Chris Cannon

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Christopher Black Cannon (born October 20 1950) is a member of the United States House of Representatives, for the Republican Party, representing the third district of Utah (map), since 1997. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and attended Brigham Young University. From 1980 until 1996 he was a lawyer, business owner, and venture capitalist, from which he became a millionaire. Notable jobs include time as a solicitor for the United States Department of the Interior from 1983 to 1986, and time as Utah Republican Party finance chairman from 1992 until 1994.

1 Congressional career
2 Campaigns and challengers
3 Controversies
- 3.1 Premium Beef of Nebraska
- 3.2 Internet gambling
4 External links

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Congressional career

In 2000, Cannon co-founded the Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine, which now boasts nearly 130 members from both major political parties.

In January 2001, Cannon hired David Safavian as his chief of staff. Safavian left on May 16, 2002, to take a position at the General Services Administration, and was arrested in September 2005 in connection with the Jack Abramoff corruption case.

Cannon was named Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law at the beginning of the 108th Congress in January of 2003. As chairman he oversees legislation involving bankruptcy reform, privacy, interstate compacts and tort reform. He also serves on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property.

In January of 2003, Cannon was elected chairman of the influential Western Caucus[1], an organization of over 50 Congressmen working on resource management issues.

Cannon is a member of the House Government Reform Committee. He serves on the Subcommittees on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources as well as Regulatory Affairs. Cannon is also a member of the House Resources Committee, serving on the Energy and Mineral Resources and Forests and Forest Health Subcommittees.

He is a cosponser of legislation (HR 2043) which will provide voting representation for the District of Columbia. The bill also would provide another Congressional seat to Utah. The new seat in Utah would most likely be won by a Republican, offsetting a sure win by a Democrat of the new District of Columbia seat. Utah missed getting a fourth congressional district in the 2000 reapportionment by less than 1,000 people; many in Utah felt they were cheated because the numerous Mormon missionaries from Utah who were overseas were among all those outside the United States who were not counted.

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Campaigns and challengers

Cannon has faced opposition in the primaries from a fellow Republican for all five times he has run (and won), and will have opposition again in 2006, something that a local paper, the Deseret Morning News, said "was no surprise this time given his controversial position in the midst of a national debate on immigration." In October 2005, millionaire real estate developer John D. Jacob announced that he would run against Cannon in 2006. The Republican primary is June 27, 2006.

In 2004, Cannon defeated Republican challenger Matt Throckmorton in the primary, 58 percent to 42, in a race in which the major issue dividing the candidates was immigration policy. He then beat Democratic opponent Beau Babka [2] 63 percent to 33 percent in the November race. Cannon spent more than $600,000 to defeat Throckmorton and Babka. Throckmorton raised $84,000; Babka spent $35,000. The spending imbalance was offset to some extent by immigration reform groups that attacked Cannon through billboards, ads and Web sites.

Cannon's district is heavily Republican: President Bush received 77% of the vote in the district in 2004, his second highest percentage outside of Texas congresional districts. Neither of the two Democratic candidates in 2006 (the filing deadline was March 17, 2006) have ever been elected to a political office, have any name recognition, or have significant personal wealth.

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Controversies

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Premium Beef of Nebraska

Cannon's financial disclosure statements show that he gave a loan of between $50,000 to $100,000 to Gary Ruse, an executive and later president of First National Bank of Nebraska, in September 1996. The following year, the bank made a loan of $250,000 to the Premium Beef of Nebraska company, a kosher beef packing plant in which Cannon was a major investor. Ruse said in an interview he played no part in getting Cannon the loan. It was a decision, he said, that was made by the bank's board of directors; he had recused himself.

The Premium Beef plant operated for a little more than a year before closing its doors, after the rabbi who oversaw the preparation of the meat died. Cannon's chief of staff, Joe Hunter, said that the assets of the business were liquidated and Cannon repaid the loan to the Nebraska bank in 2001. The plant was sold to a Hasidic Jewish sect that took several years but finally reopened it in 2005. Ruse, who left the bank, was hired as manager for the reopened plant.

Cannon's personal loan to Ruse remains outstanding. Cannon spokesman Charles Isom said that Ruse made a payment on the loan in late 1996. According to Cannon's financial disclosure forms, Cannon collected between $200 and $1,000 in interest on Ruse's loan in 2000 and 2001. He did not collect interest in 2002 or 2003 and has not otherwise received interest payments.

Cannon's office has stressed that the congressman has made efforts to collect the loan. Cannon's most recent financial disclosure forms show the amount outstanding is still over $50,000.

The story was first reported on rawstory.com based on an anonymous source.

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Internet gambling

Cannon has and continues to vigorously oppose Congressional bills to ban Internet gambling. Canon's position is that "While I am an ardent opponent of gambling, one of the things I don't want to see is an opportunity for gambling [in Utah] because we pre-empt state law."

Cannon's motives motives have been questioned by those who point to political contributions to Cannon: he has received more than $30,000 in campaign contributions from groups, lobbyists and Indian tribes with gambling interests or who oppose the gambling ban.

Cannon's former chief of staff, David Safavian, lobbied for online gambling interests before joining Cannon's staff. Cannon has also hired three other staffers who were previously registered lobbyists for the gambling industry. [3]

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