had mischaracterized her role and the NAACP, in complaining about the investigation that concluded in 2006, lumped her in with others. And in fact, the NAACP issued Collins an apology that year.

“Unfortunately, in the NAACP’s news release, it mischaracterized Sen. Susan Collins’ role as having filed a complaint along with several other senators which likely prompted the IRS investigation,” said the NAACP release, reprinted in Congressional Quarterly, a Capitol Hill publication in 2006. “Sen. Collins did not file a complaint with the IRS and the Association erred.”

The Washington Post, which had also listed Collins and other lawmakers like then U.S. Rep. Joe Scarborough as requesting the IRS to investigate the NAACP, issued a correction.

“The lawmakers forwarded complaints and requests for investigations from constituents to the IRS,” read the correction.

This time around, Collins is going all in on demanding answers from the Obama administration, however. She issued a letter Tuesday to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew Tuesday demanding answers about the IRS targeting scandal, which has been detailed in an Inspector General’s report and condemned by President Barack Obama in a statement issued following the IG report.

“The fact that the IRS chose to press these organizations for their membership lists suggests an effort to chill the constitutional rights of speech and association by groups that hold conservative views and that were seeking tax-exempt status,” Collins wrote in her letter to Lew. “Furthermore, the abuses that are now making headlines appear to be part of a larger pattern of questionable activity by the administration that seems intended to hinder or chill the expression of views critical of the administration.”

Collins said “irrespective” of whether the targeted groups were Republicans or Democrats it remains unacceptable.

“The American people cannot and will not tolerate the abuse of that power to erode their most fundamental rights,” she said. “It is imperative that the department act decisively to put an immediate end to such abuse, ensure appropriate policies are in place to prevent future such abuses, and give a full accounting to the American people of how such an abuse of power was allowed to occur.”

Collins is gearing up for re-election in 2014 and this is an obvious issue for her to take up as it burnishes her credentials on the right and really holds little downside with middle of the road voters.

Looming over the speculation of who might jump into the 2nd Congressional District race if U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud decides to run for governor is whether or not former Gov. John Baldacci will join the fray. Baldacci held the seat for four terms from 1995 to 2003 and despite his relatively high disapproval ratings in the state would be the natural leader of the field if he decides to run.

But Baldacci indicated he’s not interested.

“My interests right now are in the state of Maine,” he said Thursday afternoon. “That’s where I am right now in my career.”

His brother, Joe Baldacci, might take up the family’s political mantle, though. He told the Bangor Daily News two months ago he was “definitely interested” in a 2nd District bid.

“Maine needs a person willing to fight for the interests of Maine — to promote jobs and economic development, as well as supporting our public schools and protecting our state’s environment,” he said.

John Baldacci has previously said he would considering running against Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican, and Eliot Cutler, an independent, in the gubernatorial race if a credible Democrat doesn’t jump in.

Here’s a rundown of other potential Democratic candidates for Michaud’s seat if he jumps into the Blaine House race.

John Baldacci – Born in Bangor, Baldacci has strong 2nd District ties and voters have seen his name on the ballot – and elected him to office – from 1995 to 2011. He fits the profile of the stereotypical Maine politician, which is to say he may lack flash but he knows the right people and he is skilled at connecting with people one-on-one. Though he denies interest, one top Republican said Baldacci “is a very capable politician.” But he also noted because Baldacci is so well-known, essentially “no amount of campaigning or spending would move the needle for him.” In other words, his ability to win the seat would depend on his Republican opponent more than anything else.

Joe Baldacci - The Bangor city councilor is full of ambition, waiting to burst onto the state’s political scene. His family name will certainly give him an edge when it comes to raising his profile initially, and probably when it comes to fundraising as well. But the Bangor lawyer has a scant record and will have a learning curve when it comes to pressing flesh as a politician.

Janet Mills – Mills has a long public service resume, currently serving as Maine’s attorney general. She’s also been a state lawmaker from Farmington and served as a state district attorney. Mills is known for her straightforward and plain spoken style, but also as sharp lawmaker intent on crafting effective public policy. Despite being active in the Maine Democratic Party, Mills is on the conservative side of the party’s spectrum. Critics say she’s not a great campaigner, but one top Democratic strategist said she’s got potential as a strong fundraiser and could be a “wildcard” in the 2nd District which in some ways is “tailor-made” for her style.

