Christopher Dodd

Christopher John Dodd, a Democrat, represented Connecticut in the U.S. Senate from 1981 to 2011.

Countrywide mortgage scandal
Senator Dodd was among the prominent politicians who may have received favorable mortgage deals from Countrywide, a mortgage lender at the heart of the current mortgage crises. According to an investigation conducted by Conde Nast's Portfolio, Countrywide's V.I.P program may have bent rules to offer Senator Dodd a better deal on his Washington town house and Connecticut home mortgages.

Similarly to Sen. Kent Conrad, Dodd is currently under investigation by The Senate Ethics Committee for allegedly receiving two preferential mortgage rates from Countrywide Financial. Dodd claimed to have known about the preferential mortgages rates as early as 2003. As of early 2009, Dodd has claimed to have spent more than $31,316.60 in legal fees.

Iraq War
Dodd voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq in Oct. 2002.

Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Iraq and Afghanistan Security and Reconstruction Act
In 2003 Dodd offered an amendment to the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Iraq and Afghanistan Security and Reconstruction Act, 2004, which added $322 million to the $300 million already appropriated towards the purchase of "high-tech body armor, bullet-proof helmets, special water packs to keep soldiers hydrated, and other survival gear." The amendment failed when it was tabled in a 49-37 vote.

2007 Iraq resolutions
On January 16, 2007, Sen. Dodd introduced binding legislation which would cap U.S. troop levels in Iraq at 130,000 (the number of troops in Iraq at the time), this preventing President Bush from adding an additional 21,500.

In early February of 2007, Dodd, as well as Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), threatened to oppose a newly drafted nonbinding resolution opposing George W. Bush's plans of troop escalation in Iraq, claiming that the language of the resolution was "weak." Both senators, however, supported an earlier draft. The newer draft was the result of bipartisan discussion and compromise in attempt to ensure that the resolution would pass. 

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Golden Leash Award
The Golden Leash Award was presented Dodd by Public Campaign, April 29, 1998:


 * "The Golden Leash is a symbol of the ties between special interest money and elected officials. It is awarded to Members of Congress who demonstrate egregious conduct in the quid pro quo practice of dollar democracy.


 * "This award serves as a reminder of Senator Dodd's acceptance of $910,304 in campaign cash from January 1993 to December 1997 from the Securities, Investment, Accounting and High-Tech Computer industries... Goldman, Sachs & Co., Morgan Stanley, Salomon Brothers and others donat[ed] $523,551 in PAC and individual contributions. The accounting industry - perhaps the biggest winners in the 1995 securities litigation reform law - donated $345,903 in PAC and individual contributions. This includes such giants as Price Waterhouse, Ernst & Young and Coopers & Lybrand, among others. Deloitte & Touche's contributions to Senator Dodd increased nearly five-fold from 1995 to 1996 soon after Congress passed the reform law the industry championed. The computer industry - a fairly new player in the campaign contribution field - ponied up $40,850 in contributions."

Public Campaign's report cites the following examples: Dodd was an original cosponsor of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and he helped to organize the Senate's override of President Clinton's veto. The National Securities Market Improvement Act which ultimately weakened oversight that would have protected investors. Dodd lined up as a cosponsor of the Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act, an extension of the earlier securities litigation legislation. The bill was strongly supported by The Uniform Standards Coalition, an ad-hoc group of securities, accounting and high-tech computer firms.

Illegal Fundraising - John Huang
Dodd was co-chair of the Democratic National Committee during the John Huang 1996-97 fundraising scandal, sometimes known as Chinagate. John Huang was described by the New York Times as "a former trade official who had been a top fund-raising officer at the Democratic National Committee and a frequent visitor to the White House." Attorney General Janet Reno launched an investigation into solitcitation of questionable campaign contributions from Asia. In the end, The task force created to investigate campaign fund-raising irregularities during the 1996 U.S. elections secured criminal convictions against 17 people by 2001, with Huang eventually pleading guilty. Dodd was not among the investigated or indicted. 

According to the conservative organization Judicial Watch, Dodd was a recipient of funds raised by John Huang. .

See Also:
 * The Washington Post summary on John Huang
 * CNN timeline on the "Fundraising Flap."

Enron/Arthur Anderson Campaign Contributions
On January 30, 2002 Dick Morris wrote in The odd couple: Chris Dodd and Arthur Andersen
 * "While many candidates of both parties have received campaign contributions from Enron and its self-serving 'independent auditor' Arthur Andersen, very few have passionately fought their cause in Washington as diligently as Chris Dodd. Dodd has received more money from Arthur Andersen than any other Democrat - $54 843.00 - and has aggressively worked to insulate Arthur Andersen and other accounting firms from liability to defrauded investors in cases like Enron."

And in February 2003, Morris wrote:
 * Dodd protested my [previous] accusations in a letter to the New York Post saying "Dick Morris mistakenly contends that legislation cosponsored by Sen. Christopher Dodd is somehow responsible for the Enron fiasco."


 * But all independent observers seem to disagree with Dodd. The Washington Post editorialized two weeks ago that "Sen. Chris Dodd, who now proposes reformist legislation, led a battle in 1995 to limit auditor's liability." The Post said that "all the players in this scandal - Enron's managers, its auditors, the lawmakers - helped to create the conditions for Enron's collapse."

President Bush's recess appointment of Sam Fox
President Bush appointed Sam Fox, who contributed $50,000 to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth in 2004, as Ambassador to Belgium. The recess appointment comes one week after Bush withdrew the nomination in the face of opposition organized by Sen. John Kerry. Dodd questioned the legal validity of the appointment, which the White House said would last until Congress adjourns at the end of 2008. Dodd said he would ask the General Accountability Office, the watchdog arm of Congress, to investigate the validity of Fox's recess appointment.

