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Logo Shirts for Bush Campaign Eluded Myanmar Embargo
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE
Published: March 20, 2004
An apparel merchandiser for President Bush's re-election campaign sold fleece pullovers with a Bush-Cheney logo that were made in Myanmar, even though the United States has banned imports from that country, campaign and company officials said yesterday.
The merchandiser, Ted Jackson, said his company, the Spalding Group, sold up to 10 Bush-Cheney pullovers made in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. Each cost $49.95.
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Last summer, Mr. Bush signed legislation that barred imports from Myanmar to pressure that country's military dictatorship to take steps toward democracy.
Mr. Jackson, Spalding's president, said a supplier, the Colorado Trading and Clothing Company, inadvertently sent Spalding the pullovers even though he had told it to send only American-made merchandise. Mr. Jackson said the supplier told him that the pullovers were imported before the import ban took effect last Sept. 1.
"My understanding is it was pre-embargo merchandise," Mr. Jackson said in a telephone interview from his company's headquarters in Louisville, Ky. "This is repugnant to me, not only because it's illegal, but because it would be politically insensitive and inconsistent with the president's position."
Newsday reported on Friday that one of its reporters had bought a fleece pullover from the Bush-Cheney Web site that carried a label saying "Made in Myanmar (Burma)." The reporter ordered apparel from both the Bush campaign and the campaign of Senator John Kerry to see whether their products were made in the United States. Newsday said it had not yet received the Kerry items.
Steve Schmidt, communications director for the Bush campaign, acknowledged that the Spalding Group had supplied the pullovers. "The merchandiser has apologized, has accepted responsibility, has made assurances that this will never happen again," Mr. Schmidt said.
He added that the Bush campaign was committed to ensuring that only products made in the United States were sold through its merchandise Web site, www.georgewbushstore.com.
Mr. Jackson, whose company has supplied merchandise for Republicans for 20 years, said that of the 60 Bush-Cheney fleece pullovers he had in stock yesterday, just 2 had "Made in Myanmar" labels; the rest had "Made in America" labels.
Charles Kernaghan, executive director of the National Labor Committee, an antisweatshop group, said that he ordered several pullovers from Spalding late Thursday, but that the company refused to send them.
"I don't see why the Bush campaign let them sell these goods from a country with such a horrible dictatorship and factories that pay workers just 7 cents an hour," Mr. Kernaghan said. "The fact that they refused to send me the pullovers makes me think that they still have a lot more than one or two pullovers made in Burma."
Jeff Schmitt, president of Colorado Trading and Clothing, said his warehouse had some fleece pullovers made in the United States, some made in Myanmar, and some made in other Asian countries. Mr. Schmitt said an employee had inadvertently shipped some Myanmar-made pullovers to Spalding, which then sewed in the Bush-Cheney logo.
"We just made a mistake in filling the order," Mr. Schmitt said.
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE
Published: March 20, 2004
An apparel merchandiser for President Bush's re-election campaign sold fleece pullovers with a Bush-Cheney logo that were made in Myanmar, even though the United States has banned imports from that country, campaign and company officials said yesterday.
The merchandiser, Ted Jackson, said his company, the Spalding Group, sold up to 10 Bush-Cheney pullovers made in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. Each cost $49.95.
Advertisement
Last summer, Mr. Bush signed legislation that barred imports from Myanmar to pressure that country's military dictatorship to take steps toward democracy.
Mr. Jackson, Spalding's president, said a supplier, the Colorado Trading and Clothing Company, inadvertently sent Spalding the pullovers even though he had told it to send only American-made merchandise. Mr. Jackson said the supplier told him that the pullovers were imported before the import ban took effect last Sept. 1.
"My understanding is it was pre-embargo merchandise," Mr. Jackson said in a telephone interview from his company's headquarters in Louisville, Ky. "This is repugnant to me, not only because it's illegal, but because it would be politically insensitive and inconsistent with the president's position."
Newsday reported on Friday that one of its reporters had bought a fleece pullover from the Bush-Cheney Web site that carried a label saying "Made in Myanmar (Burma)." The reporter ordered apparel from both the Bush campaign and the campaign of Senator John Kerry to see whether their products were made in the United States. Newsday said it had not yet received the Kerry items.
Steve Schmidt, communications director for the Bush campaign, acknowledged that the Spalding Group had supplied the pullovers. "The merchandiser has apologized, has accepted responsibility, has made assurances that this will never happen again," Mr. Schmidt said.
He added that the Bush campaign was committed to ensuring that only products made in the United States were sold through its merchandise Web site, www.georgewbushstore.com.
Mr. Jackson, whose company has supplied merchandise for Republicans for 20 years, said that of the 60 Bush-Cheney fleece pullovers he had in stock yesterday, just 2 had "Made in Myanmar" labels; the rest had "Made in America" labels.
Charles Kernaghan, executive director of the National Labor Committee, an antisweatshop group, said that he ordered several pullovers from Spalding late Thursday, but that the company refused to send them.
"I don't see why the Bush campaign let them sell these goods from a country with such a horrible dictatorship and factories that pay workers just 7 cents an hour," Mr. Kernaghan said. "The fact that they refused to send me the pullovers makes me think that they still have a lot more than one or two pullovers made in Burma."
Jeff Schmitt, president of Colorado Trading and Clothing, said his warehouse had some fleece pullovers made in the United States, some made in Myanmar, and some made in other Asian countries. Mr. Schmitt said an employee had inadvertently shipped some Myanmar-made pullovers to Spalding, which then sewed in the Bush-Cheney logo.
"We just made a mistake in filling the order," Mr. Schmitt said.