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‘ In his prepared remarks, Lewis touched on a matter that has attracted our interest in the past\u2014Vice President Al Gore\u2019s Communist connection. But Lewis didn\u2019t put it that way. Instead, he referred to Al Gore and the \u201ccontroversial\u201d Armand Hammer, the late chairman of Occidental Petroleum. In fact, Hammer was a Soviet agent and money launderer for the Communist Party who helped Vice President Gore and his family become rich.<\/p>\n
Lewis explained how, personally and professionally, Gore still profits from Occidental largesse. \u201cTo this day\u201d, Lewis said, \u201che still draws $20,000 a year from a land deal in Tennessee brokered between his father and Hammer. The total amount is more than $300,000. The personal relationship between young Gore and Hammer was very close throughout the 1980s, including trips on Hammer\u2019s private jet and constant campaign contributions.\u201d Lewis explained how the Energy Department in 1997 sold 47,000 acres of federal oil reserves to Occidental, after Vice President Gore, who has a reputation as a staunch environmentalist, recommended that the president give oil companies access to this land.’<\/p>\n