Chris Wakim

Chris Wakim was a Republican candidate for West Virginia's First Congressional District running for the U.S. House of Representatives in U.S. congressional elections in 2006 against Democratic incumbent Alan Mollohan.

Biography
Wakim, "a graduate of West Point, was first elected in 2002 to the [West Virginia] House of Delegates, where he was known for advocating tort reform. A former investment banker in Chicago, Wakim owns a local strip mall on Wheeling Island on the Ohio River." 

Controversy
"On his campaign website, Wakim says that he earned a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University in 1991 and that he is a Gulf War veteran. But his official Harvard transcript shows that he earned a master’s degree in extension studies with a concentration in government, and he never earned the requisite medal to be considered an official veteran of the Gulf War because he did not serve overseas," Jonathan E. Kaplan reported August 2, 2006, in The Hill.

GOP Campaign Support
Will Holley, "a former press assistant" for President George W. Bush, is Wakim's campaign manager. 

President Bush came to West Virginia in March 2006, "followed by House Speaker Dennis Hastert hosting a fundraiser in Parkersburg and Vice President Dick Cheney stumping in Morgantown." 

On June 17, 2006, Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) campaigned for Wakim in Wheeling, WV and House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Missouri) campaigned on July 5, 2006, for Wakim in Parkersburg, WV.

Fundraising: Swift Boat Connection
The web address for donations to Chris Wakim is that for Donation Report.com (plus an extension code for Chris Wakim).

The connection for DonationReport.com website arrives at a Login page&mdash;requiring both a User ID and Password&mdash;which belongs to eDonation.com, a member of The Donatelli Group, a fundraising company that has raised campaign funds for the Republican National Committee, Republican National Convention, Bush-Cheney '04 Inc., John McCain, the NRA, and an exhaustive list of Republican members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as other political organizations. 

The Donatelli Group, using its "primary segment" Campaign Solutions, is associated with Creative Response Concepts, the public relations firm that advised Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the "organization that accused Kerry of inflating his Vietnam War record" during the 2004 presidential campaign. 

The Donatelli Group, which produced the RNC website, also created the SWIFTBOATVETSFORTRUTH.ORG website July 30, 2004, with Connell Donatelli Inc. (a.k.a. The Donatelli Group) as Registrant. Connell Donatelli Inc. was also listed as both Administrator and the Tech Organization for the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth website. 

Contact Information

 * Chris Wakim for Congress campaign website.

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * Rightroots

Profiles

 * Chris Wakim in the Wikipedia.
 * "Arab American veteran wants to represent W. VA district," AAI Media/The Arab American News, undated.
 * "Chris Wakim. Political Campaign Contributions and Campaign Finance Information for the 2006 election cycle," CampaignMoney.com.
 * FEC Disclosure Form: Chris Wakim for Congress.
 * Campaign Funding: Chris Wakim (R, West Virginia), Washington Post.

Articles & Commentary

 * Danielle Knight, "West Virginia Wild Card. A whiff of scandal has Alan Mollohan in the GOP's sights," US News & World Report, June 6, 2006.
 * Frank James, "GOP: 'Liberal media won't help us'," Chicago Tribune/The Swamp Newsblog, July 21, 2006.
 * Jonathan E. Kaplan, "Mollohan foe defends Harvard degree, military-service record," The Hill, August 2, 2006.
 * Rick Maze, "Candidate’s military resume questioned," Army Times, August 2, 2006.
 * "Candidate 'war veteran' and 'Harvard degree' claims challenged," The Raw Story, August 2, 2006.
 * Lawrence Messina, "Wakim releases records of education, military experience," Associated Press (Daily Mail (Charleston, WV)), August 3, 2006.