It's a Family Affair
WASHINGTON — It turns out that lobbying is the King family business.
Not only does Rep. Peter King’s son Sean work for former Sen. Alfonse D’Amato’s influential lobbying firm Park Strategies, but King’s daughter and sister also work in lobbying.
Daughter Erin King Sweeney manages government affairs, which oversees lobbying operations, for Swiss International Air Lines, in Uniondale
And his sister, Barbara King, is a registered lobbyist for Continuum Health Partners Inc., which operates Beth Israel Medical Center, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center and Long Island College Hospital.
King’s challenger in next week’s election, Democratic Nassau Legis. David Mejias, has made an issue of Sean King’s job at Park Strategies because it lobbies King and the Homeland Security Committee he chairs.
Sean King said he has never worked as a lobbyist, though he was listed on a New York State lobby registration.
King’s opponents point out that other family members are involved in lobbying. Records bear them out.
Not only is Barbara King a lobbyist, but she is also treasurer of the High-Need Hospital PAC, which gave Peter King’s campaign fund $5,650 from 1999 to 2004.
On the issues on which she lobbies, her brother has been a leader, according to the Greater New York Hospital Association. It has praised him for taking the lead in efforts to preserve Medicaid and Medicare payments for hospitals — an action often at odds with the House GOP leadership.
When asked about her relationship with her brother, Barbara King hung up. Erin Sweeney did not respond to a phone call or e-mail.
Peter King called with a terse statement that said he told his family not to answer questions and accused Newsday of a "smear" for disclosing family lobbying jobs.
“Neither my daughter or my sister has ever lobbied me or my committee,” he said. “"This is a new low for a better newspaper like Newsday.”
--Tom Brune
Addendum: Moments after this item went up on this Web site, King spokesman Kevin Fogarty called to say the statement had a typo, and that the congressman wanted it changed. King didn't mean to call Newsday a "better newspaper," Fogarty said, he meant to call it a "gutter newspaper."
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Comments (5)
Wow the polls you guys are doing for Mejias must show him losing big for this type of smear job. Still haven't seen Newsday investigate why Mejias wouldn't comment on whether he has ever been married. I wonder why.
You would think King might be worried with all the free campaigning Newsday is doing for Mejias but with Newsday's circulation being down to 413,579, a decrease of -4.9%, for the 6 month period ending 09/30/06 (which is one of the biggest drops in circulation of the 25 largest nespappers in the country) I guess King realizes that nobody's reading it.
They cant dispute the facts, so all they can do is bash Newsday. It's sad, really.
Exactly. Republicans are increasingly desperate and shrill because they know just what's going to happen next week.
I know Pete King for 20 years. He's thew most honest, decent, substantive pol on Long Island. To imply that he and/or his family is/are corrupt is absolutely absurd!!!