Teamsters-IBT Bill Hamilton Indicted Intellectual Capital. The Teamsters, the nation's largest union, is still being run by followers of President Ron Carey, even though Carey has been forced to step down and is barred by federal officials from seeking re-election. Its former political director, Bill Hamilton, has just been indicted on charges he funneled money to the Democratic Party in an effort to have its donors give money to the Carey campaign. Meanwhile, the Teamsters have refused to turn over to Congress subpoenaed documents on its hiring of private investigators who have worked for President Clinton's campaign. Congress has voted to bar taxpayer funding of the upcoming rerun of the Teamsters election, but a 2nd Circuit federal court has ruled that the taxpayers must pay the tab again.
Taxpayers have a right to be angry.
But balloting by the 1.4 million members Teamsters for a new president will not end until October, which means a new leader cannot be installed before the November elections. Of course, rather than installing apolitical administrators, the Clinton administration seems content to allow the Teamsters' central office to remain under the control of Carey's discredited followers for one more election cycle. Money for political coffers, not union needs That control could be worth millions to Democratic candidates this fall. Since the Carey scandals, the PAC has taken in less money but is still a 400-pound gorilla. There is no question the Teamsters are joined at the hip to the Clinton administration.