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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A conservative group has blasted Rep. Chris Cannon for accepting campaign contributions from companies it says profit from pornography -- such as Marriott International and AT&T.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington released a report Friday saying was among members of Congress who campaign on moral values while accepting such donations.
In addition to Marriott and AT&T, Cannon accepted contributions from Holiday Inns, Time Warner, Echostar Communications and Comcast Corp., CREW said.
It contends the hotel chains benefit from pornography by letting customers order pay-per-view adult movies, the cable and satellite companies offer adult program and AT&T gets revenue from phone-sex operators. It also says communications companies that are part of the Internet backbone or are Internet service providers benefit from pornography.
"It is one thing to be silent on the issue and accept porn purveyors' contributions," said CREW executive director Melanie Sloan. "However, these members of Congress attempt to slap pornographers with fines and legislative restrictions with one hand and turn around and accept porn profits with the other."
"This is just absurd," Charles Isom, communications director for Cannon, told the Washington office of the Deseret Morning News.
"Congressman Cannon is on the national advisory board of Character and Morality in Entertainment, he is an original co-sponsor of numerous pieces of legislation to combat child pornography and he has been a vocal supporter of the Family Movie Act."
"Pornography is a serious issue, and Congressman Cannon has a long and serious record of fighting pornography," he added. "This report, however, is not a serious part of the dialogue, and to suggest that the likes of Marriott International and GM (General Motors owns Direct TV) are pornographers is laughable."
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
