Of course there are bad apples in any organization. But the Democratic Party
for years has accused the Republican Party of fostering a "culture of corruption." It has been
a recurring campaign theme. But upon closer examination, it appears that the political left is where
there is a problem with corruption.
Even more examples are available if you look for the word "corruption"
on this page.
The word "suspicious" doesn't even begin to describe the stuff
on this page.
All the news and commentary about Yung Yuen "Norman" Hsu has been moved
to this page.
News and commentary about former Representative William J. Jefferson can be found
on this page.
This page includes subsections about
Representative Maxine Waters,
Mr. and Mrs. John Conyers,
Former DC Mayor Marion Barry,
Senator Chris Dodd,
Sandy Berger,
Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick of Detroit,
Congressman John Murtha,
Congressman Charles B. Rangel of New York,
Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois,
and his protégé, Senator Roland Burris of Illinois.
Please remember that the American system of justice includes a presumption of innocence: Anyone who is
accused or suspected of a crime is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
A Bunch of Hypocrites? Nancy Pelosi likes to brag that she's
"drained the swamp" when it comes to corruption in the House, but ethics problems could come back to haunt Democrats in
2010. Democrats are currently the subject of 12 of the 16 complaints pending before the House ethics committee.
Tincture
of Lawlessness. The Obama administration's agenda of maximizing dependency involves political
favoritism cloaked in the raiment of "economic planning" and "social justice" that somehow produce results
superior to what markets produce when freedom allows merit to manifest itself, and incompetence to fail.
The administration's central activity — the political allocation of wealth and opportunity —
is not merely susceptible to corruption, it is corruption.
Beam Me Up, Jimbo. Few
politicians have earned a reputation equally colorful as it is criminal as former Rep Jim Traficant (D-OH),
who is expected to be released from prison today [9/2/2009]. Though seven years may have passed since
Traficant was convicted of racketeering, bribery and fraud, among other gems, the area he represented hasn't
changed much since their Congressman was first elected in 1984.
Is the White
House for Sale? Obama supporter Lanny Davis says the president has little choice but to continue
business as usual — even though Obama as candidate implied things would be different. "When it
comes to fundraising I never heard Barack Obama say 'I believe in unilateral disarmament.' So long as
Republicans are raising money we have to raise money, and we won the White House, we ought to take advantage
of that," Davis said.
The
Obama White House: Bundlers' Paradise. Perks for deep-pocketed donors? Presidential
meetings for sale? The stale Chicago odor of pay-for-play wafting from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?
Knock me over with a feather. Despite the president's claimed distaste for the campaign finance practice
known as "bundling" (rounding up aggregate contributions from friends, business associates and employees), the
House of Obama has been a campaign finance bundlers' paradise from Day One.
Net Neutrality For
Campaign Donors. Just how far is the Obama administration willing to go to reward big donors?
In the wake of yesterday's explosive report regarding "scores of top Democratic donors" being rewarded with "VIP
access to the White House, private briefings with administration advisers and invitations to important speeches
and town-hall meetings," it's a question that's on the minds of many politically-engaged Americans...
Barack
Obama accused of 'selling' access to the White House. President Barack Obama has been accused
of betraying his campaign promise to change the culture of Washington by "selling" access to the White House
to prominent donors. Leaked Democratic National Committee documents showed the party had offered up to four
briefings a year from senior presidential advisers in exchange for a personal donation of $30,400 or a
commitment to raise $300,000 for the 2010 midterm elections.
Carter lapse won't slow Rangel hunt.
House Republicans say they'll press on with their efforts to dethrone House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles
Rangel — despite the fact that the Republican leading their charge now faces ethical issues of his own.
Rep. John Carter failed to disclose nearly $300,000 in profits from oil stock sales in 2006-07, Roll Call
reported Thursday [10/22/2009].
The Editor says...
Throw them both out!
Corzine,
cash & corruption. New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine really has no shame. Just hours after
Bergen County's longtime Democratic machine boss, Joseph Ferriero, was convicted Thursday [10/22/2009] on
three federal felony corruption counts — which could land him in prison for 20 years — New
Jersey's governor proudly defended having written him personal checks totaling nearly a half-million dollars.
That's right: Corzine, the Wall Street multimillionaire, and his family have funneled no less than
$441,600 of their own money to keep Ferriero's arrogant political machine rolling.
Democratic
Party Boss Convicted; Christie Accuses Corzine of Enabling Corruption. Today a jury found Joe
Ferriero, former chairman of the Bergen County Democratic Organization, guilty of one count of conspiracy to
defraud and two counts of mail fraud. Guess how much money Jon Corzine and his family gave to Ferriero
over the years? $441,600.
Follow the Money.
We have yet to see a bill from the Democratic Congress or the Obama White House that is not actually a
payoff to a key constituency. The tsunami of dollars unleashed by the Obama Treasury Department in
coordination with the Fed has obscured the fact that many of those dollars are ending up in the
pockets of Friends of Obama or Friends of Nancy or Friends of Harry.
Voter
fraud probe nets a fifth suspect. An investigation into the stuffing of ballot boxes in Essex
County continues to widen, with a fifth person indicted yesterday for election fraud. The criminal probe
by the state Division of Criminal Justice and the Essex County prosecutor has been focusing not only on campaign
workers, but on county workers as well as it examines dozens of absentee ballots cast in the 2007 election of
state Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex).
The
K Street Tax Cheat Who's Lobbying to Save Obamacare. Tom Daschle is the human toe fungus of
Washington — a persistent infection that may disappear from time to time, but always comes back
with a vengeance. Despite abandoning his secretary of health and human services nomination in disgrace in
February 2009, the K Street tax cheat who evaded IRS rules for years remains a top White House confidante
and policy strategist.
Dirty
Money Watch: Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.). [Scroll down] Multiple officers and
members of these unions, including division presidents, secretary-treasurers and business managers, have
been convicted since 2001 of felonies ranging from embezzlement, falsifying official reports to government,
mail fraud and conspiracy. The Communication Workers of America and The American Federation of
Government Employees have had eight convictions, the Service Employees International Union has had nine
convictions and the Boilermakers have had 10 convictions, while the IBEW has had 14 members convicted.
The United Steelworkers of America has had 30 convictions among its membership. The amounts of
embezzled funds range from over $5,000 to over $100,000.
Ex-Lawyer to New Jersey Democrats Pleads
Guilty. A former counsel to the Bergen County Democratic Organization in New Jersey pleaded guilty two days
before he and the party's ex-chairman were scheduled to go on trial on corruption charges. Dennis J. Oury, 59,
admitted conspiring with Joseph A. Ferriero, the former chairman, to defraud the borough of Bergenfield, New Jersey,
of his honest services.
Mayors, rabbis arrested in corruption
probe. The New Jersey officials and their associates charged in a federal probe of public corruption
exchanged hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in parking lots, restaurants, boiler rooms and bathrooms, an
acting U.S. attorney said Thursday [7/23/2009]. The investigation netted 44 defendants — 29 on
corruption charges and 15 for alleged money laundering, acting U.S. Attorney Ralph Marra Jr. said at a
news conference.
44 Charged by U.S. in New Jersey
Corruption Sweep. The case began with bank fraud charges against a member of an insular Syrian Jewish enclave
centered in a seaside town. But when that man became a federal informant and posed as a crooked real estate developer
offering cash bribes to obtain government approvals, it mushroomed into a political scandal that could rival any of the
most explosive and sleazy episodes in New Jersey's recent past.
Kosher
Nostra & Dirty Jersey. Everything was for sale — from politicians to kidneys. Separate
federal probes targeting rogue rabbis in Brooklyn and corrupt public officials in New Jersey led to the arrests
yesterday [7/23/2009] of 44 people, including three mayors and five religious leaders. ... All are
Democrats except for [Assemblyman Daniel] Van Pelt, a Republican.
In New Jersey, Ideal Conditions for
Corruption. Cash in an envelope. In return, a promise that a development project will speed
along, unhindered by bureaucratic delays. A handshake to seal the deal. It is the most clichéd,
unimaginative form of corruption — and its persistent hold on New Jersey's elected leaders seems unrivaled
in American government.
New Mexico Roiled By Fresh Graft Case.
Elected officials in New Mexico are renewing calls for an ethics overhaul after the state's attorney general
this week unveiled the latest in a long string of political-corruption cases. Longtime Secretary of State
Rebecca Vigil-Giron, who left office in 2006, has been indicted on 50 felony counts of embezzlement, tax
evasion and money laundering in an alleged scheme to siphon off at least hundreds of thousands of dollars in
federal election funds. Ms. Vigil-Giron, a Democrat...
Democratic Fundraiser Charged in Citigroup Fraud.
The U.S. attorney in New York on Tuesday charged a New York investor and major Democratic fund-raiser with a
$74 million scheme to defraud Citigroup. Hassan Nemazee, 59, was charged with one count of bank
fraud, and faces up to 30 years in prison plus a fine.
Legislators
Framing Climate Bills Hold Energy Stock. As Congress moves ahead with climate-change legislation
touching almost every corner of the energy industry, a number of lawmakers shaping the debate have investments
in companies that would be affected by the results. Rep. Edward J. Markey (D., Mass.), one of the lead
authors of a House bill that would favor alternative-energy sources, had investments of between $51,000
and $115,000 in the Firsthand Technology Value Fund at the end of last year. Three of the top 10
holdings in the Ohio fund are solar-energy manufacturers.
Valley Rep. Kino Flores
indicted. State Rep. Ismael "Kino" Flores, D-Palmview, has been indicted for failing to disclose more
than $800,000 in income as well as assorted high-value gifts and properties, Travis County prosecutors said
Friday [7/17/2009]. A grand jury returned six separate indictments against the 12-year legislator, each
relating to required financial statements filed yearly since 2004.
Rep. Dicks
boosts funds for son's project. Rep. Norm Dicks, the House Democrat in charge of spending for
the environment, is proposing a dramatic increase in funding for a water-cleanup program in Washington state
that's run by his son.
Dems
put CBC member in charge of CBC investigation. The House ethics committee is investigating a
Caribbean trip taken last year by members of the Congressional Black Caucus, but they put a fellow CBC member
in charge of the probe. Among those on the trip was House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles
Rangel, D-N.Y., who is already the subject of an ethics probe over nonpayment of taxes and other issues.
Senator's husband's
firm cashes in on crisis. On the day the new Congress convened this year, Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced
legislation to route $25 billion in taxpayer money to a government agency that had just awarded her husband's real
estate firm a lucrative contract to sell foreclosed properties at compensation rates higher than the industry norms.
Bay State run by men of steal.
This isn't a democracy, it's a kleptocracy. Three in a row — three House speakers in a row indicted, and
two convicted.
Sen. Roland
Burris (D-Blago). We don't know where to begin with the latest mess that has ensnared Sen.
Roland W. Burris (D-Ill.). No, "ensnared" isn't the right word. That would imply that he's
blameless for his troubles, which isn't the case.
Elected, Not Redeemed.
Kevin Johnson grossly misused federal funds. The standard penalty is a common sense one — he
shouldn't be entrusted with federal funds for at least some time. That he is now mayor of the capital of
California doesn't change that. Winning an election does not have some sort of sanctifying effect.
A man who misuses funds and is then elected mayor is now a mayor who has misused funds. And those who
voted him into office should expect to have to live with the consequences of their decision.
Culture of
Corruption II. When in the last election Democrats spoke of a "culture of corruption" in
Washington, few realized they were making a promise. The Obama Administration is not yet three weeks
old but already features a growing collection of ethically challenged officials.
Bye-bye, "culture of
corruption". You may want to look fast, but the Democratic National Committee's website still
has a "Republican Culture of Corruption" page, implying that by installing the Democrats back in the
congressional majority, we'll have a virtual monastery of ethical restraint in Washington — with
leaders like Patrick Kennedy setting the example.
House
Democrats Accused of Corruption, Too. Democrats, quick to invoke the alleged "Republican
culture of corruption," have a few members of their own party to worry about.
The Democrats' Culture of
Corruption: Did you notice the stories about Illinois Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky's
husband being sentenced to prison for a check-kiting scheme involving millions of dollars? Probably
not. It got little attention.
Why the
Truth Doesn't Matter: Because you won't find an "R" after any of their names, Charles Rangel
still faces no consequences for his actions, Tom Daschle was forced to pay his back taxes — but
only the magnitude of his oversight made him withdraw his name from consideration with no further condemnation
nor consequences — and Turbo Tax Timothy Geitner is now the head of the U.S. Treasury in charge of
collecting the taxes he originally decided not to pay. And this doesn't even take into consideration the
ability of a Democrat Congressmen to keep his seat in Congress after the Feds found $90,000 in illegal
campaign contributions hidden in his New Orleans house.
The price is right (Ellison hajj edition).
We've written several times about Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison's hajj to Mecca ... A spokesman for
Ellison, the first Muslim congressman, first told the Star Tribune that Ellison paid for the pilgrimage
himself. The Star Tribune subsequently reported that the Minnesota chapter of the Muslim American Society
paid for Ellison's hajj. MAS spokesman Mahdi Bray heatedly denied the report, describing it as a "myth"
and "urban legend" that couldn't possibly be true because "that would be a breach of congressional ethics."
Dem
Duo In $30M Pension 'Scam'. Democratic political consultant Hank Morris and a top lieutenant to
disgraced former state Comptroller Alan Hevesi were indicted yesterday in a scheme to trade lucrative investments
in the state pension fund for more than $30 million in kickbacks, gifts and campaign contributions. The
123-count indictment against Morris and former state pension-fund manager David Loglisci stems from a two-year
pay-to-play probe by state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.
NY state
senator indicted on assault charges. A state senator who was recently sworn in to office
despite allegations he slashed his girlfriend's face with a piece of broken glass in a jealous rage has
been indicted on domestic assault charges, prosecutors said Monday. A grand jury in Queens indicted Hiram
Monserrate on three counts of second-degree felony assault and three counts of third-degree misdemeanor assault.
Putting the mice in charge of the cheese:
Pornography
Advocate at DOJ? It's been a taxing two weeks for President Obama and his nominees. And
there's another nominee with bigger disqualifiers than unpaid taxes. Imagine. A veteran pornography
defense attorney takes a top spot at the agency charged with enforcing the nation's child pornography and
obscenity laws.
Obama's porn king
at Justice. Under President Obama, it was expected that porn pushers might find a sympathetic
ear, given the smut industry's generous support of liberal politicians and causes. But the fox is no longer
circling the henhouse. He's made it inside.
Culture of corruption festers on. If
you imagined that Detroit could wash the stink off its politics by exiling Kwame Kilpatrick to Texas, the latest text
message dump will set you straight. The exchanges made public Monday make it clear that Kilpatrick and Christine
Beatty were only the most conspicuous symptoms of a political culture that was rotten to the core. They also
remind us that some of the leading exponents of that culture continue to hold public office in Michigan, although
they have probably become more cautious since Kilpatrick's spectacular flameout.
Democrats are opposed to coal-fired power
plants — unless they own them.
Green
lobby guides Democrats on climate bill. Democratic lawmakers who spent much of the Bush
administration blasting officials for letting energy lobbyists write national policy have turned to a
coalition of business and environmental groups to help draft their own sweeping climate bill. And one
little-noticed provision of the draft bill would give one of the coalition's co-founders a lucrative exemption
on a coal-fired project it is building.
Assemblyman
Charged with Graft. A Democratic leader in the New Jersey Assembly has been charged with public
corruption for allegedly abusing his former position as Perth Amboy's mayor by using city money for personal
expenses such as his son's basketball camps and refreshments served after his father's funeral. Prosecutors
also accuse Joseph Vas of rigging a lottery so his driver would win.
Fumo guilty of all 137 counts. Vincent
Fumo, once one of the most powerful figures in Pennsylvania politics, was convicted today [3/16/2009] of more than
130 counts of corruption for schemes that defrauded the state Senate and others of more than $3.5 million
and allowed him to live a lavish lifestyle.
Ex-Pennsylvania senator convicted
of 137 corruption counts. Vincent Fumo, once one of the most powerful figures in Pennsylvania politics, was
convicted Monday [3/16/2009] of more than 130 counts of corruption for schemes that defrauded the state Senate and others
of more than $3.5 million and helped pay for his lavish lifestyle. The 65-year-old former state senator was found
guilty of all 137 counts against him, which also included obstruction of justice for destroying e-mail evidence.
Guilty plea coming in vote-buying case.
The former judge-executive of Perry County plans to plead guilty in a federal vote-buying case. The attorney for
Sherman Neace filed a motion Thursday [9/10/2009] seeking a hearing for Neace to be rearraigned, meaning to enter a guilty
plea. The hearing has not been scheduled.
Democrats
are hypocrites when it comes to paying taxes. Daschle's hardly alone. The recently
confirmed Treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner, also failed to pay taxes he owed (even though he
surely must have known he owed them) until it became politically expedient to pay them. Now he runs the
IRS. Take that, suckers. Meanwhile, Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the
supreme tax-writing body in the United States, the House Ways and Means Committee, is under
investigation for, among other things, dodging taxes.
Obama's Toxic Assets:
It has happened again! Another Obama appointee has admitted to tax problems. Health and Human
Services nominee Kathleen Sebelius has admitted to irregularities in her tax returns extending over the past
three years. ... According to my calculations that makes five Obama nominees who have reported similar tax
irregularities, none of which was discovered until they began making preparations for their confirmation
hearings. ... Two other Obama Administration nominees withdrew from consideration when their tax problems
were discovered.
FBI investigates lobbying
firm that is generous donor to Dicks, Murray. Congressman Norm Dicks has never been shy about
accepting campaign donations from favor seekers. Now the FBI is investigating one of Dicks' most generous
donors — the powerhouse lobbying firm PMA Group. Questions have been raised about whether
some PMA-related campaign contributions were actually given by the people listed as donors. For example,
thousands of dollars in contributions to Dicks, Washington Sen. Patty Murray and other lawmakers came from a
sommelier and a golf-club employee who were identified as PMA officials on some campaign-finance reports.
Cabinet of the corrupt. First Tim Geithner. Now
Tom Daschle? Who's Obama's next cabinet pick — Wesley Snipes? Dianne Wilkerson?
Not to upset the loyal O-Bots out there, but the last guy from Chicago to have this much income tax trouble
was Al Capone. And at last report, he still had an outside shot at getting Commerce secretary.
President Obama pledged to change Washington, and he has. Before Obama, tax cheats used to lose jobs.
McClain, Pettagrue guilty on all
counts. Alabama state Sen. E.B. McClain and the Rev. Samuel Pettagrue were found guilty
today [1/21/2009] on all 48 counts of bribery, money laundering and mail fraud after a trial before federal
Judge Karon Bowdre. McClain was accused of taking more than $300,000 of the $758,245 he obtained for Pettagrue's
community outreach programs, including an online GED program.
Texas fundraiser convicted on 14 counts.
The South Texan who once lavished fundraisers on Democratic politicians and whisked employees of his law firm off for Las
Vegas weekends in a private jet was convicted Thursday of 14 counts of impersonating a lawyer. Mauricio Celis,
the 37-year-old founder of Corpus Christi-based CGT Law Group International, falsely represented himself as a lawyer while
raking in millions of dollars in attorney's fees in recent years.
Accused fraudster gave big to Dems.
The Texas financier accused by the Securities and Exchange Commission Tuesday of "massive ongoing fraud" was a
generous political donor who gave more heavily to Democrats. Since 2000, R. Allen Stanford, the chief of
the Stanford Financial Group in Houston, his wife and company gave $2.2 million in political
contributions — $1.7 million to Democratic candidates and committees — according
to Federal Election Commission records.
Hartford, Conn., mayor arrested on bribery
charges. Eddie Perez, a one-time gang leader who turned his life around to become Hartford's
most powerful mayor, surrendered to police Tuesday to face a bribery charge for having a city contractor
renovate his home and not paying for it until after being confronted by investigators.
Portland mayor to decide soon
whether to resign. About 400 supporters gathered Friday night outside City Hall to urge Portland's mayor to
stay on the job despite an intensifying political storm over his sexual relationship with a legislative intern nearly four
years ago. Mayor Sam Adams has admitted lying about the affair with the young man to cover it up during last year's
mayoral campaign.
Profiles in corruption.
Whether it's a California congressman driving around in a Rolls Royce and living in a palatial home, the result
of about $2 million in bribe money; a Louisiana congressman caught by the FBI with $90 thousand
worth of bribes in his freezer, or an Illinois Governor caught trying to sell a senate seat, the fact is that
some people have the idea that their office is for sale to anyone with enough cash to buy their appearance of
integrity. Political power is a formidable weapon that can be used to alter the events of history in a
positive way, or it can be used to enrich the bank accounts of the ethically challenged reprobates whose lack
of character mysteriously transmogrifies their fingers into money-grubbing appendages.
More
Proof the Inmates Are Running the Asylum. In Congress, Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), after having
violated about half of the federal tax laws, is staying on as chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means
Committee. Meanwhile, Sen. Chris Dodd and Rep. Barney Frank, the king and queen of congressional
oversight of the banking industry, are still in charge of running their respective asylums. Frank,
whose boyfriend ran a prostitution ring out of the congressman's townhouse back in 1990, and who more
recently was involved in a homosexual affair with an official of Fannie Mae, one of the bankrupt
quasigovernmental entities Frank oversees as head of the House Financial Services Committee, sees
no conflict between his public and personal life.
Who is Barney Frank?
In 1991, Barney Frank received an official reprimand for reflecting "discredit upon the House." The
reprimand came as a result of his relationship with a man named Steve Gobi, a male prostitute whom Frank
initially paid $80 for sex. Frank later took Gobi to live with him in his home, making him a personal
aide. He paid him $20,000 in compensation (unreported to the IRS) and let him use his car. Subsequent
investigation revealed that in the course of their relationship, Frank used his congressional office and
stationary to fix Gobi's 33 parking fines. Frank also used his congressional letterhead to write a
reference letter to Gobi's probation officer — Gobi was under court supervision as a convicted
felon with a prison record — in which he gave false information. Most damningly, the
investigation found that Gobi ran a prostitution ring from Frank's home. In his defense, Frank
asserted he knew nothing of Gobi's illicit enterprise.
Pennsylvania judges accused of jailing
kids for cash. For years, the juvenile court system in Wilkes-Barre operated like a conveyor belt:
Youngsters were brought before judges without a lawyer, given hearings that lasted only a minute or two, and then sent
off to juvenile prison for months for minor offenses. The explanation, prosecutors say, was corruption on the
bench. In one of the most shocking cases of courtroom graft on record, two Pennsylvania judges have been charged
with taking millions of dollars in kickbacks to send teenagers to two privately run youth detention centers.
Did The Philadelphia Inquirer tell you they were
Democrats? To which political party do the two judges belong? Naturally, upon reading this, I had to
wonder: were these crooks Republicans, or were they Democrats? The information wasn't easy to find, but it
did exist.
2 Pennsylvania judges sued in kickback scheme.
A lawsuit has been filed against two Pennsylvania judges accused of taking more than $2 million in kickbacks to send
youth offenders to privately run detention centers. The suit names Luzerne County Judges Mark Ciavarella and
Michael Conahan and 14 other defendants. It was filed in federal court late Thursday [2/12/2009] on behalf of
hundreds of children and their families who were alleged victims of the corruption.
Shady
Island 'House' Party. High-ranking members of Congress were flown to a lush Caribbean resort
this month for a three-day conference planned and paid for by several of the country's most powerful
corporations — a violation of federal ethics rules, critics say. Six members of the
Congressional Black Caucus attended the 13th annual Caribbean Multi-National Business Conference in
sun-drenched St. Maarten, including embattled Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel and New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne.
Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford,
arrested, jailed on federal charges. Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford was arrested this morning on federal
charges and is being held at the federal courthouse, the FBI and other federal officials confirm. A special grand
jury for several months has been investigating county bond deals and Langford's financial dealings. Langford was
Jefferson County Commission president 2002-06.
Update:
Birmingham Mayor Convicted on All
Counts. Larry Langford, the controversial and flamboyant mayor of Birmingham, Ala., was convicted
of multiple counts of bribery in a federal corruption trial in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday [10/28/2009].
Sex sting to keep Wisconsin mayor from
inauguration. Racine Mayor Gary Becker's plans to attend Tuesday's inauguration have been
canceled after he was charged in an Internet sex sting. Becker had planned to attend a U.S. Conference
of Mayors event in Washington over the weekend and then stay for the inauguration of President-elect Barack
Obama.
The Editor says...
There's one little detail missing from this story: He's a Democrat.
