Tag: corruption

Chicago Area Mayor Charged With Extortion As Feds Crack Down On Corrupt Dem Machine

Chicago Area Mayor Charged With Extortion As Feds Crack Down On Corrupt Dem Machine. After all the decades of corruption people are getting arrested. Remember crooks, income tax returns did in Al Capone.

From The Chicago Tribune:

Former Cook County commissioner and McCook Mayor Jeffrey Tobolski was charged in federal court Friday with conspiracy to commit extortion and filing a false tax return.

The two-count criminal information filed against Tobolski marked the latest domino to fall in a sprawling federal corruption investigation that has touched some of the Democratic Party’s key suburban political players — including Tobolski’s own chief of staff and fellow local mayor Louis Presta.

According to the bare-bones charges, Tobolski allegedly conspired with an unnamed McCook official to extort a victim identified only as Individual A by using “actual and threatened fear of economic harm.”

He also allegedly filed a falsified income tax return for 2018, reporting his income for that year as $214,000 when his actual income was “substantially” higher, according the the paperwork.

L.A. City Councilman Jose Huizar charged in 34-count indictment in ongoing corruption probe

L.A. City Councilman Jose Huizar charged in 34-count indictment in ongoing corruption probe. Hopefully, he’ll enjoy getting probed in prison.

Federal prosecutors charged Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar in a 34-count indictment Thursday as part of an ongoing corruption probe, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Huizar, 51, was charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. He stands accused of leading a criminal enterprise in which he personally profited off his position as an elected official through bribery and other forms of corruption.

The indictment details 42 alleged acts of corruption by Huizar such as money laundering, bribery and honest services fraud.

Trump Hating Puerto Rico Governor Faces Corruption Probe Amid Growing Allegations

Wanda Vázquez

Trump Hating Puerto Rico Governor Faces Corruption Probe Amid Growing Allegations.  Remember all the FEMA supplies that disappeared off the planet? Time t pay up.

Puerto Rico’s governor, Wanda Vázquez and other top officials on Monday became the official targets of an in-depth government investigation into recent corruption allegations.

The U.S. territory’s Special Independent Prosecutor’s Panel agreed to probe the allegations following a referral from the island’s Department of Justice that ended with the dismissal of two justice secretaries earlier this month and led to calls for impeachment against the governor.

“This is very serious,” Edgardo Román, president of Puerto Rico’s College of Attorneys, told The Associated Press. “It means there are already two entities that have independently concluded there is sufficient basis to investigate a governor.”

Giuliani: There Is Enough Evidence Now For A RICO Case Against Clinton Foundation For “Racketeering”

Giuliani: There Is Enough Evidence Now For A RICO Case Against Clinton Foundation For “Racketeering.” Where the hell is Eliott Ness when you need him?

California State Senator Doesn’t Want You to Think His Brothers Running a Taxi Company Influences His Bottling up Bills that Would Make Things Easier for Uber Drivers

California State Senator Doesn’t Want You to Think His Brothers Running a Taxi Company Influences His Bottling up Bills that Would Make Things Easier for Uber Drivers. If you can’t smell the corruption and nepotism here then you have a problem.

Nearly 50 Georgia correctional officers arrested for drug trafficking

Nearly 50 Georgia correctional officers arrested for drug trafficking. Looks like the guards are as bad or worse than the inmates.

“Allegations range, of course, from smuggling in contraband to our inmates here, but also using their official capacity as officers to protect what they believe to be drug transactions and drug shipments traveling through Georgia,”

Unions and the Democrats, America’s political Ponzi scheme

“They told me if I voted for John McCain, special interests would run the country. And they were right.”

“They told me if I voted for John McCain, special interests would run the country. And they were right.”

President Obama condemned the January 2010 Citizens United decision, saying “the Supreme Court has given a green light to a new stampede of special interest money in our politics.” Nothing but a smokescreen to distract attention from the tsunami of special interest money on which his side surfs. Psychologists call such hypocriscy “projection” but we prefer the old-fashioned term “lying.”

Powerline reveals the inconvenient truth:

Antony Davies of Duquesne has prepared a series of charts that summarize special interest political contributions from 1989 to 2009, based on data from Open Secrets. This chart is the most revealing; it shows that the overwhelming majority of special interest money goes to Democrats, and that unions dwarf everyone else. It’s actually even worse than the chart shows at first glance, since teachers’ unions are listed separately and account for another $50 million, virtually all of it given to Democrats.

