Editing Swift Vets and POWs for Truth (section)

===Connections with Republicans===
SBVT characterized itself as a non-partisan group both in the legal sense and in spirit, yet several prominent individuals who assisted SBVT also have had close ties to the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]. According to information released by the [[IRS]] on February 22, 2005, more than half of the group's reported contributions came from just three sources, all prominent [[Texas]] Republican donors: [[Houston]] builder [[Bob J. Perry]], a longtime supporter of [[George W. Bush]], donated $4.45 million, [[Harold Simmons]]' Contrans donated $3 million, and [[T. Boone Pickens, Jr.]] donated $2 million. Other major contributors included Bush fundraiser [[Carl Lindner, Jr.|Carl Lindner]] ($300,000), Robert Lindner ($260,000), GOP contributor [[Aubrey McClendon]] ($250,000), George Matthews Jr. ($250,000), and Crow Holdings ($100,000).<ref name="opensecrets">{{cite web|title=Swift Vets Top Contributors, 2004 Cycle|url=https://www.opensecrets.org/527s/527cmtedetail_contribs.php?ein=201041228&cycle=2004|access-date=|publisher=opensecrets}}</ref><ref name="chronoctcontrib">{{cite news|last=Frank|first=John|title=ELECTION 2004 / 2 Texans dig deep for boat vet ads / Pair from Dallas kick in $3 million for group's coffers|pages=A8|work=Houston Chronicle|date=2004-10-05|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2004_3806652|access-date=2007-04-01}} Registration required.</ref><ref name="tpjfactsheet">{{cite web |title=Bob Perry – The Man Behind Swift Boat Veterans for Truth |work=fact sheet |publisher=Texans for Public Justice (self-published) |url=http://www.tpj.org/page_view.jsp?pageid=667&pubid=422 |access-date=2007-04-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070528034106/http://www.tpj.org/page_view.jsp?pageid=667&pubid=422 |archive-date=2007-05-28 }}</ref>

The initial communications consultant for SBVT was [[Merrie Spaeth]], a [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] administration press officer and a volunteer consultant to [[Ken Starr]] in the [[Clinton impeachment]]; she was also a spokesperson for "Republicans for Clean Air", a 527 group opposing [[John McCain]]'s [[U.S. presidential election, 2000|2000]] presidential campaign and funded by Bush supporters who also helped fund SBVT.<ref name="bushcallshalt">{{cite news|last=Yost|first=Pete|title=Bush urges end to TV attack ads by outside groups, whatever their target|agency=Associated Press|date=2004-08-23|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002013026_webbush23.html|access-date=2007-04-02|work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> John E. O'Neill — the primary author of ''Unfit for Command'' and a key player in the formation of SBVT — donated over $14,000 to Republican candidates. He co-operated with the [[Richard Nixon|Nixon]] White House in opposing Kerry in 1971, and seconded Nixon's nomination at the 1972 Republican national convention.<ref name="nbcnixon">{{cite news|last=Williams|first=Brian|title=Nixon targeted Kerry for anti-war views|publisher=NBC Nightly News|date=2004-03-16|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4534274|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002012641/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4534274/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 2, 2013|access-date=2007-04-01}}</ref><ref name="wapooldconflict">{{cite news|last=Dobbs|first=Michael|title=After Decades, Renewed War On Old Conflict|pages=A01|newspaper=Washington Post|date=2004-08-28|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39956-2004Aug27.html|access-date=2007-04-01}}</ref>