The same detail is also missing from these articles covering the same story:
[1]
[2]
[3]
Wisconsin
mayor resigns after sex-sting arrest. The mayor of Racine, Wis., resigned Tuesday, days after
being accused of trying to arrange a sexual encounter with someone he thought was an underage girl. Mayor
Gary Becker resigned in a one-sentence letter that made no reference to the six felonies he faces.
An elaborate FBI sting snares politicians in
Massachusetts. For 18 months, the operation targeting former state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson played out in
upscale restaurants and scruffy eateries, through the marbled halls of the Massachusetts Statehouse and Boston City Hall.
Along the way, the probe dragged in dozens of unwitting side players, from the mayor and City Council president to Wilkerson's
Senate colleagues. It also led to corruption charges against a five-term city councilman. Wilkerson, who resigned
last month after being indicted on eight federal counts of attempted extortion, has maintained her innocence.
Embattled state
senator faces corruption charges. State Senator Dianne Wilkerson, a one-time rising star
in state politics who has been plagued with legal troubles during her 15-year legislative career, appeared
today in federal court to face charges that she allegedly accepted eight bribes worth $23,500.
Democrat Mailer
Enables Identity Theft. Idaho Republican Party Chairman Norm Semanko called on Idaho Democrats
to apologize for distributing Congressman Bill Sali's personal information to thousands of Idahoans earlier
this week. The Idaho Democrat Party sent a campaign mail piece that included the Social Security numbers
for both Congressman and Terry Sali, potentially exposing them to fraud and identity theft.
Another salon, another
indictment. Try not to let this destroy your faith in the integrity of the Massachusetts
Legislature. Look on the bright side: Only 5 percent of the state Senate has been
indicted this year ... .
Culture of Corruption: Obama and the
Teamsters. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that last summer, Illinois Senator Barack Obama
told officials in the Teamsters union that he favored ending the Independent Review Board (IRB) that was created in
1989 by the federal government to rid the union of organized crime. Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for Obama,
confirmed the story, saying that the candidate believed that the IRB had "run its course" because "organized crime
influence in the union has drastically declined." The Teamsters subsequently endorsed Obama for president, in
late February. Obama and the Teamsters bristled at suggestions that any deal was made.
House panel moves toward impeaching a
judge. The Judiciary Committee voted unanimously Wednesday [9/17/2008] to open an investigation
of bribery and perjury allegations against U.S. District Judge Thomas Porteous. The judge, appointed by
President Clinton, is accused of presiding over a trial in which the lawyers involved had given him money.
He's also accused of filing for bankruptcy under a false name.
Judge
Elizabeth Halverson permanently removed from bench. [Scroll down] "The damage resulting
from her antics and willful misconduct will be felt by the judicial system for a significant future period of
time," said the commission. The judge had continued to receive a $130,000 annual salary during the
suspension. With her removal, Judge Halverson can never serve on the judicial bench again.
They've Got Mail! As
an army of Democratic operatives looks for dirt in Alaska, Gov. Sarah Palin's e-mail account is hacked
into. It seems Barack Obama's supporters haven't given up the politics of personal destruction.
FBI serves search
warrant against UT student in Palin case. The FBI is stepping up its investigation into
the possibility that a University of Tennessee student hacked into the personal e-mail of Vice Presidential
candidate Sarah Palin. A person who identified himself as a witness tells 10 News that agents
with the FBI served a federal search warrant at the Fort Sanders residence of David Kernell early
Sunday morning. Kernell lives in the Commons apartment complex at 1115 Highland Ave.
David Kernell is the son of Mike Kernell, a Democratic state representative from Memphis.
FBI searches apartment of alleged Palin
hacker. Federal authorities are ramping up an investigation of a 20-year-old college student
for allegedly hacking into Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's e-mail account. The FBI searched the apartment
of alleged hacker David Kernell on Sunday morning [9/21/2008], and three of Kernell's roommates could
testify this week about the case before a grand jury in Chattanooga, according to local news reports.
UT student David
Kernell pleads not guilty in Palin e-mail hacking. David Christopher Kernell walked into
federal court this morning in handcuffs, shackles and tennis shoes to plead not guilty to hacking Republican
vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's personal e-mail account. He can stay out of jail for now as
long as he stays off his computer.
Alleged Palin hacker indicted.
A 20-year-old college student suspected of hacking into one of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's e-mail accounts was
indicted Tuesday [10/7/2008], a district court has announced. David Kernell, a University of Tennessee
student and son of Democratic Tennessee state representative Mike Kernell, turned himself into federal
authorities and will be arraigned Wednesday before Judge C. Clifford Shirley in the U.S. District Court
for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
GOP
Laptop Stolen After Missouri Break-in. As break-ins go, this one has the whiff of political
dirty tricks. Someone or a group of people broke into the Independence, Mo. Victory Office of the
Missouri Republican Party last week and apparently made off with a laptop belonging to regional coordinator
Brian Johnson.
Pelosi's
Bill Could Benefit Husband's Stock Holding. On July 27, 2007, 28 executives of the Thousand Oaks,
Calif., pharmaceutical firm Amgen contributed more than $20,000 to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.)
campaign. On Aug. 2, Pelosi (D-Calif.) reintroduced the Early Treatment for HIV Act, a bill that
could boost Medicaid coverage of HIV-related drugs, including Procrit, which is manufactured by Amgen and
marketed by a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, a firm in which Pelosi's husband owns at least $250,000 in
stock, according to Pelosi's disclosure forms.
Pelosi paid
husband with PAC funds. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has directed nearly $100,000 from her
political action committee to her husband's real estate and investment firm over the past decade, a practice
of paying a spouse with political donations that she supported banning last year. Financial Leasing
Services Inc. (FLS), owned by Paul F. Pelosi, has received $99,000 in rent, utilities and accounting
fees from the speaker's "PAC to the Future" over the PAC's nine-year history.
House Speaker Pelosi Used Political Donations
to Pay Husband's Firm. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi paid her husband's real estate and investment
firm nearly $100,000 from her political action committee over the past decade, a practice that she voted to
ban last year and that her party condemned as part of the "culture of corruption" when Republicans did it.
A failure to lead.
"For six years, Pelosi served on the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (the Ethics Committee)."
Six years later, what do we have? Indicted Louisiana Democratic Rep. William Jefferson, who maintains his
House seat in the middle of a corruption trial, without so much as a reprimand from Mrs. Pelosi. Neither
did she issue a single admonition to Rep. Charles Rangel, New York Democrat and Ways and Means Committee
chairman, for his apparent failure to pay income taxes.
McCain/Palin
Could Win this Election by Exposing the Trillion Dollar Scam. This is a trillion dollar
scam, and all the politicians in Congress, the ACORN mafia, the people who played the market on unsecured
mortgages, and the scam artists who were hired by Freddie and Fannie — they all knew it. In case you
haven't been watching, that includes all of Barack Obama's "home mortgage advisors" — Franklin Raines,
Jim Johnson and Jamie Gorelick. It includes Senate Banking Committee members like Chris Dodd. It
includes House members like Barney Frank.
History of Rewarding ACORN. Between
ACORN and the Democrat National Committee we are truly witnessing a culture of corruption. Remember the Marxist
adage: Accuse others of what you do. This is the M.O. of the Democrats and their lapdogs in the news
media. While they accuse the GOP of "disenfranchising" voters, it is the liberal-left thugs who are
disenfranchising citizens by registering illegal aliens and corpses to vote. Meanwhile, conservative groups
are on the alert in order to prevent military voters from being disenfranchised since polls regularly show soldiers,
sailors, airmen and Marines overwhelmingly vote for Republican candidates.
Vote-fraud-seeding
ACORN deserves a good cracking. It used to be that Americans — even American
political candidates — would simply accept the little Election Day miracles and move on. When
the dead rose in Chicago to put John F. Kennedy in the White House, Richard Nixon said one of his many
goodbyes and faded into the wallpaper for eight years. When residents of a certain precinct in Texas
voted in alphabetical order to send Lyndon Johnson to the U.S. Senate — hey, it could happen.
Right? Then Al Gore lost in 2000 and John Kerry lost in 2004 and the conspiracy theorists decided
it was time to build a conspiracy that could win for them.
Chicago politics at
the retail level. When I lived in Chicago, I joined a neighborhood association with the intent
of meeting neighbors, and ended up meeting political sleaze. The association dealt with police, school,
park district, and other issues in a city where, I learned, even garbage cans are political. You can't
buy them; they're a special, rat-proof type only available 'free' from the City. If you need one, you
call your Alderman's office ... .
Illinois most
corrupt? Try 18th on list. As I wrote during the presidential campaign, political corruption is the
dirty little secret not of just Illinois politics but American politics. True, it isn't on such a gargantuan scale
as to create an entirely dysfunctional society as is the case for so many developing nations. But it exists to
such a degree in so many places that U.S. Attorneys who handle public corruption cases are probably among the few
Americans with real job security these days.
Pennsylvania
Democrats charged with stealing public funds. A state lawmaker, a former legislative leader
and 10 other people connected to the state House Democratic caucus were charged Thursday over allegations
that millions of taxpayer dollars were illegally siphoned to underwrite political campaigns.
Mahoney
response lacking to very serious allegations. The time is now for U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Palm
Beach Gardens, to address allegations that he had an affair with a member of his congressional staff, moved
her to his campaign staff when word got out about the affair, then paid her to keep quiet.
Former NM senator
pleads guilty in corruption case. A once powerful New Mexico politician, former Sen. Manny
Aragon, pleaded guilty Wednesday [10/15/2008] to conspiracy and mail fraud in a corruption case centered
on construction of a courthouse. ... Aragon, a Democrat, was accused of pocketing $650,000 in an alleged
scheme with four other people to bilk the state out of $4.2 million during construction of the
Bernalillo County Metropolitan Courthouse.
Bill
Clinton's $700,000 stock windfall: The spring before his wife began her White House campaign,
former President Bill Clinton earned $700,000 for his foundation by selling stock that he had been given from
an Internet search company that was co-founded by a convicted felon and backed by the Chinese government,
public records show.
Bill's Mystery
Millions: Another day, another reason for Democratic primary voters to demand complete financial transparency
from Bill and Hillary Clinton. And, it seems, another reason for the Clintons to shudder at the prospect.
Beg Your Pardon? If a Democrat
is elected President of the United States, former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman, a Democrat, might be pardoned.
There might even be pressure on a President Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton to appoint this former Alabama
Attorney General as a federal judge or a U.S. Attorney. In 2005, jurors in Montgomery found Siegelman
guilty on seven counts of bribery, conspiracy, mail fraud and obstruction of justice.
'Find Out Where
His Kids Go to School'. "Former Democratic presidential candidate Mike Gravel was caught on tape
last week telling a crowd in Washington, D.C., that they should harass a federal prosecutor who helped bring
criminal contempt charges against a Palestinian activist," Fox News reports. The "Palestinian activist"
in question, Sami Al-Arian, had been charged with aiding Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a theocratic terror group.
Alabama County Is On
the Brink of Bankruptcy. Alabama's largest county appears headed for the biggest municipal bankruptcy
in U.S. history, a $3.2 billion mess created by the nation's credit crunch and a colossal, corruption-riddled
sewer project.
A Criminal Case Possible Under the Mann Act. Governor
Spitzer, in the wake of the disclosure that he patronized a prostitute last month, now risks criminal prosecution,
legal experts say. For now, federal prosecutors are likely launching a wide investigation into Mr. Spitzer's
finances to determine whether any public funds, property, or employees were used during any encounter between Mr. Spitzer
and a prostitute, several former prosecutors say.
Dirty money trail that
exposed Mr Clean: The paper trail that led detectives to the door of a New Jersey-based
prostitution service began when they noticed a stream of strange bank payments flowing from the accounts
of the governor of New York state, Eliot Spitzer. Tax officials raised the alarm after noticing odd
transactions during what they told the New York Times were routine inspections. Their initial suspicion
was that the governor may have been involved in some form of corruption, bribery perhaps or manipulation of
political funds.
Scandal
Confirms Gov's Astonishing and Endless Hypocrisy. A disgraced Gov. Spitzer has been publicly and
privately described for more than a year by New York's top political figures as a ruth less, sanctimonious,
amoral man whose righteous public persona was regularly contradicted by the realities of how he conducted
his political life.
Records
reveal lucrative dealings for Memphis mayor's friend. When it comes to landing City Hall
subcontracting jobs, Reginald French has a golden touch — a $1.4 million touch. A
close friend of Mayor Willie Herenton, French has been paid at least that much, and possibly much more,
for a variety of jobs, including a particularly fortuitous deal to install fiber-optic cable at two city
police stations. Newly disclosed records tell how French, a onetime prison guard, landed the $68,000
cabling job in 2006 despite lacking experience or equipment for the work. Undaunted, French then hired
a cable installation firm — for $30,000 — to perform the work.
State
raids mayor's home. Maryland state prosecutors raided the home of Mayor Sheila Dixon yesterday
[6/17/2008] as part of an investigation into past spending practices at City Hall, the most aggressive move
so far in the years-long probe. … Investigators have been examining spending irregularities at City Hall
since a March 2006 series of articles in The Sun that detailed questions about the role of Dixon —
then council president — in approving contracts that benefited her sister's employer.
Update:
Mayor Sheila
Dixon indicted. Baltimore Mayor Sheila A. Dixon was charged today [1/9/2009] with 12 counts of
felony theft, perjury, fraud and misconduct in office, becoming the city's first sitting mayor to be
criminally indicted. The case stems in part from at least $15,348 in gifts Dixon allegedly received
from her former boyfriend, prominent city developer Ronald H. Lipscomb, while she was City Council
president.
Georgia
Rep. Ron Sailor Resigns After Pleading Guilty to Money Laundering. A Georgia lawmaker who said deep debts
caused him to violate federal law agreed Tuesday [3/18/2008] to resign as part of a guilty plea to federal money laundering
charges. Meanwhile, federal officials said the case against state Rep. Ron Sailor Jr. has opened up a broader public
corruption probe in Georgia, and warned other public officials who have broken the law to turn themselves in rather than be
arrested.
Former state
Sen. Ford is guilty again. In the end, former state Sen. John Ford's disclosures, the ones he revealed
and the ones he tried to hide, led to the downfall of the once-powerful Memphis Democrat, who was convicted Friday
[7/18/2008] on federal corruption charges. A federal jury convicted Ford on two counts of wire fraud and
four counts of concealing material facts stemming from the secret payments he took from two TennCare contractors
while he was in the Tennessee Senate.
Officials Investigate
Three Alabama Counties in Voter Fraud Accusations. Federal and state authorities are looking
into accusations of voting fraud in three largely black counties of Alabama, including Perry and Lowndes
Counties, which played a historic role in the struggle for black voting rights in the 1960s. In May, a
local citizens group gathered affidavits detailing several cases in which at least one Democratic county
official paid citizens for their votes, or encouraged them to vote multiple times.
Prominent Democrat is
charged with voter fraud. Todd Stuart McGuire, a longtime Jefferson County Democratic Party supporter, was
charged July 2 with voter fraud. He's accused of either repeating a vote or impersonating his wife, Rebekah, by
casting her ballot in a Feb. 6, 2007, special election. Both charges are Class C felonies and carry a
maximum penalty of five years in jail and/or a $10,000 fine, according to charging documents.
Gov.
Paterson says he may have used campaign cash for hotel hookup. Gov. Paterson admitted
Wednesday [3/19/2008] he may have improperly billed his campaign for at least one hotel tryst with a
girlfriend. The hotel tryst was apparently listed as "constituent services."
Hot-Sheets
Gov Puts $$ Back 'Inn'. Gov. Paterson is reimbursing his state Senate campaign for stays at a Manhattan
hotel, as his aides revealed he'd also improperly used the account to buy suits, furniture and a dinner with his
dad. … It is also a violation of state election law to falsely label the reason for the campaign expenditure.
Paterson Billed Taxpayers for Albany Hotels.
State records seem to conflict with Governor Paterson's claim that a busy schedule as lieutenant governor
required him on more than a dozen occasions to spend the night at expensive hotels in Albany on the taxpayer's
dime rather than at his home in the suburbs.
Durham Democratic Party official accused in
rituals. Allegations that a local Democratic official and her husband were involved in satanic
rituals that included shackling people to beds, caging them and depriving them of food and water have horrified
county party leaders. Joy Johnson, 30, a third vice-chairwoman of the Durham County Democratic Party and
vice chairwoman of the Young Democrats, was charged Friday [6/27/2008] with two counts of aiding and abetting.
Host
Indicted, Clinton Fund-Raiser Canceled. A Dec. 15 fund-raising event for Hillary Clinton at the
home of prominent Mississippi trial laywer Richard "Dickie" Scruggs is off, now that Scruggs has been
indicted for bribery.
A Clinton Goldmine. New
York Times sources say that if Sen. Hillary Clinton loses the Democratic nomination or a general election
for President, it will largely be due to the efforts of their investigative and political reporter
Jo Becker, who yesterday reported on the ties between former President Bill Clinton and Canadian
mining magnate Frank Giustra, who has committed almost a quarter billion dollars to Clinton's
foundation, largely after Clinton appeared to pave the way for Giustra's company to get a sweet
uranium mining deal in Kazakhstan.
Clinton's Filthy
Lucre. Is it just us, or is there something off about ex-president Bill Clinton
using his influence overseas to enrich a pal and then accepting the pal's big donation to his
foundation? This looks like a bribery racket. Strong words, yes, but a New York Times
report details a 2005 incident of Clinton and a minor Canadian mining financier jetting into
Kazakhstan, where the two met with the local strongman.
Four indicted on voter
fraud. Four Duval County residents were charged Thursday with illegally handling
ballot applications and mail-in ballots that belonged to other voters during the 2006 primary
election.
Jefferson Saga Continues to Vex Democrats.
Since the news broke in 2005 that FBI agents found $90,000 in cash in the freezer of Rep. William J.
Jefferson's home, House Democrats have not known quite what to do about the Louisiana lawmaker. The latest
embarrassment arose Wednesday, when Democrats delayed action on placing Jefferson on the Homeland Security
Committee after Republicans said they would demand a recorded vote.
Editor's note:
Much more material about Congressman Jefferson's case can be
found here.
Disgraced
judge has his criminal record expunged. C. Hunter King, the disgraced Orleans
Parish Civil District Court judge who in 2001 forced his employees to sell $250 fundraising
tickets or risk losing their jobs, now has a clean record. Having admitted in May to
conspiracy to commit public payroll fraud, King was granted expungement of his criminal arrest
and conviction after successfully completing six months of probation.
South Texas Democrat,
businessman indicted. A major contributor to Democratic causes and political races was
indicted Friday [11/16/2007] on charges of falsely holding himself out as a lawyer and impersonating
a public servant. Mauricio Celis, a Corpus Christi businessman, has a controlling interest in
the CGT Law Group of Corpus Christi even though he is not a lawyer. Now, he's being accused
of practicing law without a license.
Agents raid Texas Democrat's
offices. Authorities raided the offices of an influential Democratic donor on Friday [1/4/2008],
prompting accusations by the donor's attorneys that the raid was politically motivated. The state attorney
general's office said it was assisting the Nueces County district attorney in the criminal investigation of
Mauricio Celis, 36, who has given money to major Democratic candidates including Hillary Clinton and is the
subject of numerous ongoing lawsuits and charges.
Are Democratic Convention Superdelegates Up for
Sale? The Democratic presidential nomination could be decided by the so-called "superdelegates."
Now one study is revealing that elected officials who serve in that capacity have received at least $890,000 in
campaign contributions from Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in the last three years.
Obama staffer arrested
on Illinois warrant. An intern working for Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign was
arrested Friday at the Des Moines airport after authorities flagged an outstanding arrest warrant for
aggravated battery in Illinois. Derrick Lamon Johnson, 20, of Glen Carbon, Ill., was also charged with
fleeing from justice.
It's hard to imagine a two-year-old opening a checking account.
As
Campaigns Chafe at Limits, Donors Might Be in Diapers. Elrick Williams's toddler niece Carlyn
may be one of the youngest contributors to this year's presidential campaign. The 2-year-old gave $2,300
to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). So did her sister and brother, Imara, 13, and Ishmael, 9, and her cousins
Chan and Alexis, both 13. Altogether, according to newly released campaign finance reports, the extended
family of Williams, a wealthy Chicago financier, handed over nearly a dozen checks in March for the maximum
allowed under federal law to Obama.
Hillary
Clinton: Shill for the pill. Last year, just as Andrew von Eschenbach's name was being floated
for FDA director, Barr CEO Bruce Downey cut a $1,000 check to Clinton's campaign. A couple of weeks later, Hillary
announced her hold on Eschenbach's nomination and introduced her Plan B subsidy bill. This year, the
day after Clinton introduced her Plan B awareness bill, Barr Executive Vice President Frederick J.
Killion donated $1,000 to her campaign. Although the timing is interesting, those paltry contributions
from Barr hardly give Clinton a reason to push Plan B. Boosting Planned Parenthood?s bottom line,
however, certainly serves Hillary's purposes.
New House rules don't stop
travel. [Scroll down] The Michigan Democrat stayed overnight at the Gaylord Palms Resort near
Orlando. Her trip was one of 30 trips taken by lawmakers this year under an exemption in the new House
travel rules that allows for one- or two-night stays sponsored by companies that employ lobbyists. Most
of the trips were to resort areas, including eight to Florida and three to Las Vegas. In all, 22 House
Democrats and three Republicans accepted nearly $40,000 in travel under that exemption, according to reports
filed with the House ethics committee.
FEC Fines Group Allied
With Democrats. A union-financed advocacy group that played a major role in the 2004 elections
has agreed to pay a $580,000 fine after the Federal Election Commission concluded it illegally ran advertising
against President Bush and in favor of Democrat John Kerry.
The Democratic
Mega-Money Mega-Scam. On Wednesday [8/29/2007], the Federal Election Commission slapped America Coming
Together with a $775,000 fine — the third-largest such penalty in history — for
violating campaign-finance laws in the 2004 election. Now largely defunct, America Coming Together was
the biggest of the so-called "527" groups that took in millions from donors like George Soros for the purpose
of defeating George W. Bush.
Soros-linked group hit with huge fine.
The Federal Election Commission has fined one of the last cycle's biggest liberal political action committees
$775,000 for using unregulated soft money to boost John Kerry and other Democratic candidates during the 2004
elections. America Coming Together (ACT) raised $137 million for its get-out-the-vote effort in
2004, but the FEC found most of that cash came through contributions that violated federal limits.
FEC Fines Political
Group From 2004 Race. An independent political group allied with Democrats has agreed to pay
$775,000 in penalties to the Federal Election Commission for violating campaign laws during the 2004
presidential campaign. The penalty, announced Wednesday, is the third largest fine ever levied by the
FEC. The group, America Coming Together, was an influential player in the 2004 election cycle, spending
millions of dollars to mobilize voters in support of Democrats in key states.
Hillary's
Ironic Use of the Word 'Unscrupulous'. Hillary Clinton is now pitching her multi-billion
dollar bailout plan for the "victims" of "unscrupulous" mortgage brokers who act "dishonestly
and try to take advantage of people". And what will fix the problem of
"unscrupulous" business people? Why, more government bureaucracy and our money, of
course. It's as if Madame Hillary thinks we taxpayers won't mind one little bit just
eating cake, while she gives away a billion here and another few billion there; after all
it's not her money.
Another
Clinton supporter facing criminal charges. Another prominent Hillary Rodham Clinton supporter
is facing serious criminal charges. Passaic, N.J., Mayor Samuel "Sammy" Rivera, recently named to
Clinton's national Hispanic outreach team, was one of 11 Garden State politicians snared in a federal
sting yesterday involving school contracts.
Is Hillary Clinton's star
fading? [Scroll down] Other news surfaced this week that was not good for Clinton, but this had
more to do with her husband. The Wall Street Journal had a piece detailing former President Bill Clinton's involvement
in a "messy" investment deal involving his personal aide Douglas Band, Yucaipa Cos., an investment firm Clinton
has served as "a partner and senior advisor," and Raffaello Follieri, a glitzy 20-something Italian businessman
who likes to turn his personal contacts into cash.
Big
Source of Clinton's Cash Is an Unlikely Address. One of the biggest sources of
political donations to Hillary Rodham Clinton is a tiny, lime-green bungalow that lies under
the flight path from San Francisco International Airport. Six members of the Paw family,
each listing the house at 41 Shelbourne Ave. as their residence, have donated a combined
$45,000 to the Democratic senator from New York since 2005, for her presidential campaign, her
Senate re-election last year and her political action committee.
A Bundle of Trouble: Take the Paw
family of Daly City, Calif., which is headed by a mail carrier who makes $49,000 a year. Members of the
family have given almost $300,000 to politicians, including Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama, since 2004, often on or
about the same days that Mr. Hsu gave money. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating whether
any Hsu donors were illegally reimbursed for their contributions.
