3,501
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
m
SW: relocated material so that it hangs together (it appeared in separate paragraphs)
'''Melvin Sembler''' is a longtime friend of former vice president Dick Cheney and a Republican fundraiser.<ref>Accountable America [http://www.accountableamerica.com/people/sembler Mel Sembler], accessed Octoer 23, 2009</ref> He served as the Ambassador to Italy 2001 to 2005, appointed by President [George W. Bush in 2001.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Sembler Mel Sembler] in the ''Wikipedia''.</ref> Sembler primary cause is Israel, and he is involved in funding many projects favored by the so-called Israel Lobby. His funding of right-wing Republican candidates has to do with his Israel advocacy.<ref name=maxb>Max Blumenthal, [http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=767&Itemid=74&jumival=7867 Israel and the American Elections], TRNN, 1 February 2012.</ref>
In August 2007, Sembler was among prominent conservatives funding [[Freedom's Watch]], a new White House front group<ref>[http://www.lasvegasgleaner.com/las_vegas_gleaner/2007/08/adelson-runs-at.html "Adelson runs attack ads against Porter,"] ''Las Vegas Gleaner'', August 22, 2007.</ref> which began "a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign to urge members of Congress who may be wavering in their support for the [[war in Iraq]] not to 'cut and run'."<ref name>[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/22/washington/22war-web.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin "Group to Urge War Support,"] ''New York Times'', August 22, 2007.</ref>Selmer, together with Sheldon Adelson, were the founding funders of this front group.<ref>Mark Townsend and Peter Beaumont [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/oct/07/politics.usa Brown aide plays down US talk of Iran threat], U.K. ''Guardian'', October 7, 2007</ref>
[[Mitt Romney]] named Mel Sembler as National Finance Co-chairman in the 2008 Presidential race. <ref>[http://www.mittromney.com/News/Press-Releases/Florida_Finance_Committee] Mitt Romney 2008 Press-Release.</ref> Sembler is the millionaire funder behind the "superPAC" funding Romney.<ref name=maxb></ref>
While a sitting Ambassador to Italy, Sembler was heavily criticized for overseeing the purchase of an Italian palace near the Embassy. Sembler negotiated the purchase of the palace by the U.S. government for $83.5 million, and then named it after himself.<ref>Al Kamen [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5165-2005Mar3.html Narcissus Is Now Greek AND Roman], ''Washington Post'', March 4, 2005</ref>
Sembler helped finance the 2000 Florida election recount that gave George W. Bush the presidency. He also was a founding funder of the front group [[Freedom's Watch]], established in 2007.<ref>Mark Townsend and Peter Beaumont [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/oct/07/politics.usa Brown aide plays down US talk of Iran threat], U.K. ''Guardian'', October 7, 2007</ref>
==Profiles==
Sembler had previously served as Ambassador to Australia and Nauru by [[George H.W. Bush]] in 1989. <ref>[http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/7043.htm]</ref> "Sembler served as Finance Chairman for the [[Republican National Committee]] from 1997 to 2000. He also served as Florida's National Committeeman to the Republican National Committee after his election in 1994 until 2000."<ref>[http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/7043.htm Biography: Melvin Sembler, Ambassador, Italy Term of Appointment: 11/16/2001 to present,] [[U.S. Department of State]], January 8, 2002.</ref>
