John Kerry: No Blind Trusts, Tax Avoidance, and Conflicts of Interest
Senator John Kerry (D-MA), the richest member of the United States Senate and one of the most senior members of the debt super committee, is seen as an advocate for raising taxes on the rich, echoing the Obama administration. But with a net worth over $230 million, Kerry and his wife — whose $1B net worth dwarfs her husband’s — over the years have avoided millions of dollars in taxes through a complex web of inherited trust funds. Last year alone they earned about $4.8 million for which they paid no taxes.
Moreover, the Kerrys haven’t placed any investments into a blind trust, as recommended for avoiding conflicts of interest. They also have numerous stock investments in companies standing to benefit from Kerry’s voting for bailouts and ObamaCare.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), the 12-member super committee, charged with cutting the national debt $1.5T, “by and large, are far wealthier than the average American.”
Leading the pack, financially speaking, is Senator Kerry, whose net worth is estimated to be $239M (averaging the latest available estimated minimum and maximum values from CRP). This is about 2,500 times the average American’s net worth of $96,000.
John Kerry is a descendant of the Winthrop-Forbes family. John Winthrop “founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630 and served as governor.” The Forbes family dates back to the mid-18th century, when Reverend John Forbes moved to Boston from East Florida. Winthrop-Forbes trust accounts cover seven pages of Kerry’s latest available financial disclosure report. Kerry inherited all his wealth: Excepting his $174,000 senatorial salary, Kerry’s income comes from “publicly traded assets and unearned income sources.”
Kerry’s wife Teresa inherited husband H. John Heinz’s fortune when he died in 1991. In 2008, Forbes estimated her net worth at $1B. Her “H.J. Heinz III Marital Trust” and “Heinz Family Investment Bond Fund” cover nine pages of Kerry’s financial report, comprising 178 municipal bond investments worth an estimated $78.8M ($61.0-$96.6M), earning about $4.8M last year in tax-free income ($4.7M-$5.0M).
On July 23, 2010, the Boston Herald reported that Kerry berthed his new $7M yacht in Rhode Island, which had repealed its “Boat Sales and Use Tax.”
Sen. John Kerry, who has repeatedly voted to raise taxes while in Congress, dodged a whopping six-figure state tax bill on his new multimillion-dollar yacht by mooring her in Newport, R.I. [emphasis added]
A week later, Kerry explained that he “always intended to pay taxes in Massachusetts” and “mishandled the public furor over his decision to dock the vessel in tax-free Rhode Island.” His decision was partially motivated to forestall a potential tax evasion investigation by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.
Recently, Kerry said “difficult choices will be made in Washington in the future” and “cuts should be properly balanced by new revenue sources.” Herein lies the focal point, because “new revenue sources” is bureaucrat-speak for solving the budget crisis through increased taxes.
But Kerry’s actions to avoid personal taxes are only one aspect that conflicts with his qualifications to help resolve America’s financial crisis.
In their attempt to derogate Congressman Darrell Issa for allegedly using his position to further his own business interests, the New York Times promoted the criteria that representatives should place their investment portfolio into a blind trust, which Issa hasn’t:
Most wealthy members of Congress push their financial activities to the side, with many even placing them in blind trusts to avoid appearances of conflicts of interest.
Kerry’s financial report contains no reference to blind trusts. Dan Auble of CRP concurs, noting that blind trust owners would have the “Qualified Blind Trust column checked in the Part III/Type of Income section.” This column isn’t checked once among the hundreds of Kerry’s (and Teresa’s) itemized investments.
The New York Times also derogated mixing one’s business interests with policies promoted in Congress:
[Issa’s] pro-business policies usually align closely with those of the firms he has worked with in his wide-ranging business career both before and after he joined Congress.
John and Teresa have numerous investments in the businesses and industries that stand to benefit from favorable legislation Kerry has voted for in recent years.