Sure, condemn opponents for doing something you do ten times as much. Sounds pretty “Democratic” to us.

Top 100 Political Donors
CLICK IMAGE to enlarge it you can read it.

By the way, what exactly is “special interest money”? Apparently it’s any money that doesn’t go to the Democrats.

…it is time to revisit the privileged status that unions are given under the antitrust laws. If we repeal Section 6 of the Clayton Act, unions will be on a level playing field with the rest of us.

The chattering class has always told us special interests are screwing us. For once, they were right about something.

– Written by Bonfire of the Absurdities

Source: Powerline

Missouri Democrat Claire McCaskill’s political career dies in a horrible flaming airplane crash

McCaskill revealed that after her own review of the plane’s records, she had not paid personal property taxes on the aircraft over the past four years.

Mark Twain said, “Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” But in the case of Missouri Democrat Senator Claire McCaskill, her political death is imminent. Or in 2012, whichever comes first.

First, she supported ObamaCare when 71% of her state voted against it. Then she was hit with an ethics complaint after being forced to pay more than $88,000 to the Treasury Department after she used taxpayer funds from her Senate office account to pay for nearly 90 flights on her own airplane. And now she has more ethics problems with the same plane.

Politico has the story of McCaskilll’s rough landing:

In a conference call Monday afternoon, McCaskill revealed that after her own review of the plane’s records, she had not paid personal property taxes on the aircraft over the past four years.

“I have discovered that the personal property taxes on the plane have not been paid. There should have been a reporting to the county of the existence of this plane. There are people I could blame for this, but I know better. I take full responsibility,” McCaskill said to reporters, after revealing she had conducted her own audit of all 89 flights she had taken.



“This was a mistake, It should have been reported in Missouri. It will be paid in Missouri today,” she said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrCa5909UuQ

Yes, of course, it was a mistake. Same kind of mistake Tim Geithner made on his taxes. Same kind of mistake John Kerry made when he saved hundreds of thousands of dollars by docking his new yacht in Rhode Island instead of Massachusetts. Same kind of mistake Charlie Rangel made when he didn’t report income on his Caribbean hideaway.

McCaskill said she would be sending a check for $287,273 to St. Louis County Monday for the back taxes she owed between 2007 and 2010. She also said she had campaign lawyers looking into the flights to determine if any more in-kind contributions needed to be reported to be in compliance.

Asked if this would hurt her reelection bid, McCaskill replied, “I don’t know, I’ve tried to handle this like I handle anything else,” citing her advocacy for transparency and accountability in Congress.

Far be it from us to write any premature political obituaries, but Claire McCaskill’s political career is as dead as Knut the polar bear.

Source: Politico.com

Good lord: Reverend Al Sharpton owes $3.7 million in taxes

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has vowed to clean up his fiscal house, has a new tax lien to pay. Sharpton owes $359,973 to the IRS for 2009 personal income tax.

There’s a line in James Michener’s Hawaii about the Christian missionaries who came to save Hawaiian souls and ended up owning most of the islands: They came to do good and they did very well. The same can be said for the charlatan Reverend Al Sharpton

al sharpton
The Reverend Al Sharpton ministering to the needs of one of his flock

The New York Post has the details of Sharpton’s deficit:

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has vowed to clean up his fiscal house, has a new tax lien to pay.

Sharpton owes $359,973 to the IRS for 2009 personal income tax, according to documents on file with the city.

Public records show he owes a total of $3.7 million in city, state and federal taxes, including penalties, dating to 2002. But Sharpton’s spokeswoman, Rachel Noerdlinger, said that he had paid back “well over seven figures” as part of agreements with the state and IRS and that the liens remained on the books as “a matter of bureaucracy.”

Sharpton made $250,000 as head of the nonprofit National Action Network in 2009, a year that ended with the group owing $1.1 million in taxes and having just $36,397 cash on hand.

The organization also pays for first-class or charter travel for Sharpton and other NAN staff, according to its 2009 tax return. Noerdlinger declined to say for whom.

Apparently doing the Lord’s work is very taxing.

