Thursday, November 5, 2009 1:04 PM

American University Boosting Bonner?

American University's Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies and the School of Public Affairs periodically pay for advertisements to thank teachers and guest speakers as a way of highlighting the programs they offer.

But a new ad thanking Jack Bonner, CEO of grassroots lobbying firm Bonner & Associates, has gotten the university and center Director James Thurber into some hot water. The full-page print ad, for which American University paid Roll Call $1,523, ran on November 4 and said "Thank you Jack Bonner for over 15 years of teaching excellence." It then went on to note many of Bonner's guest lecturers, which included reporters, public relations specialists and D.C. lobbyists from associations, firms and unions.

The problem? Bonner admitted last summer that a former employee sent multiple fake grassroots letters to three House lawmakers regarding climate change legislation, which has made his firm a target for ethics questions. On Oct. 29, members of the House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming grilled Bonner about his ethics. Bonner testified that he had hired AU's Thurber as an independent ethics adviser to make sure his firm never produces fake letters again.

The timing of American University's ad, one week after the hearing, makes it appear the school ran the ad to prop up Bonner's reputation. That has raised eyebrows and questions around town about why a university would come to an aide of a lobbying firm under an ethics cloud.

In an interview with National Journal, Thurber said the intent of the ad had been to "honor" Bonner as a "great teacher" not to defend Bonner's business practices. Bonner has taught a grassroots lobbying class at AU for 15 years and he and Thurber know each other well. The two collaborated on a study about the use of the Internet in 1998 and Bonner has hired many of Thurber's former students.

"I have taught at the university for 35 years and I have built a reputation," Thurber said. "I teach a class on ethics and lobbying and I have never had anything like this. There have been articles about this and I have received phone calls. I never am going to do [ads] like this again, thanking people. I'll do it through personal correspondence."

Thurber also said he hasn't been hired by Bonner as an ethics adviser. Rather, Thurber  offered to provide pro-bono ethics advice to Bonner's staff, which he hasn't yet conducted. With the fallout from this week's ad, Thurber said he now won't provide that advice, and will recommend another ethics adviser to Bonner's firm.

"I think its best not to do it," he said.