Vin Weber

Vin Weber
Secretary of the House Republican Conference
In office
January 3, 1989 – January 3, 1993
Leader Bob Michel
Preceded by Robert J. Lagomarsino
Succeeded by Tom DeLay
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Minnesota's 2nd district
In office
January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993
Preceded by Tom Hagedorn
Succeeded by David Minge
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Minnesota's 6th district
In office
January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1983
Preceded by Richard Nolan
Succeeded by Gerry Sikorski
Personal details
Born John Vincent Weber
(1952-07-24) July 24, 1952
Slayton, Minnesota
Political party Republican
Residence Walker, Minnesota
Alma mater University of Minnesota

John Vincent "Vin" Weber (born July 24, 1952) is a lobbyist and former Republican Congressman from Minnesota.

Life and career

Weber was born in Slayton, Minnesota. He attended the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities from 1970 to 1974. He had been the co-publisher of Murray County newspaper and the president of Weber Publishing Company. He was press secretary to Representative Tom Hagedorn from 1974 to 1975, a senior aide to Senator Rudy Boschwitz from 1977 to 1980. Weber had also been a delegate to the Minnesota State Republican conventions in 1972 and 1978. In 1980, at the age of 28 he was elected to the Sixth Congressional District, defeating Archie Baumann by 53 to 47 percent. Baumann had been an aide to former congressman Richard Nolan. He chose not to run for reelection in 1992, and is now a resident of Walker, Minnesota.

Weber retired from congress in 1992, following the House banking scandal, in which he was implicated for writing 125 bad checks worth nearly $48,000.[1] As secretary of the House Republican Conference and key adviser to incoming Speaker Newt Gingrich, he was considered one of the architects of the Republican's success in 1994. He was a commentator on National Public Radio the following year about developments in Congress after the Republicans took control of the House, providing commentary on the "revolution" he had helped create. Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting reported that Weber frequently offered his opinions on NPR about health care issues, but never revealed that he was a paid lobbyist for several health insurance giants.[2]

He is a member of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) and was one of the signers of the PNAC Letter sent to US President Bill Clinton dated January 26, 1998, advocating "the removal of Saddam Hussein’s regime from power" along with Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and 29 other notable Republicans.[3]

Weber was managing partner of the Washington, D.C. branch of lobbying firm Clark & Weinstock. In 2006, home mortgage giant Freddie Mac paid Weber $360,297 to lobby on its behalf to fend off meaningful regulation in the lead up to the subprime mortgage crisis.[4] Weber also lobbied for Gazprom, Russia's state-owned natural gas company.[5]

In 2011 Clark & Weinstock merged with Mercury,[6] with Weber becoming a partner in the combined firm.[7]

Weber is considered one of the most prominent strategists in the Republican Party serving as a top advisor on Dole for President in 1996, the Bush reelection campaign in 2004, and Romney for President in 2008.[8] Weber also serves as chairman of the National Endowment for Democracy, a private, nonprofit organization designed to strengthen democratic institutions around the world through nongovernmental efforts. He is a senior fellow at the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota, where is co-director of the Policy Forum. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Institute for Law and Politics at the University of Minnesota Law School[9] and the nonprofit America Abroad Media[10] Weber is a board member of several private sector and nonprofit organizations, including ITT Educational Services, Department 56, and the Aspen Institute. He also serves on the Board of The Council on Foreign Relations and co-chaired the Independent Task Force on U.S. Policy toward Reform in the Arab World with former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. In addition, Weber is a member of the U.S. Secretary of Energy's Advisory Board.

Weber is against a Donald Trump presidency, telling CNBC "I can't imagine I'd remain a Republican if he becomes president."[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Priest, Dana (March 29, 1992). "Hill check-kiters face sympathy deficit". The Washington Post. Washington, DC. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  2. ↑ NPR Health Reform "Debate" Needs Second Opinion, FAIR
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-08-22. Retrieved 2006-08-11. PNAC Letter
  4. ↑ Yost, Pete (7 December 2008). "How Freddie Mac halted regulatory drive". Associated Press. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  5. ↑ O'Brien, Luke. "Putin's Washington". POLITICO (January/February 2015). Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  6. ↑ "Mercury and Clark & Weinstock to Merge in Washington, D.C.". PR Newswire. 18 October 2011.
  7. ↑ http://www.mercuryllc.com/leadership/hon-vin-weber/
  8. ↑ "Arena Profile: Vin Weber". The Arena (Politico).
  9. ↑
  10. ↑ "Vin Weber". America Abroad Media.
  11. ↑ Harwood, John (August 3, 2016). "Former top Gingrich ally calls Trump nom 'mistake of historic proportions'". CNBC. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by
Richard Nolan		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Minnesota's 6th congressional district
1981–1983 		Succeeded by
Gerry Sikorski
Preceded by
Tom Hagedorn		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Minnesota's 2nd congressional district
1983–1993 		Succeeded by
David Minge
Party political offices
Preceded by
Robert J. Lagomarsino
California		 Secretary of House Republican Conference
1989–1993 		Succeeded by
Tom DeLay
Texas
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