Did
someone mention Norman HSU?
Note: Instead of creating a subsection about Yung Yuen "Norman" Hsu, I have moved
all of the news and commentary about Hsu
to this page.
Clinton
Supporter Arrested in N.J. Corruption Sting. It was the latest legal embarrassment involving an
ally of the Clinton campaign, coming only one day after a wealthy Clinton donor, Norman Hsu, missed his court
date in a California fraud case and apparently disappeared.
The
phantom mayor: Four of the last eight mayors [of Atlantic City, NJ] have been arrested.
One-third of last year's nine-member City Council is in prison or under house arrest. Former Council
President Craig Callaway is in federal prison for taking bribes in office.
Mayors, legislators arrested in New
Jersey corruption probe. Two mayors and two state legislators are among 11 public officials
arrested in New Jersey as part of a corruption investigation, the U.S. attorney's office in Trenton announced
Thursday [9/6/2007]. Prosecutors say the state officials accepted cash bribes — ranging from
$1,500 to $17,500 at a time — from insurance brokerage and roofing companies and in return awarded
the companies with public contracts.
Kenosha County executive indicted.
Kenosha County Executive Allan Kehl was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury in Milwaukee on charges that he
accepted $15,000 to $20,000 in bribes from millionaire Dennis Troha, according to court documents. Disguised
as campaign contributions, the cash was designed to reward Kehl's efforts to land an Indian casino in Kenosha,
and other actions he took as the county's top elected official, the indictment charges.
Donors Stir
'Bundling' Questions. When Hillary Rodham Clinton held an intimate fund-raising event at her
Washington home in late March, Pamela Layton donated $4,600, the maximum allowed by law, to Mrs. Clinton's
presidential campaign. But the 37-year-old Ms. Layton says she and her husband were reimbursed by her
husband's boss for the donations.
State says food stamp boss looted $1.5 million.
A state food stamps supervisor in Plantation was arrested Friday afternoon [12/7/2007] on charges she diverted
about $1.5 million in state welfare dollars — some of which was spent on a Lexus sport utility vehicle and
a Lexus sedan or was spent gambling at local casinos, police say. Violet Jones, 41, of Miramar, was charged
Friday by agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement with first-degree grand theft of more than $100,000,
participating in an organized scheme to defraud, identity theft, official misconduct, unlawful compensation….
James Indicted
on 25 Counts. Sharpe James, who for two decades reigned as the mayor and indelible face of
Newark, was charged yesterday [7/12/2007] with fraudulently billing the city for lavish vacations he took with
female companions and arranging for one to buy valuable municipal land at a steep discount. In an
86-page indictment, prosecutors and the FBI portrayed James as an elected official who considered no personal
expense too great or too small for his city-issued credit cards, charging everything from movie tickets and
meals at McDonald's to airfare and luxury hotels in five countries.
That
wasn't bling on his wrists and ankles. Mayor Sharpe James stepped into the
courtroom carefully yesterday because his legs were in irons. When he sat at the defense
table, he put his hands on his lap, hiding his handcuffs from the overflow crowd that could
hardly believe what they were witnessing.
Sweetheart
deals for mayor's friend are key to charges. Tamika Riley, a woman with a flair
for fashion and an appetite for finery, appeared to be flat broke. Her Newark clothing
boutique had gone belly up. She needed public assistance to help pay the rent on her
Jersey City apartment. She wanted a Mercedes, but her credit was so bad a friend had to
sign the lease for her. Then, in the late 1990s, she met Newark Mayor Sharpe James, and
her fortunes turned.
Former N.J. mayor
pleads not guilty. Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James pleaded not guilty Monday to
federal corruption charges stemming from the last few years of his two decades running city
hall. James, 71, faces multiple fraud counts accusing him of using city-issued credit
cards to pay for $58,000 worth of personal trips and expenses.
Sharpe James
is due in federal court. Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James is scheduled to appear in federal
court today [2/26/2008] for the first of two federal corruption trials.
Judge upholds convictions of
ex-Newark mayor. A federal judge on Wednesday upheld the corruption convictions of former
Newark Mayor Sharpe James and his one-time mistress, but indicated that James probably will get less than
the 15- to 20-year prison sentence prosecutors are seeking.
Update:
Former Newark Mayor
Is Sentenced to 27 Months. A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced Sharpe James, Newark's towering
yet controversial former mayor, to prison for 27 months at a simmering five-hour hearing in which he
rebuked the prosecution for "heartlessly" adhering to a bureaucratic form of justice.
Culture of corruption continues in D.C..
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, for instance, is planning a lavish golf trip to a resort in Puerto Rico.
More than 100 rooms have been booked for the event, according to a report by American Public Media's
"Marketplace." Hoyer will be surrounded by lobbyists as they experience what the resort promises will be
a "sensual awakening." ... Democrats were supposed to rein in the "culture of corruption," not hide it behind
a curtain.
Puerto Rico Governor
Charged in Probe. A law enforcement official says Puerto Rico's governor has been charged in a
long-running public corruption probe in the U.S. island territory. A law enforcement official told
The Associated Press on Thursday [3/27/2008] that Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila is among several people
named in a sealed indictment.
Finance filings show jet-setting on private
groups' dime. U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee traveled to Africa and Haiti last year on private groups'
dime while a fellow Houston-area congressman, Ted Poe, stayed stateside. … Jackson Lee headed to Haiti in
October as part of what the sponsor, The Institute of the Black World 21st Century, billed as a pilgrimage to
bring economic revival to Milot, a town located at the base of a mountaintop fortress.
Detroit
Mayor Loses Fight Over Secret Papers. The Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday [2/27/2008] ordered
the release of a trove of documents that revealed how Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick of Detroit and city lawyers
tried to cover up Mr. Kilpatrick's extramarital affair with his chief of staff, as well as text messages
that could expose the mayor to perjury charges.
NJ Clean Energy Program Under Investigation.
New Jersey's Clean Energy Program (CEP), responsible for promoting energy conservation and the use of renewable
energy in the state, is coming under heavy criticism for accounting irregularities, apparent cronyism, and
gross mismanagement. The latest salvo was fired on October 16 [2006] when Bob Ingle, the Trenton
bureau chief for Gannett New Jersey newspapers, called for a stepped-up investigation of financial
irregularities associated with the program.
Expanding probe
hits office of governor. The federal investigation of the state's secretive budget process reached
into the governor's office yesterday, as prosecutors subpoenaed three years of records involving nearly
$1 billion in special interest grants. The subpoenas, covering the administrations of three
governors, sought budget records, computer files, reports and letters to determine what the state's top
elected officials knew about the so-called "Christmas tree" awards.
Bill's
Ugly Buddy: Payments from Scandal-tied Firm. Every year since he left the White House, former
President Bill Clinton has been paid by InfoUSA — an Omaha, Neb., company now identified as a key
provider of databases that enable criminals to defraud the unsuspecting elderly.
Top Clinton Donor
Helps Defraud Elderly. The mainstream media coverage of a company being federally investigated
for selling databases of sick and unsuspecting elderly to scam artists conveniently fails to mention that the
firm's owner has given Bill and Hillary Clinton millions of dollars over the years. The wealthy Nebraska
entrepreneur, Vinod Gupta, owns the Omaha-based marketing database company called infoUSA Inc. which happens to
be one of the nation's largest compilers of consumer information that is later sold to marketing firms.
Getting Out the Vote,
Democrat Style. It doesn't seem to matter to Democrats if the voters turn out to be fraudulent.
The history of the Democrat party in this regard is scandalous. As far back as before the John F.
Kennedy run for the presidency, the city of Chicago was known for its fraud. The city was run by
Democrats and used a reward system for voting Democrat.
Former Ald. Arenda Troutman
pleads guilty. Former Ald. Arenda Troutman pleaded guilty to two federal counts this afternoon
[8/6/2008], including admitting to taking bribes as an alderman. Troutman could face up to 56 months
in prison.
Ex-alderman
pleads guilty to fraud charges. After she was charged with corruption in early 2007, Ald. Arenda
Troutman (20th) defiantly denied wrongdoing and suggested she had been targeted for political reasons. …
But on Wednesday [8/6/2008], a subdued Troutman admitted that prosecutors had been right after all and that
for several years she had solicited cash from developers to back projects in her ward.
Felony charges
filed against 7 in state's biggest case of voter-registration fraud. King and Pierce County
prosecutors filed felony charges today against seven people who allegedly committed the biggest
voter-registration fraud in state history. The defendants, who were paid employees and supervisors of
ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, concocted the scheme as an easy way to get
paid, not as an attempt to influence the outcome of elections, King County Prosecuting Attorney
Dan Satterberg said.
ACORN
falls again: The worst case of voter-registration fraud in Washington state history. Guess
which left-wing group is at the center of the worst case of voter-registration fraud in Washington state
history? Yep, you guessed it: ACORN. The same ACORN tied to massive voter fraud in
Missouri. And Ohio. And 12 other states.
Voter fraud
charges deserve investigation. They very well may be innocent coincidences, but voter confidence
in the integrity of elections is too important to allow the Palm Beach County Republican Party's allegations
of double-voting go without a thorough investigation. Local party leaders say they found 60 instances
in which people with the exact same name and birth date voted both in Palm Beach County and in New York
in the November elections.
New Mexico
Governor Gets More Tainted Money. Returning tainted campaign cash — only after being
exposed by the media — has become an annual ritual for a Democratic governor who hopes to become
the nation's next president. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who raised $6 million in
the first quarter of his presidential campaign, gave about $24,000 to charities last year after it was made
public that the money was donated by a shady securities broker implicated in a state kickback scheme.
Bill Richardson tarnished by scandal.
Over the span of just three months, Bill Richardson has gone from being on the shortlist for secretary of state to
late-night punch line, a breathtaking descent that has tarnished his once-sparkling career.
Panel calls for
suspension of Judge Nettles-Nickerson. Ingham County Circuit Judge Beverley Nettles-Nickerson
should be immediately suspended from the bench, a state panel says. The Michigan Judicial Tenure
Commission on Wednesday [5/16/2007] released a 40-page complaint with a laundry list of charges of both
official and unofficial misconduct. It says Nettles-Nickerson did too little work, committed fraud in
filing for divorce outside of Ingham County, had improper communications with attorneys with cases before
her and showed a willingness to "play the race card" to her advantage.
Attorney
Firing Precedent. Democrats should be wary of pressing Bush too far because there is ample
precedent on their own side of Democratic presidents who fired U.S. attorneys and other high-ranking officials
just to halt investigations of their political allies. For example, two Democratic presidents —
Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman — worked for years to protect a notorious racketeer named
Thomas Pendergast because he ran a Democratic machine in Missouri.
Hands Off My Fridge,
Meathead. This is not the commission's only questionable contract. First 5
[an unelected commission to promote children's health that he's headed for six years] has received
to date $800 million — about 20% — of the tobacco proceeds that
Mr. Reiner convinced California voters to impose on themselves in a 1998 referendum. Of
this, the commission has awarded contracts totaling about $230 million to firms or individuals
known to Mr. Reiner — some of them without competitive bidding.
Philadelphia
Senator Vincent Fumo Indicted For Stealing From Charity. The charges mark the third
time that Vincent Fumo, a Democrat state senator from Philadelphia, is indicted in his storied
political career. In 1973 he was indicted for voter fraud and in 1980 for putting ghost
employees on the state payroll, for which he was convicted. In anticipation of his third
indictment, Fumo resigned from a key senate committee post earlier this week.
Pennsylvania Senator
Indicted on 139 Counts. State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo, one of the most powerful figures in
Pennsylvania politics, was indicted Tuesday [2/6/2007] on 139 federal counts alleging he used a nonprofit group
for personal and political gain and defrauded the state Senate out of $1 million. Many of the charges
stem from Fumo's ties to a nonprofit agency in his South Philadelphia district. … The Philadelphia
Democrat, who has beaten two previous indictments, promised to clear his name.
Ex-Party Boss in
Brooklyn Guilty of Corruption. Clarence Norman Jr., the deposed Democratic assemblyman and party
leader from Brooklyn, was convicted today on charges that he shook down judicial candidates seeking party
support, in his fourth corruption trial in two years. In the latest case, Mr. Norman was found
guilty of attempted grand larceny in the fourth degree by extortion; grand larceny in the third degree by
extortion and coercion in the second degree.
Transcript of 'Lou Dobbs Tonight' on
CNN: The Democrats vow to take on the culture of corruption in Washington, but are they just
part of it? The Democratic congressman likely to head the committee that overseas the FBI budget is
himself under investigation by the FBI. And the congressman who was found with $90,000 in his freezer
[is] headed for another term after being re-elected to the House.
Rep. Wright turns himself in following criminal
indictment. State Rep. Thomas Wright (D-NC) appeared before a Wake County magistrate Friday on
six felony charges for illegally obtaining or misusing more than $350,000.
Identity of
Edwards Home's Buyers Veiled. When former North Carolina senator and Democratic presidential
candidate John Edwards finally succeeded last month in selling his imposing Georgetown mansion for
$5.2 million after it had languished on the market, the names of the buyers were not publicly
disclosed. At the time, Edwards's spokeswoman told reporters that the house had been sold to an
unidentified corporation. In reality, the buyers were Paul and Terry Klaassen, according to several
sources and confirmed by Edwards's spokeswoman yesterday [1/18/2007].
FBI Probing Edwards Senate
Campaign Donor. The FBI is investigating five-year-old contributions by the family
of a Mississippi trial lawyer to former Democratic Sen. John Edwards. The investigation into
lawyer Paul Minor — part of a long-running and controversial federal case — has
come to Washington in recent weeks, where four former fundraising aides to Edwards
have spoken voluntarily to FBI agents.
Former Tennessee
state senator found guilty of bribery. A once-influential state senator arrested in a statewide
corruption scandal that led to an overhaul of Tennessee ethics laws was convicted of taking bribes Friday and
will likely serve time in federal prison. Former Sen. John Ford, 64, was convicted of taking $55,000 in
cash from what appeared to be a computer recycling outfit but was actually an FBI front company.
Memphis Democrat Roscoe Dixon
convicted of extortion and payoffs. A former state senator was convicted [June 2006] of
extortion for taking payoffs from a fake company set up by the FBI to catch corrupt lawmakers. Roscoe
Dixon, a Memphis Democrat, was the first of five lawmakers charged in the case to go to trial.
Frankel
misused money, grand jury finds. A newly released section of a grand jury report says Mayor Lois
Frankel misused city money to send a "personal political message" when she included an anti-Iraq war message
in a city newsletter mailed to residents with their utility bills in September.
Former
Arkansas governor hit with ethics complaint over destroyed hard drives. Former Gov. Mike Huckabee,
who ordered the destruction of a number of computer hard drives before leaving office last month, is now the
subject of the ethics complaint because of his actions. Hard drives in 83 computers and four servers were
destroyed, according to Claire Bailey, director of the Arkansas Department of Information Systems (DIS).
She said that her office backed up information from the servers, but not the computers, and gave the backup
tapes to Huckabee's former chief of staff. The DIS apparently did not retain a copy of the data on the
backup tapes.
You may not know this,
but deleted computer files can be recovered.
Congressman
Recuses Himself. Rep. Alan Mollohan, under Justice Department investigation about whether
he has benefited from directing federal funds to nonprofit groups he helped start, recused himself
Wednesday [1/10/2007] from working on the department's budget. The move came on the day
Mollohan, D-W.Va., was named chairman of an Appropriations subcommittee responsible for the
department's budget. At issue is at least $202 million of federal funding that
Mollohan has steered to five nonprofit groups in his district -- with much of the money going to
organizations run by people who contribute to the lawmaker's campaigns.
A sweet deal for 'official'
felons. James A. Traficant Jr., the former Democratic congressman convicted of racketeering
and taking bribes, is wiling away prison time painting colorful pictures but also able to collect a
congressional pension of nearly $40,000 a year. He is one of about 20 former senators and congressmen
with felony rap sheets who can receive the taxpayer-financed benefit.
Spouses
who are lobbyists remain issue. When Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., rose to the Senate floor last
summer and passionately argued for keeping the federal estate tax, he left one person with an interest in
retaining the tax unmentioned. The multibillion-dollar life-insurance industry, which was fighting to
preserve the tax because life insurers have a lucrative business selling policies and annuities to Americans
for estate planning, has employed Dorgan's wife as a lobbyist since 1999.
Ex-attorney general Morales at S.A. halfway
house. Former Texas Attorney General Dan Morales has come home to San Antonio to serve out the
remainder of a four-year sentence for his federal case related to the state's record settlement with the tobacco
industry. Morales was transferred last month from a federal prison in Texarkana to a halfway house in
San Antonio, according to his brother, Michael Morales.
Katrina Activist Gets
Probation. An activist who has been a leader in efforts to rebuild a New Orleans neighborhood
destroyed by Hurricane Katrina was sentenced Wednesday [2/27/2008] to five years of probation for his role
in a loan fraud scheme.
Clinton
Pardoned Hastings's Co-Conspirator. — The convicted felon who went to jail
rather than testify against Alcee Hastings.
Harry Reid Can't Bleed. Democrats across America
are measuring the drapes for the majority in the House and the Senate, preparing to swear in House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. One of their major talking points this year has
been the Republican majority's "culture of corruption." … The Democratic National Committee even
had a page on their website devoted to the "Republican Culture of Corruption." But that "Culture
of Corruption" page on the DNC home page has disappeared. Something funny happened on the way to the
polls this year. The Democrats have shown they have their own contemporary ethical problems.
Senator's expenses
questioned. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid has been using campaign funds instead of his
personal money to pay Christmas bonuses for the support staff at the Ritz-Carlton, where he lives in an
upscale condominium. Federal election law bars candidates from converting political donations for
personal use.
Reid Decides to Amend Ethics
Reports. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid announced Monday [10/16/2006] he is amending his
ethics reports to Congress to more fully account for a land deal that allowed him to collect $1.1 million
for property he hadn't personally owned for three years. Reid acted several days after The Associated
Press reported the senator didn't disclose to Congress that he first sold the land to a friend's company back
in 2001 and took an ownership stake in the company.
Reid of the Ritz. Senator Reid, the Democratic
Party's leader in the Senate, will reimburse his campaign fund for $3,300 that it spent on Christmas bonuses
for workers at the Ritz-Carlton luxury condominium where he lives in Washington, the Associated Press reported
yesterday. Which raises the question: The Ritz-Carlton? The Democrats, who tout themselves
as the party of the common man, are rapidly turning into the party of the plutocrats.
Head of Nation's Largest Municipal Labor Council Arrested in
NYC. A seven-term Democratic state assemblyman who also is president of the nation's largest
municipal labor council was arrested on federal racketeering charges Tuesday, accused of stealing more
than $2 million from the state, labor unions and even a Little League fund.
Small potatoes...
Graham pleads guilty
in DWI case. Sen. Chuck Graham (D-Columbia, MO) pleaded guilty today in Fulton
to driving while intoxicated and was fined $500.
Swift Boat Vets,
Moveon.org, Conservation Group Fined $630,000. Three groups that played a prominent role in the
2004 presidential election agreed to pay almost $630,000 in fines for campaign finance violations, the Federal
Election Commission announced today [12/13/2006]. Swift Boat Veterans for Truth will pay $299,500, the
League of Conservation Voter Fund $180,000 and Moveon.org Voter Fund $150,000. They failed to register
as political action committees as required for those campaigning for or against a particular candidate and
thus should have been barred from accepting contributions greater than $5,000, the FEC said.
Democrats
need to act on Black. If state House Democrats look the other way in the latest Jim Black scandal,
every single one of them should be voted out of office. The Raleigh News & Observer uncovered the
latest news about the House Speaker, and it's typical Black sleaze. The newspaper reported Friday that
Ann Lassiter, Black's coordinator for teenage House pages, was having some pages room with her son, a felon
with a history of drug and alcohol problems.
Panel:
Leaked Gingrich call broke rules. Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., violated ethics standards by
giving reporters access to an illegally taped telephone call involving Republican leaders a decade ago, the
House ethics committee said Monday [12/11/2006]. McDermott, who at the time was the panel's senior
Democrat, failed to meet his obligations as a committee leader, said a report released two days after
Congress adjourned for the year. The panel took no action other than the report.
The Democrats'
Bad, Bad Boy: Democrat Jim Moran's troubled and troubling career in
government has gone largely unnoticed outside the Beltway. The six-term congressman,
up for re-election this fall, ought to be one of the media's top poster boys for
abuse of power.
John
Conyers And The Muslim Caucus. The likely new chairman of the House Judiciary Committee says he's
just fighting bigotry in leading a Democrat jihad to deny law enforcement key terror-fighting tools. But
he is in the pocket of Islamists. John Conyers, son of a leftist Detroit union activist, represents the
largest Arab population in the country. His district includes Dearborn, Mich., nicknamed "Dearbornistan"
by locals fed up with cultural encroachment and terror fears from a steady influx of Mideast immigrants.
Housing
Authority sues ex-execs, alleging fraud. The city Housing Authority filed a lawsuit Monday against
its former executive director, Donald Smith, and a former assistant director, Lucille A. Loyce, alleging
fraud and conspiracy stemming from contracts improperly steered to Loyce's friend Dwayne E.
Williams II. The problem was discovered by a federal audit in 2005. Charles E.
Slyngstad, an attorney for the agency, said the lawsuit seeks to recover an unspecified amount of
improperly spent money that "is at least in the millions."
Senate hopes to hinge on corruption
charges in N.J.. The same Democratic leaders who have long hoped to regain control of Congress
by blasting a Republican "culture of corruption" are in danger of losing their shot at the Senate because
of accusations of corruption against Sen. Robert Menendez. What was expected to be an easy win for
Democrats has become one of the nation's most hotly contested Senate races.
Reid Land
Deal Not Sexy Enough for Front Page. The news that Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)
failed to disclose a land deal that earned him $700,000 — three years after he sold the land to a friend's
company — isn't "sexy" enough for front page news, according to one political analyst.
Reid
Accepted Free Boxing Tickets While a Related Bill Was Pending. Senate Democratic Leader
Harry M. Reid (Nev.) accepted free ringside tickets from the Nevada Athletic Commission to three
professional boxing matches while that state agency was trying to influence him on federal regulation
of boxing. … In an interview Thursday [5/25/2006] in his Capitol office, Reid defended his decisions
to accept the tickets and to take several actions benefiting former lobbyist Jack Abramoff's clients
and partners as they donated to him.
Update:
Reid
says he won't accept free tickets. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid learned that what happens
in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas after all.
Donkeys
misbehavin'. A refreshing book, low in rhetoric and high in historical fact (with over 600
footnotes), Donkey Cons chronicles crime after crime committed by the Left and how its representatives
are seemingly immune to judgment, never held accountable, and actually rewarded for their crimes by moving to
some of the most powerful positions in the party (eg. Teddy Kennedy, Hill and Bill Clinton).
Hillary Clinton's Former Campaign Finance
Director Indicted. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's former finance director has been indicted
on charges of filing fictitious reports that misstated contributions for a Hollywood fund-raising gala for
the senator, the Justice Department said Friday [7/6/2007]. The indictment, rare for a political
campaign, was unsealed in Los Angeles charging David Rosen with four counts of filing false reports with
the Federal Election Commission.
Trustee:
Sen. Clinton's brother owes debts to carnival operators. Tony Rodham, the brother of Democratic
presidential contender Sen. Hillary Clinton, is being asked again to appear in court on debts owed to a
Tennessee carnival operator whose owners received presidential pardons from President Bill Clinton.
Pardon Scandal Still Looms for
Sen. Clinton's Brother. A court-appointed bankruptcy trustee asked a federal judge this week to
schedule a new court date in a case against Tony Rodham, the brother of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., accused
of failing to repay $109,000 in loans from a carnival company whose owners received controversial pardons
issued by President Bill Clinton in the last hours of his presidency.
Update:
Clinton's
Brother Near Legal Settlement. A lawyer for the brother of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said he's confident he can avoid a trial
next week and settle a lawsuit that accuses Tony Rodham of failing to repay debts to a Tennessee carnival operator. That should be a
relief to Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign since the case could have revived stories about how her brothers accepted money from people
pardoned by her husband, President Bill Clinton.
How Hillary Became New York
Senator. Rabbi Twersky has never publicly commented about the sins of his community members and
repeatedly turned down interviews to explain the scandal. That visit launched a series of events that
culminated in a controversial last-minute clemency action on behalf of New Square by outgoing President
Clinton. The decision by President Clinton to commute the sentences of four prominent New Square men who
stole tens of millions from the federal government in a phony yeshiva scheme enraged law enforcement officials.
