Does M&I Bank have a link to the tea party?
Well, its recently retired chairman Dennis Kuester certainly does.
According to documents turned up by ThinkProgress, Kuester had attended a June 2010 gathering sponsored by Koch Industriesthe Big Oil brothers who are funding the tea party Astro turf group Americans for Prosperity (AFP).
Koch convenes these twice-yearly meetings to coordinate conservative corporations and activists and to “discuss--and offer solutions to counter--the most critical threats to our free society. Recent sessions have focused on addressing rapid government growth, countering climate change alarmism and the move toward socialized health care…”
You know the drill.
Past attendees have included Glenn Beck, U.S. Supreme Court justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, Rush Limbaugh and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan.
At its June meeting, these radical titans of industry discussed “an integrated strategy to address these threats.” Glenn Beck wondered “Is America on the Road to Serfdom?”
Gee, wonder what Beck’s answer was. I love it when multimillionaires fret about impending “serfdom.”
Its invitation includes a list of past attendees, which is where Kuester is listed, along with Dick Strong of Milwaukee. Remember him?
The firm and Dick Strong were accused by Spitzer of mutual fund market timing in the fall of 2003. Strong was accused of improperly personally trading in mutual funds that his company dealt with.
In May of 2004, Strong Financial Corp., Strong and two of his senior executives reached a settlement with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission, in which Strong, the company and senior executives admitted to mutual fund market timing. The company paid $80 million in fines and disgorgements. Strong himself paid $60 million, and his senior executives agreed to smaller fines.
Strong and his two senior executives also agreed to lifetime bans from the financial services industry.
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I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Kuester attended this elite tea party meeting. He gave $10,000 to Scott Walker during this election cycle. And don’t forget that M&I has applied for the Early Retiree Benefits Program created by the federal health reform billsocialism!which makes him a hypocrite as well as a tea partier.
