Kanjorski’s request for Wall Street cash ripped

Wall Street is pulling back on donations to Democrats, but that hasn’t stopped some of them – including U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski – from asking for campaign contributions, even in light of the recently passed reform bill.

Lou Barletta, Kanjorski’s Republican opponent in the 11th Congressional District race, criticized the 13-term incumbent in a release sent out by his campaign.

“Now, after railing against Wall Street when the media is watching, Kanjorski goes back to his Wall Street friends with his hand out,” said Shawn Kelly, Barletta spokesman. “It’s hypocritical and it’s shameful.”

Tory Mazzola, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, criticized the Nanticoke Democrat for seeking the Wall Street financial support.

“With one hand he’s writing the legislation while the other hand asks Wall Street for campaign cash,” Mazzola said. “It’s business as usual for this career politician.”

According to a published report in Politico, an official at a large Wall Street bank talked about the reluctance to make donations that in the past flowed to candidates.

“The fact is that the ink is not even dry on this bill, and everyone in town is still getting fundraising requests from members of the conference committee and all sorts of other people who were beating up on Wall Street,” said the banking official in Politico, citing Reps. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., and Kanjorski as two conference committee members who recently sought Wall Street contributions. Maloney and Kanjorski would not comment to Politico.

“It’s unseemly at best, and right now we are just not inclined to say ‘yes,’ ” the official said.

The Washington Post ran a story Tuesday noting, “A revolt among big donors on Wall Street is hurting fundraising for the Democrats’ two congressional campaign committees, with contributions from the world’s financial capital down 65 percent from two years ago.”

Ed Mitchell, spokesman for the Kanjorski campaign, shot back, noting that Barletta’s city – Hazleton – is ranked at the top in unemployment in Pennsylvania, according to a Department of Labor and Industry report.

“Lou Barletta is just trying to change the subject from Hazleton’s financial collapse,” Mitchell said. “He’s adding to the city’s state-high record unemployment rate of 15.6 percent by laying off city workers later this month. He’s trying to sell the Water Authority to make ends meet. That will hike consumer water rates.

“Barletta botched his job as mayor. No wonder he wants to talk about Paul Kanjorski. He’d botch being a congressman too.”

Barletta’s spokesman called Kanjorski’s search for Wall Street support “standard operating procedure.”

“He postures back home to his constituents and for the news media, and then he does something completely different when he’s with his Wall Street friends and Washington allies,” Kelly said.

“Lou Barletta has been saying it all along: Kanjorski cannot take more than $4.2 million from Wall Street and then be trusted to regulate Wall Street. Kanjorski botched the job of protecting the residents of the 11th Congressional District and the United States from financial ruin.”