Tom Feeney

Biography

Law firm and lobbying

[Feeney was most likely the registered agent for Yang Enterprises right from when it was founded in 1986.]

Controversies

9/11 foreknowledge

Main article: 9/11

Political connections

• Bush family
  • Jeb Bush - Former running mate, close political associate
  • George W. Bush - Close political associate

• Florida state government
  • Roy Cales, head of the State Technology Office under Jeb Bush
  • Frank Brogan, Lt. Gov. under Jeb Bush
  • Tom Barry, FDOT Secretary under Jeb Bush until 2003
  • Nelson Hill, Chief Information Officer at FDOT

• American Legislative Exchange Council - recognized Feeney in 1992 for furtherance of their agenda
• Council for National Policy - gave Feeney an award in 2005

Corporate connections

• Yang Enterprises
• Wackenhut

See also

• Volusia County FL

External links

• United States Congress bio for Tom Feeney: "FEENEY, Tom, a Representative from Florida; born in Abington, Montgomery County, Pa., May 21, 1958; B.A., Penn State University, State College, Pa., 1980; J.D., University of Pittsburgh, Oakland, Pa., 1983; lawyer, private practice; member of the Florida state house of representatives, 1990-1994, 1996-2002; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Eighth Congress and to the two succeeding Congresses (January 3, 2003-January 3, 2009); unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the One Hundred Eleventh Congress in 2008."

Legal career

• Michelle Looney email from August 2017 providing info on Feeney as a registered agent for the Yangs' companies in Florida

Florida state house

• Mention of Feeney being named National Outstanding Legislative Member of the Year by ALEC in 1992
• Heritage Foundation, "School Choice Programs: What's Happening In The States" by Allyson M. Tucker and William F. Lauber, 1995/03 - in 1994, Feeney sponsored a school voucher law in the Florida legislature: "State Representative Tom Feeney and State Senator John Grant, both Republicans, introduced the Parental Choice in Education Act (HB 583/SB 1302). The bill would have given parents educational certificates to send their children to the public or private school of their choice. It also would have established Public Schools of Excellence."
• Jeb Bush gubernatorial campaign in 1994
  • Miami New Times, "Road Show", 1994/08/10
    • "[...] The Bushcapade will include a lead car, a minivan, and the rather luxurious Coachmaster motor home for Bush, his wife Columba, son George, running mate Tom Feeney (a state representative from Orlando), and later Feeney's wife Ellen."
    • "Thirty-six-year-old Feeney knows his place in this campaign. More conservative than his running mate, he has been called Jeb Bush's Dan Quayle. "There were two things said about Quayle that nobody who knows me has said about me," Feeney counters. "One was that he stepped on his tongue while he was talking; in other words, that he wasn't terribly articulate. And the other was that he wasn't very bright, that Marilyn was the brains of the family. Well," he smiles, "to some extent Ellen is the brains in our family. I'm not denying that. [Ellen Feeney is a chemical engineer at the Kennedy Space Center.] But even my colleagues in the House will tell you that they think I am one of the best debaters. They will also tell you I am more a policy wonk than anybody in either the Senate or the House.""
  • From p.108-110 of Jeb by S. V. Date - questions why Jeb picked an extremist like Feeney: "In 1994, making his first run for any sort of government office, Jeb Bush chose as his running mate a man who openly hated government even more than Jeb did: Tom Feeney."
• New York Times, "Legislator's Departure in Sex Case Unsettles Christian Faction", 1996/03/24: "But the Republicans have produced another favorite of Christian conservatives, Tom Feeney, a former state representative from Orlando who ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in Jeb Bush's gubernatorial ticket in 1994. Mr. Feeney, who has to move to the district to run, said he doubted that Mr. Couch's arrest would have any political impact. "I guess some people may raise the hypocrisy issue but the simple fact is no one's perfect," he said."

