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Shaheen Plays Defense At BAE Systems
By Josh Rogers on Wednesday, October 29, 2008.
BAE VP confronts Shaheen over a Democratic party press release from last summer. The release attacked Shaheen’s GOP rival John Sununu for accepting campaign contributions from BAE employees and others who work for what the release called "war profiteers."
Campaigning at BAE is rarely a cakewalk for Democrats, and if Jeanne Shaheen was under any illusion that she was going to have an easy morning of it, it was quickly punctured.
“We protect those that protect us and we were deeply disappointed.”
That was the event’s MC, Thomas Fitzpatrick, Vice President of BAE’s electronic warfare division.
“….Deeply disappointed that the state Democratic party, on your behalf, characterized us as war profiteers,. bilking the public. I’d like to know what you were thinking at the time when you sort of let that stand, and to this day it still stands.”
“I appreciate why you were concerned about that. I was myself upset about that when I saw a release had gone out that had BAE on that list, because I don’t consider the work that you do to be in that category. “
Shaheen went on to say she had a close working relationship with BAE
when she was Governor, and would expect to have a similar one as a US Senator. Shaheen finished up with this.
“I expressed my displeasure with people in the Democratic party about that press release and believe it was unfortunate that it went out the way it did. “
After the event, Shaheen spoke with employees for several minutes. But her campaign told reporters not to ask questions……..BAE vice President Tom Fitzpatrick was easier with his time, but not sure what to make of Shaheen’s response to what he said his company considered a very serious matter.
“It seemed like a superficial dismissal but I need to digest it a bit more.”
-But when she says, ‘Oh I had concerns; I let the people know internally without any public statement’?
“I think that’s the issue and I thought the message was that she doesn’t see herself as accountable for that. I thought that’s what the message was.”
A Shaheen spokesman called to reiterate that the candidate had no prior knowledge of the press release in question, which was issued in July. The state Democratic party, for its part, has never amended the claims it made in that press release.
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One can debate what constitutes war profiteering, but there is no doubt that BAE Systems, a British company, is in the US because our defense spending is far and away the highest in the world. In fact, the latest figures show that the US accounts for more than two thirds of the world's arms spending--not including the cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And BAE Systems is not the only foreign company cashing in on US defense spending. Of the top 10 US defense contractors, three are foreign owned: BAE Systems of the UK, Finmecchanica of Italy, and EADS of Germany. Another New Hampshire company, Kollsman in Merrimack, is owned by an Israeli company. The Democratic party press release made a legitimate point.