- Thu Feb 07, 2013 11:34 am
#18629
You guessed it, one of Obama's biggest donors.
A cellphone company run by a major Democratic donor and President Obama backer has extended its foray into government contracts, from the so-called “Obama phone” to a project intended to provide high-speed Internet access to low-income families -- amid criticism its product is ill-equipped.
Pollak and his wife, Abigail, are major Obama bundlers and Democratic donors. The couple hosted a $40,000-a-plate fundraising dinner in June at their Miami Beach home. And Abigail Pollak alone raised at least $632,000 for the Obama re-election effort, a total $1.56 million for him since 2007, according to a financial documents obtained by The New York Times.
In addition, F.J. Pollak has been to the White House at least twice. And he and his wife gave an estimated $270,000 to Democratic candidates in the last election cycle, according to OpenSecrets.org.
An FCC spokesman claimed that Pollack's bid for the contract was initially denied due to excessive costs and the fact his company wasn't structured to provided the services being contracted for. Once the White House became involved the $2.4 billion-a-year Lifeline project contract was awarded to Pollack's company.