Emily Cain – Cain, who came from out of state to attend the University of Maine, has long been a bright prospect for Democrats since she was first elected to the Maine Legislature in 2004. Bubbly in demeanor, Cain proved her ability to handle complicated policy when she co-chaired the Appropriations Committee and her ability to lead when she acted as House Minority Leader in 2010. While one Democrat cited concerns about her ability to handle a rough-and-tumble campaign – “Can she really take it when the shit starts coming down hill at her?” he asked – Republicans say she’s the candidate they fear most. “She has sought to move beyond her very partisan early days in the legislature; Emily works well with both Republicans and Democrats and is well-liked,” one Republican said.

Troy Jackson – Jackson has strong backing in northern Maine, where he has served as a state lawmaker. His simple way of speaking belies a savvy politician who knows how to key in on issues that resonate with constituents and he provides a comfortable antidote to the stereotype of a slick politician out for himself. He is limited by being relatively unknown in the more populous coastal part of the district and could struggle to fundraise, however.

Jeff McCabe – The Skowhegan lawmaker is in his third House term but suffers the same drawbacks as Jackson – despite being well-liked, he’s unknown. One political strategist says “he lacks the experience and network to launch a major campaign.” McCabe is very interested in the race, even emailing to make sure his name was on the list of potentials. But It’s hard to think either Jackson or McCabe would gain much traction in the face of better known candidates, despite the fact that both of them are clearly cut from the same cloth as Michaud.

Matt Dunlap – Dunlap has been eager to reach higher office since his time serving as a state lawmaker. But following stints as Secretary of State, an office he currently holds, and leading the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, the Orono native has yet to put in a good showing. He even lost to weak Democratic candidate Cynthia Dill during the recent U.S. Senate primary. And while his resume means voters are familiar with his name, one Republican says he would be their ideal candidate to run against, calling him “unexciting, uninteresting and increasingly unelectable.”

The prospect of U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, the Democrat representing Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, jumping into the 2014 gubernatorial race has a new crop of aspirants beginning to plant seeds of interest in replacing him.

Just last Friday, someone anonymously reserved a pair of domain names – joshtardyforcongress.com and tardyformaine.com – that made it look like Josh Tardy, the former House Minority Leader, might be interested in making a run.

“I am certainly considering a run for [the 2nd District],” said Tardy in an email. “I think I join a big group of folks who are wondering if Congressman Michaud will actually enter a race for governor in which he will be an underdog. In any event, I am keeping my options open!”

Here’s a look at a few of the names that are either rumored to be interested or have been identified by some Maine Republican insiders.

Let the [speculation] games begin.

Josh Tardy – The Newport politician has a sterling reputation with conservatives, having helped recruit and fundraise for state lawmakers that made up the 2010 wave to win the Legislature for Republicans for the first time in decades. He also was the go-to man for Democrats looking to cut deals when he led the GOP as House Minority leader. The combination sets him up as a formidable primary and general election candidate if he choose to run.

Kevin Raye – The former Senate President from Perry has run twice and lost against Michaud, but in an open race he may finally be able land the prize. All the attributes – such as being former U.S. Sen. Olympia Snow’s chief-of-staff – that made him the GOP’s best hope in past races remain, although this time he’s got two losses hanging around his neck. Maybe three times is a charm.

Blaine Richardson – A 30-year Navy veteran who took a stab at the Republican nomination in 2012, Richardson reportedly has pull with Maine’s active Tea Party voters. But as one Republican source puts it, he has “very limited appeal” who would be a poor general election candidate, even in Maine’s more conservative House district.

Bruce Poliquin – Don’t count out the wealthy former Wall Street investment banker who can fund his own campaigns. After failed gubernatorial and U.S. Senate bids, the former state treasurer has remained in the public eye, securing regular radio spots and other media. “There has never been a Mainer so desperate to get elected to higher office,” says one well-connected Republican. Sure the Waterville native lives in Georgetown, but there’s no rule you have to live in the congressional district you represent. Besides, he can always buy a 2nd District second home.