YEI controversy

• Local news articles on Feeney and YEI
  • Daytona Beach News-Journal, "Feeney's role in FDOT contract dispute questioned", 2002/06/09
  • Daytona Beach News-Journal, "E-mails at odds with Feeney denials", 2002/10/12
  • Associated Press, "Records: Feeney arranged meeting", 2002/10/13
  • Orlando Sentinel, "Feeney's Ethics Case Goes Before State Today", 2002/10/25: pages 1, 2
  • New Times Broward-Palm Beach, "Pulp Nonfiction", 2005/02/10
• Quotes from Just a Fly on the Wall about Tom Feeney's inside knowledge of Bush Administration plans
• Brad Friedman, "FEENEY ATTORNEY THREATENS HOMETOWN PAPER WITH LEGAL ACTION!", 2004/12/24 - points out Feeney's power and influence in the state of Florida around 2000

US House

• Orlando Weekly, "Let Tom Feeney be the judge", 2003/12/25: "The Feeney Amendment, as it is now called, restricts the authority of federal judges who are more lenient than permitted under federal sentencing guidelines. "He wants judges to be robots," says attorney Steve Mason, who lives in Feeney's district, which includes parts of Seminole, Orange, Brevard and Volusia counties."
• Orlando Weekly, "MOJO risinâ??", 20??/??/??: "Tom Feeney: Tom Feeney performed a neat trick his last year as state House speaker. With the term-limits clock ticking on his political future, he used the redistricting process to carve himself an overwhelmingly Republican congressional district. He ran for that seat, and -- lo and behold -- he won. With Feeney (R-Oviedo) facing re-election next November, Head admits, "there are no challengers on the horizon."
  
  With Ricky-boy muddied by divorce, Feeney has become the Sunshine State's new GOP golden boy, riding the wave he started in winter 2002, when he became the cheerleader for the GOP's efforts to win the postelection battle in Florida. Like Keller, he's mostly a good soldier, though he has been quoted saying Bush's Iraq policy is too liberal, and that America can't play "nanny" to those we've bombed. On the legislative front, Feeney's main accomplishments are sponsoring legislation -- at John Ashcroft's behest -- to tighten up on federal judges who dole out lenient sentences (silly judges, thinking for themselves) and trying to strengthen the draconian USA PATRIOT Act, civil liberties be damned."
• Washington Post, "The Reaganest Republican", 2004/06/11
• Tom Feeney, "Feeney Helps Volusia Sheriff Acquire Patrol Boat", 2005/05/25: "U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Oviedo) announced that today the Volusia County Sheriff's Department received a new on-water patrol vessel to enhance its law enforcement capabilities on Volusia County's waterways and coastline. The Sheriff's Department was nominated by Congressman Feeney to receive the patrol boat and the loan was facilitated by the Congressional PWC Loan Program, which was launched by industry manufacturers this year. [...] "We're extremely appreciative of Congressman Feeney's leadership and Daytona Fun Machines' civic spirit in providing this craft for use by our deputies," said Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson."
• Awards from the Council for National Policy
  • "Jaunary 2005 Policy Counsel Speeches" and Feeney's acceptance speech of the Winston Churchill Award
• China relationship
  • Space Politics, "Tom Feeney’s excellent Chinese adventure", 2006/02/17 - article on Feeney's trip to China concerning their space program
  • p.205 of The New Space Race: China vs. USA by Erik Seedhouse claims Feeney was concerned about the US being overtaken by China in the space race
  • Christian Science Monitor, "GOP rift over US firms in China", 2006/02/17 - shows that Feeney considers US corporations doing business in authoritarian countries like China acceptable
• Jack Abramoff connections
  • Brad Friedman, "Feeney/St. Andrews/Abramoff and Ney/HAVA/Abramoff Connections Still Flying Beneath the Radar", 2006/05/08
  • Brad Friedman, "FEENEY UNDERSTATED COSTS OF SCOTLAND GOLF JUNKET WITH ABRAMOFF, ACCORDING TO COURT DOCS", 2007/04/25 (Washington Post, "Ex-Hill Aide Pleads Guilty in Abramoff Probe", 2007/04/24: "One of the gifts Zachares admitted receiving from Abramoff was a luxury trip in 2003 to St. Andrews golf course in Scotland. Court papers filed by the government made conspicuous reference to "Representative #3" who also made the trip. That person has previously been identified as Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Fla.). Zachares "falsely reported" in travel disclosure forms that it was a fact-finding trip and he low-balled the cost at $5,643, "a figure coordinated with Abramoff to be substantially identical as the figures other attendees, including Representative #3, would report."")
  • Brad Friedman, "Tom Feeney Creates Legal Defense Fund", 2007/06/22
  • Brad Friedman, "Feeney Catches a Break: Appellate Court Limits Allowable Evidence in Federal Investigation", 2009/02/06: "One other very interesting point we hadn't noticed previously... Feeney is now being represented by Robert D. Luskin. If that name doesn't ring a bell, Luskin is also the attorney representing another well-known corrupt Republican currently under investigation: Karl Rove" - also note that one of the judges who made the ruling was Brett Kavanaugh
  • Brad Friedman, "Friendly Feeney Finding Fouls Federal Felony Fact- Finding Against Failed Former Florida Congressman", 2009/07/17
  • Brad Friedman, "Feeney Reportedly Off Hook in Abramoff Probe", 2009/08/05 - response by Bob Ney: "Interesting decision, huh!!! Maybe I should have been on the ticket with the President's Brother a few years back  :-) Alberto Gonzales, wonder if he weighed in on this before exiting his job?"
• Orlando Sentinel, "GOP cash secured decade of power", 2006/09/03: "The GOP has used this fundraising edge to maintain domination of the Legislature -- by a current 8535 margin in the House and 26-14 in the Senate -- and enable Bush to become the state's first two-term Republican governor. More significantly, Democrats worry, the Republicans' overwhelming financial advantage puts the GOP in a strong position to replace Bush next year with either Charlie Crist or Tom Gallagher. The GOP money comes not just from traditional sources, such as affluent, right-leaning individuals, but also from almost every major business in the state. The donor list includes Orlando Magic owner Rich DeVos, Miami Dolphins owner H. Wayne Huizenga and megadeveloper Gary Morse of The Villages, as well as Florida Power & Light, BellSouth and Publix" - note that Wayne Huizenga had some kind of relationship with Wally Hilliard and owned a waste disposal company which employed Feeney as a lobbyist; note that Gary Morse is said to be behind Green Isle Ranch along with Mel Sembler and Don Brown
• Brad Friedman, "Clint Curtis Campaign Asks 'What Did Tom Feeney Know About Foley and When Did He Know It?'", 2006/10/09: "The question of what Feeney knew about Foley, when he knew about it and what he did about it is an appropriate one. Feeney, as Deputy Whip, is a member of the House GOP leadership who had reportedly been informed long ago of the "Foley Problem." Feeney is also a Florida caucus colleague of the now-disgraced child predator and proudly worked with Foley on bills such as the PROTECT Act of 2003 to punish those who would exploit children."
• Sarasota Herald-Tribune, "Romney frequent flier to Florida now", 2007/07/02: "That effort has attracted some the state’s best-known fundraisers, including former U.S. Ambassador Mel Sembler and Miami billionaire Wayne Huizenga. And he has built a political network with the likes of former Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings and former Florida House Speaker Allan Bense. Although former Gov. Jeb Bush has not endorsed Romney, Bush has been instrumental in steering his political confidants to him. Romney’s Florida staff includes former Bush campaign finance director Ann Herberger, former Bush 1994 running mate Tom Feeney and former Bush chief of staff Sally Bradshaw."

