| Page 2 of 2 < |
Rhode Island AG Campaign Took Donations
"Patrick Lynch is a friend of mine," he said. "I support him, and I support maybe 30 other AGs."
Nash first made contact with Lynch's office to work out a deal for DuPont in 2003, according to court documents.
  Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch, left, makes a statement to the media following a verdict in the state's lead paint lawsuit, Feb. 22, 2006, in Providence, R.I. At right is former Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse. Lynch accepted campaign contributions from the chief negotiator for DuPont Co. at the same time he was in talks with the company to drop it from the state's landmark lawsuit against former lead paint companies, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Stew Milne, File) (Stew Milne - AP) 
Save & Share | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saving options
Depositions taken in January of Lynch and his chief of staff, Leonard Lopes, show Nash was DuPont's primary contact with the Attorney General's office as the deal was negotiated. The deal was announced June 30, 2005.
Donations by Nash and his wife, Phyllis, appear in documents filed with the state Board of Elections by the Lynch campaign.
The first, for $500, was made by Bernard Nash on June 30, 2004. On Dec. 20, 2005, each of the Nashes gave Lynch's campaign $1,000, the maximum individual political donation allowed in Rhode Island in a calendar year.
DuPont issued a statement saying Nash made the contributions "in his personal capacity, not in his capacity as an attorney" for the company.
According to campaign records, Lynch also accepted a $250 donation from Olivia Morgan, executive director of the Children's Health Forum, one of three charities that received donations from DuPont under the state deal. Her donation was recorded Dec. 20, 2005.
Morgan, who is also employed by the Dewey Square Group, a DuPont lobbyist, declined comment Thursday.
The Children's Health Forum works to prevent lead poisoning. The other two charities to benefit from the DuPont arrangement were the Brown University Medical School and the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center in Boston.
DuPont and Lynch's office said there was no formal written agreement laying out the terms of the deal that led to the dismissal.
Lynch is seeking a second term as attorney general. He was sworn in as the state's top law enforcement official in 2003.
___
On the Net:
DuPont: http:/
State Attorney General: http:/