CONTACT: Dan Kyle, (414) 698-8310
dan@kolossoforcongress.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, June 17, 2010
Kolosso for Congress 2010
Time for BP Shareholder Jim Sensenbrenner to Step Down From the Oil Spill Probe
MENOMONEE FALLS, WI (June 17, 2010)—As news broke that Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner has not sold any of the $1.25 million of his holdings in BP and other oil industry stock, his opponent, Todd Kolosso, called on him to remove himself from the House Judiciary Committee investigation into the oil-spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
“The obvious conflict of interest here is disturbing to anyone who values fairness and accountability,” said Kolosso, who is running to unseat the 32-year incumbent in Wisconsin’s 5th Congressional District. “It appears the Congressman’s primary interest is in protecting the oil industry and his own portfolio, not in seeking justice for the families, fisheries, businesses, and wildlife that have been devastated by the spill.”
Sensenbrenner’s most recent Congressional financial disclosure statement reveals that he has divested himself of the Kimberly-Clark fortune in stock that he inherited from his family. Worth over $9 million in stocks and other holdings, he has yet to divest his portfolio of BP or other oil industry stock, despite an AP investigative report highlighting the potential conflict of interest should he refuse to recuse himself from the oil-spill investigation.
“The Congressman says he gave away his Kimberly-Clark stock as a gift to his children,” said Kolosso. “He should give a gift to all of our children and either divest himself of his oil industry stock or step down from the investigation and let those who have no conflicts of interest sit in judgment of BP.”
Todd Kolosso, a lifelong resident of Wisconsin, was born in Slinger and owns a small commercial real-estate business in Menomonee Falls. As the Democratic candidate for Wisconsin’s 5th Congressional District, Kolosso is committed to growing jobs, protecting local businesses, standing up for family farms, and fighting to make sure that taxpayers in the district receive their fair share of federal dollars.
“When the people of the 5th Congressional District vote for me in November,” said Kolosso, “they can be confident that I will honor my pledge to conduct myself according to the highest ethical standards and that I will not put personal profits over the interests of my constituents or my fellow citizens.”
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