 At the time, Charles Schumer, serving as a Representative from New York, wrote a letter to Clinton stating that the measure before him for consideration would benefit Simmons with a $104 million tax deferral.Simmons stated at the time that his tax deferral was only $80 million.During the Reagan presidency, Simmons was a contributor to GOPAC Simmons also contributed to the defense funds of Oliver North and John Poindexter, Reagan aides implicated in the Iran-Contra scandal.