Kerry voted for the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. Also known as Troubled Asset Relief Program, it authorized the “Federal Government to purchase and insure certain types of troubled assets for the purposes of providing stability to and preventing disruption in the economy and financial system.”
During this time, Kerry owned and traded in stocks of numerous banks receiving government bailout money: Bank of America, Bank of New York Mellon, Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase & Co, State Street Corp, U.S. Bancorp, and Wells Fargo. Teresa also owns stock in many of these banks, worth an estimated $2.6M ($1.6-$3.5M).
Between 2003 and 2009, Kerry’s financial transactions included 61 purchases and sales of the above mentioned banking stocks; 50 of them occurred in 2009, containing 36 purchases estimated at $1.3M ($.75M-$1.8M).
Kerry has also owned and traded stocks of many insurance, medical, and pharmaceutical companies while voting for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka ObamaCare.
Wellpoint CEO Angela Braly runs the “largest U.S. commercial health insurer by membership.” During congressional Obamacare deliberations, Braly publicly supported “guaranteed coverage for everyone.”
In 2009, Forbes reported that pharmaceutical companies were “expected to pour as much as $150 million into advertisements supporting the reform effort.” Because of changing regulations and business models, Pharma expected to benefit from ObamaCare.
The American Medical Association also supports ObamaCare, citing the need to “increase health insurance coverage substantially for the uninsured” and “implement long overdue reforms to the health insurance market.”
Kerry owned Wellpoint and UnitedHealth Group stock, but appears to have divested before ObamaCare was introduced. However, Teresa still owns over $1M in UnitedHealth Group stock, returning an estimated $75,000 (range between $35,000 and $115,000) annually in dividends and capital gains. She also owns Aflac and Metlife stock.
John Kerry owns about $122,000 in pharmaceutical and medical industry stocks ($26,000-$218,000). Teresa owns about $6.2M in these two industries ($4.4M-$8.1M), earning her about $1M in dividend and capital gains income ($0.3M-$1.6M).
While the New York Times piece on Congressman Issa may be rife with errors, its criteria remain valid. Kerry keeps none of his investments in blind trusts. He and wife Teresa own millions in stocks of companies standing to benefit from legislation Kerry voted for. While they can afford a multi-million dollar yacht, they only paid home-state taxes after exposés ran on their berthing the yacht in tax-free Rhode Island. They earned nearly $5M last year in tax-free income alone, separating them from the economic reality experienced by nearly all Americans.
Since the 12-member super committee is supposed to decide America’s financial future, data like Kerry’s highlight the continuing importance of representative government — especially on the issue of taxation without representation — upon which our founding principles exist.
Hmm, I thought Kerry was a pauper till he hooked the widow Teresa. In any event, he was and will continue to be the consummate liar, yet the demorat morons of Taxacusetts continue to vote him into the millionaire’s club of the U.S. Senate every six years.
Yes, that was my understanding as well. Is MA a community property state? If so, Kerry is entitled to half the assets they’ve acquired as a couple even if Teresa’s dead husband’s money paid for it. Wouldn’t you love to see their pre-nup?
In any event, according to Roll Call, Kerry is no longer No. 1. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) comes in first at $294.41M. Kerry is No. 3 with $193.07M. The 50 Richest Members of Congress (2011).
Let me clarify: Kerry is still the wealthiest in the Senate.
>>Kerry keeps none of his investments in blind trusts.
Holy God. I’m so naive I actually thought blind trusts were a legal requirement for U.S. Senators. That level of conflict of interest would never be tolerated in private industry.
If you really think God is holy, why do you toss His name around so carelessly?
If you don’t think He is holy, or don’t believe He exists, why even mention Him?
“If you really think God is holy, why do you toss His name around so carelessly?”
There’s irony here; put simply, blasphemy meets different standards for different people/religions.