'Hooligans'
nail O'Donnell's HQ. Vandals hit Republican Rick O'Donnell's campaign headquarters sometime
Tuesday night [10/03/2006], defacing a sign and littering the parking lot with nails.
GOP Congressman's N.J.
Office Vandalized. Authorities say Congressman Chris Smith's Hamilton offices were vandalized,
possibly by a group who barged in to protest the Iraq war. Some computers were damaged and others had
wires disconnected.
Global Warming
Hypocrites. I've come to the conclusion that many of these people are mentally ill. They
won't accept any rational opposition, scientific or otherwise, that refutes the global warming theory.
Drew Johnson reported that after his organization first revealed Al Gore's electric bill to the general
public, his group received a number of death threats. Their computers were hacked. Phoned
obscenities were common.
Vandals
spray paint GOP headquarters in Naples, Florida. The Collier County Republican headquarters in
downtown Naples was vandalized over the weekend with anti-war and anti-Bush slogans painted on the building's
exterior. … "Democracy failed" was painted on the sidewalk directly outside the main entrance to the office
and an anarchy symbol — a letter A in a circle — was painted on the door.
Woman acquitted
of illegal poop use. A former Democratic Party activist who left dog feces on the doorstep of
U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave's Greeley office during last year's 4th Congressional District campaign was found
not guilty Wednesday of criminal use of a noxious substance. A Weld County jury deliberated about two
hours before acquitting Kathleen Ensz of the misdemeanor count.
Hillary's
Texas Money Bundler. [George Berham] Parr's most ominous pistolero was his
six-gun totting enforcer, Luis Salas. Days after the polls closed, Salas added 200 votes
for [Lyndon] Johnson to Ballot Box 13 in Jim Webb County. The fact that all the votes were
recorded in the same handwriting was a clue. But the box was never examined by those who
adjudicated the election results; it had disappeared by then. Revised returns gave Johnson
a 3,000 vote margin of victory in Hidalgo County. … It all makes the chads and dimples show
of South Florida look like child's play.
Report:
N.J. senator had no-work job. The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey paid state
Sen. Wayne Bryant, [Democrat] chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, $35,000 a year "to lobby himself in his
capacity of state senator," according to the report of a federal monitor who had investigated the school's
finances.
Geddings convicted of mail fraud.
Former North Carolina lottery commissioner Kevin Geddings, charged with failing to disclose his work for a
leading supplier of scratch-off tickets and lottery systems, was convicted Thursday [10/12/2006] on federal
mail fraud charges.
Moral
corruption in Illinois: Declaring the imposition of the death penalty
to be "arbitrary, capricious — and immoral," Illinois' exiting, scandal-plagued
Gov. George Ryan commuted the death sentence of every rapist-murderer and child-killer
in the state.
Illinois
Governor Condemns Ryan for Freeing Killers: Gov. Rod Blagojevich said his
disgraced predecessor, Republican George Ryan, was guilty of "gross injustice" for granting
blanket clemency or pardons to all the prisoners on death row before he left office.
Jury
Finds Former Ill. Gov. Ryan Guilty. Former Gov. George Ryan was convicted of corruption
Monday [4/17/2006] in the scandal that ended his political career in 2003 at the same time he was
winning international acclaim for commuting the sentences of everyone on Illinois' death row.
Ex-Governor, Now in Prison, Sees Case End.
The United States Supreme Court announced Tuesday [5/27/2008] that it would not hear an appeal by former Gov. George Ryan of
Illinois of his 2006 racketeering and fraud conviction. The decision ended the judicial process for Mr. Ryan, and
hours later his lawyer said he would probably seek a commutation from President Bush of what is left of his more-than-six-year
federal prison sentence.
House
Democrat Committed 250 Ethics Violations, Group Says. The National Legal and Policy Center
(NLPC) filed a complaint with the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia on Feb. 28, alleging
that [U.S. Rep. Alan] Mollohan failed to disclose and grossly underreported his assets, loans and
interests in certain companies.
Shadow Warriors:
[Harold] Ickes watched with astonishment as the compassionate conservative became what he considers an extremist.
He was also stirred by a new campaign-finance law, passed by Congress in 2002, that banned the parties from
raising "soft money" — i.e., huge contributions of up to a million dollars or more at a time. Most
Democrats supported the theory behind the lawÑnamely, that such donations (say, a million dollars from Denise
Rich) risked a corrupting influence on officeholders (say, a Bill Clinton pardon for Marc Rich).
Former Daley aide sentenced
to 46 months in hiring fraud. A former high-ranking aide to Mayor Richard M. Daley was
sentenced Monday [11/20/2006] to almost four years in prison for engineering a fraud scheme to cover up
political patronage hiring at City Hall. Robert Sorich, 43, showed no emotion as federal Judge
David H. Coar also fined him $10,000 and delivered a sharp tongue-lashing before imposing the minimum
46-month sentence federal guidelines prescribe. "The offense is corruption — corruption
with a capital C," Coar said.
NJ Clean Energy Program Under Investigation.
New Jersey's Clean Energy Program (CEP), responsible for promoting energy conservation and the use of renewable
energy in the state, is coming under heavy criticism for accounting irregularities, apparent cronyism, and
gross mismanagement. The latest salvo was fired on October 16 when Bob Ingle, the Trenton
bureau chief for Gannett New Jersey newspapers, called for a stepped-up investigation of financial
irregularities associated with the program.
The Clinton Presidency: The Most
Corrupt in American History. History does repeat itself. On November 5, [1996] the American
people re-elected Bill Clinton to a second term in the face of allegations of serious abuses of power by the
President and members of his administration. … Partly — indeed, largely — due to
the successful efforts of Democrats and their allies in the mainstream media to "stonewall" the issue, which
they misleadingly called a question merely of "character."
Clinton Fund-Raiser Pleads Guilty to Felony Mail
Fraud. A top fund-raiser for Senator Clinton's 2000 campaign and self-described "dear friend" of
President Clinton pleaded guilty to a felony mail fraud charge in federal court in Chicago yesterday
[12/6/2006]. James Levin, 47, admitted to involvement in a scheme to convince contracting officials at
the Chicago Public Schools that his fencing companies ... were subcontracting work to businesses owned
by minorities or women when, in fact, Levin was simply paying those firms for use of their names.
Hillary Clinton's Culture of Corruption: The
Scandal Queen. To see the shocking Scandal Index of the Clinton years, as compiled by the liberal
Progressive Review is to appreciate the Clinton's 24/7/365 belief that any progress in their leftist domestic
and foreign affairs agenda could only be realized through the most nefarious activity — much of which
fit neatly into the criminal category. Under the listing of "Records Set'" by the Clinton administration
(read: co-presidency), Progressive Review cites the following, of which I will only list a sampling:
▪ Most number of convictions and guilty pleas by friends and associates.
▪ Most number of cabinet officials to come under criminal investigation.
▪ Most number of witnesses to flee country or refuse to testify.
▪ Most number of witnesses to die suddenly.
▪ First president sued for sexual harassment.
▪ First president accused of rape.
▪ First president to be held in contempt of court.
▪ First president to be impeached for personal malfeasance.
▪ First first lady to come under criminal investigation.
▪ Largest criminal plea agreement in an illegal campaign-contribution case.
▪ Greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions.
Virtual Fence = Virtual Corruption? Speaker Pelosi's
post-Hastings fallback choice to head the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Silvestre Reyes, voted against
building the 700 mile border fence. He prefers a system of video surveillance cameras, apparently.
And gee, it seems that his daughter works for a firm that won a government contract to provide such surveillance
services!
Father of Chelsea's Boyfriend in
Prison for Fraud, Scams. Ed Mezvinsky, a former Democratic Congressman from Iowa, is serving a
seven-year sentence for fraud after getting caught up in a series of Nigerian e-mail scams. … Prosecutors
say Mezvinsky used his connections to the Clintons and his son's social relationship with Chelsea to persuade
people to give him money to participate in the scams.
Publish
the Barrett report now. At issue was the publication of a report by David Barrett, an independent
counsel who has spent the better part of a decade looking into some of the most hair-raising allegations of
presidential malfeasance in American history. ... [Barrett] was assigned the duty of looking into whether
former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Henry Cisneros committed tax fraud in trying to cover up
payments to a former mistress.
Flashback to 2001:
Survey shows 96% of respondents want IRS
Commissioner Rossotti brought to justice. An overwhelming number of respondents believe that IRS
Commissioner Charles Rossotti should be criminally prosecuted for conducting politically-motivated audits
for the Clinton Administration. IRS Commissioner Charles Rossotti conducted several audits of Clinton's
opponents, including women associated with [Clinton] and several non-profit conservative organizations.
Ex-candidate to surrender law
licenses. Donovan Riley, a disgraced state Senate candidate, is paying a steep price for voting
twice in the same election in 2000. Riley, Democrat, agreed on Thursday [12/21/2006] to pay a $10,000
fine, surrender his law licenses in Wisconsin and Illinois and not practice law. He must also return
campaign contributions to supporters who request refunds in the next 30 days even if it means paying them
from his personal funds. He has 45 days to meet those conditions.
Senator's Indictment Causes Concern Among Democrats.
Although state Senator Efrain Gonzalez Jr. has represented the Bronx in the Legislature for 17 years, his
name did not become widely known until Friday [8/25/2006] — and it was not for a legislative initiative,
because there have been none, but for his indictment by the federal government. Mr. Gonzalez, 58, is
accused of looting a Bronx not-for-profit corporation, the West Bronx Neighborhood Association, for his personal
benefit. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
Bronx Would Make Plunkitt Proud. George Washington
Plunkitt, the state senator and Democratic Party leader of a century ago, would be proud. Today's Bronx
politicos have taken his concept of "honest graft" and kicked it up a notch. As the Bronx continues to
deteriorate, seemingly stuck in a permanent mode of decay and depression, political leaders find new ways to
line their pockets as their constituents suffer.
Bronx state Sen. Efrain Gonzalez Jr. goes
under the "pork" microscope. The often discussed culture of corruption that engulfs Albany's body
politic reared its very ugly head last week, when for the second time in less than a year Bronx state
Sen. Efrain Gonzalez Jr., was indicted on corruption charges. To be specific, Gonzalez has been
charged, along with three others, with funneling more than $400,000 worth of taxpayer money through a
network of not-for-profit organizations and then back to his own pocket.
Oregon lawmaker
admits fast profit on land deal was 'mistake'. State Sen. Betsy Johnson says she failed to
disclose the sale of 36 acres of farmland near an airport in her home town of Scappoose just before
she proposed a bill to promote special airport access. Johnson bought the farm land for $635,000 in
2004. Three months later, she sold the land to a developer for a $119,000 profit.
Florida
Democrats rally around senator who is convicted felon. Democrats in the Florida Senate are raising
money to help re-elect fellow Democratic Sen. Gary Siplin, the Orlando legislator convicted earlier this year of
felony grand theft. Senate Minority Leader Steve Geller of Hallandale Beach and seven other Democratic
senators are named as hosts on invitations that have been sent out to lobbyists and others for an evening
fundraiser on Siplin's behalf. The event will be at a bar a block from the Capitol when legislators
return to Tallahassee next month for committee meetings.
Lawmaker: Give Felons Voting Rights.
An unlikely lawmaker is taking the lead to change Florida law to restore voting rights to convicted felons.
Orlando state Sen. Gary Siplin [Democrat], a convicted felon himself, has sponsored Senate Bill 466, which
automatically restores voting rights a year after the felon's sentence is completed. … State
Sen. Mandy Dawson, D-Fort Lauderdale, has sponsored identical legislation.
Nancy
Pelosi May Not Be Only Democrat "Tuna Helper". The largest employer in American Samoa is Del Monte
Foods' StarKist Tuna, home to over 75% of the island's workforce. Del Monte Foods, as it turns out, is
headquartered in the District of the new Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Smelling a whiff of
impropriety, House Republicans have thrown up some serious questions about the exemption and who
inserted it into the bill.
Senate's wage bill still exempts
Samoa. The Democrat-controlled Senate took up a bill yesterday [1/22/2007] that would raise the
minimum wage across the United States and its territories but exempt American Samoa, where tuna canneries pay
workers $3.26 an hour. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters less than two weeks ago that she would
close the loophole after coming under criticism from Republicans for what they termed a "fishy favor" to
StarKist Tuna. StarKist has lobbied for years against raising the minimum wage in American Samoa, and its
parent, Del Monte Corp., is based in Mrs. Pelosi's San Francisco district.
FNC Reports Speaker Pelosi's Star-Kist Gap in the Minimum Wage Hike. Over
at The Corner, Kathryn Jean Lopez
reported GOP Reps. Eric Cantor and Patrick McHenry have found there's a loophole in the new minimum-wage increase: no
hike for American Samoa. Why? Star-Kist Tuna is a major employer there, with its headquarters in
Speaker Nancy Pelosi's district. Will the media notice?
In '88, Pelosi
Voted to Impeach Hastings — Will She Support Him Now?. On August 3, 1988, the House of
Representatives voted on a resolution, co-sponsored by Michigan Democratic Rep. John Conyers, to impeach Alcee
Hastings, the federal judge in Florida accused of conspiring to take a bribe. … And now, because incoming
Speaker Pelosi has apparently ruled out the appointment of next-in-line Rep. Jane Harman to chair the House
Intelligence Committee, Hastings appears to be headed toward the top position on that panel — one
of the most sensitive and responsible posts on Capitol Hill.
Speaker Pelosi's Ethics.
Ethics in politics is not the same as ethics in real life. Ethics in politics is a martial art.
The biggest mistake you can make is thinking that the ethics package proposed by new Speaker Nancy Pelosi is
mainly about "cleaning up" politics. Maybe. But it's first of all about cleaning the clocks of
the Republicans.
Pelosi's message to voters? Ethics, shmethics.
All of the exit polls in this month's election showed that there was one overwhelming issue on the minds of the
voters who returned the Democrats to power in the House and Senate: ethics — specifically,
the Democratic charge of a Republican culture of corruption. … If the Pelosi-led House Democrats name
[Alcee] Hastings as House Intelligence chairman — especially after Pelosi championed [John] Murtha
for majority leader — the 2006 election victors will be torching the voters' mandate.
All Rise For Her Ethicalness.
"We are going to have the most ethical Congress in the nation's history." So said House Speaker-to-be Nancy
Pelosi in the afterglow of the Democrats' Congressional election victory. As it turns out, ethics are
malleable. They are in the eye of the beholder. She pulled out all the stops last week to get the
Democratic caucus to elect Rep. John Murtha as Majority Leader of the House. Stories surfaced about
Murtha's involvement in the Abscam caper of 1980.
Representative Maxine Waters
House
ethics panel investigates Rep. Maxine Waters. The House Ethics Committee is investigating
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), who has come under scrutiny because of her husband's ties to a bank
that received federal bailout funds.
Maxine
Waters: Banking on Hypocrisy. [Scroll down] The ethically conflicted Waters has her own
special definition of what's in "the best interest" of the people she claims to serve. While she crusades
against crony pseudo-capitalism, she is one of its most hypocritical beneficiaries and advocates. Cronyism
comes in all colors. Waters has once again earned her title as one of the "Most Corrupt" members of Congress from
the left-leaning (yes, left-leaning) Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).
Maxine Waters ties to banks
questioned. Questions have been emerging over the last few months about the actions of an L.A.
congresswoman who reportedly set up a meeting between federal regulators and a bank seeking $50 million
in bailout funds. Maxine Waters did so even though her family had financial ties to the bank.
Waters helped bank whose stock she once
owned. When Rep. Barney Frank was looking to aid a Boston-based lender last fall, the Massachusetts
Democrat urged Maxine Waters, a colleague on the House Financial Services Committee, to "stay out of it," he
says. The reason: Ms. Waters, a longtime congresswoman from California, had close ties to the
minority-owned institution, OneUnited Bank.
Rep. Waters' troubling
ties: The possible conflict involving OneUnited Bank is just the latest example of her seeming inability to
distinguish her family interests from her public obligations.
Ethics
to investigate Reps. Richardson, Waters; Graves criticizes the OCE. The House ethics panel
voted Thursday [10/29/2009] to launch investigative subcommittees into separate charges against California
Democratic Reps. Maxine Waters and Laura Richardson. The moves signal the panel believes there is
enough evidence to warrant further serious inquiry.
Waters
makes personal defense of ethics after investigation leak. Rep. Maxine Waters defended herself
after news broke Friday that she has been under investigation by the House ethics committee. Waters
(D-Calif.), who was one of the 30 lawmakers named in a Washington Post article as being under scrutiny from
the committee, waged a personal defense of her role in having allegedly helped arrange a meeting at the
Treasury on a bailout for a minority-owned bank in which her husband maintained a financial stake.
House probes California Rep.
Waters. The House ethics committee said Thursday [10/29/2009] it's investigating whether
California Rep. Maxine Waters used her influence to help a bank in which her husband owned stock —
and whether the couple benefited as a result.
Mr. and Mrs. John Conyers
John Conyers's
Glass House: If it's not the Bush White House, it's the FBI; if it's not the NSA, it's the
Justice Department. Interrogation, surveillance, the Patriot Act — you name it, he's against it,
and he's investigating it. All this, and still he must find time to manage ethics investigations
against … himself.
Reports:
Wife of Rep. Conyers threatened with indictment. Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers, the wife of
longtime Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) received a letter Tuesday [6/16/2009] indicating a pending indictment from federal
authorities on corruption-related charges.
Conyers
accepts responsibility for possible ethics violations. Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) has "accepted
responsibility" for possibly violating House rules by requiring his official staff to perform campaign-related work,
according to a statement quietly released by the House ethics committee late Friday evening [12/29/2006].
Has Michigan passed its tipping
point? Case in point: The president of Detroit City Council is quoted as telling WXYZ-Channel 7:
"I do not believe that the majority of the council members that I work with on a daily basis are criminals." That's
reassuring. Another: Kenneth Cockrel Jr.'s chief of staff is allegedly videotaped taking bribes. The
council's president pro tem — Monica Conyers, wife of the House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers,
D-Detroit — is said to be under investigation by the FBI in connection with the probe.
Detroit politician admits bribery.
Monica Conyers, Detroit's embattled City Council president pro tempore, pleaded guilty Friday [6/26/2009] to
conspiring to commit bribery, a federal court representative in Michigan told CNN.[6/26/2009] Conyers, 44,
admitted accepting bribes in exchange for her vote to sway the City Council to approve Synagro Technologies
Inc.'s $1.2[6/26/2009]billion contract in 2007.
Conyers's wife pleads guilty.
Monica Conyers, the chairwoman of the Detroit City Council and wife of House Judiciary Committee Chairman John
Conyers (D-Mich.), pleaded guilty Friday [6/26/2009] to federal bribery charges, the latest blow to a city
still reeling from the collapse of the U.S. auto industry and the jailing of its former mayor.
Conyers
pleads guilty to conspiracy. Detroit City Council President Pro Tem Monica Conyers pleaded
guilty this morning to conspiring to commit bribery and is free on personal bond. U.S. District Judge
Avern Cohn said, "The defendant now stands convicted." The one count of conspiring to commit bribery is
punishable by up to five years in prison. No sentencing date has been set.
The Editor says...
At least she did the right thing by pleading guilty, saving the taxpayers a lot of money.
Conyers's
wife resigns after conviction. Monica Conyers, wife of House Judiciary Committee Chairman John
Conyers (D-Mich.), submitted her resignation from the Detroit City Council on Monday following a bribery
conviction. Conyers will leave the council effective next Monday after pleading guilty to charges that
she sold her vote on a recycling contract.
Conyers pleads
guilty to conspiracy. Detroit City Council President Pro Tem Monica Conyers pleaded guilty this
morning to conspiring to commit bribery and is free on personal bond. ... She has long been under suspicion
in the Synagro Technologies bribery probe, not least because she had been a vocal opponent of the contract
before suddenly switching her sentiments. She became the deciding voice in the city council's 5-4 vote
to approve the sludge-hauling deal in November 2007.
Wife's Guilty Plea Raises
Question of What Conyers Knew. In the snow-covered parking lot of a McDonald's in Detroit two years ago, City
Council member Monica Conyers met with a waste-management consultant who slipped her an envelope stuffed with as much
as $3,000 in cash. The under-the-table payment, made shortly after she cast the swing vote on a $1 billion
city sludge deal, drove Conyers's guilty plea to a bribery charge that could send the Democratic politician to prison
for up to five years.
Ethics
probe of Rep. Conyers sought. The Landmark Legal Foundation filed Monday [7/13/2009] a House ethics
complaint against Rep. John Conyers Jr., Michigan Democrat, over his role in writing a letter to the
Environmental Protection Agency that supported a waste project tied to his wife, a former Detroit City
Council member who has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery. ... The foundation said Mr. Conyers
attempted to influence the EPA on behalf of a family member, whose office reviewed a draft of the EPA letter
he sent. He also violated house rules by failing to report funds in a transaction by his wife, the
complaint stated.
Riddle,
Conyers teamed up to extort at least $65,000, U.S. says. Detroit political consultant Sam
Riddle was indicted today on a host of federal charges ranging from bribery to extortion, mail fraud and
making false statements and court documents contend that former City Councilwoman Monica Conyers
participated at every turn of the conspiracy.
Conyers quiet
on missing office equipment. Just days before Detroit City Council President Pro Tem Monica Conyers announced
her resignation after pleading guilty to a bribery charge, she apparently had two new computers delivered to her office.
And now, city officials say those computers and dozens of other items are missing, and they want them back.
Conyers
to be sentenced Dec. 1. Detroit — Former Detroit City Council President Monica Conyers
will be sentenced Dec. 1 on a felony bribery charge, a federal judge ordered Tuesday [10/27/2009].
Former DC Mayor Marion Barry
Washington Ex-Mayor Is Arrested.
Marion Barry, the former mayor of the District of Columbia, was arrested over the weekend and charged with stalking a
female acquaintance, the latest in a long string of legal troubles for him. Federal Park Police said Mr. Barry, who
is a member of the Council of the District of Columbia, was arrested after a woman told an officer that Mr. Barry was
stalking her. He was charged with misdemeanor stalking and released.
Stalking charges
against Marion Barry dropped. Prosecutors have decided not to pursue a stalking case against D.C. Councilman
Marion Barry, following their review of the "strengths and weaknesses of the evidence," the U.S. attorney for D.C. said
Wednesday [7/8/2009]. Barry, 73, was accused by the U.S. Park Police of stalking Donna Watts-Brighthaupt, a woman
he had dated until recently when the relationship came to an ugly end.
Marion Barry
takes another crack. Barry has continued to provide both drama and comedy in a seemingly
endless (and loopy) loop. Recently, it came to light that this big-government politician, who
spends other people's money so easily, sort of forgot to pay most of his federal and city income
taxes for the last six years. Oops! Barry is now free on bond pending his sentencing
next month on the tax evasion charges.
Ex-Mayor Avoids Jail Time Over Tax
Case. A federal judge rejected a request by prosecutors to send former District of
Columbia Mayor Marion Barry to jail for violating his probation in a criminal tax case. … Barry,
71 and now on the District of Columbia Council, pleaded guilty in 2005 to misdemeanor charges for
failing to file tax returns from 1999 to 2004. As part of his plea bargain, he agreed to
file future federal and local tax returns annually.
Judge ordered to consider effort to
imprison Barry. The District's chief federal judge yesterday [4/26/2007] overturned an earlier
court ruling and ordered a magistrate judge to consider sending D.C. Council member Marion Barry to prison
for failing to file his taxes.
I, Marion Barry: The dashiki-wearing
Democratic former mayor of the District of Columbia who years ago aggressively led the capital city into insolvency, has yet
again failed to file his personal tax return, the Washington Post reports. Barry did this while on probation
after being convicted in 2006 of failing to file federal and district income tax returns from 1999 through 2004. This
is just the latest incident in a lifetime of law-breaking for the liberal municipal lawmaker who now represents Ward 8
on the Washington, D.C. city council.
Barry Says Kidney Issues
Kept Him From Filing Taxes. D.C. Council member Marion Barry said last night that he has been undergoing
dialysis and expects to have a kidney transplant, which has distracted him from filing a recent tax return. His
failure to file a 2007 return has led prosecutors to urge a judge to revoke his probation for past tax offenses and
send him to jail.
Barry owes $277,000
in taxes. Federal authorities say D.C. Council member Marion Barry failed to pay more than
$277,000 in back taxes and are continuing to ask that the former mayor's probation be revoked, according
to court documents.
Barry contract probe begins.
