Hartford, CT – Today, the CT Mirror reported on a fundraising letter that Tom Foley sent to Connecticut veterans over the holidays.  In the letter, Foley insults veterans by comparing his time working for George W. Bush as a well-protected bureaucrat to soldiers serving in Iraq.  Foley also offers to “help” veterans by taking their cash during the holidays.

Tom Foley’s insults, shake down tactics, and empty promises stand in clear contrast to Governor Malloy’s record of commitment and results for Connecticut veterans.  Governor Malloy created veterans.ct.gov  to serve as a one-stop shop for Connecticut veterans to access services, signed and later expanded the Unemployed Armed Services Member Subsidized Training and Employment Program to help unemployed veterans get back into the workforce, directed commissioners to give preference to veterans during hiring, and issued an executive order that streamlines the process for veterans and current service members to receive an occupational license, certificate or college credit from state agencies and colleges.

Conversely, Tom Foley’s awful record with Connecticut veterans rivals that of his failed record in Iraq.  While beholden to George W. Bush, Tom Foley did such a terrible job in Iraq that foreign investors purposefully worked around his office, he stalled the rebuilding of the stock exchange, he disregarded international law, and he also told some pretty tall tales that were debunked by former associates.

“The contrast couldn’t be more clear. Governor Malloy gets things done for Connecticut veterans and will continue to fight for their needs,” said Connecticut Democratic Party Executive Director Jonathan Harris. “Tom Foley, on the other hand, has made it clear that even veterans are subject to his erratic and offensive behavior. I hope Mr. Foley keeps his temper in check and apologizes for insulting veterans and the brave men and women serving in our armed forces.”

Background:

Malloy Launched New Website To Direct Veterans To State Services. From a Malloy administration press release, ” Governor Dannel P. Malloy and Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman today unveiled a new state website created to give military veterans one-stop access to the wide range of veterans’ services and benefits offered by the state and federal government agencies. The website – veterans.ct.gov – will link veterans and their families to other state and federal agencies offering services in areas such as employment and job training, health care and education.” [Dannel Malloy, Office Of The Governor Press Release, 11/9/12]

2012: Malloy Signed Legislation Incentivizing Businesses To Hire Unemployed Combat Veterans. In June 2012, Governor Malloy signed legislation establishing the Unemployed Armed Forces Member Subsidized Training and Employment Program, the armed forces component of Governor Malloy’s 2011 Step Up job program. The program provided $10 million to subsidize businesses’ costs of hiring unemployed veterans during their first 180 days on the job. STEP Up For Vets grants would completely subsidize the first 30 days of the employee’s wages (up to a maximum of $20 per hour), and then gradually recede for the remaining 150 days. [Department Of Labor, Step Up For Vets Fact Sheet, 7/15/13; Public Act 12-1, Signed 6/15/12; Public Act 11-1, Signed 11/4/11]

2013: Malloy Signed Legislation Expanding Access To Connecticut’s Veterans Employment Program. According to CT News Junkie, “He signed the bill on June 3, but Gov. Dannel P. Malloy wanted to bring more attention to legislation that will expand a veterans employment program by holding a ceremonial bill signing Thursday. […]The bill Malloy ceremonially signed in front of the cameras Thursday expands the Unemployed Armed Services Member Subsidized Training and Employment Program to include veterans who have served at least 90 days and were honorably discharged from the military. Prior to the legislation, unemployed veterans could only qualify for the program if they were a combat veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan or military operations in Iraq. The bill also expands participation in the program to businesses of any size. Previously, it was limited to companies with more than 100 employees. The $10 million program that received unanimous support from the legislature helps place veterans with private employers, who receive a subsidy from the state during the first six months of employment. The hope is that employers will continue to employ the veteran after the subsidy runs out.” [CT News Junkie, 7/18/13; Public Act 13-63, Signed 6/3/13]

Malloy Directed State Agency Directors To Consider Returning Veterans For State Jobs. From a Malloy administration press release, “Governor Dannel P. Malloy today issued a directive to the heads of executive branch state agencies instructing them to consider hiring and recruiting veterans who have recently returned from military service or will be returning in the near future and are looking for employment.” [Dannel Malloy, Office Of The Governor Press Release, 4/26/12]

Malloy Signed An Executive Order Requiring State Colleges To Recommend Ways For Veterans To Get College Credit For Their Military Education. According to the CT Mirror, “Malloy signed an order Monday that streamlines the process for getting an occupational license, certificate or college credit for Connecticut’s 250,000 veterans and the 6,000 to 8,000 state residents who are serving now. ‘These are people with special training, skills, and education who, upon returning to civilian life, are ready, willing and more than qualified to enter our workforce,’ Malloy said. Malloy’s order requires state departments, boards and commissions to revise their procedures for occupational certifications and licenses to account for military education, skills and training. It also requires the state’s public colleges to review their policies and recommend ways for veterans to get college credit for their military education.” [CT Mirror, 9/23/13; Dannel Malloy, Office Of The Governor, Executive Order No. 36, 9/23/13]

Lawyer Working For Foreign Investors Said Investors Preferred To Work Around Foley’s Office Rather Than Through It. According to the Hartford Courant, “Between last summer and this spring, Foley led the private sector development division of the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority. […] Tim Mills, a partner with the Washington law firm Patton Boggs that is helping several clients find business opportunities in Iraq, was not as enthusiastic. He said Foley and his staff worked hard, but were often overwhelmed and lacked local information. He said most foreign investors preferred to work around Foley’s office rather than with it.” [Hartford Courant, 5/16/04]

“Imperial Life In The Emerald City” Claimed Foley Stalled The Rebuilding Of Iraq’s Stock Exchange. According to the Connecticut Post, “And a 2006 book on Iraq called “Imperial Life in the Emerald City,” by Rajiv Chandrasekaran and published by Alfred A. Knopf, claimed that Foley’s team may have actually stalled the inevitable rebuilding of the Iraq stock exchange. Foley, the book said, used an expletive to dismiss a consultant’s concerns that international law prohibited the sale of state assets by an occupying government.” [Connecticut Post, 7/10/10]

A Former Iraqi Provisional Official Said In 2004 That Foley Was Not Responsible For Iraq’s Banking System. According to the Connecticut Post, “Foley’s website, the public face of his campaign for governor, also claims that his team of 10 helped restart many businesses, rewrote commercial law and ‘helped restructure the banking system.’ But a former provisional official, quoted in a report by the Associated Press in May 2004, said Foley ‘did not oversee the oil industry and related businesses or financial institutions such as banks and insurance companies.'” [Connecticut Post, 7/10/10]

Foley In 2010 Said He Dodged Rockets And Mortars In Iraq, But Earlier Said Iraq’s Streets Were Safe. According to the Hartford Courant, “The latest dust-up on Sunday was prompted by an article in the Connecticut Post newspaper about Foley’s seven-month tenure in Iraq during the Bush administration and whether he was in physical danger there. Foley, a business executive with an M.B.A. from Harvard who was hired for the job by the Pentagon, was involved in privatizing businesses that had been taken over by the Iraqi government under the regime of Saddam Hussein. […] One of the disputes is over whether Foley was “dodging rockets and mortars” as mentioned on his campaign website. He later was quoted in a speech after his tenure as saying that he was able to walk ‘up and down the streets’ in Baghdad.” [Hartford Courant, 7/12/10]

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