{"id":469662,"date":"2021-05-04T05:05:50","date_gmt":"2021-05-04T09:05:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=469662"},"modified":"2021-05-04T05:05:53","modified_gmt":"2021-05-04T09:05:53","slug":"ron-kind-campaign-treasurer-donor-mount-defense-of-alleged-rub-and-tug-tied-to-wisconsin-dem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ron-kind-campaign-treasurer-donor-mount-defense-of-alleged-rub-and-tug-tied-to-wisconsin-dem\/","title":{"rendered":"Ron Kind Campaign Treasurer, Donor Mount Defense of Alleged \u2018Rub-and-Tug\u2019 Tied to Wisconsin Dem"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fron-kind-campaign-treasurer-donor-mount-defense-of-alleged-rub-and-tug-tied-to-wisconsin-dem%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=469662&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div readability=\"29.713692946058\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"article-category\"><a class href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/democrats\/\">Democrats<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"article-excerpt\">Business tied to Wisconsin Dem advertised on &#8216;RubMaps,&#8217; other alleged sex marketplace sites<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-thumbnail-container relative lg:mr-24 w-full my-4 mb-8\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"736\" height=\"513\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-1.49.44-PM-e1619807299471-1.jpg\" class=\"w-full lazyload blur-up wp-post-image\" alt loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 736px) 100vw, 736px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-1.49.44-PM-e1619807299471.jpg 736w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-1.49.44-PM-e1619807299471-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-1.49.44-PM-e1619807299471-704x491.jpg 704w\" data-sizes=\"auto\"  style=\"display:none\">\t\t\t<\/figure>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"text-gray text-xs md:text-lg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/author\/collin-anderson\/\" title=\"Posts by Collin Anderson\" class=\"author url fn text-red-700\" rel=\"author\">Collin Anderson<\/a> \u2022 May 4, 2021 4:55 am<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div readability=\"132.77209108001\">\n<p>Attorneys at the law firm defending an alleged &#8220;rub-and-tug&#8221; massage parlor operating on property owned by Rep. Ron Kind include the Wisconsin Democrat&#8217;s campaign treasurer as well as multiple campaign donors, financial disclosures show.<\/p>\n<p>After reports emerged Wednesday that Asian Sunny Massage\u2014a La Crosse-based parlor that rents office space from Kind\u2014advertised on &#8220;RubMaps&#8221; and other sex marketplace sites, attorney Joe Veenstra of Johns, Flaherty &#038; Collins released a statement defending the business. But the law firm&#8217;s interest in clearing Asian Sunny Massage&#8217;s name may go beyond its role as counsel for the establishment.<\/p>\n<p>The firm&#8217;s managing partner, Brent Smith, has served as Kind&#8217;s campaign treasurer since August 2020, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/cgi-bin\/forms\/C00312017\/1435407\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">campaign finance disclosures<\/a>. The campaign&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/ronkind.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website<\/a> also lists Smith as treasurer, and Kind&#8217;s most recent <a href=\"https:\/\/docquery.fec.gov\/pdf\/674\/202009259284963674\/202009259284963674.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement of organization<\/a> includes the address of Johns, Flaherty &#038; Collins. Smith has contributed roughly $7,600 to Kind&#8217;s campaign since the Democrat&#8217;s inaugural run in 1997.<\/p>\n<p>Veenstra, the attorney specifically tasked with defending Asian Sunny Massage, has also donated repeatedly to Democratic candidates over the last decade, including $250 to Kind, his single largest contribution. Other attorneys at Johns, Flaherty &#038; Collins, meanwhile, have combined to contribute $900 to Kind&#8217;s campaign since 1999.<\/p>\n<p>Veenstra&#8217;s statement alluded to Kind&#8217;s relationship with Asian Sunny Massage, which the attorney called a &#8220;perfectly legitimate business&#8221; subject to &#8220;political hit pieces.&#8221; Veenstra went on to threaten &#8220;serious legal action&#8221; toward &#8220;anyone in the press or politics saying otherwise.&#8221; Kind also attributed the ongoing scrutiny facing Asian Sunny Massage to his Republican opponent, retired Navy SEAL Derrick Van Orden, whom he accused of pushing a &#8220;baseless smear rooted in racism.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Veenstra, however, did not address Asian Sunny Massage&#8217;s numerous advertisements on websites that connect users with &#8220;happy ending&#8221; massages. The business featured a posting on RubMaps\u2014described by <i>USA Today <\/i>as &#8220;Yelp for sex spas&#8221;\u2014shortly after opening in 2018. Asian Sunny Massage also <a href=\"https:\/\/bodyrubsmap.com\/ad\/1116.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ran a 2018 ad<\/a> on BodyRubsMap, which describes itself as &#8220;the best alternative to Backpage,&#8221; an online sex trafficking marketplace shut down by U.S. authorities. The ad features photos of young Asian women and is still live today, amassing thousands of views.<\/p>\n<p>Veenstra, Smith, and Kind did not return requests for comment on whether Kind steered Asian Sunny Massage to employ Johns, Flaherty &#038; Collins.<\/p>\n<p>During a Friday interview, Kind <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wizmnews.com\/2021\/04\/29\/congressman-kind-discusses-political-hit-job-on-la-crosse-business-that-rents-from-him\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">blamed<\/a> the suggestive advertisements on Google, saying that &#8220;because of Google&#8217;s algorithms, [the ads] get attached to various sites that the small business has no control over.