FEC Documents: Durbin Has Accepted Thousands In Donations From “Corporate Deserters”

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin really hates businesses that even think about trying to legally escape the highest corporate tax rate in the industrialized world here in the United States.

The Illinois Democrat wrote threatening letters to Walgreen executives because the company was discussing a corporate inversion. He insinuated a boycott could be in the works if they went through with it. As Stephen Moore wrote:

That was followed by other threats of political retaliation. “Much of Walgreens financial success was built on programs and infrastructure provided by the U.S. government” and “the future success of Walgreens will continue to depend on U.S. taxpayers and government-funded programs.” Just in case Mr. Wasson didn’t get the point, he reminded him that “nearly 25% of Walgreens profits were from U.S-funded Medicare and Medicaid programs.”

Walgreen, as you might know, decided against the move. In the days that followed shares in the company plunged, liquidating more than $9 billion in shareholder wealth.

In his fight against inversions (which are completely legal based on tax code that Dick Durbin helped create), Durbin even went so far as to call these companies "corporate deserters" in legislation he wrote to punish those that actually went through with the move.

As you can see, Dick Durbin clearly is on the warpath to fight those even considering the maneuver.

However, a check of FEC documents shows that maybe he could start with those who have given his campaign money through the years. It appears Durbin has accepted at least $12,000 in contributions from individuals who are involved in planning or carrying out corporate inversions.

Will he give the money back?

Durbin has accepted $2,000 from Blair Effron. Effron is connected with one of the biggest tax inversions in the works, Mylan's offer to buy Abbott.

Durbin also has accepted at least $5,600 from Roger Altman, as you can see here and here. Altman is the founder and executive chairman of Evercore Partners, a New York investment firm that advised Shire Plc, which has a pending inversion deal with AbbVie.

Former CEO of UAL Corp. and JPMorgan executive Glenn Tilton has given $3,700 to Durbin here, here, and here. Tilton now a director of AbbVie and Abbott, which are both considering inversions.

Big-time Obama bundler Sally Susman gave Durbin $1,000. She's now executive vice president at Pfizer, which earlier this year proposed the largest inversion in history.

Again, will Senator Durbin return these contributions from individuals the President called "unpatriotic" and Durbin himself alleged were engaging or considering a "desertion" from the United States?