FALLS CHURCH, Va., May 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Peter Flaherty, President of the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), today belittled Colgate-Palmolive's response to his request that the company repudiate a so-called "Corporate Excellence Award" award it received from Al Sharpton on April 2.
The Colgate-Palmolive annual meeting takes place today at 10AM at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
In a two-page letter dated April 22 defending the award, Colgate-Palmolive Chairman Reuben Mark asserted that the National Action Network convention, at which it accepted the award, was "broadly attended by a number of elected officials and many current and past leaders of the U.S. civil rights movement." It did not, however, mention Sharpton's name once.
The conference program listed a session titled "The Future of Black Politics." The sole participant was listed as indicted Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA).
Flaherty reacted by saying, "If Colgate is so proud of this award from Sharpton, why can't Reuben Mark bring himself to use Sharpton's name in defending it. Perhaps Sharpton's most recent threat to 'close down' New York City shows the kind of character with which Colgate-Palmolive now associates."
For a pdf of Mark's letter, go to http://www.nlpc.org/pdfs/ColgateReply.PDF
In an April 14 letter to Mark, NLPC President Peter Flaherty wrote, "Receiving a 'corporate excellence' award from Sharpton is a dubious honor indeed. His organization, the National Action Network, has been beset by legal and accounting problems for years, prompting a number of investigations. Moreover, recent media reports indicate that Sharpton may soon be indicted by a grand jury."
"Colgate-Palmolive received the award for fostering an 'inclusive workplace.' But who is Sharpton to be handing out such an award in light of his involvement in hoaxes such as the Tawana Brawley episode and the Duke rape case? Sharpton is not a legitimate civil rights leader."
Among the corporate entities identified as "sponsors" of the National Action Network convention were Abbott Laboratories, Allstate, American Honda, Anheuser-Busch, Chase Foundation, Citigroup, Continental Airlines, Daimler-Chrysler, Entergy, FedEx, Ford, General Motors, Home Depot, Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, Pfizer, UPS Foundation and Wal-Mart.
NLPC has sought to expose corruption involving Sharpton and the National Action Network. In February 2004, NLPC filed a Complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against Sharpton and Detroit businessman La-Van Hawkins alleging massive violations of election law. In May 2004, the FEC ruled that Sharpton's campaign must return $100,000 in federal matching funds. The FEC also denied Sharpton an additional $70,000.
In December 2007, as many as 10 associates and employees of Sharpton were subpoenaed to appear in front of a grand jury reportedly investigating Sharpton's 2004 presidential campaign. According to press reports, Sharpton was secretly videotaped pocketing campaign donations from Hawkins in a New York City hotel room.
In January of 2004, the FEC fined Sharpton $5,000 as a result of an earlier and separate NLPC Complaint alleging election law violations.
NLPC promotes ethics in public life, and sponsors the Corporate Integrity Project.
Website: www.nlpc.org
SOURCE National Legal and Policy Center
