Partially Debunked: List of Monsanto Employees in Government

Mathias Olsen

New Member
The theory is that a group of powerful people is hired by Monsanto and is controlling the governments view on said company. The theory names a lot of people, some more prominent then others as the source for this secret society.

Of course lobbyist are known to be doing exactly this, changing governments viewpoints for there own benefit, so it is not the Monsanto lobbing aspect that is the reason for this debunking. The reason is that upon scrutiny the names mention don't hold up. None of these people worked at monsanto at the same time as working in the government. Furthermore I don't think any former job at any company prior to once position as a political figure is of any interested. Unless the person cannot separate his or hers political engagement from his or hers prior business, of course. But that is true for any business not only Monsanto. If ones involvement whit Monsanto in the past was a valid argument for not having the person in a political office, then so should it be for any person in politics with a prior workplace.



Toby Moffett was in house of representatives from 75-83. His career in Monsanto started i 1996 where he was chairman until 1999. (http://littlesis.org/person/43076/Toby_Moffett)

Dennis DeConcini has never been hired by Monsanto. (http://www.opensecrets.org/revolving/rev_summary.php?id=11413)

Margaret Miller (Margaret Ann Miller) career in the FDA is as following:
"Margaret Ann Miller, Ph.D., RN joined the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine in 1989. She held several positions within the Center for Veterinary Medicine including Deputy Director for Human Food Safety. In 1999, Dr. Miller moved to FDA’s Office of Women’s Health as the Manager of Science Programs. In 2005, she was detailed to the World Health Organization, where she again worked in the food safety arena. Upon her return from the World Health Organization, Dr. Miller joined FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research as the Associate Director of Regulatory Activities where, among other duties, she serves as the Designated Federal Official for their Science Advisory Board." (http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:L4_prdO7HLAJ:www.fda.gov/downloads/AdvisoryCommittees/AboutAdvisoryCommittees/CommitteeMembership/MembershipTypes/UCM211473.doc &cd=1&hl=da&ct=clnk&gl=dk&client=firefox-a)

Margaret Ann Miller has as far as I could find never been associated with Monsanto.
Mickey Kantor worked in the United States Department of Commerce as Secretary of Commerce from 1996 until 1997 and before that he was in the Office of the United States Trade Representative as a Trade Representative from 1993 until 1996. I have not been able to find any association with Monsanto, but Mickey Kantor has been lobbing for different companies. (http://www.opensecrets.org/revolvin...tp://littlesis.org/person/15855/Mickey_Kantor)

Virginia Weldon "Dr. Virginia V. Weldon, M.D., served as Senior Vice President of Public Policy for the Monsanto Company in St. Louis, Missouri, an agro-chemicals and biotechnology (life sciences) company, from March 1989 until her retirement in March 1998. Dr. Weldon also served as Vice President of the Washington University Medical Center. She has been Chairman of the Board of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra since 2000. Dr. Weldon serves as a Member of the Board of Directors of GenAmerica Financial Corp. Dr. Weldon served as a Director of CPI Corp., a consumer services entity focusing on portrait photography, since 2002. Dr. Weldon served as a Director of Quintiles Transnational Corp., since November 1997. Dr. Weldon served as a Member of the Board of GenAmerica Financial, LLC, a mutual insurance company, which is now a subsidiary of MetLife. Dr. Weldon serves as a Trustee of the California Institute of Technology. After her retirement from Monsanto, Dr. Weldon served as the Director of the Center for the Study of American Business at Washington University for two years. Prior to joining Monsanto, Dr. Weldon was Professor of Pediatrics and Deputy Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs at Washington University School of Medicine and a professor of pediatrics.". (http://investing.businessweek.com/r...ICQ&previousCapId=29614&previousTitle=DIRECTV).

Couldn't find any relations between Virginia Weldon and any government or political possitions. And I am not even sure what the position "Whitehouse CSA" is or should be. Unless it is the Cloud Security Agency, but that has nothing to do with either Monsanto or Virginia Weldon.