2008 presidential aspirations
On January 11, 2007, Dodd announced that he planned to seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2008. He announced on "Imus in the Morning," that "problems at home and abroad meant it was time for him to 'get out of the bleachers and onto the arena floor.'" He described himself as a "black horse" in a Democratic field dominated by presidential candidates like Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama. 

Former lobbyist Amos Hochstein, a key member of Dodd's campaign team, was until January 2007 managing Cassidy and Associates's controversial account for the government of Equatorial Guinea. Despite President Teodoro Obiang's reputation as a corrupt tyrant, Hochstein remained an enthusiastic supporter. In April 2006 he told the Washington Post that Obiang had "...convinced me of his deep care for his people."

On January 3, 2008, Dodd dropped out of the Presidential race after failing to get a single percentage point in the Democratic Iowa caucuses."

Bio
Dodd was born May 27, 1944,in Willimantic, Connecticut. His father was Senator Thomas Joseph Dodd. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in English Literature from Providence College in 1966, Dodd served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic until 1968. After leaving the peace corps, Dodd joined U.S. Army Reserve until 1975. In 1972, earned his J.D. from the University of Louisville. The following year, he was admitted to Connecticut bar, and began practicing law in New London.

In 1974, Dodd was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's second congressional district. He served from January 3, 1975 to January 3, 1981.

Dodd was first elected to the Senate in 1980. From 1995 to 1997, he served as General Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. As General Chairman, Dodd was the DNC's spokesman.

Dodd is married to Jackie Marie Clegg, a former director for the Export-Import Bank of the United States. On September 16, 2003, Clegg was appointed to the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). On March 10, 2004 she was appinted for a further three-year term. (Pdf)

Dodd is considered a supporter of the inusrance industry. The trade magazine, Independant Agent, wrote in 1995: "Among others on Senate Banking, Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes of Maryland, the Senate Banking Committee's ranking Democrat, can be expected to take a skeptical approach to financial services modernization in general, while Sen. Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, the No. 2 Democrat," is a strong supporter of the insurance industry. In 2003, Dodd was honored at the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America as "Legislator of the Year."

Money in politics
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Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * Senate Committee on Rules and Administration
 * Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
 * Subcommittee on European Affairs
 * Subcommittee on Near East and South and Central Asian Affairs
 * Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps, and Narcotics Affairs
 * Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
 * Subcommittee on Children and Families
 * Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety
 * Subcommittee on International Trade and Finance
 * Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs - Chairman

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * Joint Committee on the Library of Congress
 * Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
 * Subcommittee on Financial Institutions
 * Subcommittee on Housing and Transportation
 * Subcommittee on Securities and Investment - Ranking Minority Member
 * Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
 * Subcommittee on African Affairs
 * Subcommittee on International Economic Policy Export and Trade Promotion
 * Subcommittee on European Affairs
 * Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere Peace Corps and Narcotics Affairs - Ranking Minority Member
 * Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
 * Subcommittee on Bioterrorism Preparendess and Public Health
 * Subcommittee on Education and Early Childhood Development - Ranking Minority Member
 * Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety
 * Senate Committee on Rules and Administration - Ranking Minority Member

Board and Other Affiliations

 * Member, Council on Foreign Relations
 * Member of the Helsinki Commission (September 16, 2003).
 * Former Co-Chair, Democratic National Committee
 * Former Board Member (1989), Center for Democracy

External resources

 * Official website
 * Campaign website
 * Senate Biography.
 * Peace Corps biography of Chris Dodd
 * Christopher Dodd Bio, HILLPAC.
 * Technorati Search: Chris Dodd
 * Google News Search: Chris Dodd
 * Yahoo! News Search: Chris Dodd
 * News & Articles on Chris Dodd, politics.surfwax.com. Current file.
 * U.S. Politics Today News File: Christopher Dodd. Current file.
 * Power Trips: How much does Chris Dodd travel?
 * Chris Dodd "On the Issues" 2000 Campaign.
 * See how you compare to Chris Dodd

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Connecticut Local Politics

External articles

 * Chris Dodd and Arthur Andersen by Dick Morris, Insight, 1/30/02
 * Two Democrats Back Public Financing by Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 2/9/06
 * New Investigative Study Reveals How Congress' Addiction to Drug Industry Money Threatens Medicare Drug Bill, Christopher J. Dodd (see page 32; pdf file), July 6, 2000, citizen.org.
 * Christopher J. Dodd, Participant at Bilderberg Meeting, June 3-6, 1999, at Sintra. Word-for-word copy.
 * While Caracas Burns, Wall Street Journal, December 13, 2001.
 * Robert Novak,Chris Dodd's vendetta, Conservative Townhall.com, May 2, 2002.
 * Karen Tumulty, A Chamber Full Of Candidates. Will Connecticut's other Senator give Joe Lieberman some company in the 2004 presidential campaign?, Time.com, February 17, 2003.
 * Mary Anastasia O'Grady, Chris Dodd, Aristide's Best Friend in Washington (biased), Wall Street Journal, August 1, 2003.
 * Elana Schor, "Sens. Dodd, Feingold to defy leadership on Iraq resolution," The Hill, February 2, 2007.
 * James Rowley “Bush Gives Swift-Boat Donor Fox Recess Ambassador Appointment” Bloomberg.com, April 4, 2007. re Sam Fox
 * Don Michak, "Dodd wants probe after Bush skirts Senate," JournalInquirer.com (CT), April 5, 2007.