I would have thought that those who are richest are the worst possible choices to determine how the USA should find ways of living within its means. They should have chosen the poorest senators, those who know what thrift is and what it takes to live within one’s means. But perhaps there are no senators that would qualify. Perhaps the problem starts here – that the USA needs senators who know what it is to hold down a job in the private sector and know what it means to work hard and to receive a substantially reduced income with no increases during difficult economic times.
I wouldn’t go that far. I would prefer successful people who actually earned their wealth. Kerry, like Kennedy before him, is the worst kind of empty-headed tycoon – with no sense of where that wealth came from or what life would be like without it.
I would agree with you with a qualification:
“I would prefer successful people who actually earned their wealth” by honest hard work.
Yes. I didn’t agree with everything Ross Perot had to say, but wow – he got rich by being fairly smart and working harder than anyone else.
This jack wad should be kicked to the curb, but in this liberal sees-pool called Massachusetts he continues to get elected….Liberals only listen to his words and never look at his actions.
I wonder why?
Kerry married a very wealthy woman before Teresa. Her name was Julia Thorne and she had a net worth close to $200M(?) Now what he walked with, if anything, when that marriage ended, I have no idea.
He then married Teresa Heinz who had been married to a Republican senator who died in a plane crash.
So he got to continue his lavish lifestyle and she got to maintain her political jones.
BTW, I believe Teresa made Kerry sign a pre-nup-HA!
He’s a hypocrite of the highest order.
He always was, and it was always obvious.
1. Remember how he threw away his medals after he got back from Vietnam, when the war was unpopular ?
2. Remember how they weren’t really his medals, or he didn’t really throw them away (or something) when he wanted to look like a war hero ?
3. Remember how he never mentioned point #2 for 30 years, until somebody reminded the public about point #1 ?
Remember how he recruited “ex-Vietnam vets” who actually never served in the military to testify on war crimes before Congress?
Before I was laid off at my previous company, I had purchased BofA stock at a pretty good discount. Before the price went up I bought even more – though the number of shares was below 100.
When I found a new job it was in the “financial sector”. Even though in my position (Info Tech) I had no access to insider information and in no way could take advantage of any knowledge of how trades were going, I was forced to sell my stock (at a small gain).
When I read about Dick Cheney’s new book and the heat he was taking, I read that he and his wife had put must (oops, sorry, was channeling Al Sharpton) much of their stock in blind trusts – enough so that specific charities gained around $8 million.
Then I read the above about John Kerry. I have nothing but complete contempt for this man and his wife (who only uses his name when he is running for office).
Thank your lucky stars you had to sell. Otherwise you’d have likely lost your shirt and pants when BAC tanked in 2008.
Recently Mass. enacted a punitive tax on liquor. Instantly everyone with a car drove to tax-free New Hampshire for their booze — including at least one of the legislators who voted for the tax. So Kerry’s keeping his boat in RI isn’t exactly surprising. What is surprising is that anyone would berth a boat in Taxachusetts, given the no-tax alternative.
Heck, the vast majority of the “Condo Commies” infesting SE Florida meticulously count the days they spend here each year vs. in the Yankee hellholes they moved from, to avoid the high taxes in their home states.
There’s a flip side to Kerry’s conflicts of interest re Obamacare. Back in 1993 Hillary made a mint stumping for her healthcare scheme by trash-talking pharma companies — while simultaneously shorting their stocks.
I believe they also sold their Haliburton stock.
Kerry is not unlike most wealthy people including most Republicans in that he takes advantage of the tax code to avoid oweing taxes. Of coursr when anyone talks of eliminating the tax loopholes and rules that make it possible for Corporations and persons with large incomes to avoid taxes. the Tea baggers and right wing lunes howel in protest that it is RAISING TAXES, then they complain like in this article about persons who avoid taxes. What one should do is stop letting the sounds of reason be drowned out by the baaaaing of the sheep.
Just in case you didn’t know it’s people IN CONGRESS like Kerry who pass tax laws WITH LOOPHOLES, especially considering it was DEMOCRATS who controlled Congress for 54 of the last 70 years. Loopholes (which most people call deductions) don’t magically appear on corporate tax forms. The TEA Party had absolutely nothing to do it…but the DNC thanks you for following its lead.