Federal law enforcement authorities have begun a preliminary investigation into whether D.C. Council member Marion Barry
broke any laws when he awarded a city contract to a former girlfriend and arranged for city grant money to go to nonprofit
organizations controlled by people close to him.
Senator Chris Dodd and Countrywide Financial
A Culture of Greed.
The Senate Ethics Committee intends to open an investigation into the relationship of several Democrat Senators,
senior executives, and lobbyists for Fannie Mae, and Countrywide Financial, the home mortgage company, which was
purchased at bail-out price by Bank of America.
Congress and
the Countrywide Scandal: Countrywide Financial Corp.'s "friends of Angelo" program provided sweetheart
loans to key banking players in Washington, D.C. They included former Fannie Mae chief executive Jim Johnson,
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D., N.D.) and Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher
Dodd (D., Conn.). The growing scandal surrounding the "friends of Angelo" loans (so-called by company
employees, referring to Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo) should serve as a political wake-up call.
Dodd Releases
Countrywide Mortgage Documents. In response to pressure since last year that he demonstrate his
full relationship with home mortgage lender Countrywide Financial, Sen. Chris Dodd release (sic) his 2003 mortgage
documents today [2/2/2009] in Connecticut. "I regret I did not do this sooner and I apologize to the
people of Connecticut for the delay," he said in a statement.
Hold on... Maybe "release" isn't quite the right word.
Dodd's Peek-A-Boo Disclosure.
Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd has finally, sort of, kind of, ended 193 days of stonewalling about his
sweetheart loans from former Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo. At least he did if you were a fast reader
and were one of the few reporters he invited to his Hartford office yesterday to review — but not
copy or take — more than 100 pages of documents related to his 2003 mortgage financings
through Countrywide's "Friends of Angelo" program.
Dodd gives journos the idiot's treatment on mortgage document
disclosure. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sen, Chris Dodd, D-CN, has pulled what has to be
an all-time classic evasion stunt against journalists covering Congress and the economic crisis concerning his
promise six months ago to make public all of the documents about his sweetheart loan deal with Countrywide
Mortgage.. Dodd invited a select few Connecticut reporters to his office in Hartford Monday [2/2/2009]
and gave them a few minutes to view — but not copy — a small selection of documents that
he claims proves he did nothing wrong in accepting special treatment from Countrywide that saved him a
reported $75,000 in refinancing a couple of loans worth a total of $800,000.
Dodd's
New Dodge. Sen. Chris Dodd is hoping to make his sweetheart deals with Country wide Mortgage —
which saved him tens of thousands of dollars on two mortgages — disappear. Dodd, the chairman
of the Banking Committee, announced this week that he'll have the mortgages refinanced and managed by a third
party to protect against allegations of influence peddling.
Why We Just
Can't Trust Dodd: Sen. Christopher J. Dodd went one contrivance too far last week at his
carefully choreographed press event to explain his mortgage deals with Countrywide Financial. Dodd has
engaged in so many contradictions in trying to manage the gathering storm that he probably did not recognize
his stunning blunder.
Angelo Who?
After months of delay, Senator Christopher Dodd has offered a fuller but less than satisfactory account of the
V.I.P. mortgage loans extended to him by a key player in the subprime mortgage crisis. Mr. Dodd, the
banking committee chairman who oversees remedies for the continuing financial crisis, denied any ethical
wrongdoing or "sweetheart deals" in the $781,000 house refinancings he got through the Countrywide Financial
Corporation.
Coming clean, or burnishing lies?
Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd has come clean on his latest real-estate scandals in the same way he
came clean on his sweetheart mortgages from Countrywide Financial: limited release of carefully selected
documents that underpin improbable scenarios that put him in the least corrupt light.
Time to Get the Heck Outta
Dodd. First there was the Countrywide mortgage scandal which revealed Dodd — head of the
Senate Banking Committee overseeing Fannie and Freddie, the institutions on which Countrywide unloaded risky
loans — as one of the recipients of sweetheart mortgages due to his "friend of Angelo" status. Despite
promising to release documents that will clear his good name, Dodd has yet to release them.
Sen.
Dodd's Cavalcade of Scandal. It's been a rotten year for Chris Dodd. Time and again, the
Connecticut senator has been caught both doing favors for heavy hitters and receiving them — and
then lying about it. Sometimes the mess involves a firm like AIG or Countrywide, enmeshed in the abuses
that have so damaged the US economy. Sometimes Dodd's pal is just a felon in need of a presidential
pardon. But the cavalcade of scandal clearly puts the five-term senator in danger of losing his
next re-election bid.
Loan
Officer: Dodd Knew He Got VIP Deal. Despite his denials, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd knew
from the start he was getting a VIP mortgage break from a major lending group, an official involved in the
loan testified secretly to Congress. Dodd and Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND) both got preferred treatment
from Countrywide Financial Corp., but have maintained all along they didn't know they were benefiting at
the time their mortgage packages were crafted.
Chris Dodd, Kent Conrad deny knowing about
VIP deals. Sens. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) are fiercely denying a report
that they knew they were getting sweetheart mortgage deals — accusing a Countrywide Financial
loan officer of distorting their relationships with the former mortgage giant. 'There is nothing new
here,' Conrad spokesman Christopher Gaddie told POLITICO Monday night.
The Culture Of Corruption Continues.
Somehow, I don't think we'll be hearing the self-righteous left clamoring for transparency and hearings that
will reveal the Democrats (once again) as the privileged crooks they've always been.
Dodd
and Obama: Corrupt Birds of a Feather. Connecticut voters are not smiling about Dodd's
hypocritical bashing of lobbyists on the airwaves while he parties with them behind closed doors. And
as they scrimp through the recession, they haven't forgotten about Dodd's dozy Irish cottage deal with
convicted insider trader Edward Downe Jr. (who received a Clinton pardon with Dodd's generous help).
Criminal-Probe
Time. Whoa. It's looking like Sen. Chris Dodd's involvement with a sub prime-lending company warrants
far more than a mere Senate Ethics Committee look-see. Or so suggests closed-door committee testimony from a fomer
executive of the firm in question.
They come to believe they're entitled. Although
powerful Democratic Sens. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Kent Conrad of North Dakota — whose committees
oversee the mortgage banking industry — claimed they had no idea they were getting special mortgage deals
from Countrywide Financial Corp., an official who handled their loans has told Congress in closed-door
testimony the pair were indeed informed at the time they were getting special deals.
Dodd
Man Out? Chris Dodd's teetering re-election chances weren't helped by news that
the senator may have lied about not knowing he got preferential treatment as one of Countrywide
Financial's Friends of Angelo program.
Robbing the
bank. With so much money at stake in the financial services sector, corruption and impropriety are
common. Last week, Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, Connecticut Democrat, and Sen. Kent Conrad, North Dakota
Democrat, were caught prevaricating about below-market interest loans they received from Countrywide Financial.
... Those sweetheart deals from Countrywide were highly improper given that Mr. Dodd is chairman of the
Senate Banking Committee and Mr. Conrad serves on the Senate Finance Committee, both of which write
laws related to Countywide's business.
'Countrywide Chris' Dodd. In sworn testimony
last week, Robert Feinberg, a former executive at Countrywide Financial testified under oath that Sen. Dodd knew he
was "getting special VIP treatment" for his mortgage applications. That VIP treatment came as part of the "Friends
of Angelo" program at Countrywide, the once-mighty mortgage firm — formerly run by Angelo
Mozilo — which was purchased by Bank of America last July for $2.5 billion. In June,
the SEC filed fraud charges, including for disclosure fraud and insider trading, against Mozilo.
Dodd, Conrad
cleared in Countrywide probe. The Senate Ethics Committee on Friday [8/7/2009] dismissed complaints
against Democratic Sens. Chris Dodd (Conn.) and Kent Conrad (N.D.) over their participation in Countrywide Financial
Corp.'s VIP lending program. But the panel cautioned the senators that they should have "exercised more vigilance"
in their dealings with the mortgage giant to avoid an appearance of preferential treatment.
The Countrywide
Senators. The three Republican and three Democratic Senators say they conducted an exhaustive
probe and inspected 18,000 pages of documents. They say they found "no substantial credible evidence as
required by Committee rules" that the Senators received mortgage rates or services that weren't commonly available
to the public, and thus did not violate the Senate gift ban. We'll have to take their word that the evidence
wasn't "substantial," because they didn't release those documents, nor did they encourage Mr. Dodd to release any
of his records.
The Editor says...
The most obvious way to refute this claim is to have "Joe Average" approach Countrywide and
demand the same favorable treatment received by Senator Dodd.
It Still
Reeks. A committee of their fellow senators has decided that Chris Dodd and Kent Conrad did nothing
unethical when they took out loans from Countrywide Financial on the kind of favorable terms not available to mere
mortals without their financial or political standing — or a personal connection to the head of
Countrywide. The very Select Committee on Ethics did recognize that the whole deal looked bad, and gave
its colleagues a gentle pat on the wrist for creating "the appearance that you were receiving preferential treatment
based on your status as a senator." But in the end, one hand washed the other, if not very well.
Democrats skip out on Countrywide
vote. Faced with a promised vote to subpoena documents on Countrywide Financial's "Friends of Angelo" program,
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee fled a scheduled 2 p.m. markup today [10/15/2009]. ... The committee's
Democrats simply failed to appear. Republican staffers say they caught them on tape leaving by a back door
at 2:35.
The Vote Democrats Don't
Want. If you think moderate Democrats are afraid of voting for ObamaCare, you should see how they
react to a potential vote on the Countrywide Financial loan scandal.
Something Strange. [Scroll
down] "A committee press release later claimed the postponement was 'due to conflicts' with a markup occurring at the
same time in the financial services committee. But Mr. Issa's staff videotaped several financial services members
leaving the back-room gathering with Mr. Towns at the conclusion of the meeting.
Dems running
scared on Countrywide scandal. And when I say, "scared," I mean petrified. Some big name
Democratic lawmakers as well as contributors would be embarrassed and possibly liable for ethics violations
if the truth about the list of "VIP's" who benefited from overly generous mortgage terms offered by
Countrywide Financial ever came out.
Dodd, At It Again.
Sen. Chris Dodd's proposed overhaul would replace the Federal Reserve with a "super regulator" to oversee the
banking and financial industries. Will it work? Consider the source. Along with fellow
Democrat Barney Frank, now chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Dodd, who heads the Senate
Banking Committee, has done as much to damage this nation's financial system as anyone...
The Sandy Berger subsection
The Alchemy of
Democrat Cover-ups: [Scroll down] Soon after the formation of 9-11 commission was
officially announced the Clinton administrations National Security Advisor, Sandy Berger, went to National
Archives over a period of weeks to steal and destroy highly classified records of the Clinton administration
decision-making process in handling Al-Qaeda and terrorism. He stuck them in his pants and socks and
later burned and shredded them. You can bet they held incriminating evidence, evidence that would have
tanked the Democrats on security issues and ripped away the "Clinton Legacy." It was a very successful
cover-up, about which the press is remarkably silent.
Sandy's
socks: Surely it was an innocent mistake, former Clinton National Security Adviser Sandy
Berger's stuffing classified documents into his pants, jacket and perhaps even his socks before leaving the
National Archives building last fall. After all, what could he possibly have been trying to hide?
Sandy Berger gets off
easy. Recently the Bush Justice Department entered into a plea bargain with Sandy Berger, the now
infamous former National Security Advisor to President Clinton, who admitted to stealing top secret documents
from the National Archives, but only after he was caught red-handed.
Report Says Berger Hid Archive
Documents. Former national security adviser Sandy Berger removed classified documents from the
National Archives in 2003 and hid them under a construction trailer, the Archives inspector general reported
Wednesday [12/20/2006]. The report was issued more than a year after Berger pleaded guilty and received
a criminal sentence for removal of the documents.
The latest:
Clinton aide forfeits law
license in Justice probe. Samuel R. Berger, the Clinton White House national security adviser
who was caught taking highly classified documents from the National Archives, has agreed to forfeit his
license to practice law.
Bergergate,
&c. Call me a right-wing paranoid — it's been done before! — but I think that,
if Sandy Berger were a conservative Republican, the story of his criminality would be a really,
really big deal. Bear in mind that the man was national security adviser. … If Berger
were a Republican, the word "Nixonian" would be making a big, big comeback — at a minimum.
Berger took papers to a hiding
place. The National Archives Office of Inspector General said that during a 2003 visit to the
facility, Mr. Berger left the building unescorted for a break, during which time he "placed the
documents under a trailer in an accessible construction area outside Archives 1 (the main Archives
building)." The report said Mr. Berger acknowledged that he later retrieved the documents
from the construction area and brought them to his office.
Report
should be cure for nostalgia for Clinton crew. Although Democrats enjoy impugning the integrity
of the current president and his administration, the ethical lows achieved by his predecessor, Bill Clinton,
and his motley crew of senior advisers still cast the current administration, for all its foibles, in a
favorable light. [And now] along comes former national security adviser Sandy Berger to remind us
of how "ethically challenged" they were.
Davis won't give up probe into
Berger-Archives case. The outgoing chairman of the House Government Reform Committee says questions
remain about former National Security Adviser Samuel R. Berger's removal of classified documents from the
National Archives and pledged yesterday [12/21/2006] to get the answers. … Describing the material removed
as "code-word documents," meaning only a limited number of people had access to them, Mr. Davis said
Mr. Berger's conduct in hiding the papers "exposed this country to more serious national security
breaches than previously thought."
Networks Spike Revelations About Berger's
Pilfering of Secret Papers. Despite the colorful details about how Sandy Berger cut the documents,
about the Clinton administration's reaction to terrorist threats in 1999, into small pieces, the broadcast
networks weren't interested Thursday morning or evening [12/21/2006] even though the report discredits
Berger's claims he simply accidentally mishandled the documents.
[There are more examples of suppressed news items
on this page.]
Classified Info. With
the release of an internal investigation last week, we now know that former National Security Advisor Sandy
Berger not only knowingly flouted laws for handling classified documents, but he went to incredible lengths to
cover his tracks and thwart investigators. While Mr. Berger's "punishment" was a pittance of a fine,
former Pentagon analyst Larry Franklin has been financially ruined and sentenced to 12½ years for
passing along far less-classified information to unauthorized third parties.
What did Berger
destroy? If you forgot to make a New Year's resolution, or are still trying to decide on one,
let me suggest that you resolve to devote a little time this year to solving the mystery of Sandy Berger and
the Destroyed Documents. Pressure on Berger is what is needed, and the united voices of several thousand
outraged Americans would provide it.
Thanks a lot, Bill.
Bill Clinton authorized Sandy
Berger's access. President Bill Clinton signed a letter authorizing former National Security
Adviser Sandy Berger's access to classified documents that later came up missing, according to a newly
released investigation report by the National Archives and Records Administration.
Damage from Berger's theft
understated, Davis says. Samuel R. Berger's theft of documents from the National Archives
compromised national security "much more than originally disclosed" and resulted in "incomplete and misleading"
information being given to the September 11 commission, says the former chairman of the House Government
Reform Committee. "It is now also clear that Mr. Berger was willing to go to extraordinary lengths
to compromise national security, apparently for his own convenience," Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, Virginia
Republican, said yesterday [1/9/2007].
The Berger Files:
The more we learn about Sandy Berger's brilliant career as a document thief, the clearer it becomes that there
is plenty we still don't know and may never learn. On Tuesday [1/9/2007], the House Government Reform
Committee released its report on Mr. Berger's pilfering of classified documents from the National
Archives. The committee's 60-page report makes it clear that Mr. Berger knew exactly what he was
doing and knew that what he was doing was wrong.
Why
Does Trousergate Go Ignored? A House Oversight Committee report details the real and potential
damage to national security of Sandy Berger's theft and destruction of classified documents. And we may
never know what was in them. The report released this week by the House Oversight and Government Reform
Committee shows, as ranking Republican member Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia put it, how former Clinton
National Security Adviser Berger "compromised national security much more than originally disclosed."
Bad News for Berger. There
have been many distinguished former government officials who lived to write their version of the history they
participated in. Sandy Berger is the rare government official who has lived to erase history. A
polygraph test might reveal how much history he erased. Berger's lawyer, a veteran Clinton smog artist,
Lanny Breuer, insists there is no "evidence" that his client did anything wrong. That is classic Clinton
obfuscation. Berger was caught stealing classified documents from the National Archives. For
a former national security adviser to do such a thing is without precedent.
The Secret Sandy Risked His All For.
If not the most skillful of embezzlers, Samuel "Sandy" Berger is a far more formidable character than the media
would have us believe. When he made his now storied sorties into the National Archives, he risked his
career and his reputation in so doing, and he knew it. Rest assured, he would not have done so were the
secrets to be preserved not worth the risk of pilfering them. True to form, the major media refuse to
even ask the most fundamental question: just what secrets would justify so much personal exposure.
Berger Should Take Promised
Polygraph. Republican members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform mailed a
letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales last week asking the Department of Justice to administer a polygraph
test to former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger. Berger agreed to a polygraph in 2005 when he pleaded
guilty to removing highly classified documents from the National Archives. Justice department lawyers
should take advantage of the plea deal because questions remain about what other documents he may have removed.
Socks, Scissors, Paper: The Sandy Berger
Caper. Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., is charging a cover-up by the Justice Department in connection
with the 2003 theft and destruction of top secret documents by Clinton National Security Advisor Sandy Berger.
Davis also told FOX News that he is not convinced that Berger was not acting under direction from the Clinton
Administration.
Another Pants Check.
Last we heard of Sandy Berger, Bill Clinton's national security adviser, he was being fined and placed on
probation for stealing top-secret documents. Is there more to this tale of purloined papers? Rep.
Tom Davis thinks there is.
The End of the
Line for the Sandy Berger Investigation. Berger's voluntary disbarment has nothing to do with
the Justice Department or Capitol Hill. It is entirely the result of Berger's desire to head off an
investigation by the District of Columbia Bar. By giving up his license voluntarily, before an
investigation was set to begin, Berger effectively closed another probe into his activities.
Document(ed) Thief.
By voluntarily surrendering his law license, Clinton White House aide Sandy Berger has avoided cross-examination
in Trouser-gate. This is the behavior of a man who's still hiding something.
Sandy Berger gives up law license. Sandy Berger,
who served as national security adviser during the Clinton administration, has given up his license to practice
law in the District of Columbia, two years after admitting he illegally sneaked classified documents out of the
National Archives. … Berger had only copies of documents; all the originals remain in the government's possession.
The Editor says...
Oh,
really? Previous
reports indicated that
he had destroyed original documents, and suggested that we may never know what he took.
Update: Mr. Berger is still one
of Hillary Clinton's advisors.
Congressman John Murtha
Murtha
Intervenes for Company That Broke Export Law. Rep. John P. Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat
known for delivering federal money to defense contractors in his district, is now going to bat for a
constituent's company that was convicted last year of illegally exporting components of military
equipment.
Murtha Scandal Time Arrives. Months before the
midterm elections, this new media-anointed hero announced he would run for the post of House Majority Leader
under a potential Speaker Pelosi. During that time, Democrats were hammering a so-called Republican
"culture of corruption," with Pelosi pledging to "drain the swamp" of the majority's ruinous ways in
Washington. But the national media didn't exactly wonder how Pelosi would square fighting corruption
with installing someone thoroughly tainted with that odor of corruption — John Murtha.
Nonprofit
Connects Murtha, Lobbyists. "It's a real tangled web between the congressman, the nonprofit, the
defense contractors and the lobbyists," said Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a
nonpartisan watchdog group. "It's hard to say where one stops and the others start." Murtha
declined to respond to numerous phone calls and e-mails from The Washington Post requesting comment.
"King
Corruption" Reigns. Republicans returning to the House floor on Friday morning Aug. 3 after
their walkout the night before were surprised to find as presiding officer the Democrat they call "King
Corruption": Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, master of earmarks and backroom deals.
Earmarks
and Congressional Corruption: Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, recently reported that every
private entity [Representative John] Murtha (D-PA) favored with an earmark in this year's defense bill has
given money to his campaign in the last two years. Political Action Committees (PACs) and employees of
the 26 groups in Murtha's district that received Federal monies have contributed $413,250 to him, $100,750 of
which was donated in the two weeks leading up to March 16, the original deadline for lawmakers to file
their earmark requests. Murtha rewarded these groups for their political contributions by allocating
$114.5 million to them.
Pennsylvania defense
firm raided by FBI. Federal agents raided the offices of a Western Pennsylvania defense contractor that
has received millions in federal earmarks at the request of Rep. John Murtha, according to local media reports. The
offices of Kuchera Industries and Kuchera Defense Systems were shuttered for the day following the raids, the chief
financial officer told the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat.
Is the Law Finally Closing in on
John Murtha? I had not paid much attention to Congressman Murtha since 1980, when he was taped suggesting he
might accept a bribe to push through private asylum bills for Arab sheiks (who were actually FBI agents working undercover
in an operation to uncover corruption known as Abscam) if only they'd invest in businesses in his district. Then came
his Haditha accusations ... .
Following Mr. Murtha's Money: The
mantra of criminal investigators — follow the money — often reveals a decidedly circular route when
it comes to Capitol Hill politics. Consider the recent raids by federal agents on the offices of a lobbyist and a
Pentagon contractor, both with lucrative ties to Representative John Murtha, the powerful Democratic defense appropriator
from Pennsylvania. Mr. Murtha, who has not been named as a target, is the reigning master at reaping handsome campaign
donations from firms that he regularly blesses with rich government contracts.
FBI Eyes Charity Linked
To Rep. Murtha. CBS News has learned the FBI is investigating a little-known not-for-profit organization
called Commonwealth Research Institute. It's located, like a lot of Rep. John Murtha's, D-Pa., pet projects, in
his hometown, Johnstown, Pa. Commonwealth gets the same benefits as the Salvation Army or any other charity: It
doesn't have to pay taxes. But its line of work may be surprising. It's a defense contractor.
Swept Under the Rug. In the Democrat
majority, it is now perceived as an article of faith that the party will suffer not if they fail to root out corruption
in their own ranks, but if they fail to adequately cover it up. Fortunately, 29 courageous House Democrats refused
to go along with it, voting against tabling a resolution that would have launched an ethics investigation into
Congressman John Murtha (D-PA) and several of his fellow Congressmen for their role in earmarking $300 million
to a lobbying firm's clientele. The PMA Group is headed by Paul Magliocchetti, who is currently under an FBI
investigation.
Exec with Murtha ties took kickbacks, feds say. A
former executive for a defense contractor with ties to Democratic U.S. Rep. John Murtha has been charged by federal
prosecutors with taking about $200,000 in kickbacks from a subcontractor. Richard Ianieri, of Doylestown, Pa., served
as president and CEO of Coherent Systems International Corp., the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
Ex-Contractor With Murtha Ties
Accused Of Kickbacks. A former executive for a defense contractor with ties to Democratic
U.S. Rep. John Murtha has been charged by federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh with taking about $200,000
in kickbacks from a subcontractor.
Detroit's Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick
Mayor
Kilpatrick, chief of staff lied under oath, text messages show. Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick
and his chief of staff lied about their relationship last summer at a police whistle-blower trial that has
cost the cash-strapped city more than $9 million, according to records obtained by the Free Press.
The false testimony potentially exposes them to felony perjury charges, legal experts say.
Detroit Mayor Decries Media
"Lynch Mob". Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick lashed out at his opponents and the news media Tuesday night
[3/11/2008], accusing them of showing a "lynch mob mentality" in the aftermath of the scandal over his exchange
of sexually explicit text messages with a former top aide.
Detroit mayor swamped with
calls for resignation. The walls are crumbling for embattled Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick,
who is under increasing pressure to resign over his role in a police whistleblower settlement scandal that
many say is paralyzing the already struggling city. High-profile critics have been lining up to call
for Mr. Kilpatrick's resignation.
Stalemate
in Detroit: City Council Asks Mayor to Resign, but He Refuses to Go. The City Council on
Tuesday asked Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick to resign in light of evidence that he had lied under oath and
plotted to cover up an extramarital affair with his former chief of staff. The 7-to-1 Council vote is
not binding, and Mr. Kilpatrick has vowed to remain in office.
Detroit Mayor Charged With Perjury.
Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, a one-time rising star and Detroit's youngest elected leader, was charged Monday [3/24/2008] with
perjury and other counts after sexually explicit text messages contradicted his sworn denials of an affair with a top
aide. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy also charged the popular yet polarizing 37-year-old mayor with
obstruction of justice and misconduct in office.
Texts, Lies and the Mayor of
Detroit. It's been an unusual season of political sex scandals, but Detroit Mayor Kwame
Kilpatrick's is particularly lurid: there are allegations of parties featuring strippers at the mayoral
mansion and explicit text messages between Kilpatrick and his alleged mistress who was, until recently, his
chief of staff.