Alex Willette  - This 24-year-old Mapleton resident is sure to win votes for his sponsorship of a measure that raised the speed limit on I-95 in northern Maine to 75 miles per hour. But despite serving in his second term in the Maine Legislature, it’s doubtful he’ll put up a credible bid in a field that will surely be crowded with better-known candidates. He’s eager though – sources say he’s already made the rounds in Washington to try and rally support from the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Deb Plowman – A well-regarded former state senator from Hampden, Plowman carries conservative appeal, having campaigned closely in 2010 alongside Gov. Paul LePage. She also knows how to negotiate with Democrats, after serving mostly in the minority as a state lawmaker. Insiders, though, say her last place performance in the 2012 GOP Senate primary revealed weakness and she’s also been hurt by the “recent GOP Penobscot County chair flap.”

Steve Abbott – The former chief-of-staff for U.S. Sen. Susan Collins turned in a disappointing performance during his 2010 gubernatorial bid, but remains extremely popular among Maine GOP hands. He’s also lifted his name recognition in the 2nd District by serving as the athletic director at the University of Maine and remains one of the state’s shrewdest political minds on either side of the aisle. But his appetite for running – or lack thereof – remains his biggest handicap.

My next post will provide a comparable list of potential Democratic candidates.

Former U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, writes about political gridlock in her new book “Fighting for Common Ground.”

Former U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe’s new book “Fighting for Common Ground” is just about what you’d expect to hear from the longtime Republican lawmaker who left the Senate in 2012 citing divisive partisanship.

“Legislative outcomes are often preordained, and positions have usually solidified along party lines before a bill even reaches the Senate floor,” she writes. “In recent years, the two parties have stood in monolithic opposition; senators collaborate less; they hold separate conferences and caucuses and they meet less often in social settings.”

The 281-page effort begins with her decision to leave the Senate, a section with a clear tick-tock of how she executed the move and includes reactions from the likes of her family members, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and even Maine Gov. Paul LePage.

“After I concluded telling Mitch that I would be departing the Senate, the first words out of his mouth were, ‘Goodness gracious,’” Snowe writes, reinforcing the notion that she truly did take the the world by surprise with her announcement.

She also offers an intimate look at her tragedy-strewn childhood, something she rarely discussed despite spending most of her life in the public eye. Both of Snowe’s parents died of illness while she was still young and growing up in Auburn. She was just six years old when her mother first fell ill with what would later be diagnosed as breast cancer.

“When my mother was home I’d talk with her about her illness as she lay in bed,” Snowe writes. “I was fraught with worry, trying to understand what was happening. I knew enough to ask her about dying and if she was going to die. I  can only imagine what it must have been like to be asked these questions by your young daughter.”

But the bulk of the book focuses on the transformation of functionality of Congress throughout her more than 30-year congressional career, as seen through her personal legislative efforts. The detail Snowe brings to her readers is a mirror of the detail-oriented way she crafted legislation – meticulous and thorough.

Snowe is critical of both Democrats and Republicans, but does not shy away from laying blame at the feet of her own party.

“It’s now the case that close to a majority of Republicans, even a majority in some states, have moved farther to the right, and the increasing polarization in both the parties has resulted in the unworkable stalemate we witnessed in Congress in 2011 and 2012,” she writes.

Once thought of as a prime Tea Party target herself, Snowe delves into an almost political scientist’s account of how the conservative movement formed in the heat of the health care overhall debate and the impact it’s had on Congress.

“The movement took on a life of its own and Americans who felt a deep sense of alienation at not being listened to led the opposition to what they perceived as overreach of President [Barack] Obama and the Democratic majority in Congress,” Snowe writes.

She also talked about the awkwardness felt by fellow moderate GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, during the weekly GOP policy luncheon when she had to tell her colleagues she was launching a write-in campaign for herself after she lost the Republican nomination to a Tea Party candidate.

“It struck me, how could we even be in this position as a party?” Snowe writes.

The book concludes with a list of proposals to help reform Congress and return it to a functioning law-making body, Snowe’s self-professed goal now that she’s left office.

For political junkies in Maine or across the United States, the book is full of catnip – passages of the ‘Gang of Six’ health care talks, conversations with the president and the history of Snowe’s relationship with the Clintons.

It’s obviously written with an agenda and a bias, as are all autobiographical pieces. But as with her reputation as a lawmaker, it brings together a humbleness and a depth and nuance often lost in politics, all through the prism of Snowe’s common sense voice.

The book will be available to the public on May 14.

In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings, lawmakers in Washington have been debating how federal prosecutors should pursue justice from the lone surviving suspect.

Federal officials delayed reading Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, his Miranda rights immediately following his arrest, citing a “public safety” exemption and now have officially filed federal charges against him,  not as an “enemy combatant” as some Republican senators called for.

