Words fly over lobbyist for Boeing rival at Reichert fundraiser

Some sleuthing by the Darcy Burner campaign has forced U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert to defend his loyalty to one of the region's top employers: Boeing.

A group of Washington, D.C., lobbyists called Club 218 organized a fundraiser for Reichert last month. Among the attendees was a lobbyist for EADS, the European parent of Boeing competitor Airbus.

Boeing and EADS are both vying for a $40 billion contract to build the next generation of aerial-refueling tankers for the Air Force.

Reichert has been a vocal supporter of Boeing throughout an ongoing dispute over the tanker contract, and he didn't accept any money from the lobbyist.

But that didn't stop the political rhetoric this week when Burner spokesman Sandeep Kaushik leaked the EADS lobbyist tie to the online political newspaper Politico, then said the fundraiser "raises questions about [Reichert's] commitment to the district."

Burner, a Democrat, is trying for the second time to unseat Reichert, a Republican from Auburn, in the 8th Congressional District in eastern King and Pierce counties.

"The fact that Congressman Reichert is benefiting from fundraisers organized by lobbyists for corporate interests trying to strip thousands of jobs from our district is the height of hypocrisy," Kaushik said in a Politico article, which he e-mailed to local media.

But a Boeing lobbyist also helped organize the fundraiser. Another Boeing lobbyist who attended wrote a check to Reichert's campaign for $1,000.

"This is Burner's people playing gotcha," said Mike Shields, a Reichert campaign spokesman. "Dave Reichert is a huge defender of Boeing."

He said Reichert has worked with other members of the state's delegation to fight for a rebid of the tanker contract, which initially was awarded to a partnership of Northrop Grumman and EADS. The award was put on hold in June after federal auditors found the contracting process flawed.

When an Alabama group backing Airbus put out radio ads two weeks ago criticizing Boeing, Reichert denounced the ads as "shameful."

His news release called Boeing workers "some of the finest workers our country has ever produced, with a long tradition of excellence and innovation."

Mike Chappell, the EADS lobbyist who said he "stopped by" Reichert's fundraiser, said he wouldn't even approach Reichert about the tanker contract "because I know where he is" on the issue.

Chappell said he went to the fundraiser because he wants more Republicans in Congress. He didn't write a check at the fundraiser, but Tuesday morning, he did send Reichert's campaign a check for $500.

Reichert's campaign said it won't accept the donation.

"I hate that something we tried to do to help him has become a bad story," Chappell said.

Emily Heffter: 206-464-8246 or eheffter@seattletimes.com