Politics|Letters on Climate Bill Were Forged
National Briefing | Washington
Letters on Climate Bill Were Forged
A grass-roots lobbying firm has acknowledged forging letters opposed to the climate bill that were sent to a Virginia lawmaker. The office of Representative Tom Perriello discovered that a half-dozen letters it received had nearly identical language signed by a made-up person at Creciendo Juntos, a Latino group, and five fake members of the Albemarle-Charlottesville branch of the N.A.A.C.P. The lobbying firm, Bonner & Associates, apologized to the groups and attributed the faked letters to a temporary employee who, it says, has been fired. But one of the climate bill's primary sponsors, Representative Edward J. Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts, said his Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming would investigate the matter. The letters, which were sent before the House narrowly passed the legislation last month, urge Mr. Perriello, a Democrat, to make pro-consumer changes to the bill "to protect minorities" from energy cost increases. Mr. Perriello voted for the bill.