&#8221; But a Google\u00a0<span data-removefontsize=\"true\" data-originalcomputedfontsize=\"16\">spokesman<\/span>\u00a0told the\u00a0<i data-removefontsize=\"true\" data-originalcomputedfontsize=\"16\">Washington Free Beacon<\/i>\u00a0such suggestive ads &#8220;are not Google-placed ads.&#8221;\u00a0<span data-removefontsize=\"true\" data-originalcomputedfontsize=\"16\">He said the company specifically &#8220;does not run Google ads&#8221; on any of the illicit massage sites<\/span>\u00a0<span data-removefontsize=\"true\" data-originalcomputedfontsize=\"16\">in question<\/span>\u00a0and said\u00a0<span data-removefontsize=\"true\" data-originalcomputedfontsize=\"16\">its<\/span>\u00a0publisher policies &#8220;prohibit content that promotes compensated sex acts.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the sex marketplace spots, Asian Sunny Massage ran since-deleted Facebook posts obtained by the <i>Washington Free Beacon <\/i>that touted a &#8220;new young massager&#8221; and &#8220;beautiful young ladies&#8221; offering to &#8220;relieve work stress.&#8221; The posts also contained suggestive photos of Asian women.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1470834 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-11.43.41-AM.jpg\" alt width=\"1104\" height=\"1276\" srcset=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-11.43.41-AM.jpg 1104w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-11.43.41-AM-260x300.jpg 260w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-11.43.41-AM-886x1024.jpg 886w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-11.43.41-AM-768x888.jpg 768w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-11.43.41-AM-736x851.jpg 736w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-11.43.41-AM-425x491.jpg 425w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1104px) 100vw, 1104px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1470840 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-11.44.47-AM.jpg\" alt width=\"860\" height=\"972\" srcset=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-11.44.47-AM.jpg 860w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-11.44.47-AM-265x300.jpg 265w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-11.44.47-AM-768x868.jpg 768w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-11.44.47-AM-736x832.jpg 736w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-11.44.47-AM-434x491.jpg 434w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 860px) 100vw, 860px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1470843 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-11.46.26-AM.jpg\" alt width=\"652\" height=\"1136\" srcset=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-11.46.26-AM.jpg 652w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-11.46.26-AM-172x300.jpg 172w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-11.46.26-AM-588x1024.jpg 588w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-11.46.26-AM-282x491.jpg 282w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 652px) 100vw, 652px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Both Veenstra and Kind invoked the March Atlanta spa shootings to denounce questions over Asian Sunny Massage&#8217;s business practices.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In today&#8217;s political climate in which Asians and Asian-run businesses have been the subject of bullying, harassment, and mass shootings,&#8221; Veenstra said, &#8220;targeting an Asian business with these false assertions in a weak attempt to make some political point is really despicable.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Kind echoed his political donor&#8217;s rhetoric, calling the scrutiny &#8220;irresponsible, dangerous, and despicable.&#8221; The Democrat also claimed that the reports would &#8220;put law enforcement in harm&#8217;s way.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Asian Sunny Massage&#8217;s owner told Fox News that the parlor does not perform sexual &#8220;services&#8221; but refused to share his advertising manager&#8217;s contact information, adding that he would only speak to police. Kind reported earning up to $50,000 in 2018 and 2019 rental income from the building that includes Asian Sunny Massage.<\/p>\n<p>Kind was first elected to serve Wisconsin&#8217;s Third Congressional District in 1997. He has faced criticism over campaign contributions in the past\u2014in 2010, a pair of Wisconsin doctors claimed that Kind requested up to $25,000 for a personal meeting. One of the doctors sent a memo asking hospital staff to contribute to Kind&#8217;s campaign before the meeting, and the Democrat later received $6,600 from more than two dozen doctors after touring the hospital. Kind denied the alleged pay-to-play scheme.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democrats Business tied to Wisconsin Dem advertised on &#8216;RubMaps,&#8217; other alleged sex marketplace sites  Collin Anderson \u2022 May 4, 2021 4:55 am Attorneys at the &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2277257,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-1.49.44-PM-e1619807299471-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Ron Kind Campaign Treasurer, Donor Mount Defense of Alleged \u2018Rub-and-Tug\u2019 Tied to Wisconsin Dem","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-469662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-1.49.44-PM-e1619807299471-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Ron Kind Campaign Treasurer, Donor Mount Defense of Alleged \u2018Rub-and-Tug\u2019 Tied to Wisconsin Dem","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=469662"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469662\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2277257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=469662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=469662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=469662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}