Retired Admiral William Schachte, a principal source for the SBVT allegations about Kerry's first Purple Heart, has donated to both of Bush's presidential campaigns. Schachte was also a [[lobbying|lobbyist]] for FastShip, a firm that recently announced it was receiving $40 million in federal funding for one of its projects. In addition, Schachte's lobbying firm associate, David Norcross, was chairman of the 2004 Republican convention.<ref name="waposwiftshift">{{cite news|last=Milbank|first=Dana|title=A Swift Shift in Stories|pages=A19|newspaper=Washington Post|date=2004-08-31|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47542-2004Aug30.html|access-date=2007-04-01}}</ref> [[Chris LaCivita]], Political Director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in 2002,<ref name="orgsandfinances">{{cite web|last=Appleman|first=Eric M.|title=Republican Committees-Organization and Finances, 2002 Election Cycle|publisher=Democracy in Action|year=2003|url=http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/parties/rnc02.html|access-date=2007-04-01}} Self-published?</ref> worked as a private contractor providing media advice for SBVT.<ref name="nytlawyerresigns">{{cite news |last1=Rutenberg |first1=Jim |first2=Kate |last2=Zernike |title=Bush Campaign's Top Outside Lawyer Resigns |work=NY Times |date=2007-08-25 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/25/politics/campaign/25CND-SWIF.html |access-date=2007-04-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090807224335/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/25/politics/campaign/25CND-SWIF.html |archive-date=2009-08-07 |url-status=dead }} Registration required.</ref>

The SBVT postal address was registered to Susan Arceneaux, treasurer of the Majority Leader's Fund, a [[Political action committee|PAC]] closely tied to the former Congressional leader, Republican [[Dick Armey]].<ref name="sailingbuddies">{{cite web|last=Conason|first=Joe|title=Sailing buddies|work=Salon|date=2004-08-28|url=http://dir.salon.com/story/opinion/conason/2004/08/28/swift_bush/index.html|access-date=2007-04-01|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614064431/http://dir.salon.com/story/opinion/conason/2004/08/28/swift_bush/index.html|archive-date=2007-06-14}}</ref>

Republican activist [[Sam Fox]]'s donation of $50,000 to SBVT during the 2004 campaign<ref name="campaignmoneydotcom">{{cite web|title=Swift Boat Vets and POWs for Truth "527" Political Organization Filing Information|work=pub info retrieval|publisher=CampaignMoney.com|url=http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/527/swift_boat_vets_and_pows_for_truth.asp|access-date=2007-04-07}}</ref> caused a controversy when Bush nominated him to the position of ambassador to Belgium. Because the Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee indicated that they would not support his nomination, Bush withdrew the nomination; he appointed Fox to the position on April 4, 2007, while Congress was in recess.<ref name="AP/CNN03283007">{{cite news|title=Bush withdraws nomination after Swift Boat criticism|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/28/kerry.swift.ap/index.html|date=2007-03-28|access-date=2011-05-26|quote=President Bush on Wednesday withdrew the ambassadorial nomination of businessman Sam Fox after Democrats denounced Fox...|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070404013454/http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/28/kerry.swift.ap/index.html|archive-date=2007-04-04|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="appointment">{{cite news|title=White House Withdraws Ambassador Nominee|first=Sam|last=Hananel|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070328/kerry-swift-boat/|work=Huffington Post|date=March 28, 2007|access-date=May 26, 2011|quote=More than two years after losing his bid for the White House, Democratic Sen. John Kerry exacted a measure of revenge}}</ref><ref name="SPI04052007">{{cite news|last=Flaherty |first=Anne |title=Dems call for review of Bush appointment |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |date=2007-04-05 |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1151AP_Bush_Outflanking_Congress.html }}{{dead link|date=December 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

These ties, along with others (see below), led to suggestions in the popular press that SBVT was a front group for Republicans.<ref name="birthantikerryad"/><ref name="dishonorablecharge">{{cite web|last=Conason|first=Joe|title=Republicans' Dishonorable Charge|work=Salon|date=2004-08-06|url=http://dir.salon.com/story/opinion/conason/2004/08/06/mccain_on_swift_boat_veterans/index.html|access-date=2007-04-01|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070220055059/http://dir.salon.com/story/opinion/conason/2004/08/06/mccain_on_swift_boat_veterans/index.html|archive-date=2007-02-20}}</ref><ref name="phonywar">{{cite news|last=Clift |first=Eleanor |title=Fighting a Phony War |work=Newsweek |date=2004-08-27 |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5772260/site/newsweek/ |access-date=2007-04-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205200516/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5772260/site/newsweek/ |archive-date=2007-02-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref>