Election 2008 | Washington Post Examines Social Conservative Support for Fred Thompson
[Jul 24, 2007]

Some leading social conservatives recently have "rallied" behind former Sen. Fred Thompson (Tenn.), who is expected to announce his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination, amidst reports that he lobbied for the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, which supports abortion rights, the Washington Post reports (Shear, Washington Post, 7/21).

Thompson charged about $5,000 to the NFPRHA for nearly 20 hours of work in 1991 and 1992, according to billing records for the law firm Arent Fox, where Thompson worked part time from 1991 to 1994. Thompson billed the group for 3.3 hours of lobbying "administration officials," as well as for 22 conversations with former NFPRHA President Judith DeSarno, according to the billing records.

DeSarno has said that in 1991, NFPRHA hired Thompson to urge the George H.W. Bush administration to withdraw or relax a federal policy on funding restrictions for clinics that provided abortion-related counseling. Minutes from a NFPRHA board meeting on Sept. 14, 1991, reportedly state that the group had "hired Fred Thompson Esq. as counsel to aid us in discussions with the administration" on the abortion-counseling policy.

Thompson in a column posted July 11 on the blog Power Line said he does not remember but will not dispute evidence alleging that he lobbied for NFPRHA. In the column, Thompson wrote that if a "client has a legal and ethical right to take a position, then you may appropriately represent him as long as he does not lie or otherwise conduct himself improperly while you are representing him" (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/19). According to Thompson spokesperson Burson Snyder, Thompson still "does not recall" doing work for NFPRHA but added concedes that records show he did some "pretty insignificant" consulting.

According to the Post, some social conservatives "dismiss" reports of Thompson's NFPRHA lobbying as an "effort to drive a wedge between leaders of their cause and a politician who could be their best hope of putting a kindred soul in the White House." Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said, "The mating dance is going on," adding, "There is clearly an interest among social conservatives for his candidacy."

Jessica Echard, executive director of the Eagle Forum, said social conservatives should not endorse Thompson before he explains previous statements. "Maybe some are too quick to jump on the bandwagon ... this is the stage when we need to be asking all these questions," Echard said.

Snyder said that social conservative groups have seen Thompson's voting record and his previous endorsement from the National Right to Life Committee (Shear, Washington Post, 7/21).