Gingrich's American Solutions Is Bankrolled By The World's Largest Coal Company

Peabody Energy Gave AmSol $250,000 In February

New analysis from the Center for Public Integrity reveals that Peabody Energy, the "world's largest coal company" donated $250,000 to Newt Gingrich's American Solutions for Winning the Future in February.

CPI writes:

The world's largest coal company and one of the nation's top fossil-fueled power companies are among the leading donors so far this year to Newt Gingrich's political advocacy group, which has been fighting climate legislation on Capitol Hill with a "Stop the Energy Tax" phone-in campaign to Senate offices.

Peabody Energy, the St. Louis-based coal giant, gave $250,000 to American Solutions for Winning the Future in February, putting it atop the Gingrich-led group's big contributors for the first half of 2009, according to the nonprofit's newly filed report at the Internal Revenue Service. Peabody also gave American Solutions the same amount in 2008. The firm's chief executive, Greg Boyce, has publicly expressed doubts about global warming, so it is not entirely surprising that Peabody would support an issues advocacy group that is going all-out against the climate bill.

Last week, Politico found:

American Solutions for Winning the Future accepted at least $460,000 from oil interests in the first half of the year, after advancing offshore oil drilling as an issue during the 2008 campaign cycle, and $200,000 from the Workforce Fairness Institute, a business-backed group opposed to the Employee Free Choice Act, which Gingrich has lambasted as "a mortal threat to American freedom."

Does anyone else see a trend emerging here? 

It seems Mr. Gingrich has realized that the key to raking in money for his political operation is simply to cozy up to the interests of big business.