“Kerry is not unlike most wealthy people including most Republicans in that he takes advantage of the tax code to avoid oweing taxes.”
You are right. Democrats like “oweing [sic] taxes” much better than paying taxes. Look at all those that Obama hired, 41 of them, that were caught owing, including Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury no less. Then there is Warren Buffet, whose company not only uses loopholes and tax deductions but has owed taxes going back to 2002. Buffet also stated that he wants to pay his fair share. Hypocrites all. They all want to owe “their fair share”, rather than pay their fair share, if only the Government would let them.
Dodger, “right wing lunes howel”, you say? Are you sure it isn’t “left wing loons howl”. Just wondering. Oh, by the way, loons don’t howl. But owls howl.
V.V. Gd article BUT now how about a report on the net worth of all the others on the super committee?
“Consider the lillies of the field/they toil not neither do they spin.” Leave Kerry alone! If you recall, in his entire career he offered NO legislation. We need more like him. It’s when they try to do something that they create trouble.
Partly true. He hasn’t authored any mischief, but he sure has voted for a lot.
Now, if we could replace all of the Democrats with Obama clones, that would be an improvement.
Voting “Present” doesn’t do much harm.
Another wonderful Kerry anecdote: When running for President in 2004 he railed that taxes were too low for rich people. Meanwhile Massachusetts had lowered it’s state income tax rate but for those who thought rates were too low offered the option of paying the higher, previous rate by checking a box on the income tax form. Funny, that box was not checked on Kerry’s return.
This is just the kind of behavior one would expect from Senator Gigilo. Hypocrisy seems to be considered a virtue among the democrats.
No news here. Kerry was a traitor long before he divorced the lovely mother of his children to marry a hag gasbag for money. The only reason he is (slightly) better than Obama is that he wasn’t born with the magic vote attractor, an off-white skin.
Wife #1–Julia Thorne–is wealthy in her own right. However, I seem to recall that after they separated, Kerry basically was living hand-to-mouth (or what passes for hand-to-mouth in that stratum). Unfortunately the Kerry’s are the “poor” side of the Forbes family. A wealthy aunt paid for all John’s toney schooling.
But Kerry served in Vietnam, doncha know.
He is a complete liar and thief. He steals by evading the same taxes he says all the rest of us residents in the state must pay. He is a Liberal Progressive pile of dung in the highest order, he believes he is better and smarter than the rest of us “servants” . But because there are so many sectors of the voting populace here in Mass that either have no idea what he is, or are directly benefiting or wishing to benefit from the cash cow called “social justice” he promotes in so many forms, or they just cant vote for anything but a democrat because they are “for the people” after all.
These are the same exact slack jaw trolls that vote in Barney Frank!
It will never stop here until long after the ship sinks and the rats take over.
And now Warren Buffett is fighting a tax bill from the IRS for over $1 Billion. But I though Warren was all for paying more in taxes, and he could afford it.
So why is he fighting the tax bill,instead of paying it.
Another example of do what I say, but don’t let me be caught doing what I tell others.
John Kerry and his fellow congressional scum work day and night keeping the IRS thugs after the middle class tax paying sheep. Makes you feel like a complete fool to pay your taxes. Right ?
Isn’t this the same guy who docked his boat in Rhode Island instead of Massachusetts to save on taxes?
I still want to see his DD214. I’m betting he got a dishonorable discharge for giving “aid and comfort”, and thus is disqualified for Congressional office.
And Kerry avoiding taxes surprises us how? As are almost all democrats, he is a hypocrite of the highest order. We all know what would happen if a republican of his position refused to do a blind trust. The entire left stream media would pound the drum 24/7. The double standards have worn on me for decades. Yet, 40% of people always support these crooks election after election. It just confirms to me that liberalism is a mental disorder.