Tsarnaev, who legally immigrated from the Chechen region with his family about 10 years ago, received his U.S. citizenship last fall.

Maine’s entire delegation said Monday they support the administration’s decision to prosecute Tsarnaev in federal court.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a former chairwoman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, in the time before Tsarnaev was arrested, said law enforcement should interrogate him before informing of his right to remain silent in hopes of gleaning important information. Following his arrest and in light of the federal charges filed Monday, she said she remains concerned about the proliferation of
“homegrown Islamist extremists.”

“I remain seriously concerned that individuals within the United States could be inspired by al Qaeda’s violent ideology to plan and execute attacks, even if they do not receive direct orders from, or are not directly affiliated with, al Qaeda,” Collins said in a statement.  “We must increase our efforts to prevent radicalization in the first place, identify radicalization when it occurs, and interdict the recruitment of U.S. citizens or legal residents for terrorism.”

A spokesman said Collins, who also serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee, agrees with the administration’s decision not to try him as an enemy combatant.

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat representing Maine’s 1st Congressional District, said she believes the civilian courts are the proper place for Tsarnaev to be tried and agreed with Collins that “he should be mirandized after it’s been determined that there are no immediate threats to public safety.”

“The civilian criminal justice system in America is one of the best in the world, and we should let it run its course and put Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on trial, Pingree said in a statement. “Local, state and federal authorities have done an extremely thorough job in collecting evidence and there is no reason why civilian courts can’t use that evidence to convict anyone responsible for the bombings in Boston and hand out an appropriate punishment.”

U.S. Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said he plans to use his role as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee to review law enforcement    actions.

“I support the Department of Justice’s decision today to bring charges in U.S. District Court against the primary suspect in the attacks last week in Boston,” King said in a statement. “I look forward to discussing these issues with senior FBI officials and will make certain our government has the tools and resources it needs to keep the American people safe in the face of such brutal and indiscriminate terrorism.”

U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, a Democrat representing Maine’s 2nd congressional District, echoed the comments of his fellow delegation members.

“I will continue to follow the court case, as will the rest of the country, and have faith that our time-tested judicial system will be able to bring justice to the victims of this terrible tragedy,” he said in a statement.

And it only got worse from there.

On Thursday, POLITICO ran a story on the lobbying effort, using Collins as an example of how parents and family members of those slain are wielding their powerful stories into top-level meetings.

“When a lobbyist for families of Newtown shooting victims called the office of Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) to set up a meeting, the first response was a standard D.C. offer. They could get a meeting with her staff, and Collins would stop by, they were told,” according to POLITICO. “The families’ answer: not good enough. According to their lobbyists, the families have a rule against staff-only meetings: They won’t do them. They insist on sitting down with the senators themselves. The families wound up getting more than 15 minutes with Collins.”

And that’s where the story left it. But Collins, after reading the story, was apparently not done. In a phone call to Mike Allen, a POLITICO reporter and one of the story’s authors, she attempted to explain some of the background of her eventual meeting with the Newtown family members.

Allen, who writes a daily morning news column, said Saturday in his piece that Collins personally called him to criticize the Thursday story – he categorized her as “furious.”

“What we reported is exactly right: One of the families’ handlers said they ‘declined’ a staff meeting,’” Allen wrote. “Her office quickly pivoted and set up a meeting with Sen. Collins. We took the incident as an illustration of the families’ clout and effectiveness. Sen. Collins felt the article left her looking like ‘an insensitive demon.’”

At play here are two forces – one is the Washington media (of which I am a part) which is driven by daily scooplets and the re-framing of daily news to attract readers, something POLITICO prides itself on. The other is a politician sensitive about their image and positioning on a very sensitive issue – gun control reforms in the face of the latest massacre, which resulted in dozens of dead first-graders.

Collins, trying to emphasize how important it was for her to meet with the Newtown families, told Allen that the meeting made her 45 minutes late for her dinner with President Barack Obama and other GOP senators.

“The Newtown families were very late for their meeting with me,” Collins told Allen, according to his column. “I felt a moral obligation to talk with them. I kept the president of the United States waiting. I mean, how rude is that of me?”

Allen devoted three large paragraphs of his daily missive to Collins, including an unusually long and repetitive transcript of her call to him.

That’s when the liberal news organization Huffington Post got in on the game – again, “re-framing” the story.