Sourc: New York Post

First Czar in Prison contest still open as Rattner agrees to pay fine

Steven Rattner, who was accused of paying kickbacks, has managed to avoid becoming the first Obama Czar in prison, receiving a $10,000,000 fine instead.

And what a fine it was: $10,000,000.00 dollars. But don’t schedule any fundraisers for the former Car Czar, because as this video clip shows Rattner may be worth as much as $680 million. So he should be okay.

Rattner, who was accused of paying kickbacks, has managed to avoid becoming the first Obama Czar in prison. Of course, Van Jones is ineligible for the contest because his prison time was somewhat short and came before he became a Czar.

Kind of makes us wonder, though, what kind of money the horrible, evil, filthy rich that the Obama administration finds so appalling must make. Rattner, for example, is a piker in terms of net worth when compared to Mayor Bloomberg, whose money is managed by the former Car Czar. The New York City Mayor’s net worth may be as high as $20 billion. With a B.

We don’t begrudge either of these guys their money. With one notable exception, that is. Bloomberg’s salary as Mayor of New York City is $1.00 per year. Considering the job he’s doing, any impartial observer would say he’s overpaid.

So, alas, Rattner has avoided prison time and we’re still waiting for the first Czar to swap pinstripes for prison stripes. All things considered, we shouldn’t have to wait much longer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcML-XQ5zrM

Fraud of the day: Another Congressional Black Caucus member accused of giving scholarships to relatives

Another day, another scandal for the Congressional Black Caucus. Now Sanford Bishop, a Georgia Democrat, has been accused of awarding scholarships from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation to family members.

Another day, another scandal for the Congressional Black Caucus.

Now Sanford Bishop, a Georgia Democrat, has been accused of awarding scholarships from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation to family members. Specifically, his stepdaughter and wife’s niece. And no one can scream racism on this one, because the details come straight from the records of the non-profit group itself.

Politico.com has the details:

sanford bishop
Sanford Bishop wants to educate America's youth. Especially if they're his relatives.

Bishop is the second Democrat found to have funneled Congressional Black Caucus Foundation scholarship funds to relatives, threatening to turn the program into a larger political problem for the party. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) recently paid back $31,000 to the foundation for scholarships that she improperly awarded to various relatives and children of a top staffer.

Rep. Donald Payne (D-N.J.), chairman of the CBC Foundation, has promised an “extensive audit of the scholarship program” run by the organization.

Bishop, though, also appears to have favored family members with CBC scholarships.

In 2003, Emmaundia Whitaker, the niece of Vivian Creighton Bishop, who is Bishop’s wife, was awarded an education scholarship. She was also given a similar award in 2005.

And in 2003, Aayesha Owens Reese, the congressman’s stepdaughter, was granted an education scholarship as well.

As much as we enjoy condemning Congressman Bishop, we figure this is just the tip of the iceberg. He’s probably no more corrupt than the rest of the leeches in Congress – black, white, yellow, brown, green and purple.

There’s just too much money floating around Washington, DC. And too much temptation for these little gods to skim a little off the top for themselves.

Source: Politico.com

Deadbeats in DC: Congressional employees owe millions in back taxes

Federal workers across the fruited plain owe more than $1 billion in back taxes. That’s bad enough. But now comes the news that congressional employees owe more than $9.3 million.

Federal workers across the fruited plain owe more than $1 billion in back taxes. That’s bad enough. But now comes the news that congressional employees owe more than $9.3 million.

The Washington Post has the deadbeat details:

tim geithner tax cheat
A fish rots from the head down: Tax cheat Tim Geithner apparently sets the tone for all of Washington

The debt among Hill employees has risen at a faster rate than the overall tax debt on the government’s books, according to Internal Revenue Service data. It comes at a time when some Republican members are pushing for the firings of government workers who owe the IRS and President Obama has urged a crackdown on delinquent government contractors.

The IRS information does not identify delinquent taxpayers by name, party affiliation or job title and does not indicate whether members of Congress are among the scofflaws. It shows that 638 employees, or about 4 percent, of the 18,000 Hill workers owe money.

The average unpaid tax bill is $12,787 among the Senate’s delinquent taxpayers and $15,498 among those working in the House.

