The Democratic Primary Operative With A Wall Street Side Gig

One of the top officials for an establishment-friendly political network playing a major role in Democratic primaries this election cycle also helms an astroturf lobbying group representing the interests of Wall Street banks and credit card companies. 

Peter Kauffmann is listed as vice chair of VoteVets, a Democratic Party-aligned group that primarily supports military veterans running for office, and as treasurer of Vet Voice Foundation, an affiliated philanthropic arm. 

But Kauffmann has also been acting as the chief spokesperson for a group called the Small Business Payments Alliance. The lobbying operation claims to represent the interests of ordinary small businesses, but it is fighting to protect one of the largest costs most small businesses face: swipe fees on every transaction at retail stores, charged by the credit card duopoly Visa and Mastercard. 

Kauffmann’s dual role is jarring, given VoteVets’ general track record of supporting efforts to protect people from financial schemes, particularly veterans and servicemembers. VoteVets and its allies have vocally opposed the Trump administration’s gutting of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and highlighted the impact of consumer-protection deregulation on military families going back to President Donald Trump’s first term.

VoteVets’ campaign arm has a more prominent function, however: to serve as a stalking horse for establishment candidates in primary elections while maintaining an image as an independent and trusted source marshaling veteran support. Having an attachment to big banks and credit card firms could diminish that reputation.