>Bernie Sanders' Strategist Named in New Cache of Mueller Evidence
https://observer.com/2016/08/this-political-consultant-made-millions-off-of-sanders-campaign/
This Political Consultant Made Millions Off of Sanders’ Campaign
Tad Devine was a top adviser to both Al Gore and John Kerry’s failed presidential runs in 2000 and 2004
08/22/16
According to the Wesleyan Media Project, Bernie Sanders spent more on advertising than any other candidate in the 2016 cycle. By the end of May, this totaled over $87 million. Unfortunately for Sen. Sanders, this was because he had to spend a lot of money on advertising.
In 2015, the Tyndall Report tracked nightly news coverage on NBC, ABC and CBS, and found that Sanders rarely received media coverage on the networks. This media blackout was one of the most significant obstacles to Sanders’ campaign against Hillary Clinton, who was covered throughout mainstream media preceding the Democratic primaries as the default Democratic presidential nominee. What is just as sobering as the dismissal of Sanders’ campaign by corporate media, however, is who was profiting off of Sanders spending so much of his funds on advertising.
A percentage of every advertisement purchased was paid to Old Towne Media and Devine Mulvey Longabough for brokering the media contracts. The latter was run by Sanders’ senior strategist, Tad Devine, who also received a cut for deals brokered through Old Towne. Devine’s cut totaled at least $10 million by the end of May 2016, according to an investigative report by Slate—in addition to over $5 million paid to his firm. (This would be over half a million average donations to the Sanders campaign.)
Devine, a top adviser to both Al Gore and John Kerry’s failed presidential runs in 2000 and 2004, was the most establishment-friendly political consultant in the Sanders campaign. He was the seasoned Democratic Party insider meant to help Sanders present a viable challenge to Hillary Clinton. Devine has worked on campaigns around the world, including in Bolivia, Honduras, Peru, Israel, Colombia and Ukraine—for ousted President Viktor Yanukovich.
Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Paul Manafort, recently resigned due to negative publicity over his pro-Russian ties to Yanukovich. The Podesta Group—a lobbying firm founded by Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta, and run by his brother, Tony Podesta—received over $1 million from Yanukovich and his political party in Ukraine, which was funneled to the firm from Manafort. According to Reuters, the FBI and Department of Justice are currently investigating ties between the work of firms run by Manafort and Podesta and corruption involving the former Ukrainian president.