Josh King
"Josh King served as Director of Production for Presidential Events in the White House office of communications from 1993 to 1997. After leaving the white house Josh joined Monsanto Co. as director of international government affairs." (http://www.politico.com/arena/bio/josh_king.html)

Devid Beler Couldn't find anything about him, nor anything about Al Gores Chief Policy Advisor. Closes thing was Ronald A. "Ron" Klain, who is chief adviser. Alternative spellings of David Beler(David Beller, David Belle), yielded nothing.

Carol Tucker-Foreman(Carol Le Tucker Foreman)
was on the board at the Consumer Federation of America(CFA) and acted as the CFA’s executive director from 1973 unitl 1977. The position Consumer Advocate is not an actual position. Carol Lee Tucker Foreman is often qouted as being an consumer advocate, which I belive is the reason behind her position in the theory. She has no relations to Monsanto. (http://supportagresearch.org/carol-lee-tucker-foreman/)

Linda Fisher is the current vice president for DuPont Safety, Health & Environment and the chief sustainability officer. And as quite openly stated she has also held a number of positions in the political sphere:
"Deputy Administrator of U.S. EPA; U.S. EPA Assistant Administrator - Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances; U.S. EPA Assistant Administrator - Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation; and Chief of Staff to the U.S. EPA Administrator. Fisher, an attorney, was also vice president of Government Affairs for Monsanto and was "Of Counsel" with the law firm, Latham & Watkins."
(http://www.dupont.com/corporate-fun...hip/executive-leadership/articles/fisher.html)

Lidia Watrud works at the EPA and has published a number of reports. No connection with Monsanto.
(http://www.pubfacts.com/author/Lidia Watrud)

Michael Taylor "a former Monsanto executive, joined the F.D.A. in 2009 as “senior advisor to the commissioner.” He was a staff attorney and executive assistant to the F.D.A. commissioner before joining a law firm in Washington in 1981, where he worked to secure F.D.A. approval of Monsanto’s artificial growth hormone before returning to the F.D.A. as deputy commissioner in 1991."
(http://littlesis.org/person/39121/Michael_R_Taylor, https://www.opensecrets.org/revolving/rev_summary.php?id=20919)

Hillary Clinton
Needs no introduction, no connection with Monsanto. (https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00000019&cycle=2008, http://littlesis.org/person/13191/Hillary_Clinton)

Roger Bleachy(Roger Beachy)
has an emeritus post at Washington University in St. Louis at the department of Biologi. The current director of the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy. Roger Beachy hold the possition in 2009. No ties to Monsanto could be found. (http://www.nifa.usda.gov/newsroom/bio.html, http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/nifa-director-resigns/)

Islam Siddiqui
is currently Vice President for Science and Regulatory Affairs at CropLife America , where he is responsible for regulatory and international trade issues related to crop protection chemicals. He doesn't hold the post as Chief Agricultural Negotiator any more. No ties to monsanto could be found.(http://littlesis.org/person/45476/Islam_Siddiqui, http://fresnocitd.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Ambassador-Islam-Siddiqui-Bio-FNL.pdf)

Clarence Thomas supreme court judge appointed from 1991. Clarence Thomas is a former employed at Monsanto from 1977 to 1979. (http://littlesis.org/person/36985/Clarence_Thomas)

Donald Rumsfeld Had a former company which was sold to Monsanto in 1985 and was Secretery of defense under the Bush administration from 2001 until 2006. Currently he holds no position in congress and are not politically active. (http://littlesis.org/person/33418/Donald_H_Rumsfeld)

Anne Veneman (Ann Margaret Veneman) has held a position in United States Department of Agriculture(2001-2005), California Department of Food(1995-1999) and is the former Executive Director of UNICEF(2005-2010). She currently holds no political positions. No ties with Monsanto could be found. (http://littlesis.org/person/33880/Ann_M_Veneman)
 
I've re-titled this to more accurately reflect the content.

It should be noted though that the list it not entirely bunk.
 
