Monday, October 29, 2007

In 2005 and 2006 combined, the nation's largest telecommunications companies, AT&T and Verizon, contributed $12,000 to Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.). This year, they gave $47,350.

Rockefeller chairs the Senate intelligence committee, a panel not known for drawing telecom industry donations. But this month it approved legislation that would wipe out about 40 pending lawsuits charging the telecoms with violating Americans' privacy by cooperating with the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance program.

His spokeswoman, Wendy Morigi, said Rockefeller supported immunity "based on the merits" of the issue.

AT&T spokeswoman Claudia Jones said the company gave to Rockefeller because he is a senior Democrat on the Commerce Committee in a Democratically controlled Senate and is up for reelection next year.

-- Ellen Nakashima