“It might be time for a little perspective,” writes reporter Alana Horowitz. She re-capped the POLITICO story and Allen’s column and said Collins made “some questionable comments.”

“Namely, complaints that they made her late for dinner with President Barack Obama,” Horowitz wrote.

Collins told NBC News Saturday, “I can take being attacked by right-wing nutty groups, but to be attacked that I somehow was unkind or cruel to Newtown families I cannot take. It’s not true.”

Was this whole saga an accurate portrayal of Collins or just Washington media doing its thing? It’s up to readers to decide.

Collins is one of several Republican senators who voted last week to bring a recently negotiated gun reform bill that calls for expanded background checks to the floor after fellow conservative colleagues vowed to filibuster the measure. She told NBC News she would vote in support of the actual measure, which was hammered out by a bipartisan team of senators. A Senate vote is expected early this week.

All but declared 2014 gubernatorial candidate Eliot Cutler is headed to D.C. in May to raise money from a pretty ritzy list of Washington, D.C. lobbyists, according to a leaked fundraising invite. A tipster sent the invitation along, which lists about 20 former Carter Administration officials, lobbyists and Democratic Party and campaign officials as ‘hosts.’ The soiree is set to be held at a $4 million home near Dupont Circle and asks for $1,500 contributions.

It’s not breaking news that Cutler, who is likely running as an independent as he did in 2010, would come to D.C. to fundraise, given that he served under Carter and as an environmental lawyer and lobbyist in Washington for decades. But it serves to highlight the image Cutler, who was born in Bangor, has as a carpet-bagger who’s more Democrat than independent from away and is trying to buy his way into the Blaine House.

Most of the fundraisers named either worked in the Carter White House or at Akin Gump, the firm Cutler worked at for many years.

Ted O’Meara, a spokesman for Cutler, verified the invitation as legitimate and said Cutler has a lot of friends and associates that are interested in helping him get elected should he decide to run.

“(Cutler) hasn’t officially declared he’s running yet; he’s taking this time to fundraise and make sure there’s enough support,” O’Meara said, adding that there’s an expectation that Cutler will announce that he’s running in a couple months.

Here’s a quick run-down of the names cited on the invite:

• Bernard Aronson – worked in the White House for VP Walter Mondale and was a DNC official and then appointed by HW to be assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs; left to join Goldman Sachs and then started a private equity firm.
• Michael Berman – president of the  Duberstein Group, a D.C. lobbying firm. A former Walter Mondale Senate aide who helped run his 1984 presidential campaign and planned many Democratic National Conventions.
• Leon Billings – Muskie’s former chief of staff and consultant on environmental, energy, health and safety legislation.
• Michael and Harolyn Cardozo – top Democratic fundraisers, heavily involved with the Clintons. Michael Cardozo was the director of Clinton’s legal defense fund during the Kenneth Starr special investigation and came under fire for trying to keep hundreds of thousands of dollars from supporters of a Buddhist cult under the radar for fear of the headlines it would create. And it was at Cardozo’s father’s house where Vince Foster spent his last weekend with the Cardozo’s and others before killing himself.
• Phil Deutch – According to Marketwatch, Deutch was “one of the earliest private equity investors to focus on energy technology.”
• Vic Fazio – former California congressman who is an adviser at Cutler’s old law firm, Akin Gump.
• Les Francis – political consultant and former DNC official.
• Ronna Frieberg – now a lobbyist, worked in the Carter White House and a variety of other Capitol Hill jobs.
• Jim Free – Another lobbyist and Carter White House alum, as well as a Democratic campaign veteran.
• Al From – Democratic lobbyist, Carter White House – and founder of the Democratic Leadership Council, an ideas factory that Bill Clinton borrowed heavily from, according to From’s Politico biography.
• Joel Jankowsky – partner at Akin Gump.
• Orin Kramer – private investment.
• James Langdon – oil and gas lobbyist at Akin Gump.
• Ned Muskie – Ed Muskie’s youngest son and finance consultant based in Washington.
• Scott Pastrick – Lobbyist. Former Carter White House, Democratic campaign veteran, including Clinton’s 1992 bid.
• Tony Podesta – basically D.C.’s top lobbyist. Campaigned for Muskie and other Democratic candidates over the years.
• Alicia Smith – lobbyist with Jim Free, another Carter White House veteran.
• Terrence Straub – Carter White House alum and lobbyist for U.S. Steel.