Jep some of them has worked at some point at Monsanto. But not the at same time as their job in office.

But the chart does not explicitly claim that.

The "revolving door" issue is very real. While you can't have a blanket ban on influence trading, I think it's certainly an issue that needs to be addressed with legislation, as it is a corrupting influence in American politics. There are existing laws, but obviously they are not working.

http://www.cleanupwashington.org/lobbying/page.cfm?pageid=36

The list in the OP is inaccurate and misleading, sure. But it does not then follow that everything is fine.

But we should focus here on what is or is not factually accurate. What evidence is claimed, and is that evidence accurate. An image that gets passed around the internet is worth debunking, but it would be great if you could drill down to the original source of the claims.

The earliest version of this particular image I could find is June 2013. But I suspect it's for a bit earlier:
http://beforeitsnews.com/alternative/2013/06/monsanto-rules-america-and-kills-the-world-2672926.html

Text version from 2011, but probably copied from elsewhere.
http://www.bananas.org/f9/dr-mercola-interviews-dr-huber-about-14881.html#post184204
 
Properly way older, some of the jobs has not been relevant since 2006. And I should have thought about finding the source of the picture. It was spread on facebook. Will remember this next time.
 
I'd say make a list of politicians who have worked for large multi-million or billion dollar companies, but it would probably be easier to make a list of those that haven't
 
Sorry, but you really don't know how to do your homework. They all have connections to Monsanto, here's one example http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Ann_M._Veneman

Veneman joined the United States Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service in 1986, serving as Associate Administrator until 1989. During this time she helped negotiate the Uruguay round talks for the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). She subsequently served as Deputy Undersecretary of Agriculture for International Affairs and Commodity Programs from 1989 to 1991. From 1991 to 1993, she served as United States Department of Agriculture's Deputy Secretary, the Department's second-highest position.

At this point Veneman took a break from political and administrative office to practice with the high-power law firm and lobby group, Patton Boggs and also severed on the Board of Directors of Calgene, Inc., which became the first company to market genetically-engineered food. One of her clients at Patton Boggs was Dole Foods, the world's largest producer of fruit and vegetables.
Wanna Guess who owns Calgene?

So FYI, you need dig deeper not just scratch the surface..... Connect the dots !
 
Generally, connecting dots is the best way to let personal bias override actual facts and lead to a conclusion that fits your worldview rather than adapting yourself to reality. Connecting dots is how people come up with pictures in the stars that aren't really there.

(and it's '*you're* wrong', because you're saying 'you ARE' something. Would be correct if you're saying 'Your wrong ideas', 'your wrong conclusions', 'your wrong directions', etc. :p)
 
Sorry, but you really don't know how to do your homework. They all have connections to Monsanto, here's one example http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Ann_M._Veneman

Veneman joined the United States Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service in 1986, serving as Associate Administrator until 1989. During this time she helped negotiate the Uruguay round talks for the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). She subsequently served as Deputy Undersecretary of Agriculture for International Affairs and Commodity Programs from 1989 to 1991. From 1991 to 1993, she served as United States Department of Agriculture's Deputy Secretary, the Department's second-highest position.

At this point Veneman took a break from political and administrative office to practice with the high-power law firm and lobby group, Patton Boggs and also severed on the Board of Directors of Calgene, Inc., which became the first company to market genetically-engineered food. One of her clients at Patton Boggs was Dole Foods, the world's largest producer of fruit and vegetables.
Wanna Guess who owns Calgene?

So FYI, you need dig deeper not just scratch the surface..... Connect the dots !
I agree with Pete that "connecting the dots" is often more illusory than anything
(Hell, Glenn Beck played "6 Degrees of Socialism" on his chalkboard every day...and even Fox News tired of it)

I'm not going to invest hours researching this--the fact that whoever pasted this together deliberately
erased the relevant dates hints that they already know it's stretching the truth beyond reason.
And Monsanto may be the most openly publicly hated company in America...so...um...great conspiracy.

