January 5, 2004 Statement by John Stauber

The Center for Consumer Freedom is run by Republican lobbyist Richard Berman, a darling of the tobacco, booze, and agribusiness interests. Companies like Monsanto and Tyson fund him to attack their critics, and his favorite tactic is the ad hominem attack, misrepresenting, misquoting and smearing public interest activists as part of a vast evil conspiracy.

Berman was bankrolled in the mid-1990s with $900,000 from Philip Morris, the tobacco and food giant, and he has been funded since by them and by dozens of other food and restaurant companies including Outback Steakhouse, Arby's, Burger Kiing, Sizzler, Wendy's, Jack-In-The-Box and others. Berman is basically a food industry hatchet man with a considerable budget provided by industry, most of which goes into his own organizations and pockets.

You'll find out more about Berman at our website:

http://www.prwatch.org/improp/ddam.html