And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, it does. Poke into any corner in Washington, DC and you’ll find deadbeats:

41 White House employees owe the government $831,055 in back taxes. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis’ runs a department in which 463 employes owe $7,481,463. Eighty-one people working for the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors owe $1,076,733. And Eric Holder’s Justice Department has a remarkable 1,971 employees who have stiffed the government for $14,350,152 in overdue taxes. Janet Napolitano, Director of Homeland Security, has 4,856 employees who owe the IRS $37,012,174.

Fact is, they all owe us an apology. With penalties and interest.

H/T: HotAir.com

Raaaacism! Another member of the Congressional Black Caucus accused of corruption.

The Congressional Black Caucus cried racism when two of its members – Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters – were charged with corruption. Well, longtime Texas Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson may be late to the party, but she has officially arrived.

eddie bernice johnson
Eddie Bernie Johnson, the latest victim of Nancy Pelosi's racist reign of terror

A couple weeks back members of the Congressional Black Caucus cried racism when two of its members – Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters – were charged with corruption. Well, longtime Texas Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson may be late to the party, but she has officially arrived.

The Dallas Morning News reports the latest case of blatant raaaacism:

Longtime Dallas congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson has awarded thousands of dollars in college scholarships to four relatives and a top aide’s two children since 2005, using foundation funds set aside for black lawmakers’ causes.


The recipients were ineligible under anti-nepotism rules of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which provided the money. And all of the awards violated a foundation requirement that scholarship winners live or study in a caucus member’s district.

…Scholarships have gone to two of the congresswoman’s grandsons, Kirk and David Johnson; to two of her great-nephews, Gregory and Preston Moore; and to [staff member Rod] Givens’ son and daughter. Givens did not respond to requests for comment, and none of the scholarship recipients could be reached.

We demand that these charges be withdrawn. We’re certain that little Kirk and David, little Gregory and Preston, and all the rest were simply the most deserving students Johnson could find.

Any other conclusion is raaaacism!

Source: Dallas Morning News

Republican congressman recites list of bribes and kickbacks in Obamacare bill

ObamaCare will undoubtedly go down in history as the most corrupt bill ever passed. And to make it even worse, most of the bribes took place right out in public.

Just in case anyone’s been sleeping through this debacle, Congressman Jack Kingston (R-GA) recited a list of all the bribes and payoffs just before the vote took place.

ObamaCare will undoubtedly go down in history as the most corrupt bill ever passed. And to make it even worse, most of the bribes took place right out in public.

Just in case anyone’s been sleeping through this debacle, Congressman Jack Kingston (R-GA) recited a list of all the bribes and payoffs just before the vote took place.

And yet it passed.

H/T: Bluegrass Pundit

Baltimore mayor convicted of misdemeanor theft. Wonder what party she belongs to?

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon was convicted Tuesday of “misappropriation by a fiduciary.” That means the classy lady ripped off money meant for poor people.

News flash: Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon is a Democrat (Damn it, there goes our Pulitzer Prize)
News flash: Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon is a Democrat (Damn it, there goes our Pulitzer Prize)

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon was convicted Tuesday of “misappropriation by a fiduciary.” That means the classy lady ripped off money meant for poor people.

Of course, we all know that if Dixon had been a Republican the story’s headline would have been “Republican mayor convicted of theft.” But she’s a Democrat. So the liberal media either buries that fact or completely ignores it.

The Associated Press – to its credit – mentioned it in the second paragraph of its story, but other coverage was spotty at best.

For example, ABC2news.com didn’t bother to mention Mayor Dixon’s party affiliation in its 10-paragraph story.

The New York Times finally got around to mentioning it in the 12th paragraph.

WBAL-TV mentioned it in the 22nd paragraph.

NPR’s story didn’t mention Dixon’s party affiliation.

The Baltimore Business Journal didn’t mention it at all.

And neither did NBCwashington.com.

We’re just sayin’.

An IHateTheMedia.com Public Service Translation
The “special” language added to the Senate ObamaCare bill and a translation to English

Just before the Senate’s 60-39 procedural vote in favor of ObamaCare, Harrry Reid bought recalcitrant Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu’s vote with a $300,000,000 grant to the state of Louisiana. First, the actual language of the Landrieu amendment and then the translation. Feel free to skip directly to the translation.

Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu became the highest paid prostitute in history when she screwed the American people for $300,000,000.
Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu became the highest priced prostitute in history when she screwed the American people for $300,000,000.

Just before the Senate’s 60-39 procedural vote in favor of ObamaCare, Harrry Reid bought recalcitrant Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu’s vote with a $300,000,000 grant to the state of Louisiana.

First, the actual language of the Landrieu amendment and then the translation. Feel free to skip directly to the translation.

SEC. 2006. SPECIAL ADJUSTMENT TO FMAP DETERMINATION FOR CERTAIN STATES RECOVERING FROM A MAJOR DISASTER.
Section 1905 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396d), as amended by sections 2001(a)(3) and
2001(b)(2), is amended— (1) in subsection (b), in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘subsection (y)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsections (y) and (aa)’’; and (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:

‘‘(aa)(1) Notwithstanding subsection (b), beginning January 1, 2011, the Federal medical assistance percentage for a fiscal year for a disaster-recovery FMAP adjustment State shall be equal to the following:
‘(A) In the case of the first fiscal year (or part of a fiscal year) for which this subsection applies to the State, the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for the fiscal year without regard to this subsection and subsection (y), increased by 50 percent of the number of percentage points by which the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for the State for the fiscal year without regard to this subsection and subsection (y), is less than the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for the State for the preceding fiscal year after the application of only subsection (a) of section 5001 of Public Law 111–5 (if applicable to the preceding fiscal year) and without regard to this subsection, subsection (y), and subsections (b) and (c) of section 5001 of Public Law 111–5.
‘‘(B) In the case of the second or any succeeding fiscal year for which this subsection applies to the State, the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for the preceding fiscal year under this subsection for the State, increased by 25 percent of the number of percentage points by which the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for the State for the fiscal year without regard to this subsection and subsection (y), is less than the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for the State for the preceding fiscal year under this subsection.
‘‘(2) In this subsection, the term ‘disaster-recovery FMAP adjustment State’ means a State that is one of
the 50 States or the District of Columbia, for which, at any time during the preceding 7 fiscal years, the President has declared a major disaster under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and determined as a result of such disaster that every county or parish in the State warrant individual and public assistance or public assistance from the Federal Government under such Act and for which— ‘‘(A) in the case of the first fiscal year (or part of a fiscal year) for which this subsection applies to the State, the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for the State for the fiscal year without regard to this subsection and subsection (y), is less than the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for the State for the preceding fiscal year after the application of only subsection (a) of section 5001 of Public Law 111–5 (if applicable to the preceding fiscal year) and without regard to this subsection, subsection (y), and subsections (b) and (c) of section 5001 of Public Law 111–5, by at least 3 percentage points; and ‘‘(B) in the case of the second or any succeeding fiscal year for which this subsection applies to the State, the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for the State for the fiscal year without regard to this subsection and subsection (y), is less than the Federal medical assistance percentage determined for the State for the preceding fiscal year under this subsection by at least 3 percentage points.
‘‘(3) The Federal medical assistance percentage determined for a disaster-recovery FMAP adjustment State under paragraph (1) shall apply for purposes of this title (other than with respect to disproportionate share hospital payments described in section 1923 and payments under this title that are based on the enhanced FMAP described in 2105(b)) and shall not apply with respect to payments under title IV (other than under part E of title IV) or payments under title XXI.’’

Translation:

“We’ve established what you are, Senator Landrieu, now we’re just haggling about the price.”

– Written by Patrick Michael

The Congressional video Democrats tried to censor

Democrat cowards were hiding in another room and the Republican video exposes the truth as they attempt to sneak out a back door.

If there was ever a case that screamed “Corruption!”, it’s the Countrywide Loan scandal. As the Wall Street Journal reports:

Democratic staff for the House oversight committee informed their GOP counterparts today that the majority has changed the locks on the committee’s hearing room. While Republicans previously enjoyed their own key to the room, they will now have to request access from Democrats. This followed a bitter partisan argument in which Republicans refused to take down a video from their website that contradicted Dem explanations about a closed-door meeting on the Countrywide VIP loan scandal.

Background: The Democrats said they had to cancel the hearing because “too many members were in another committee hearing.” In reality, the corrupt cowards were hiding in another room and the Republican video exposes the truth as they attempt to sneak out a back door.