Backers
Act to Aid Detroit Mayor. Supporters of Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick, who was charged Monday with
obstruction of justice, perjury and other felonies, have begun soliciting donations to help him pay for a
defense team that promises to be expensive. … "Just because people accuse you of things and charge you
with things doesn't mean you're guilty," [Rev. Horace L.] Sheffield said.
The Editor says...
I beg to differ, "Reverend," but very few felony trials end in acquittal.
[1]
[2]
It's much more likely that he'll enter into a plea bargain.
His Arrogance, Not His Honor. As the saga of
felony-indicted Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick of Detroit continues, it comes as no surprise that he's utterly unwilling to even
consider resigning for the good of the city and the surrounding, economically depressed region. But what has now added
insult to injury is that some of Kilpatrick's well-heeled friends have "stepped up" to establish a defense fund for the
embattled and indefensible mayor.
Indicted mayor refused
by Detroit council. The City Council delivered a stinging rebuke to embattled Mayor Kwame
Kilpatrick on Monday, telling the mayor it would not accept his budget recommendation. It was the first
time Kilpatrick had come before the City Council since it voted 7-1 last month to ask him to resign….
Kilpatrick: Ousting
me would be danger to city. Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said today [4/18/2008] that he should
remain in office because the alternative would put a city and state in economic turmoil even more at risk.
A moment of truth
for Detroit. Federal agents appear quite deep into an investigation of unknown scope that has
already reached the point of informants passing money on hidden video, and at least one high-ranking staffer
resigning under a cloud of suspicion. And, of course, the city labors under the rule of a renegade
executive too arrogant and immature to step down in the wake of serial misconduct on his part.
Jailed Kilpatrick faces
more charges for allegedly shoving cop. Shortly after Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick wakes up in jail
Friday morning [8/8/2008] — still reeling from becoming the first sitting mayor in Detroit's
307-year history to spend a night behind bars — Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox is expected
to charge him with felony assault.
Judge: Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick
to Stand Trial in Assault Case. A judge ruled Friday [8/15/2008] there is enough evidence for
Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to stand trial on two felony assault charges stemming from a confrontation with two
investigators. The investigators testified that an angry Kilpatrick shoved one of them into the other
and made racial remarks while they were trying to deliver a subpoena in the mayor's perjury case to a
Kilpatrick friend last month.
Update:
Kilpatrick Pleads: 'I
Lied Under Oath'. Detroit Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick ... pleaded guilty to two felonies — a
plea that will require him to spend four months in the Wayne County Jail, resign his office and pay $1 million in
restitution. Kilpatrick also will agree not to seek office during the five years he is on probation and will
surrender his state pension to the county. And he will surrender his law license.
The Editor asks...
Now where are all the people who so boldly insisted Kilpatrick was innocent?
Congressman Charles B. Rangel
Rangel
Failed to Report $75,000 in Income. Representative Charles B. Rangel has earned more
than $75,000 in rental income from a villa he has owned in the Dominican Republic since 1988, but never
reported it on his federal or state tax returns, according to a lawyer for the congressman and documents
from the resort.
Tricky
Charlie's Carib 'Hideaway'. For 20 years, Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel has owned a beachfront
villa in a sun-drenched Dominican Republic resort, yet has only sporadically declared income on the property
in federal filings. While the villa was rented to paying guests for the past two years, for instance,
Rangel reported no income from it in 2006 and 2007, The Post has learned.
Rangel had no-interest mortgage
more than 10 years. Rep. Charles Rangel paid no mortgage interest on a beach resort property
for more than 10 years, a lawyer for the powerful House committee chairman said Friday. The New York
congressman's lawyer, Lanny Davis, told The Associated Press that Rangel got his no-interest deal for the
villa in the Dominican Republic because he was an original buyer in the resort development, and in the early
days after Rangel's 1987 purchase the rental income it generated failed to meet expectations.
Rangel Admits Mistakes, $5,000 Bill to Uncle
Sam. The head of the House tax-writing committee admitted Wednesday [9/10/2008] that he owes
about $5,000 to the Internal Revenue Service for failing to report income on his returns. But Rep.
Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., asked colleagues to let the ethics committee investigate and urged Republicans to
stop trying to have him removed from his post.
Rangel
Has a Bad Chair Day. Embattled Harlem Congressman Charles Rangel is facing possible ouster from
his powerful committee chairmanship as he scrambles to file new tax returns in a desperate bid to hold on to
his job. The amended returns will reflect years of income he never bothered reporting from renting out
his beachfront Caribbean villa, his lawyer said yesterday [9/9/2008].
More errors for Rangel;
hires new accountant. A new set of potential problems in Rep. Charles Rangel's financial papers
has prompted the tax-writing lawmaker to hire a forensic accounting expert to try to unravel the mess.
Rangel, chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, is already the subject of ethics committee
investigations on several fronts, including unreported income and unpaid taxes on his beach house in the
Dominican Republic.
Weighty,
Shady Pol is a Threat to His Own Party. This was supposed to be the year Democrats could not
lose. ... That was before [Charlie] Rangel launched his "Monument to Me — The Rangel
Center at CUNY" — with your money and greedily grabbed four rent-stabilized apartments,
using a system designed to help less fortunate New Yorkers from getting squeezed out onto the street.
Dems
shoot down GOP attempt to punish Rangel. Democrats shot down a second GOP attempt in as many
months to punish Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) for a series of alleged ethics violations. Democrats
easily tabled a motion House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) offered that was aimed at forcing Rangel
to give up his chairmanship of the powerful Ways and Means Committee while the ethics committee investigates
the charges.
Rep. Rangel: Resign
post ... or be removed. When Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., took the gavel in January 2007 to
become the first woman to fill the post of House Speaker, she proclaimed that Democrats would run the chamber
"with the highest ethical standards." That was then. This is now: Rep. Charles Rangel, D.-N.Y.,
chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, is caught in a scandal in which he didn't pay taxes on
property he owns in the Dominican Republic. But Speaker Pelosi is singing a different tune.
Step aside.
As chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Charles Rangel writes the nation's tax laws for the rest
of us. But he seems to have a hard time understanding them himself. The Manhattan Democrat calls
himself "irresponsible" for not paying taxes on $75,000 in rental income from a villa in the Dominican
Republic, but he seems oblivious to the hypocrisy of his situation.
Tow-Nailing
Charlie 'Parker'. Embattled Rep. Charles Rangel's Mercedes-Benz was towed yesterday from the
House of Representatives parking space he had been using for years in violation of congressional rules.
As a tow truck pulled away the 1972 silver sedan under the watchful eyes of five Capitol police officers,
House Republicans voted almost unanimously to oust the Harlem Democrat from his chairmanship of the powerful
Ways and Means Committee in the midst of several ethics scandals.
Un'stable'
Rangel. Rep. Charles Rangel's tax disclosures not only are an embarrassment for the Democratic
congressman — they put him far over the limit to qualify for his rent-stabilized Harlem apartments.
While the powerful Ways and Means chairman previously disclosed income at or slightly above the
$175,000-a-year stabilization ceiling on previous congressional documents, new revelations could put his
earnings at more than $200,000 a year. The disclosure could put pressure on Rangel to give up his
New York housing perks, critics say.
House To Launch
Investigation Into Rep. Rangel. CBS 2 has learned the House of Representatives will conduct an
inquiry into Rep. Charles Rangel, the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. The ethics
committee of Congress announced they established a subcommittee to investigate Rangel, who has already been
in plenty of hot water recently.
The Rangel Example For All
Taxpayers? Republicans lost control of the Congress two years ago in part because of corruption.
Some of their Members had to step aside because indictments hung over their heads. The Republicans years
ago changed the rules governing their own Members. They ruled that anyone who was indicted had to step
aside.
Rangel
Un-Moved. Three months after Rep. Charlie Rangel admitted he improperly converted a rent-stabilized
apartment into his political campaign office — and promised to give it up — the embattled pol still
has not moved out. For the past decade, Rangel's political operation has been headquartered in
a $682-a-month, one-bedroom apartment at Lenox Terrace — the same Harlem building where he has three other
rent-stabilized apartments for personal use.
Mr. Rangel's mess:
This legendary black congressman suffered from allegations about misusing his position as a powerful
committee chairman. Questions arose about his travel habits and a seaside property. His displays
of wealth ill-represented his poor Harlem constituency. Is it Charles Rangel, the embattled current
chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee? No, but it's close. It's Adam Clayton Powell
Jr. — the man Mr. Rangel defeated in 1970. Four decades later, Mr. Rangel is experiencing uncanny
parallels to situations that destroyed Mr. Powell's congressional career.
Rangel Stalls.
Rep. Charles Rangel has not hired the forensic accountant he said he needed in order to provide answers regarding
his messy tax records, The [New York] Post has learned. Meanwhile, the Harlem Democrat has paid more
than $120,000 in campaign money to a law firm to represent him in the scandal.
Waiting
for Charlie. What's the holdup, Charlie? Emboldened by the Democrats' newly bolstered
majority in the House, Rep. Charles Rangel doubtless anticipates siccing his Ways & Means Committee on the
nation's financial mess. But what about his own financial mess? The one being probed by the
House Ethics Committee?
Embattled
Rangel hires firm to probe finances. Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) has hired the accounting firm
of Watkins, Meegan, Drury and Company to investigate his financial records and prepare a report for the House
ethics committee. The selection of Watkins, Meegan comes two months after Rangel first announced he
would hire a forensic auditor to investigate 20 years of his personal income taxes and financial
disclosure records, which are riddled with areas [sic].
Rangel
Double-Deal$. Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel took a "homestead" tax break on a Washington, DC,
house for years while simultaneously occupying multiple rent-stabilized apartments in New York City, possibly
violating laws and regulations in both cases. The situation raises a number of potential problems for
the congressman.
Ditch Charlie.
Are congressional Democrats truly committed to dealing with the economic and fiscal policy challenges they
face next year? The answer will be seen in how they address their increasingly problematic Charlie Rangel
situation. Scarcely a day goes by without yet another ethical impropriety coming to light regarding the
chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee. ... The Obama team will have enough to worry about without having
its tax and spending bills drafted by a profoundly ethically challenged committee chairman.
Washington
Post says Rangel should step down. The Washington Post has joined the New York Times in
calling for Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) to step down as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee in light of new
ethics charges that emerged earlier this week. The Times reported Tuesday [11/25/2008] that Rangel helped
preserve a valuable tax loophole for an oil and gas drilling company while the company's chief executive, Eugene Isenberg,
was pledging $1 million to the Charles B. Rangel School of Public Service at City College of New York.
'Fit' for Office.
Welcome to Charlie Rangel's personal gym. It may look cramped, but while members of Congress are forced to shoehorn
office staff and equipment into windowless closets and other tiny corners of the Capitol complex, Rep. Rangel's
taxpayer-funded workout room is just another example of the trappings of his power and seniority in Washington. The
tiny office space holds everything a busy chairman needs to shed a few pounds in comfort — a flat-screen
television, an exercise machine, a mirror, a small refrigerator and a telephone.
Black Conservatives Call for Rangel's Removal
as House Ways and Means Chairman. Project 21, a prominent group of black conservative leaders, is the latest
to call on Speaker Nancy Pelosi to remove Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
"It's galling that the head of the committee in charge of levying taxes has either a profound ignorance of tax law or a
disinterest in adhering to the laws he wants others to follow," Bishop Council Nedd II, a national advisory board member of
Project 21, said in a Nov. 26 news release.
Pelosi 'Pledge'
to Keep Rangel. Rep. Charles Rangel said yesterday [12/2/2008] that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has promised
him he will keep his chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee as long as he wants — even though investigators
haven't completed their report on ethical allegations facing the Harlem Democrat.
Report: Rangel paid his son nearly
$80K for 'poorly designed' websites. The Politico reports that Rep. Charles Rangel, the New York Democrat,
paid his son nearly $80,000 for two "poorly designed" campaign websites. That's not illegal, but it does raise
questions about whether the powerful Ways and Means Committee chairman was using campaign funds to enrich a relative,
the paper says. "Steven Rangel's design for his father's National Leadership PAC site appears to have been slapped
together in a hurry, intermittently updated and never spell-checked," the paper says.
House Ethics Panel Expands
Rangel Investigation. The House ethics committee is expanding an investigation of Rep. Charles
Rangel, chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. The ethics panel issued a statement
Tuesday [12/9/2008] saying it had voted to expand an already far-ranging probe into the New York Democrat
to examine whether he protected an oil drilling company from a big tax bill when the head of that company
pledged a $1 million donation to a college center named after the congressman.
The
ethical shoe now on the other foot. The most damning of questions for the ethics panel is
Rangel's meeting with Eugene Isenberg in February of 2007 to discuss his $1 million donation to the
Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service at City College of New York, according to The New York
Times. It was at that same meeting that Isenberg had Rangel talk with his lobbyist about keeping
the multimillion-dollar tax loophole that benefits his oil-drilling company.
GOP
handed gift in Rangel ethics case. House Republicans were heading toward a down-in-the-dumps
holiday. Then the House ethics committee handed them a gift. The committee's investigation of
Rep. Charles Rangel's tax problems is expanding, turning what has been a minor headache for Democratic
leaders into a New Year's migraine.
Pelosi Defends Rangel.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told NBC's Meredith Vieira in an interview taped Monday [12/8/2008] that Rep. Charles
Rangel should not step down as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. Pelosi said she didn't
see "any reason" that Rangel should step down.
Why Geithner and
Rangel Matter: The Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and the U.S. Treasury
Secretary are literally the two highest ranking political figures with regard to the Internal Revenue
Service. If any two people on the planet should set an example in their tax behavior, it is the
two people who hold those positions and anyone who aspires to them.
Rangel
faces questions about book royalties. Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) is facing new questions about
why he has not disclosed any royalty income on his 2007 memoir ... And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since:
From the Streets of Harlem to the Halls of Congress. The Sunlight Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan
advocate for government transparency, wants to know why the chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee
has failed to report royalty income and has not voluntarily disclosed details of his book contract.
Rangel's Financial
Disclosures Omitted Data Over 30 Years, a Report Says. Representative Charles B. Rangel's
financial disclosure forms had at least 28 omissions in the past 30 years and failed to account for what
became of more than $239,000 in assets, according to a report issued Wednesday by a private government-ethics
group.
Rangel
to taxpayers: "Mind your own [expletive deleted] business". That was Rep. Charlie
Rangel's response when I recently confronted him about his mounting ethical and financial scandals.
Rangel's uncouth snit began in the Longworth House Office Building after I asked the New York Democrat
about his publicly-subsidized luxury vehicle, shady property deals, and unpaid taxes.
Spread
of swearing video caps Rangel's tough week. Jason Mattera, a spokesman for the right-wing group Young
Americans for Freedom and a conservative commentator and blogger, approached Rangel in the halls and told the Harlem
Democrat that he was from Brooklyn. Rangel welcomed the man who appeared to be a fellow New Yorker until Mattera asked
him about why he leases a Cadillac with taxpayer money and about his failure to pay taxes on a villa in the Dominican
Republic.
Pandering To The Greedy Poor.
I was watching with my usual level of incredulity as Chris Wallace sought the opinion of yet another Democrat
tax cheat, this time Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-NY, on Fox News Sunday. Rangel, who represents Harlem in Congress,
serves as the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which writes all of this nation's tax
laws. The irony here is that Rangel apparently sees no need to pay the taxes he himself owes.
NY's
Artful Dodger. President Obama this week began cracking down big- time on tax havens —
and he's enlisted Rep. Charles Rangel to help. Will this dynamic duo be swift and fair in meting out tax
justice? It shouldn't take long to find out: After all, if Rangel and Obama are looking for
culprits, they can begin in their own offices.
Update:
Ten months in, new twist in Rangel ethics
inquiry. Already embroiled in an ethics probe now entering its tenth month, Rep. Charlie Rangel
(D-N.Y.), chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, received more bad news Wednesday night as the
House ethics committee announced it would look into Caribbean trips taken by the veteran lawmaker and four
other Democrats.
Charlie Rangel pays lawyers $1,000,000.
Rangel's latest campaign finance disclosures show that his campaign and his leadership PAC have now paid more than
$1 million to lawyers defending against a wide-ranging investigation of his personal finances. The New York
Democrat thus joins Reps. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) and Don Young (R-Alaska) among current lawmakers who have shelled
out at least $1 million to their defense attorneys.
Morality and Charlie Rangel's
Taxes: Ever notice that those who endorse high taxes and those who actually pay them aren't the same people?
Consider the curious case of Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel, who is leading the charge for a new 5.4-percentage point
income tax surcharge and recently called it "the moral thing to do." About his own tax liability he seems less,
well, fervent.
Rangel's Wealth Jumps After
Disclosure. House Ways and Means Chairman Charles B. Rangel, already beset by a series of
ethics investigations, has disclosed more than $500,000 in previously unreported assets.
'Forgetful'
Charlie finds another 780G. Embattled Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel — who is under
investigation by the House Ethics Committee — failed to reveal personal assets totaling as much as
$780,000 in financial-disclosure reports filed with Congress, records released yesterday [8/25/2009] show.
Democrat Rangel, the chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, submitted corrected documents with
the House Clerk earlier this month, more than a year after filing handwritten and wildly inaccurate 2007 disclosure
forms that left out a hefty checking account, several sizable investments and land in New Jersey.
Oops!
Charlie Forgot This $1M House. Rep. Charles Rangel failed to report as much as $1.3 million
in outside income — including up to $1 million for a Harlem building sale — on
financial-disclosure forms he filed between 2002 and 2006, according to newly amended records.
Rangel,
Again. Rep. Charlie Rangel's multimillion-dollar "oops" this month raises plenty of good
questions, but this may be the best: How can Democrats continue to close their eyes to such
sleaze? And, more to the point, this: Will prosecutors follow up on any of it?
The Absent-Minded
Chairman. When normal people happen to "find" their own money, it might mean a twenty left in a
winter coat, or discovering change beneath the sofa cushions. But if you're Charlie Rangel, it means
doubling your net worth. Earlier this month the Chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee
"amended" his 2007 financial disclosure form?to the tune of more than a half-million dollars in previously
unreported assets and income.
Charlie's
Mortgage Bares Home Untruth. Rep. Charles Rangel claimed on mortgage papers that a Harlem
brownstone was his principal residence — even though he was living elsewhere at the time, The [New York]Post
has learned. When the Democrat — who is under investigation by the House Ethics
Committee — took out the mortgage in 1990, he said the property on West 132nd Street was
his "principal residence," records show.
Rangel Untangle:
House Democrats are willing to rally around Rep. Charles Rangel in his latest spate of tax missteps —
but only as long as no more embarrassing revelations come to light, sources told The Post. The head of
the powerful Ways and Means Committee last week amended six years' worth of financial disclosure forms and
revealed he'd earned $1.3 million in previously unreported income.
The Editor says...
Can you imagine what the press would say if a Republican kept "remembering" million dollar assets that
he had conveniently "forgotten" to report? And if the Republican party rallied to his defense?
Rangel should resign. Charlie
Rangel always has been an entertaining congressman. And not to damn him with faint praise, an
effective one, too. But the New York City representative, chairman of the House Ways and Means
Committee, is having a problem with his numbers as they relate to the truth. He now can be neither
entertaining nor effective. He needs to go. If he won't, Speaker Nancy Pelosi needs to
push him.
Fire
Rangel. Has he no shame? Of course not. He's Charlie Rangel, head of the tax-writing
House Ways and Means Committee — who can't be bothered to tend to his own tax returns, but now
intends to punish ordinary folks for making arguably minor mistakes on their forms.
How do you spell 'cahoots'?
Staff
as 'Forgetful' as the Boss. Charlie Rangel's "forgetfulness" is apparently contagious.
Two of his top aides are among about a dozen highly paid staffers on the powerful tax-writing Ways and Means
Committee who have filed a flurry of amendments correcting their financial-disclosure statements since 2002.
Boehner's
'Dear Charlie' letter to Rangel: Step down. House Republican leader Rep. John Boehner has just
sent a "Dear Charlie" letter to Ways and Means Committee chairman Rep. Charles Rangel, asking Rangel to step
down until the Ethics Committee finishes its investigation of Rangel's nonpayment of taxes and non-disclosure
of hundreds of thousands of dollars on his legally-required financial disclosure forms.
'Ethics' for
sale. Is Charlie Rangel worried that the House Ethics Committee — notorious for handing out
little more than a slap on the wrist for even the most egregious congressional misconduct — might make an
exception in his case?
Rep.
Charles Rangel — Sign of the Times. Currently, Rangel is under investigation by two
House subcommittees for illegally holding four rent-stabilized apartments in New York and not disclosing more
than $75,000 in income from a rental villa he owns. He also took free Caribbean trips paid for by
corporate cronies and used his congressional letterhead to press for money for the City College of New
York's new educational center, which bears his name. Rangel also acknowledged that he improperly listed
his assets, as required by law, and failed to report additional checking accounts valued between $250,000 and
$500,000 — princely sums acquired on a congressional salary.
Charlie in
rental di$order. Rep. Charles Rangel reported no rental income for eight years on his rundown Harlem row
house, even though public records show tenants were living there. The powerful chairman of the House Ways and
Means Committee said he received nothing from 1993 to 2000 on the six-unit building, according to federal financial
disclosure forms. But one current tenant told The Post she had lived at the building for 20 years -- and
paid rent during that period.
Rangel: The Most Corrupt Dem?
First there was "Countrywide Chris" Dodd (D-Conn.), whose combination of poor judgment and possible corruption
qualifies him to be Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. Then there was Tim "TurboTax" Geithner,
whose false tax return filings qualify him to be Secretary of the Treasury. And now, in keeping with the
Democrats' recent tendency to have scoundrels in the highest positions involving regulation of the nation's
finances, we have the Chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.), who
recently filed amended financial disclosure reports showing a net worth about double what he had previously
reported.
The
case against Charlie Rangel. [Scroll down slowly] So it would go for Charlie Rangel over
the next four decades — a pattern of tax evasion, special treatment and enrichment that seemed to
increase with his power and prestige in Congress. Whether it's living in rent-stabilized apartments
while making a hefty salary, or failing to disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars in earnings and assets,
his actions betray a consistent, defiant sense of entitlement. And when he is caught, the powerful
Democrat blames a right-wing conspiracy.
Shaming
Charlie's pals. House Republicans, clearly frustrated by the sloth-like pace at which the Ethics
Committee is looking into the tangled financial affairs of Rep. Charles Rangel, have finally decided to take
the bull by the horns. Good move. Unless Rangel steps down this week as chairman of the powerful
Ways and Means Committee — the House's tax-writing body — the GOP will introduce a
resolution demanding his removal.
Rangel
is Robin Hood in reverse. How does Rangel have so much money and where did it come from?
This is a man who draws a salary from the government of about $175,000 a year. It's a comfortable
salary, but it certainly isn't going to make anybody this rich — especially someone living in one
of the world's most expensive cities. Rangel did not inherit a fortune and did not marry one. And
nor had he built some huge fortune before he first won election to Congress in 1970.
Charlie
sneaks $3M in pork for CCNY. Two years after creating a center in his own name at City College,
Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel has come through with a $3 million defense grant for the school —
for a project the Pentagon doesn't even want, The [New York] Post has learned.
Angles
on Rangel — the final vote. House Democrats have successfully killed a privileged
resolution by Rep. John Carter, R-Tex., which called for the removal of an alleged tax evader from the House's
top tax post, pending an ethics investigation. The vote on whether to oust Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y.
as chairman of Ways and Means fell largely along party lines, with a final tally of 246-153, with 19 members
voting "present" and 14 not voting.
Another Vote to Spare Rangel.
Rep. Charlie Rangel, who has collected tax and ethics scandals the way some people collect stamps (in big batches,
that is), sits atop the House Ways and Means Committee because neither the Speaker of the House nor his
colleagues have the nerve to kick him out.
It's
looking impossible to clean this House. Every criminal operation has its code of silence.
The Mafia enforces omerta. Bad cops erect their blue wall of silence. And Democrats running
Congress have their "motion to refer." That was the slimy tool Speaker Nancy Pelosi wielded on the floor
of the House of Representatives yesterday [10/7/2009] to cover up for her tax-dodging top committee chairman,
Charlie Rangel.
How long can Democrats stand by Charlie Rangel?
Even some Democrats who have stuck with him through his messy financial problems are beginning to wonder if they can't
stick with him anymore. The House ethics committee expanded a sprawling investigation into Rangel Thursday [10/8/2009],
digging into allegations stemming from an August restatement of his personal finances, in which he under-reported hundreds
of thousands of dollars in assets.
