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DEVAL PATRICK LINKED TO GROUP DENYING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Hub Politics, MA
April 19 2006
To rationalize his decision to attack Poland, Hitler rhetorically
asked, "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the
Armenians?"
Sadly, not many, but there are some groups out there that in the
same way deny the Nazi Holocaust, deny the occurance of the Armenian
Genocide. Most prominent of these groups is the Turkish Government,
who hired the Washington lobbyist group, the Livingston Group, to
push that contention. A member of this lobbyist group happened to
co-host Deval Patrick's big fundraiser in Washington last night.
While the explanation from the Patrick campaign seems plausible, and
the Livingston Group has a laundry list of clients likely representing
a large variety of viewpoints, the Armenian community may be hard
pressed to look past this.
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A Washington lobbyist who works with a firm that is pushing the Turkish
government's contention that the Armenian genocide never occurred
co-hosted a fund-raiser for gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick
last night, angering members of the Massachusetts Armenian-American
community.
The Democratic gubernatorial candidate's link to the Livingston Group
raised red flags with Armenians, who despise the Turkish effort to
erase the heartbreaking chapter in their history. Experts estimate
1.5 million Armenians were killed between 1915 and the 1923.
"It upsets us," said Stephen Dulgarian of Chelmsford, whose mother
survived the genocide but lost two children; one to a Turkish bayonet
and one to starvation. "He probably doesn't know anything about the
Armenian genocide."
Massachusetts has a large Armenian community, centered largely in
suburbs west of Boston.
Lobbyist Bernie Robinson, one of 39 Beltway bigs who hosted last
night's fund-raiser, is a consultant to the Livingston Group, according
to the company Web site. He is a former chief of staff for Patrick
supporter U.S. Rep. James McGovern (D-Worcester) and a former Phillip
Morris executive.
Patrick spokeswoman Libby DeVecchi said Patrick was "comfortable"
with Robinson's role, saying he was only an independent contractor
working "under the umbrella" of the Livingston Group. "He does not,
nor has he ever, worked with the government of Turkey," she said.
"Deval does acknowledge the Armenian genocide and he's saddened by
the event."
Robinson, who donated $1,000 to Patrick over the past two years,
did not return a phone call.
http://www.hubpolitics.com/archives/000448. php
Hub Politics, MA
April 19 2006
To rationalize his decision to attack Poland, Hitler rhetorically
asked, "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the
Armenians?"
Sadly, not many, but there are some groups out there that in the
same way deny the Nazi Holocaust, deny the occurance of the Armenian
Genocide. Most prominent of these groups is the Turkish Government,
who hired the Washington lobbyist group, the Livingston Group, to
push that contention. A member of this lobbyist group happened to
co-host Deval Patrick's big fundraiser in Washington last night.
While the explanation from the Patrick campaign seems plausible, and
the Livingston Group has a laundry list of clients likely representing
a large variety of viewpoints, the Armenian community may be hard
pressed to look past this.
-----------------
A Washington lobbyist who works with a firm that is pushing the Turkish
government's contention that the Armenian genocide never occurred
co-hosted a fund-raiser for gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick
last night, angering members of the Massachusetts Armenian-American
community.
The Democratic gubernatorial candidate's link to the Livingston Group
raised red flags with Armenians, who despise the Turkish effort to
erase the heartbreaking chapter in their history. Experts estimate
1.5 million Armenians were killed between 1915 and the 1923.
"It upsets us," said Stephen Dulgarian of Chelmsford, whose mother
survived the genocide but lost two children; one to a Turkish bayonet
and one to starvation. "He probably doesn't know anything about the
Armenian genocide."
Massachusetts has a large Armenian community, centered largely in
suburbs west of Boston.
Lobbyist Bernie Robinson, one of 39 Beltway bigs who hosted last
night's fund-raiser, is a consultant to the Livingston Group, according
to the company Web site. He is a former chief of staff for Patrick
supporter U.S. Rep. James McGovern (D-Worcester) and a former Phillip
Morris executive.
Patrick spokeswoman Libby DeVecchi said Patrick was "comfortable"
with Robinson's role, saying he was only an independent contractor
working "under the umbrella" of the Livingston Group. "He does not,
nor has he ever, worked with the government of Turkey," she said.
"Deval does acknowledge the Armenian genocide and he's saddened by
the event."
Robinson, who donated $1,000 to Patrick over the past two years,
did not return a phone call.
http://www.hubpolitics.com/archives/000448. php