For some reason – and we certainly wouldn’t want to cast any aspersions, but encourage you to feel free to do so – the Democrats are very afraid of this Countrywide scandal and the subpoenas Republicans want to issue. They’ve done everything they can think of to put the kibosh on those subpoenas, but California Republican Congressman Darrell Issa has his teeth in this one like a bulldog on a bone.

You go, Darrell.

Source: Bluegrass Pundit

Hmmmmm. Did ACORN steal the election for Al Franken?

Shame on us. We’ve been thinking that the election of Al Franken proved that the people of Minnesota need massive psychiatric intervention. But maybe not if the Minneapolis Star-Tribune is to be believed.

Senator Al Franken (D-ACORN)
Senator Al Franken (D-ACORN)

Shame on us. We’ve been thinking that the election of Al Franken proved that the people of Minnesota need massive psychiatric intervention. But maybe not if the Minneapolis Star-Tribune is to be believed:

…ACORN does have a special place in its heart for at least one prominent Minnesota politician. Last year, it showered praise on Al Franken, endorsing his run for the U.S. Senate. Franken returned the esteem: “I’m thrilled and honored to receive this endorsement,” he gushed in a press release. He added that he was “more motivated than ever to work with ACORN.”

Fact is, ACORN may deserve the credit and the blame for Franken’s election. The scandal-plagued group claims it registered 75% of Minnesota’s 43,000 new voters. Since Franken’s margin of victory was a mere 312 votes, it seems reasonable to assume that ACORN’s dubious new voters were enough to swing the election in the Democrat’s direction.

Of course, Minnesota’s Democrat Secretary of State Mark Ritchie scoffs at that assertion and says there’s nothing to worry about because Minnesota’s voter verification system guarantees the integrity of the election. But you have to take that with a grain of salt because ACORN also endorsed Ritchie and helped get him elected.

Ritchie’s probably more motivated than ever to work with ACORN, too.

Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Democrats won’t let Republicans investigate Washington politicians’ crooked mortgages

The democrats want to subpoena all the VIP mortgage records from Countrywide Financial. You know, the guys who gave sweetheart deals to Democrat Senators Chris Dodd and Kent Conrad.

Democrat Senators Kent Conrad and Chris Dodd, the twin poster boys for the Culture of Corruption
Democrat Senators Kent Conrad and Chris Dodd, the twin poster boys for the Culture of Corruption

Republicans have called the Democrats’ bluff on the culture of corruption. They want to subpoena all the VIP mortgage records from Countrywide Financial. You know, the guys who gave sweetheart deals to Democrat Senators Chris Dodd and Kent Conrad.

The Republicans say they’re willing to take a chance that GOP lawmakers will also be ensnared in the Countrywide mortgage scandal.

Unfortunately, House Democrats are being somewhat less than cooperative. They’ve refused to subpoena records that might reveal if any other members of Congress also got discounted loans and special treatment.

According to congressional rules, only the chairman of a committee can issue a subpoena. New York Democrat Edolphus Towns, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said he’s just too darn busy stimulating the economy to find out which members of Congress are corrupt.

California Republican Darrell Issa, the senior Republican on Towns’ committee, has repeatedly tried to get Towns to subpoena Countrywide’s records. Towns has turned down each request.

A Bank of America spokesman said it will gladly submit all the documents as soon as it receives a subpoena. “They have it packed and ready to go,” Issa noted.

Do you think it has anything to do with the fact that every politician who’s been ensnared in the Countrywide scandal so far has been a Democrat? And do you think, perhaps, both parties already know exactly who will be named in those records?

Source: Associated Press via Breitbart.com

Former Pennsylvania lawmaker gets five years in prison, his party remains a mystery

Former Sen. Vincent Fumo misappropriated millions from New Jersey and two nonprofits. But his democrat party affiliation is not mentioned until end of article.

Vincent Fumo is going to prison, where his party may be able to establish a quorum
Vincent Fumo is going to prison, where his party may be able to establish a quorum

This is an ugly, ugly story of corruption in – would you believe it – New Jersey. And an even uglier story of the media burying that politician’s political party.