House ethics panel to
expand Rangel probe. The House panel investigating alleged ethics violations by Rep. Charles B.
Rangel, New York Democrat, said Thursday [10/8/2009] it voted unanimously to expand the probe. A statement by
the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct said its investigative subcommittee already has issued nearly
"150 subpoenas, interviewed approximately 34 witnesses resulting in over 2,100 pages of transcripts."
Rangel Innocent Until
Proven Guilty, Pelosi Says. Innocent until proven guilty — that's why House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
refuses to remove New York Rep. Charles Rangel from his powerful chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee.
As the House Ethics Committee investigates a string of allegations against Rangel, who represents New York's Harlem
district, a spokesman for Pelosi said Friday that the "bipartisan process" should be allowed to finish before the
congressman's fate is decided.
The Editor says...
Under a truly bipartisan process, he would already have been ousted.
Swamp Creature Rangel Needs to
Find the Exit. It is with great regret that I write that Democrats must remove Charlie Rangel
from his chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee. Almost everyone likes Rangel, which is why
he's survived a raft of allegations of financial impropriety that would make a Wall Street banker blush.
Pelosi's
Sinking In the Swamp. If she hopes to survive a bloody battle in 2010 — one where
her own words and actions will be used against her — Speaker Pelosi must insist that New York
Congressman Charlie Rangel resign immediately.
Charlie
Rangel has let us all down with his fiscal shenanigans. New York waited for decades to gain the
kind of congressional clout that Rep. Charlie Rangel has wielded as chairman of the House Ways and Means
Committee, and now he has let the home team down. Big time. To say that Rangel has become
damaged goods is to engage in understatement.
Will Rangel ever step down? The House
Ethics Committee is continuing its 16-month investigation into House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel
(D-New York), who is accused of failing to disclose more than $600,000 in previously unreported assets, and tens of
thousands of dollars in unreported income.
N.Y. Dems agitate for Rangel action.
Support for Charles Rangel within his home state delegation is showing signs of strain — with upstate
New York Democrats grumbling about the impact of Rangel's ethics woes on their already tenuous reelection chances.
Not as Much Fun Being Charlie Rangel.
Being Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee normally guarantees lucrative fund-raising. But having trouble
with House ethics rules — and the law — appears to be putting a crimp in Rep. Charlie Rangel's
fund-raising.
Isn't this the same guy who wanted to
bring back the draft a few years ago?
Governor Rod Blagojevich
Part 1: Articles written about Governor Blagojevich before he was arrested on December 9, 2008.
Obama's Iraqi Oil for
Food connection. Rezko's relationship with Barack Obama goes back to at least 1990, when Obama's
law firm did work relating to a Rezko housing development. Rezko was a key early-money fund raiser in
Obama's state Senate campaigns and his failed run at the US Congress. In June 2005, when the mansion
was purchased, Rezko was widely known to be under federal investigation. Rezko also is a key fundraiser
for Illinois Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich.
Four Stumps in the
Water for Obama: [Scroll down] The Rezko trial highlights another problem for Obama, potentially a
devastating one, though it is unlikely to arise for several months or more. Antoin "Tony" Rezko is on trial for
taking large bribes in return for political favors. The feds allege that he was able to steer state contracts
and policy decisions, such as authorization to build hospitals in specific locations, because he was so close to
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (for whom he was a top fundraiser) and because he was willing to share the graft with
his cronies.
Illinois Governor's $1 Million Grant Under Investigation.
"The Chicago Tribune … uncovered 235 donations of exactly $25,000 apiece (for a total of $5,865,000)
to the governor. Three-fourths of those donations came from persons who received financial benefits from
the Blagojevich administration."
Is Rezko
working with the feds? As his sentencing nears, pressure is mounting on Tony Rezko to
cooperate with federal investigations into some of the highest-profile politicians in the state —
including Gov. Blagojevich. Two more trials — one in Chicago next spring, one in Las
Vegas — hover over the Wilmette businessman and onetime prolific political fund-raiser for
the governor and Barack Obama.
Feds
indict friend of governor. Christopher Kelly, one of Gov. Rod Blagojevich's
(D-Ill.) closest advisers and the chief fundraiser on his two campaigns, was indicted
Thursday [12/13/2007] on tax fraud charges alleging he improperly used corporate funds to
cover gambling debts he had run up in Las Vegas and with a local bookie.
Gambling expansion stalls in
wake of indictments. The political fallout from the indictment of Gov. Rod
Blagojevich's friend and gambling adviser began today as a potential vote next week on a
massive state gambling expansion was canceled. ... On Thursday federal prosecutors indicted
Chris Kelly, a South suburban roofing contractor and close personal friend of the governor,
on charges stemming from alleged illegal betting and breaking the law to conceal gambling debts.
Indicted
insider has story, home to sell. Christopher Kelly — our unreform governor's
gambling point man — was indicted Thursday on federal tax evasion charges involving huge
gambling losses with Chicago bookies and Las Vegas casinos. And I was busy enjoying an
online tour of his sumptuous castle, a Burr Ridge estate with a $3.3 million asking
price. It was put up for sale weeks ago as if Kelly knew this could happen.
Obama
giving away indicted donor's cash. Barack Obama is getting rid of an old
$5,000 campaign donation that was given to him by an Illinois businessman who was indicted
this week. The money was donated to Obama's U.S. Senate campaign in 2003 by Abdelhamid
"Al" Chaib of LaGrange Park, Ill. Chaib was indicted Thursday on federal charges of
taking part in a scheme to fraudulently obtain a $3.4 million loan.
Probe is closer to governor. A federal
corruption probe moved closer to Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Friday [12/21/2007] as prosecutors issued a document
in which the governor allegedly boasted to a key witness that he "could award contracts, legal work and
investment banking" to boost campaign fundraising. Blagojevich is not quoted by name but is referred
to as "Public Official A" in the 78 pages that prosecutors filed….
Patti's $47K Rezko
deal. [Illinois] Governor Blagojevich's wife got nearly $50,000 from a real estate deal in late
2002 involving Antoin "Tony" Rezko, a developer and former top Blagojevich political fund-raiser now under
federal indictment. In the following two months, the governor began giving friends of Rezko seats on
influential state boards and began hiring former Rezko employees to upper-level state jobs.
Possible Evidence To
Indict Gov. Blagojevich. A source tells CBS 2 News Wednesday night that a team of federal agents
believes it has the evidence needed to indict Governor Rod Blagojevich. Investigators believe they've
established solid evidence of fraud and conspiracy.
Part 2: Articles written about Governor Blagojevich after he was arrested on December 9, 2008.
This section includes occasional references to Tony Rezko, but for more information about Mr. Rezko, please
refer to this page. Nobody (so far) has
accused Barack Obama of any involvement in Governor Blagojevich's alleged schemes, but you might want to read
the subsection about Obama's shady Chicago background.
I had been expecting to see Obama's presidency punctuated
by minor scandals, but this
bombshell was big -- and close!
Why Can't Blagojevich Sell a Senate Seat?
"Blagojevich also was charged with illegally threatening to withhold state assistance to Tribune Co., the
owner of the Chicago Tribune, in the sale of Wrigley Field, according to a federal criminal complaint.
In return for state assistance, Blagojevich allegedly wanted members of the paper's editorial board who had
been critical of him fired." ... This is just the beginning. As the Chicago Machine rolls into
Washington DC, "change" is here! How do you like it so far?
Illinois
First Lady Prominent in FBI Affidavit Charging Governor. Illinois first lady Patricia Blagojevich's
official Web site says she's "committed to spreading the governor's message." That's putting it mildly,
according to the 76-page FBI affidavit released Tuesday accusing her husband, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, and his
chief of staff of corruption.
Questions Arise About the
Obama/Blagojevich Relationship. Asked what contact he'd had with the governor's office about
his replacement in the Senate, President-elect Obama today [12/9/2008] said "I had no contact with the
governor or his office and so we were not, I was not aware of what was happening." But on November 23,
2008, his senior adviser David Axelrod appeared on Fox News Chicago and said something quite different. While
insisting that the President-elect had not expressed a favorite to replace him, and his inclination was to avoid
being a "kingmaker," Axelrod said, "I know he's talked to the governor and there are a whole range of names
many of which have surfaced, and I think he has a fondness for a lot of them."
The
Blithesome Banality of Blago's Blunders. There's no tragedy here. No wasted potential.
No undeserving victims. No profound and complicated symbolic issues (I somewhat doubt the Serbian-American
lobby is going to cry racism). This is the sort of criminality we want the Feds to find, particularly in
Chicago.
Jackson gets pulled deeper into scandal.
President-elect Barack Obama tried to further distance himself from the burgeoning scandal in Illinois Wednesday,
joining a near-unanimous chorus of public officials calling on Gov. Rod Blagojevich to step down. At the
same, another prominent Illinois politician — Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. — was getting drawn
even deeper in to the case, admitting for the first time that he was, in fact, the "Senate Candidate 5" in the
criminal complaint but denying any wrongdoing.
Rep.
Jackson under scrutiny by ethics panel. Congressional ethics officials are investigating Rep.
Jesse Jackson Jr.'s actions in connection with Gov. Rod Blagojevich's alleged attempt to sell the U.S. Senate
seat left open by Barack Obama's election to the presidency, the congressman confirmed today [4/8/2009].
House ethics panel defers probe on
Jesse Jackson Jr.. A House ethics panel said it is investigating allegations against three
lawmakers, including Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. Jackson allegedly launched a "public campaign" to be
appointed to President Obama's former Senate seat in Illinois.
Blago Senate scheming even before Obama
win. Even before Barack Obama won the presidential election, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was
plotting how he could make money off it or steal political leverage from it. To capture a glimpse of the
high drama and palace intrigue, it's useful to connect the internal Blagojevich conversations taped by the
FBI with the public movement of the Obama transition team.
Chicago Tugs
on Obama's Sleeve. Does what happens in Chicago stay in Chicago? Tuesday's arrest of
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on charges that included trying to sell President-elect Barack Obama's U.S.
Senate seat has brought renewed national attention to the state's corrupt political culture while creating a
headache for the incoming administration.
Who Loses? Aside from
the criminal defendants and the Illinois Democratic Party, who are the big losers in Blago-gate? Really
anyone who wants to get away with something or get something they don't really deserve. I'd put in that
category: Al Franken, Charlie Rangel, Caroline Kennedy and Eric Holder. No one now has the stomach
for even a hint slick dealing or nefarious politics — at least for awhile.
Obama Was Mute on Illinois Corruption.
What remains to be seen is whether this episode will put an end to what Chicago Tribune political columnist
John Kass calls the national media's "almost willful" fantasy that Mr. Obama and Chicago's political culture
have little to do with each other. Mr. Kass notes that the media devoted a lot more time and energy to
investigating the inner workings of Sarah Palin's Wasilla, Alaska, than it has looking at Mr. Obama's Chicago
connections.
Obama and
Blagojevich: A picture is worth a thousand words.
The Tainting of the
President-Elect. The notion that a newly elected president who is also a sitting U.S. Senator
would have no "contact" whatsoever with the governor charged with appointing his Senate successor is a
fantasy.
Obama must explain Blago
ties. Time magazine foolishly gave Chicago politics its clean government seal of approval last
month. Celebrating Barack Obama's election, the magazine said John McCain's attempts to tie Obama to
corruption in the Windy City failed because they were "based on an outdated caricature." The left-leaning
magazine went on to note that Obama was bringing the Chicago trio of David Axelrod, Rahm Emanuel and John
Podesta to the White House and insisted that these days, "Chicago Democrat appears to be a winning
label." Oops.
Jackson denies
Senate bribe. Rep. Jesse L. Jackson Jr. vehemently denied Wednesday trying to bribe Illinois
Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich to name him to President-elect Barack Obama's old Senate seat, as Mr. Obama and all
50 members of the Senate Democratic caucus called on the embattled governor to resign. Mr. Jackson's
attorney acknowledged that his client was the "Senate Candidate 5" mentioned 16 times in a 76-page affidavit
laying out the FBI's corruption case against Mr. Blagojevich, but he said Mr. Jackson was not aware of anyone
cutting deals on his behalf.
The Blago Saga Begins. Perhaps
the most shocking part of the wiretaps revealed so far was a sequence where Blago talked of needing to get out
of the Illinois Governors' chair so as to avoid impeachment, and instead get to the US Senate, which would
also serve to position him better for a 2016 Presidential run. How do you describe someone so
delusional?
Axelrod's
Comment on Talk with Blagojevich Seems to Contradict Obama. As Obama works to set up his new
administration and deal with a national economic crisis, suddenly he also is spending time and attention
trying to distance himself from Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and charges that the governor was trying to
sell the now-vacant Senate post.
Blagojevich's arrest puts spotlight on his wife.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich has some close company in his misery. His arrest this week on corruption charges also
shone a spotlight on Patti Blagojevich, his wife and a mother of two. The first lady may have been introduced
to the public by profanity-laced tirades as outlined by federal prosecutors, but she already was being
investigated for her real-estate dealings.
Blagojevich's
Big Conference Call and Valerie Jarrett's Clean Break. The call lasted about two hours. On
the phone were Mr. Blagojevich, his wife, his general counsel, an unnamed adviser, and John Harris, the
governor's chief of staff and his co-defendant in this week's case. But what's drawing the most interest
is who was on the line from Washington, and the sequence of political events that followed that same night and
in the ensuing days regarding Barack Obama's close friend and adviser, Valerie Jarrett.
Democratic Party
Scandal: How High Will It Go? The Blagojevich True Crime Drama is not criminality as
usual in Illinois politics. The malfeasance of Governor Rod Blagojevich is so outrageous, so brazen, so
breathtaking in its scope and character that even jaded journalistic hacks whose beat has been the statehouse
for years are shocked.
The
Democratic Culture of Corruption. Howard Dean and Nancy Pelosi can stop clucking now. For
the last three years, Democratic leaders cheered GOP ethics woes. Dean accused Republicans of making
"their culture of corruption the norm." Pelosi touted cleanliness as a liberal virtue. But with
the eye-popping pay-for-play and bribery case against Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich topping a year
of nationwide Democratic scandals, the corruption chickens are coming home to roost.
Good Old-Fashioned
Graft? Seeing himself in possession of a valuable commodity, Blagojevich wasn't about to give it
away for mere gratitude. "It's not coming for free. I've got this thing and it's (expletive)
golden, and, uh, uh, I'm just not giving it up for (expletive) nothing. I'm not gonna do it." Then,
demonstrating a fine appreciation for his legal authority, he added, "I can always use it. I can
parachute me there."
Absolutely Corrupt.
The media had a frenzy Tuesday with the "stunning" news that Illinois Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich had been
arrested on corruption charges. The only thing stunning is it doesn't happen more often. ... For years,
Illinois' state legislature has been controlled by one party, the Democrats — just as Washington
will be in January.
Why
Tony Rezko Isn't Blago's Best Friend Forever. In the run-up to election day we heard a great
deal about Tony Rezko, and how his criminal associations reflected poorly on Obama. Little did we
suspect then that the biggest crook Rezko knows is the governor of Illinois. With the arrest of
Governor Blagojevich this morning, it becomes clear that Tony Rezko played a significant role in putting
him in jail.
Union
Official Allegedly Liaison Between Governor, Obama Team. Among the revelations contained in
the complaint brought against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich yesterday [12/9/2008] was the description of an
official with the Service Employees International Union acting as an apparent intermediary between the
governor and Barack Obama's camp in discussions over Obama's Senate seat.
Case Confirms
Rezko Is Talking With Prosecutors. A footnote to the 76-page criminal complaint and affidavit
charging Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) with soliciting bribes confirms what has long been rumored — that
a former longtime friend and fundraiser for President-elect Barack Obama is talking to federal prosecutors
in hopes of a reduced sentence.
Prosecutors
unsure if he will testify at a Blagojevich trial. While allegations that Gov. Rod Blagojevich
tried to sell a Senate seat have grabbed the headlines, the complaint filed against him contained a nugget
that might have once been front-page news: One-time confidant Antoin "Tony" Rezko has given federal
authorities damaging information about the governor.
Blagojevich:
Who Is Advisor B? Barack Obama has flatly said that he has "not discussed the Senate seat with
[Rod Blagojevich] at any time." If that is true — and Obama will undoubtedly be asked the broader
question of whether he communicated in any way with Blagojevich on the subject — then the big story
in the Blagojevich scandal is the role of intermediaries.
Covering (Up) Obama.
The mainstream media's covering for Barack Obama on his relationship with Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich is
predictable, laughable and tragic. The only reporter really doing any kind of investigative journalism
on the connection between Obama and Blagojevich is ABC's Jake Tapper.
Here It Comes. It
took awhile, but the MSM is starting to flex its muscles. After all, they can't let a scandal as juicy
as Blago-gate go uncovered. Faced with a tight-lipped presidential team, you knew that sooner or later
the media would start — brace yourself — asking hard questions and becoming irritated
by non-answers.
A Little
Blago for Everybody. The past comes alive as Chicago's grand tradition of corruption is
sustained for another generation. As the Chicago Tribune once wrote, "corruption has been as much a part
of the landscape as corn, soybeans and skyscrapers." According to the Chicago Sun-Times, as of 2006,
when Blago's predecessor, George Ryan, was sent to prison for racketeering, 79 elected officials had been
convicted of corruption in the past 30 years. Among the perps: 27 aldermen,
19 judges, 15 state legislators, three governors, two congressmen, one mayor, two turtledoves
and a partridge in a stolen pear tree.
Rahm Emanuel Reportedly Spoke with Blagojevich About Senate Seat.
The firestorm surrounding Governor Blagojevich is putting some heat on Barack Obama's transition team. Fox
Chicago News has learned about possible conversations between a top Obama aide and the governor regarding the
open senate seat.
Obama Bungles Blagogate.
Here's some free P.R. advice: if you've got nothing to hide, don't hide. The media may have been
in bed with the president-elect during the 2008 campaign but they're bored and desperate to increase sales
with something sexy. Until Obama explains himself more fully a cloud will hang over his head while
leaving the public to ask what he knew, when he knew it and where else this drama will spray.
Union Is Caught Up in Illinois Bribe
Case. The Service Employees International Union has long boasted that it is on the cutting edge
of the labor movement. But the union found itself badly embarrassed this week when it was named in the
federal criminal complaint charging Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois with maneuvering to secure
financial gain from the appointment of the state's next senator.
Man behind
curtain is wizard of Rod, Rahm. When it comes to being the guy behind the guy, there is no one
more conspicuous than Rahm Emanuel. As chief of staff for President-elect Barack Obama, he's usually at
Obama's news conferences, standing off to the side, glowering like some fiercely loyal mini-me. But
Emanuel wasn't there Thursday when Obama faced reporters to answer questions about federal
charges against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-Dead Meat), accused of trying to sell Obama's Senate seat
to the highest bidder.
Obama and
the Curse of Illinois: During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama's critics said he was a
typical product of a seamy political culture. The arrest of Blagojevich, a fellow Democrat, validates
the claims about Illinois. It also gives Obama a chance to prove he has managed to tiptoe through the
sewer without getting dirty. Except for something that took place in 2001, this expose might not have
happened.
Did Obama
Have Contact with Blago or Didn't He? "I had no contact with the governor or his office and
so I was not aware of what was happening," Barack Obama told reporters today in the wake
of the Blagojevich arrest, the Chicago Tribune reports. But Jake Tapper notes that on
November 23, Obama adviser David Axelrod was singing a different tune.
Scandal
casts cloud over Obama presidency. Authorities stressed that Mr. Obama was not involved in the
far-flung corruption probe, but a 76-page FBI affidavit mentions a top Obama adviser who will be a senior
White House staffer, a prominent labor union that worked for his candidacy, convicted felon and former Obama
fundraiser Tony Rezko, and Washington-based consultants. Within hours, lawmakers from both parties were
calling for Mr. Blagojevich's resignation and Republicans were trying to exploit the scandal by demanding that
Mr. Obama offer more details about his relationship with the disgraced governor.
Obama Must Be Forthcoming.
If the charges laid out by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald are anywhere close to being true — and
Fitzgerald is nothing if not a careful, meticulous, and relentless prosecutor — then the breadth
and depth of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's corruption is staggering. ... But the question that
has Washington atwitter is not simply, or even primarily, about Blagojevich and his chief of staff
John Harris; it is whether the Blagojevich scandal will in any way touch Team Obama.
The 'Lady Macbeth' behind the Illinois governor: In secretly
recorded tapes central to the case against the Illinois Governor, wife Patricia Blagojevich is the voice in the
background that can be heard egging him on. The stream of expletives directed at her husband's enemies
reveal she may be the real power behind the throne.
Illinois Law
May Protect Patricia Blagojevich in Corruption Case. A word of advice to the Blagojeviches:
whatever you do, don't get a divorce. An Illinois law dating to the 1960s may help protect the state's
foul-mouthed first lady as the federal government proceeds with its investigation and prosecution of her husband,
Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Emanuel Not a
Target of Blagojevich Probe, Sources Say. People who have been briefed on the Illinois governor
corruption investigation say Barack Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is not a target of the probe. Emanuel,
a Chicago congressman who would have been a likely contact between the Obama transition office and Gov. Rod
Blagojevich, has been a focus of media attention since Obama said Thursday he has asked for an internal
review of contacts between his staff and Blagojevich.
Rendell: Obama bungled Blago response.
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell today criticized Barack Obama for not being more upfront about the Illinois corruption
scandal. Now, he said, the story will continue to dominate the media's attention. "They have never been in
an executive position before," Rendell said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "The rule of thumb is whatever you did, say
it and get it over with and make it a one-day story as opposed to a three-day story. Politicians are always
misjudging the intelligence of the American people."
The
documents: Madigan's case for Blagojevich's removal. Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan has called
on the Illinois Supreme Court today to temporarily remove Gov. Rod Blagojevich from office and appoint
Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn as acting governor, "so the business of the state of Illinois can go forward."
Blagojevich
fundraiser held by Jackson allies Saturday. As Gov. Rod Blagojevich was trying to pick Illinois'
next U.S. senator, businessmen with ties to both the governor and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. discussed raising
at least $1 million for Blagojevich's campaign as a way to encourage him to pick Jackson for the job, the
Tribune has learned. Blagojevich made an appearance at an Oct. 31 luncheon meeting at the India House
restaurant in Schaumburg sponsored by Oak Brook businessman Raghuveer Nayak, a major Blagojevich supporter who also
has fundraising and business ties to the Jackson family, according to several attendees and public records.
Did Obama team have
contact with Ill. governor? Barack Obama insists he didn't have any contact with Illinois Gov. Rod
Blagojevich or anyone else who might have been scheming to sell the president-elect's U.S. Senate seat. But
he has not yet given his transition staff the same clean bill of health — perhaps with good reason.
Unfortunate Timing. Last
week, the New York Post published its top ten political scandals of 2008. ... A more accurate and comprehensive
list would include Representative William "Cold Cash" Jefferson (D-LA); Christopher Ward ... Representative Rick
Renzi ... and Birmingham's Democratic Mayor Larry Langford ... But the real shame is that they published their list
on December 7 — two days before Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested by the FBI for corruption
of an almost-unprecedented scale.
The Fall of the House of Blago:
How a Governor Self-Destructed. Wednesday was Rod Blagojevich's 52nd birthday, but you can bet it was
not a happy one. After having been charged by federal authorities with trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat
that President-elect Barack Obama vacated, the Illinois governor spent most of the day hidden from view inside
the state office building in downtown Chicago. The few allies he had left have vanished.
Obama's rules or Chicago
rules? There's nothing unusual about a senator or his staff talking with a governor about who will get
a vacant Senate seat. That's normal politics, even outside Chicago. So far, it seems that Obama's team
did the right thing. The question is, when the tapes and transcripts of their conversations are released, will
there be something that makes us cringe? Obama's staff includes several people who know Blagojevich well.
The president-elect's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, once bragged that he was one of the governor's most important
advisors.
Barack Obama has to come clean about Rod Blagojevich — and
fast. No one is suggesting that Obama ... was involved in this pay-to-play scheme. On the
other hand, does anyone really think he had no interest in who took over his Senate seat? He made it
known that his friend Valerie Jarrett (who's being cited on CNN as the best qualified candidate —
which is true if being a friend of the president-elect is the best qualification) was his preferred
candidate. Jarrett wanted the job. So why did she drop out so abruptly. Did she know what
was going on? If so, did she tell the feds?
What Obama Offered Blagojevich: While Obama said
he had never spoken with the governor about the Senate seat — understandable, given how toxic the scandal-plagued
Blagojevich was — he did not say his staff had not done so. Which raises several questions: Did Obama
direct or ask any staffer to speak to Blagojevich? Did Rahm Emanuel or David Axelrod, both of Chicago, never speak
to the governor about the Senate appointment? Did Barack's aides all treat Blagojevich as a political leper and not
communicate to him any interest in or concern about whom he might appoint to succeed Obama? This defies credulity.
