After Chevron contributed $2.5 million to a Republican Super PAC, Rep. Steve Israel (D., N.Y.), chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, accused the oil company of looking for political payoffs.
The $2.5 million from Chevron made up the bulk of the $3.1 million raised by the Congressional Leadership Fund from Oct. 1 to Oct. 17, according to an FEC disclosure filed Thursday. The Super PAC and its affiliate, the American Action Network, have said they plan to spend more than $20 million this cycle backing House Republican candidates, who tend to oppose efforts to close tax loopholes for oil companies as well as energy industry regulations.
Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said the Chevron donation "may be the biggest political payoff in history."
"House Republicans protected taxpayer subsidies for Big Oil companies making record profits and now they’re getting rewarded," Israel said in a statement.
Israel failed to mention that Chevron has contributed more than $84,000 to Obama. Chevron has donated at least $16,000 to Senate Democrats and more than $38,000 to Israel’s fellow House Democrats. Democratic representatives who accepted money from Chevron include Jim Costa (D., Calif.), George Miller (D., Calif.), Jim Matheson (D., Utah), and Gregory Meeks (D., N.Y.).
It is unclear whether Israel will force House Democrats to return Chevron’s contributions.