A former Pennsylvania lawmaker who prosecutors said became “drunk with power” in his many years in the state Senate was sentenced Tuesday to less than five years in prison, a steep departure down from what the judge was asked to impose for the corruption conviction.

Former Sen. Vincent Fumo misappropriated millions from the state and two nonprofits. A jury found he used their coffers to clean his mansion, charter yachts, and spy on an ex-girlfriend and political foes.

“Maybe I should not have asked my staff to do the favors I did,” an ashen-faced Fumo said before he was sentenced. “Judge, I never intended to steal. The last thing on my mind was taking money from anybody. I’ve never done that.”

Remarkably, we don’t learn which political party Fumo was affiliated until the 17th paragraph of this story and even then it’s only mentioned peripherally:

Gov. Ed Rendell, a spying target and sometime rival, called his fellow Democrat “ruthless” but told the judge in a letter that Fumo nonetheless “has a deep sense of social responsibility.”

Which news source buried Fumo’s Democrat affiliation? If you guessed CBS, you’d be wrong. If you guessed NBC, you’d be wrong. If you guessed Associated Press, you’d be wrong. If you guessed MSNBC, you’d be wrong.

The offending news organization turns out to be those dastardly conservatives at Fox News.

Don’t look now, Keith Olbermann, but this looks suspiciously fair and balanced.

Source: FoxNews.com

Another day, another Chicago politician charged with corruption

The Feds have collared Ike Carothers. And a damn big collar it was.
The Feds have collared Ike Carothers. And a damn big collar it was.

Another corrupt Democrat from Chicago? Who ever would have imagined that? But this one’s not just any Democrat. He’s a Chicago alderman (city councilman) and Executive Vice- Chairman of the Cook County Democratic party.

Alderman Ike Carothers was indicted on 11 counts of fraud and bribery on Thursday. The Feds say he supported the rezoning of a large piece of land in return for $40,000 in home improvements, meals and tickets to sports events.

“Using public office to obtain personal financial benefits violates the public trust and we will continue to vigilantly investigate and prosecute both corrupt public officials and businessmen who see to profit by corruption them,” said U.S. District Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald.

Scooter Libby has absolutely nothing to do with this case, but is reportedly worried that Fitzgerald will indict him again just because the overly-zealous prosecutor had so darn much fun sending an innocent man to jail in the Valerie Plame case.

Source: Associated Press

Pissed-Off Progressive of the Day #2: John Murtha

Make no mistake about it, John Murtha is very sensitive about being corrupt. Or being caught at being corrupt. Or being questioned about being corrupt. Or doing business with a corrupt company. Or even hearing the word corrupt uttered in his presence.

Kuchera Defense Systems is currently being investigated for fraud. What’s Murtha’s connection? Well, this reporter tries to find out and gets nothing but the brunt of Murtha’s anger.

We would say Murtha is a little thin skinned, but the words “thin” and “John Murtha” should never be used in the same sentence.

H/T: BluegrassPundit.com

Culture of Corruption Update: Democrats three times more cultured than Republicans

The face of corruption in Washington, DC. And a lovely face it is.
The face of corruption in Washington, DC. And a lovely face it is.

Funny thing. We’re not hearing the Democrats bang that culture of corruption drum much these days. Maybe it’s because they cleaned up all the corruption.

Just kidding.

It’s actually because the overwhelming number of politicians under investigation in Washington, DC these days are – drum roll, please – Democrats.

Fact is, there are now 12 active investigations looking into Democrats and only 4 looking into Republicans.

Democratic members of Congress under investigation: Sanford Bishop of Georgia, Jesse Jackson of Illinois, Allan Mollohan of West Virginia, John Murtha of Pennsylvania, Charlie Rangel of New York, Linda Sanchez of California, Loretta Sanchez of California, Pete Visclosky of Indiana.

Democratic Senators under investigation: Roland Burris of Illinois, Kent Conrad of North Dakota, Bob Menendez of New Jersey.

Republican members of Congress under investigation: Jerry Lewis of California, Garry Miller of California, Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania, Don Young of Alaska.

Republican Senators under investigation: None.

Sad to say, we don’t attribute this to any great sense of honesty on the part of the Republicans. It’s more likely that they’re just so weak and ineffectual that they’re not worth trying to corrupt them anymore.

Source: NationalReview.com

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