Add the National Republican Congressional Committee to the list of conservative groups capitalizing on former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina’s secret meetings with lobbyists at a Caribou Coffee near the White House.
President Obama has repeatedly promised that his would be “the most transparent administration in history,” but the House Energy and Commerce Committee released a report yesterday showing that high-ranking Obama staffers, including Messina, used private email addresses to bypass these rules and meet with industry lobbyists.
“I will roll Pelosi to get the 4 billion,” Messina wrote Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America lobbyist Jeffrey Forbes from his personal account in March 2010.
The NRCC has bought ads on Facebook targeting their 160,000+ fans, asking them to sign a petition demanding “transparency from the White House.” The ad graphic features Messina’s picture and his “roll Pelosi” quote.
“Democrats can’t run on ObamaCare. They can only try to run from it,” NRCC digital director Gerrit Lansing said. “This is a prime example of learning about what’s in it and how it was made – after they passed it. The more America learns about what’s in ObamaCare and the secretive lobbyist deals President Obama made to pass it, the more they are determined to replace Democrats in order to fully repeal it.”