Edwards is the faux populist, playing hi

Edwards is running as the populist candidate…yet…he is on record as having taken almost $500,000 in 2005-06 for “consulting” – actually attending a few meetings, he has taken $165,000 in campaign contributions from Fortress IG “employees” and I have read that he has much of his personal fortune invested with Fortress, about $16 million. 
Fortress Investment Group is a combo of a hedge fund and private equity firm; I’ve read it facilitates offshore banking operations for its investors as a “tax haven.” 
Fortress IG and Edwards is described this way: 
“presumably well known to Edwards as a result of his well-paid advising and his massive investment in Fortress. It includes companies from a variety of industries, creating all sorts of conflicts of interest for a would-be public official. Just in the 'A's in the list we find: Advanced Medical Optics Inc., and Applera Corp. (medical); Aetna Inc., Amerigroup Corp., and Assurant Inc. (health insurance); Abbott Labs, Alpharma Inc., and Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (pharmaceuticals); Altria Group (parent of Phillip Morris, cigarettes); American International Group (insurance); Amgen Inc. (biotech); Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Apache Corp., Arena Resources Inc., Atlas America Inc., Atmos Energy Corp., and Avista Corp. (oil and gas); Autonation Inc. (cars); Anheuser Busch Cos. Inc. (beer), and many others.  
Glancing through the full alphabet of companies, it is immediately apparent that Fortress represents the polar opposite of an ethical investment opportunity. Some names jump out at you as surprising companies for a Democratic presidential candidate to sink his fortune into, such as Wal Mart Stores Inc. There are a lot of telecom companies, like Verizon, in the list, lots of oil companies like Exxon Mobil, weapons companies like Lockheed Martin, big agricultural companies like Monsanto, a great many lending companies including several well known for predatory lending practices such as Wells Fargo, and numerous media corporations including Clear Channel.  
Edwards has refused to take part in a debate run by Fox News, but has sunk his money into Clear Channel. 
Fortress has also been a leading investor in companies privatizing prisons: http://www.secinfo.com/dsVsf.6eZq.b.htm” 
Source: http://www.davidswanson.org/?q=node/865

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