Rahm Emanuel talked with
governor's office about who should fill Obama's Senate seat. The revelation does not suggest Obama's new
gatekeeper was involved in any talk of dealmaking involving the seat. But it does help fill in the gaps surrounding
a question that Obama was unable or unwilling to answer this week: Did anyone on his staff have contact with
Blagojevich about his choice for the Senate seat?
Rod Blagojevich Puts Obama in a Bad Light. In an interview on Fox News
November 23, Obama's chief political strategist David Axelrod said matter-of-factly that Obama had talked with the
governor about the Senate replacement. Now Axelrod has now said that he was "mistaken" about that. It strains
credulity to suppose that no one on Team Obama communicated with Blagojevich on this matter, and circumstantial evidence
that someone, maybe not Obama but someone obviously entitled to speak for him, did. The Obama transition team is now
being pressed to detail all those contacts, and will probably be forced to confess to some.
Moral Vacuum
in Illinois. In his profane and selfish ranting, Blagojevich provides the perfect example of a
keeper of the public trust whose sense of responsibility has utterly absquatulated. Power corrupts,
especially in Illinois, it would seem, where, even Chicago residents will admit, jail is beginning to look like
a rite of passage for the state's governors (this, boys and girls, is what we mean by "Chicago politics").
Pssst ... Wanna Buy a Senate
Seat? "Saddened and sobered" — that was Barack Obama's first response to the corruption charges
against Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, charges that include an attempt to sell Obama's old Senate seat to
the highest bidder. ... Wrong emotion. If someone had taken a poll of the rest of the people of Illinois
that day I'd guess very few of them would have offered "saddened" in response to a question on their feeling
about Blagojevich's efforts to make money on just about everything that happened in Illinois over the past six
years. Outraged? Certainly. Disgusted? Sure. ... But "saddened" is the kind of reaction
you have if a friend loses a spouse or if someone you trust lets you down. It's not the kind of reaction
you have if you've run a campaign for a politician only to have him embarrass himself in wiretaps from a federal
investigation into his six-year orgy of corruption.
Chicago Politics Find A Home In The White House.
Obama has chosen three long-time associates, David Axelrod, Rahm Emanuel and Valerie Jarrett, to fill key posts in his
administration. All are products of the scandal-ridden Richard Daley machine that dominates the city's politics,
and by virtue of that fact alone they are unfit to serve in top White House posts. ... [I]f you're closely associated
with a notoriously corrupt political machine such as Chicago's Daley machine — you are more than merely tainted by
the corruption, you share in it.
Senate scandal snares Obama's
chief aide. The bullish, foul-mouthed but effective Chicago arm-twister Rahm Emanuel has come under pressure
to resign as Barack Obama's chief of staff after it was revealed that he had been captured on court-approved wire-taps
discussing the names of candidates for Obama's Senate seat. Emanuel's presence at the heart of the scandal threatens
to roil the president-elect's administration as a Chicago prosecutor builds his corruption case against Rod Blagojevich,
the Illinois governor.
Axelrod, the Obama team, and
political corruption. The Obama team will vigorously deny they knew anything about Blago's attempts to sell
his senate seat but that just doesn't pass the smell test. Given how careless Blagojevich was about the spread of
such information, it is inconcievable that the president-elect, whose Chicago and Springfield connections are as good as
anyone's, wouldn't have been aware of what was going on.
Holder as
AG may have to withdraw from overseeing Chicago probe. If confirmed as attorney general, Eric Holder may
have to consider removing himself from overseeing the Chicago corruption probe that ensnared Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich,
legal experts say. Holder was a co-chairman of Barack Obama's presidential campaign, joining in 2007 when the
long-running investigation focused on a businessman who had been among the biggest fundraisers for Obama and
Blagojevich. The legal ethics issue that Holder may have to deal with, called recusal, could arise if Holder
had conversations about the Chicago investigation with Obama or his staff.
Swimming in the
cesspool. What does Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich have to trade for a lighter sentence? Pondering
this question is, I suspect, keeping many prominent people in Chicago awake nights. Mr. Blagojevich is accused
of conspiring to sell government favors for personal benefit. But his great crime, in the eyes of many
politicians, is that he has made "pay to play" all too easy for ordinary people to understand and too ugly
for them to ignore.
No Mandate For A Tarnished Party. Here's
the bottom line: While many media talking heads are working overtime to create the illusion of distance between
Mr. Obama and his staff and anyone remotely connected to Gov. Blagojevich, the governor has been under investigation
for three years. All the key actors here are Chicago politicians. And there's a union boss involved too.
To borrow a phrase, it requires the willing suspension of disbelief to suggest that the junior senator from Illinois;
Axelrod, a long-time political insider from Illinois; Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, a former congressman from
Illinois; and the governor of Illinois have not talked since the election. This is how the "game" of politics
is played by hardball Chicago liberals, union bosses and community organizers.
Obama's
'My Pet Goat' moment. "I was appalled and disappointed by what we heard in those transcripts,"
Barack Obama said Thursday about the documented misconduct of the governor of Illinois. That's
right. He was appalled. And it took him only 48 hours to realize it.
The Real Story Behind the Rushed Blagojevich Bust. Members
of Fitzgerald's team are livid the scheme didn't advance, at least for a little longer, according to some people
close to Fitzgerald's office. Why? Because had the plot unfolded, they might have had an opportunity
most feds can only dream of: A chance to catch the sale of a Senate seat on tape, including the sellers
and the buyers.
Two sides of troubled Illinois
governor, sinking deeper. Blagojevich, 52, rarely turns up for work at his official state office
in Chicago, former employees say, is unapologetically late to almost everything, and can treat employees with
disdain, cursing and erupting in fury for failings as mundane as neglecting to have at hand at all times his
preferred black Paul Mitchell hairbrush. He calls the brush "the football," an allusion to the "nuclear
football," or the bomb codes never to be out of reach of a president.
The Blago
Scandal: What's the Rush? There's no doubt the problems in Illinois are serious. But
a closer look at events suggests that some key state officials, all of them close allies of Barack Obama, are
actively fostering a sense of crisis and, in the case of Madigan, actually taking steps to make the crisis
worse — while citing the worsening crisis as the reason Blagojevich must go immediately.
The Shifting Tale.
The most recent version of the Obama transition team's contacts with Gov. Blagojevich or his staff follows an
internal review. In a statement the transition team explained: "...that the President-elect's staff was
not involved in inappropriate discussions with the governor or his staff over the selection of his successor
as US Senator." Well, for those paying careful attention, this is a change. The line now is that
there were no "inappropriate" conversations with Blago. That is a bit different from Obama's broader
denial on December 11.
Could the Blago
Scandal Ensnare Team Obama? You Betcha. The probe is being conducted, after all, by U.S. Attorney
Patrick Fitzgerald, the man who prosecuted one of the most intensely investigated and politically-charged
perjury-and-false-statements cases in Washington history. ... You don't think the Blagojevich matter could
cause trouble for Obama? Then you haven't looked closely enough at the Plame affair.
Blago drama for
Obama. President-elect Barack Obama's incoming chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, was pushing for
Obama's successor just days after the Nov. 4 election, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times. Emanuel
privately urged Gov. Blagojevich's administration to appoint Obama confidante Valerie Jarrett, and the
Sun-Times learned Tuesday [12/16/2008] that he also pressed that it be done by a certain deadline.
The
Real Housewives of Crook County. Mrs. Blago, the former Patti Mell, won the hearts of old-school
thugs everywhere with her f-word-filled rants captured on FBI wiretaps, some of which were colorfully detailed
in the criminal complaint against her hubby last week. It's old news to folks in Chicago, but the woman
who masquerades as a sweet gubernatorial spouse dedicated to children's advocacy is a cutthroat wheeler-dealer
in heels who schemed with the gov to fire pesky editorial writers and get herself placed on paid corporate
boards in exchange for naming the president-elect's pick to the Senate.
Corruption and the untouchable Obama. First there was the
federal trial of Obama supporter and fundraiser Tony Rezko. The charges against Rezko had nothing
directly to do with Obama, who has donated $150,000 in Rezko-related contributions to charity. But Rezko
did raise money for Obama's Senate run, to which he also personally contributed more than $21,000.
Source: Illinois
gov nixed job for Jackson Jr.'s wife. Shortly after his 2002 election, Gov. Rod Blagojevich told
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. he didn't appoint the congressman's wife as lottery director because he had refused him
a $25,000 campaign donation, a person familiar with the conversation told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
What Democrat
Scandal? With the governor caught on tape unloading obscenity after obscenity about how he
expected to reap a financial bonanza for handing out his gubernatorial perks, this story was so undeniably
big, even the Obamaphile press couldn't ignore it. So instead these reporters tried to downplay its
impact on the President-elect and the Democrats.
Does Obama team have
something to hide? It may be that neither President-elect Barack Obama nor anyone else on his
staff has anything to hide regarding the pay-to-play scandal involving Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Then, by all means, Obama and his team should stop acting as if they do have something to hide.
Democrats and the Culture of
Corruption: As the Rod Blagojevich scandal continues to unfold, it's worth recalling that
Democrats in 2006 — led by Representative Rahm Emanuel — ran on the theme that they
would end "the culture of corruption." Indeed, Emanuel, in dismissing wrongdoings by Democrats at the
time, explained them away as simply the actions of a few individuals. About Republicans, Emanuel said,
"They have institutional corruption." The argument put forth was that Democrats would bring ethics and
high standards to public office and that the Democratic Party would embody integrity and police its ranks.
It hasn't quite worked out that way.
The Perils Of Special Elections. The scandal of Illinois
Gov. Rod Blagojevich's alleged attempt to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat, and the much smaller controversies
surrounding open seats in New York and Delaware, have led to questions about the way most states replace
senators who leave office early — by direct gubernatorial appointment. Is this really a good
way to fill such an important elective office?
Why the Guilty Conscience?
Governor Rod Blagojevich is certain to go down in flames, but Barack Obama should make it through this scandal
just fine. Why, then, is the President-elect acting so guilty? For example, Obama came out
immediately and denied that he had any talks with Blagojevich or his folks about filling Illinois' vacant
Senate seat. That is just not credible.
Chicago Cops Dodge Blagojevich/Sears Tower Investigation.
No one should be surprised that 'Blago' and company are part of a conspiracy. It wasn't so long ago
that Illinois officials conspired with Al Capone. The Chicago cops stood by and played dumb then, too.
Rod
Blagojevich scandal a ticking bomb for Rahm Emanuel. So the Obama team's internal report into
its contacts with Governor Rod Blagojevich is out — held, conveniently enough, until late afternoon
on the day before Christmas eve when Obama is in Hawaii and the normally very available Rahm Emanuel
is en route to Africa. The US attorney's interviews with Obama, Valerie Jarrett and Emanuel were
completed on Saturday so the report could have been released then. Instead, Team Obama waited
another three days, during time which they made a strategic Sunday leak to ABC News to draw the sting.
What
Did Barack Obama Know and When Did He Know it? On December 23, when all of us were busy wrapping
gifts and preparing for Christmas, the Obama team issued a report exonerating everyone on his team of any
wrongdoing in the scandal to sell Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder. However, the report written
by Greg Craig, famous for fighting the Clinton impeachment, raises more questions than it answers.
Obama Questioned by FBI for Two Hours. Two
hours is a long time to talk to the FBI when you claim you've had no contact with Blagojevich. Obama is the first
black President-Elect but he's also the first President-Elect to be questioned by the FBI about a major criminal
investigation. Did the FBI ask Obama about this subject or was it just about Blagojevich?
Barack Obama questioned by FBI agents over Blagojevich scandal.
President-elect Barack Obama has been interviewed for two hours by four federal investigators about the scandal
surrounding the alleged sale of his Senate seat by Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois. Mr Obama has broken new
ground by becoming the first US leader to face questioning by federal agents between election day and inauguration.
Obama Report Raises Questions.
Last week's report from the Obama transition team raised more questions than it answered about President-elect Obama's
staff's contacts with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The report, issued by Obama attorney Greg Craig, cleared all
Obama personnel, including Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), Obama's soon-to-be chief of staff, of any wrongdoing. But
Craig failed to ascertain how many phone calls Emanuel actually made to the embattled governor.
The Twenty
Biggest Stories Of 2008: (#14) Rod Blagojevich peddles Obama's Senate seat: The
governor of Illinois was [allegedly] engaged in various illegal shenanigans including shaking down a children's hospital
and peddling the barely used Senate seat of our current President-elect. Now, everyone wants to know
how much Obama and his staff knew, whether Blago's appointee is going to be seated, and how long Blago will be
in office before he's removed or thrown in jail. It's political soap opera at its finest.
Blago
costs Jackson $100K in legal bills. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) spent $100,000 on legal expenses one week
after it became clear that he was listed in Gov. Rod Blagojevich's (D) arrest documents as "Senate Candidate No. 5,"
according to Federal Election Commission documents. Jackson paid Chicago attorney James Montgomery $100,000 from his
campaign account in one lump-sum payment on Dec. 18. The payment represents a very large amount —
nearly one-tenth of what Jackson raised last cycle.
New Illinois House Votes to Impeach Governor.
The new Illinois House has voted 117-1 to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich with his sister-in-law as the lone "no"
vote. Rep. Deborah Mell voted Wednesday [1/14/2009] not to impeach the two-term governor. Her
sister is married to Blagojevich.
Unanimous Vote: Illinois Gov. Rod
Blagojevich Thrown Out of Office. Gov. Rod Blagojevich was thrown out of office Thursday [1/29/2009] without
a single lawmaker coming to his defense, brought down by a government-for-sale scandal that stretched from Chicago to
Capitol Hill and turned the foul-mouthed politician into a national punchline.
More
about Obama's Chicago connections.
Former Illinois
Governor Indicted. A federal grand jury charged former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich on Thursday
[4/2/2009] with racketeering, extortion and fraud, opening a new chapter in the prosecution of the voluble Democrat,
who could spend years behind bars if convicted.
Blagojevich,
his brother, top aides indicted. Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, his brother, and a former top fundraiser
were among six men indicted today on political corruption charges, the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago announced.
In addition to Rob Blagojevich, 53, and fundraiser Christopher Kelly, 50, charged were Lon Monk, 50, a lobbyist and
former Blagojevich chief of staff; John Harris, 47, also a former chief of staff to Blagojevich; and William Cellini,
74, a Springfield insider for decades.
The Case Against Blago Looks
Overwhelming. The beauty of tying everything together as a conspiracy is that jurors will be able
to see the totality of the pay-to-play practices carried out by Blagojevich: from fund-raising schemes carried
to completion early in his administration — on which his own fingerprints may be less distinct —
to the shakedown interruptus captured on the wiretaps where his involvement will ring through loud and clear in his
own voice.
The Blago Code. Rod Blagojevich
has a message to his former political cronies: "If I'm going down, I'm taking all of you with me." And
given his close, 14-year relationship with Barack Obama and Tony Rezko, this can only be bad news for the White House.
Ex-Blagojevich aide
pleads guilty to corruption. A former chief of staff and longtime friend of ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich
pleaded guilty to wire fraud Tuesday [10/20/2009] and promised to cooperate with federal prosecutors in their corruption
case against the former governor.
Senator Roland Burris
Illinois GOP leader
calls on Sen. Burris to resign. Just as Illinois was moving past the agony and embarrassment of former Gov.
Rod Blagojevich's ousting, the fellow Democrat whom Blagojevich appointed to the U.S. Senate was hearing calls for his own
resignation Sunday amid allegations he lied to legislators. Freshman Sen. Roland Burris released an affidavit on
Saturday that contradicts his statements last month to a House committee investigating Blagojevich's impeachment.
The
Rod Blagojevich train wreck continues — now Burris contradicts himself. In January, the Illinois
House impeachment committee asked Senator Burris if he had spoken to Blago or any of his people about his desire for the
Senate seat once held by President Obama. Back then he said he had only spoken to Lon Monk, a former aide of Blago's.
Now he's updating his statement a bit. He has suddenly recalled speaking to three or maybe four more people.
Including Blago's brother Rob three times about the Senate seat.
Burris
changes his story again; the scandal that will not die. Roland Burris testified in January that he had not had
any conversations with Governor Blagojevich of Illinois, or his people, regarding the Senate seat vacated by President Obama.
He revised his testimony days later to say that he had discussed the matter with Blagojevich staffers, but never with the
Governor's brother. Yesterday it was released that now Senator Burris had submitted yet another revised
affidavit ... .
Perjury or not, Burris shows he is at
least a liar. The word preposterous comes to my mind to describe Burris' explanation — and
accompanying performance Sunday — in which he basically says his previous failure to disclose relevant
contacts with Rod Blagojevich's inner circle about the Senate vacancy was simply a matter of everyone else's
failure to ask him the right questions or give him time to answer. I was at that hearing, and I have
reviewed the transcript. Burris had plenty of opportunity to tell the whole truth and, for whatever
reason, failed to do so.
Burris
denies lying to panel. Amid Republican calls for his resignation, Sen. Roland W. Burris of
Illinois denied perjuring himself to a state House panel considering the impeachment of then-Gov. Rod R.
Blagojevich, saying Sunday afternoon [2/15/2009] that he never misled anyone. The freshman Democratic
senator was peppered with questions in a frenzied and combative Chicago news conference about a quietly filed
affidavit that appears to contradict his testimony in January about the Blagojevich associates with whom he
had spoken about Barack Obama's Senate seat.
Burris tried to raise funds
for Blagojevich. U.S. Sen. Roland Burris is pleading with ordinary Illinoisans to stop a "rush
to judgment" amid growing fury over the new senator's shifting accounts of how he came to be appointed to
the Senate.
Burris
now acknowledges fundraising effort for Blagojevich. U.S. Sen. Roland Burris has acknowledged he
sought to raise campaign funds for then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich at the request of the governor's brother at the
same time he was making a pitch to be appointed to the Senate seat previously held by President Barack Obama.
Burris lied, and liars get
fired. Lying on your resume gets you fired. If you claim you graduated from college when you
actually didn't, and your boss finds out, you usually get shown the gate, even if you're doing a good job.
The Beginning of the End for
Senator Burris. Roland Burris insists that he wasn't "trying to slip something by anybody" last
month, even though that's precisely what he did. In early January, Mr. Burris appeared before the Illinois
state legislative committee that was looking into impeaching then-Governor Rod Blagojevich. It was a
critical moment in his suddenly revived political career.
Burris perjury
probe vexes Democrats. As if enough hasn't already gone wrong, with Cabinet nominees dropping
like flies, bipartisanship out the window after just 30 days and the world's economy squarely on his back,
President Obama has a new problem with the man who took his old Senate seat [—] a problem he thought had
been solved.
Dems abandon Burris. Sen.
Roland Burris is rapidly losing any political support he once had among colleagues, with Democrats from the
statehouse to the White House raising questions about his entanglements with ousted Illinois Gov. Rod
Blagojevich. In a statement issued Wednesday evening, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said that
"the accuracy and completeness of his testimony and affidavits have been called into serious question.
Burris'
future in Senate 'in question'. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said today the political future of U.S. Sen.
Roland Burris "is in question" amid growing concern about his contacts with ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
The comments from Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, came hours after Burris, his Illinois
colleague, pleaded with fellow politicians and Illinoisans to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Roland Burris,
resign. The benefit of the doubt had already been stretched thin and taut by the time Roland
Burris offered his third version of the events leading to his appointment to the U.S. Senate. It finally
snapped like a rubber band, popping him on that long Pinocchio nose of his, when he came out with version four.
Durbin:
Senate investigation of Burris under way. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin says he believes the testimony
that Sen. Roland Burris gave to Illinois lawmakers about his appointment to the U.S. Senate was incomplete and
that a Senate ethics investigation now under way is appropriate. Durbin made those comments
Wednesday [2/18/2009] while on a trip to Greece to discuss security in the region.
Democrats
self-destructing over ethics. The Obama administration and the new Congress are quickly
handing over to Republicans the same "culture of corruption" issue that Democrats used so effectively
against the GOP before coming to power. Freshman Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., is only the latest
embarrassment.
Black pastors to ask Burris to resign. A group of
black ministers who supported U.S. Sen. Roland Burris as he fought to get his job now plan to ask for his resignation
following revelations that he tried to raise money for the disgraced governor who appointed him, one of the ministers
told The Associated Press on Thursday [2/19/2009].
Will Roland Burris Resign? Almost from
the day that Obama clinched the Democratic nomination, Burris was pushing himself forward to replace him in the
Senate ... Burris' current problems can be traced directly to this overarching desire to top his career off with a
bang. Instead, he is likely to end it in shame.
Quinn calls on
Burris to quit. Gov. Patrick Quinn today called on U.S. Sen. Roland Burris to resign amid the furor of
questions over his contacts with former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Burris should "act as quickly as possible for the
best interests of Illinois," Quinn said at a late morning news conference. "This should not be a matter that
takes weeks."
Too late for ex-Burris backers to cut and
run. [Scroll down slowly] As for the senator himself, here's a man who is roundly ridiculed for his
pomposity and yet still refers to himself in the papal plural; isn't embarrassed about etching everything but his grade
point average into his mausoleum, and once actually said that someday Illinois, the "Land of Lincoln," might come to be
known as the "Land of Burris." Sadly, that last delusional dream is coming true as once again Illinois politics
rockets into headlines, editorials and satires across the country. In addition to a perjury probe of Burris'
testimony before the Illinois House and an ethics investigation in Washington, there is the possibility of a
challenge to his law license by a state board.
The silence of the
Dems: By what he said and what he chose not to say, Roland Burris lied his way into the United States
Senate. Our questions, then, for leaders of Burris' Democratic Party: ...What's your moral calculus here? Do
you think it's acceptable for someone to take a Senate seat by lies of commission and of omission? That is, by
saying what isn't true — and by declining to say what is? ... The longer you [Democrats] tolerate this, the
more you own it.
Sen. Roland Burris questioned in
probe of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. U.S. Sen. Roland Burris was interviewed by federal authorities for
several hours Saturday as part of the ongoing corruption investigation into charges that former Gov. Rod Blagojevich
tried to sell a Senate seat for personal or political profit, sources familiar with the talks said. Burris'
interview, which had been delayed for weeks, took place at his attorney's offices in downtown Chicago. He has
been informed he is not a target of the probe, the sources said.
Fellow Illinois senator calls on Burris to resign.
Sen. Richard Durbin, the Senate Democratic whip who also represents Illinois, asked for Sen. Roland Burris to
resign during a meeting Tuesday [2/24/2009]. Burris said he would not.
The 'culture of corruption' is alive and well with Democrats.
While Blagojevich's ethics were questionable, his political instincts were not. He nominated Roland
Burris, former Illinois Attorney General and an African-American, to succeed Obama. There was just no
way that the Democrats were going to block a qualified black from joining the U. S. Senate, regardless of
the ethical issues of Illinois's impeached and ousted governor. Unfortunately Senator Burris may have
told the truth, but not the whole truth, to Illinois legislative committees investigating Blagojevich's
behavior.
Roland Burris Goes From the Frying Pan into the
Fire. Just when it looked like things couldn't get any worse for Illinois Sen. Roland Burris, it
got worse. The state's governor and its senior U.S. senator, Majority Whip Richard Durbin, had already
called for his resignation over his conflicting testimonies about his contacts with Rod Blagojevich, the scandal-rich
governor who appointed Burris to the Senate seat formerly held by Barack Obama. Then Sen. David Vitter of
Louisiana called on Burris to step down, though Vitter has, for the better part of two years, ignored calls
for his own resignation.
On the other hand...
There have also been a few Republicans whose actions haven't made other Republicans
too proud. Democrats see to get into the headlines because of situations that
look a lot like graft, or tax evasion, or bribery or something involving lots of money.
Republicans tend to embarass themselves with personal scandals that show poor judgment
but usually don't put the taxpayers' money in the politicians' pockets. But
corruption is corruption, regardless of the party in which it appears. I say, go
to the ballot box and throw these bums out, too.
Culture of corruption
knows no party boundaries. If a congressman wants to go junketing to the really nice vacation spots
of the world, he must pay for it himself. Gone are the days when lobbyists can pay for visits to famous golf
courses, or spectacular beaches where the member is put up in luxury and wants for nothing, right? Wrong.
Those days are still with us.
Corrupt conservatives:
[South Carolina Gov. Mark] Sanford is only one in a long line of Republican politicians who, while sounding
like preachers and priests, have behaved like perverts and pimps.
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