The Asbury Park Press says that GOP Assembly candidate Jennifer Beck has denied doing any lobbying work for Allianz AG, which has faced allegations that they have made it difficult for Holocaust victims and their families to collect on life insurance policies they purchased before World War II. PoliticsNJ.com had reported that Democrats were considering using this issue against Beck, whose signature is on lobbying reports filed by MWW while she was running their Trenton office. William Murray, an MWW senior vice president and Becks’ former boss, declined to identify the particular person from his firm who worked on the Allianz account, or why they were paid over $20,000 by one of Germany’s largest insurance companies. Murray’s response to PoliticsNJ.com was entirely off the record. Click here to read the Asbury Park Press storyStatement of MWW Vice President William Murray “The Allianz account came in through MWW„s corporate headquarters office in East Rutherford. The company had a track record of paying reparations to Holocaust victims and already had that payment program in place. The client did not want to be placed into a one-size-fits-all process that would lump them in with others without that track record, or force them into a system that could drag out the payment process and possibly add further administrative costs that otherwise would go to victims. MWW monitored legislation relevant to that concern and sought to educate members of the legislature about those issues. “The distortions of those activities is an outrage to the two principals of the firm, Michael Kempner and Robert Sommer, both of whom are Jewish, and who have contributed extensively ” personally and professionally ” to the Jewish Community in New Jersey, as well as nationally. It is unconscionable that someone would mischaracterize the firm„s work on this account for political gain.” “In fact, Jennifer Beck never worked on this account ” she wasn„t even at the firm when the account was active. Ms. Beck did not join MWW until June of 1999, when the work for this account was completed by January of 1999.”