Okay, you really want to use Ann Veneman to demonstrate the accuracy of this little meme?
It says quite clearly that she was on Monsanto's Board of Directors. That's obviously not true
(which I guess is why--even though this is your chosen example--you tried to move the goalposts
to "connections to Monsanto" :rolleyes: to avoid admitting the obvious error)
So, Veneman was on the board of a relatively tiny company, Calgene...and later Monsanto bought that company.
How long was she there after the buyout? Did she have any influence at multi-billion dollar Monsanto?
Any? Jump in "your wrong" unless you're merely scratching the surface...please dig deeper...
 
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Connecting the dots reminds me of '6 degrees of separation'

I remember that Hilary's link is through the Rose law firm. Monsanto hired them at some time. There was no evidence that she ever even handled a file folder from the Monsanto work.
 
Connecting the dots reminds me of '6 degrees of separation'

I remember that Hilary's link is through the Rose law firm. Monsanto hired them at some time. There was no evidence that she ever even handled a file folder from the Monsanto work.
As a kid, I frequently rode the "Adventure Through Inner Space" ride at Disneyland...
sponsored by...wait for it...Monsanto! :eek:

Just one freakin' degree of separation!
Sweet innocent kid, I thought I was just enjoying a wild, fantastical orgy
of millions of semi-realistic projected orbiting electrons...but in reality I was actually
laying the groundwork for later driving up suicide rates in India with Bt cotton seeds,
forcing GMO's on Americans who otherwise would demand only fresh, healthy food, and--of course--
using political connections to force public schools to use Roundup as a salad dressing.

Screen Shot 2014-09-29 at 10.49.56 PM.png

(I've never been a fan of Monsanto...but I guess I'm finding I like Monsanto-Hysteria even less)
 
Agree with the spelling "your", phone auto-corrected and I didn't pay attention. Connecting the dots also means "you understand the connections and relationships". Seriously! In 1982, Monsanto was already working on creating Roundup Ready crops with Calgene. Sooooooo I guess maybe you guys have a better imagination of how poor Monsanto is just misunderstood.
 
As a kid, I frequently rode the "Adventure Through Inner Space" ride at Disneyland...
sponsored by...wait for it...Monsanto! :eek:

Just one freakin' degree of separation!
Sweet innocent kid, I thought I was just enjoying a wild, fantastical orgy
of millions of semi-realistic projected orbiting electrons...but in reality I was actually
laying the groundwork for later driving up suicide rates in India with Bt cotton seeds,
forcing GMO's on Americans who otherwise would demand only fresh, healthy food, and--of course--
using political connections to force public schools to use Roundup as a salad dressing.

Screen Shot 2014-09-29 at 10.49.56 PM.png

(I've never been a fan of Monsanto...but I guess I'm finding I like Monsanto-Hysteria even less)
Thank you!!!!
 
Connecting the dots also means "you understand the connections and relationships".
Tips For Teens: Saying that you "understand the connections and relationships"
is a far cry from demonstrating that you "understand connections and relationships."
(especially when they're fictional, grossly exaggerated and/or designed to mislead)



p.s. Are you still "digging deep" to answer the Veneman questions at the end of Post 11?
 
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I used to flat with a lady who's friend did the makeup for the then PM of New Zealand, Helen Clark - who is now Administrator of the UN Development Program - widely seen as 3rd in charge at the UN.

And you all "know" me - so y'all are only 3 DOF away from the heart of the evil UN - if not closer by your own connections - that includes you Your Wrong - you are actually evil by close association! :)
 
Tips For Teens: Saying that you "understand the connections and relationships"
is a far cry from demonstrating that you "understand connections and relationships."
(especially when they're fictional, grossly exaggerated and/or designed to mislead)
I'm pretty sure I did.. don't be lazy and look it up yourself...
 
I don't know why you think GMO's don't need defending - some people are anti them, some are pro - so why wouldn't the "pro" lobby make their case?

