Letters Show Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) Steered CBC Scholarship Money Directly...

Pajamas Media ^ | September 8, 2010 | Bryan Preston

[jazusamo]

Complete title: Letters Show Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) Steered CBC Scholarship Money Directly to Her Grandsons

Nine-term Dallas Democrat caught up in her own culture of corruption.

On August 29, the Dallas Morning News dropped a bombshell into the race for House District 30 in Texas: Nine-term Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, Democrat, had evidently abused her position to push Congressional Black Caucus scholarship money toward several of her relatives and the children of her aides over the course of several years.  According to the News:

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.

Johnson, a Democrat, denied any favoritism when asked about the scholarships last week. Two days later, she acknowledged in a statement released by her office that she had violated the rules but said she had done so “unknowingly” and would work with the foundation to “rectify the financial situation.”

It’s that “unknowingly” part that, first, makes no sense, and second, is now clearly not true.  The CBC’s scholarship program is unambiguous on the subject of nepotism.  Relatives of CBC members — and Johnson is not only a member, but has chaired the CBC — are not eligible.  Johnson’s grandchildren also didn’t meet residency requirements.

Johnson took to the air on Sept 2, going on CNN with Anderson Cooper to argue in favor of her ignorance.  She didn’t know the rules, she said, the rules were ambiguous, she said, and she hadn’t seen the rules, and she had no direct knowledge that any of this was going on.  She even claims that she didn’t know the rules were in print — implying that their being in print is itself part of the problem. It’s evidently a problem in one sense: Their being in clear, unambiguous print makes it harder to spin the problem away.

Well.  On Tuesday some additional print surfaced that is clearly a problem for Rep. Johnson.  Her opponent, Republican Stephen Broden, released letters bearing Johnson’s signature, and the letters make a very unambiguous request.  According to the letters, Johnson wanted the scholarship money sent directly to her relatives, not to any university or school they might be attending.  Texas blog Texas GOP Vote (not affiliated with the state Republican Party) has posted the letters.  They’re brief and to the point.  As the Dallas Morning News reports:

[T]he letters suggest a far more direct role for the Dallas Democrat than she acknowledged in the last week after revelations by The News that she awarded at least 23 scholarships to her relatives and the children of a top staffer – in violation of the foundation’s nepotism and residency rules….

The letters are on Johnson’s U.S. House letterhead. They bear a fax stamp from her Dallas office and a signature that appears to match hers from previous correspondence unrelated to the scholarships.

And they ask the CBC to send the scholarship money directly to her grandsons.

Please accept the enclosed scholarship checks for Preston Moore and Gregory Moore. If possible I would like for their checks to be made out to them instead of the University.

A couple of questions arise from this turn of events.  First, did the relatives actually receive the money?  And if they did, what did they do with the money?  The grandsons aren’t answering any questions, no doubt on the advice of Johnson’s staff and perhaps lawyers. But Johnson is accountable to the voters of TX-30.  If any of the CBC scholarship money ended up in her campaign coffers, or if it simply enriched relatives who didn’t meet any of the eligibility requirements while denying needed funds to deserving students, well, the voters deserve to know about that.

Bryan Preston has been a leading conservative blogger and opinionator since founding his first blog in 2001. Bryan is a military veteran, worked for NASA, was producer of the Laura Ingraham Show and, most recently before joining PJM, was Communications Director of the Republican Party of Texas.

[jazusamo]

Her opponent, Republican Stephen Broden looks like a good man.

Stephen Broden For Congress

[skr]

Wow, sign the checks to the people and not to the university?!

[jazusamo]

Thought you may be interested.

[jazusamo]

Yep, a strong case can be made she’s a corrupt liar.

[GreenAccord]

I’m pretty good with words, and have an above average vocabulary. But I’m a bit at a loss right now. I need a word that implies a more damning connotation than the word ‘blatant’.

[ken5050]

Question..are the scholarships based on NEED? Did financial data have to be submitted to prove need? Did her family need the money...are they poor?...Or was this just “pocket money” for the kids..that’s what needs to be asked..

[a fool in paradise]

I heard the tapes on radio last week. But I don't know of a general Texas election list and this is Dallas, the list I use is Houston (although on occasion I will ping gulf/border issues).

[5thGenTexan]

Conservatives everywhere need to help Rev. Broden retire EBJ!

[Deb]

It doesn't matter. The media knows its safe to beat up on her and look non-partisan because she's in a completely safe seat and will never be voted out. Just like Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters. Black Congressmen who luxuriate in bullet-proof seats for decades, know they can get away with anything. This also applies to professional frauds like Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. No offense is a disqualifier.

[bjc]

“egregious”
“willful”
“unconscionable”
“unscrupulous”

[ExTxMarine]

The worst part of this entire story is the fact that she will almost assuredly be re-elected! That district, along with so many more that are designed JUST for her and her type (crooked), will send this disgusting liar back to Washington!

Eddie Bernice Johnson is more crooked than Lombard Street!

[jazusamo]

From prior articles it looks to be out and out corruption, the kids don’t even live in her district. She made a comment about there being no one in her district that was qualified, that’s pretty unbelievable.

[jazusamo]

Thanks, thought I’d let you know.

[jazusamo]

Sadly, I’m afraid you’re right.

[B.O. Plenty]

Pastor Broden is indeed a good man...EBJ is not worthy to polish his boots...

....but......

....I am afraid that EBJ's "constituents" wouldn't change their minds if she were caught having sex with her grandson...

....she has no shame nor honor....and will not quit unless some outside force is applied.

[ken5050]

If her family has money..as opposed to poor kids who really need it..that will resonate...I suspect that the paper has all the info, ( the first article was excellent, long, in depth..lots of details..)and is going to release this over the next few weeks..each installment more damning to EBJ...the ethics committee will ahve to investigate, and this will impact Rangel and Waters in some way..

[GreenAccord]

After consideration, I am going with ‘brazen.’

[jazusamo]

Agreed, and with this latest information I don’t see how the ethics committee cannot investigate, it doesn’t look like this is going away.

[bjc]

That about sums her up!

[Opinionated Blowhard]

What she did is shocking, but it wouldn’t matter if she snatched the money right from the hands of kids living on the street to pay for redecorating her mansion—her constituents see that “D” after her name and mindlessly will pull the lever for her.