Life after Congress

• Politico, "Karl Rove accosted by ex-GOP chief of staff", 2009/04/09: "Former Bush adviser Karl Rove was verbally accosted Thursday evening by an ex-chief of staff to former Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Fla.). Rove was quietly having dinner at the tony restaurant Charlie Palmer Steak on Capitol Hill when he was aggressively approached by Jason Roe, the former Feeney staffer. Roe, now of Federal Strategy Group, was "loud and boisterous" toward Rove. He was apparently (still) upset over the following comments Rove made on Fox News, the day after the election, in which Feeney — along with many other Republicans — went down in flames. [...] Roe: "I don't know that I'm famous, but I'm Tom Feeney's former chief of staff, and I'm offended by your comments on Fox about Tom. You guys wouldn't be in the White House without Tom. And you made these really degrading comments about him that offended a lot of people." (Sidenote: Tom Feeney was the speaker of the Florida House of Representatives during the whole Bush/Gore 2000 recount.) Rove: "Well, I have a file on the things Tom Feeney said about George Bush." Roe: "That says more about you than me that you kept a file on Tom Feeney. This guy was so restrained in his desire to criticize the president — even against this staff's advice." [...] Rumor has it Rove was waiting to have dinner with former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman."
• South Florida Business Journal, "Tom Feeney to lead Associated Industries of Florida", 2011/12/15

Other curiosities

• Murder of political consultant Ralph Gonzalez (former executive director of the Georgia GOP and head of Strategum Group) and two others
  • Brad Friedman, "3 Found Dead in Home of Tom Feeney's 'Adviser and Strategist'", 2007/08/23
  • Rigorous Intuition discussion thread from 2007