We are all connected - including you :)
 
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Again, doubt GMO's need defending right? Soooooooo remind me why was she not connected?
Your point is...what exactly? Who said GMO's don't need defending? She's right too. "Genetically Modified" does sound worse than "drought resistant". Perhaps if the name was chosen more carefully before GMO's hit the market, we wouldn't be dealing with CT's to the extent of what we are today. If someone believes genetically modified foods are a good thing, why would you expect them to discuss it in any other manner.
 
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Soooooooo remind me again, how is she not connected?


The question you should have asked is, "How is she connected?" Just because a politician is advocating GMO crops doesn't mean they are financially connected to Monsanto. Like most politicians she'll tell 10 different special interest groups 10 different and often contradictory stories but that doesn't mean all the stories are lies. Has Monsanto ever donated to her election fund?
 
I'm a biological scientist with the primary concern over GMO crops being a continuation of the same concerns I already had with mass production of clonal hybrids and mechanized sterilized agriculture in general. Ecological stuff and also a risk to the food supply if some novel pathogen sets on a massive staple crop that lacks the genetic diversity to cope. Hell, a lot of the mass produced fruit was tasting like crap just because hybrids were selected for shelf life and truck-ability. But then again I can get a wide selection of fruits and veggies year round that would not be the case in a "traditional" agriculture system.

So much of what comes from the anti-GMO side is so often completely off base that I often find myself in the uncomfortable position of defending GMO crops. National Geographic is running a series this year on global food supply. The magazine that arrived yesterday features an article on GMO. I'm curious to read it and then see the response that it gets.
 
Hillary is intelligent enough to make sure that her advisers have done good research and have given her good advice on GMOs.

I support GMOs, and I have no connection to GMO
 
Roger Bleachy(Roger Beachy) has an emeritus post at Washington University in St. Louis at the department of Biologi. The current director of the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy. Roger Beachy hold the possition in 2009. No ties to Monsanto could be found. (http://www.nifa.usda.gov/newsroom/bio.html, http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/nifa-director-resigns/)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_N._Beachy

From January 1999 until October 2009, he was the president of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
...
His research at Washington University in St. Louis, in collaboration with Monsanto Company, led to the development of the world’s first genetically modified food crop
...
On September 24, 2009, Beachy was appointed by President Barack Obama to be the first Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).[citation needed] He joined the agency on October 5, 2009.

The mission of the NIFA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is to stimulate and fund the research and technological innovations that will enhance and make American agriculture more productive and environmentally sustainable while ensuring the economic viability of agriculture and production. The Institute was developed as a result of a task force chaired by William H. Danforth and appointed by then Secretary of Agriculture, Ann M. Veneman.
Content from External Source
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Danforth_Plant_Science_Center
Founded in 1998 by William Henry Danforth, chancellor emeritus of Washington University in St. Louis, the Center was established through a $60 million gift from the Danforth Foundation, a $50 million gift from the Monsanto Fund, the donation of 40 acres of land from Monsanto, and $25 million in tax credits from the State of Missouri.
Content from External Source
https://monsanto.com/news-releases/monsanto-fund-provides-support-to-danforth-plant-science-center/

The Monsanto Fund is giving a $15 million gift to the Donald Danforth
Plant Science Center, it was announced on Tuesday. Half of the gift --
$7.5 million -- will support the center’s “Campaign for a Green Future.”
The remaining half will directly support efforts to develop high-yield
crops for Africa.

Monsanto Company and the Monsanto Fund have been important partners in
the formation of the Danforth Center and vital to our ongoing success,”
explained Danforth Center Chairman Dr. William H. Danforth
. “We greatly
appreciate the gift from the fund to the ‘Campaign for a Green Future’
as it is important to our long-term success.
Content from External Source
Summary:
1999-2009 - Beachy is president of Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, with significant funding from Monsanto.
2006 - Monsanto gives DDPSC $15 Million
2009 - NIFA is formed, based on William Danforth's workforce, with Beachy as Head.
2011 - Beachy leaves NIFA

So while he's certainly not a "Director, Monsanto", there's a connection.
 
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