Billy Long contributor has ties to convicted felons Abramoff and DeLay

Give Billy Long credit.

He appears to have already shortened the learning curve most Congressional freshman have to take.

Missouri's sole member of the Cowboy Hat Caucus has not even served one day in Congress and he already has received a campaign contribution from a Washington lobbyist with strong ties to convicted felons Jack Abramoff and Tom DeLay.

Federal Election Commission records show Karl Gallant, owner of Aduston Consulting, and a former aide to convicted ex-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, contributed $250 to Long's campaign on election day.

Gallant, in addition to being a former DeLay aide, later worked as a lobbyist for Alexander Strategy Group, a company that was shut down in 2006 because of its connection to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Gallant has made a name for herself representing the tobacco interests of R. J. Reynolds and working for anti-union efforts.

The $250 Billy Long received from Gallant, however, was just a drop in the bucket compared to the big bucks the newly-elected Congressman raked in from PACS and special interests.

Long's disclosure report, filed today with the FEC shows he received the following contributions from political action committees, during a five week period from October through November:

-Altria Group $1,000
-American Crystal Sugar Company $5,000

-American Health Care Association $1,000

-American Medical Association $2,000

-American Resort Development Association, $2,500

-Arkansas for Leadership $2,400

-Associated Builders and Contractors $1,000

-AT&T- $3,000

-BSNF Railway $2,500

-Boeing Company $2,000

-Centene Corporation $1,500

-COALPAC, $2,000

-College of American Pathologists $5,000

-Edward Jones $1,000

-Electrical Contractors $2,500

-Empire District Electric Company $1,000

-Enterprise Holdings $5,000

-FedEx $2,000

-Genentech, Inc. $1,500

-General Dynamics $1,000

-Inn PAC $1,000

-Kraft Foods $2,000

-Lathrop & Gage $1,000

-Lowe's Corporate $1,000

-Monsanto $2,000

-National Association of Insurance $1,000

-National Milk Producers, $500

-National Pork Producers $1,000

-National Ready Mixed Concrete $1,000

NSSGA ROCK PAC, $1,000

-Raytheon Company $2,000

-Republican Party of Arkansas $5,000

-Title Industry PAC $1,000

-Wendy's/Arby's $1,500

-Win Back America PAC, $2,000

-Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America, $1,000

Long raised $104,785.14 between Oct. 14 and Nov. 22, according to the FEC filing and has spent more than $1.1 million since the beginning of the election cycle. As of the end of the filing period, Long had $65,346.67 in his account.

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