It wasn't always so.
Posted on 05/13/2006 12:53:19 PM PDT by Mr. Brightside
Today: May 13, 2006 at 11:45:55 PDT
Rep. Cunningham's Plea Was Only the Start
By SETH HETTENA
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN DIEGO (AP) -
The political scandal that brought down former U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham didn't end when the Vietnam War hero began serving an eight-year sentence in federal prison for taking millions of dollars in bribes.
Since Cunningham, R-San Diego, was sentenced in March, the case has turned into a sprawling federal investigation with all the soap opera elements - money, power and sex. One of Washington, D.C.'s most notorious landmarks - the Watergate Hotel - even has a place in it.
The case has many wondering where it will go next after a dizzying week in which the name of Rep. Jerry Lewis, chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, surfaced in the probe and the home of the outgoing executive director of the CIA was searched.
The link in all these strands isn't Cunningham, who pleaded guilty to accepting $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors. It's San Diego businessman Brent Wilkes, described in Cunningham's plea agreement as an unindicted co-conspirator.
Prosecutors allege Wilkes paid Cunningham, a former member of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, more than $626,000 in bribes between 2000 and 2004 to win government contracts for his companies. But it's Wilkes' links to other lawmakers, lobbyists and government officials that has dramatically expanded the case.
"It's all about Wilkes paying people to get contracts," said Melanie Sloan, a former federal prosecutor in Washington and executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "Anybody who Brent Wilkes has been making substantial contributions to, they're going to be looking at. They'd have to."
Wilkes' attorneys have said he has done nothing illegal. His lawyers, Nancy Luque and Michael Lipman, did not return a phone message left seeking comment.
On Friday, FBI agents descended on the Virginia home and office of Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, the No. 3 CIA official who oversaw the spy agency's day-to-day operations. The search warrants were obtained by the federal prosecutors in San Diego who took down Cunningham, assistant U.S. Attorney Phil Halpern said.
Earlier in the week, Lewis, R-Redlands, issued pointed denials of any wrongdoing after it was disclosed that prosecutors have opened an investigation into his dealings with Bill Lowery, a former congressman from San Diego who served with him on the Appropriations Committee before leaving Congress in 1993. Now a lobbyist, Lowery's clients included ADCS Inc., a San Diego defense contracting firm founded by Wilkes.
Lowery has donated nearly a half-million dollars to Lewis' political action committee since 2000.
Foggo's ties to Wilkes go back to childhood. The two grew up together in the San Diego suburb of Chula Vista, played on the same high school football team and roomed together at San Diego State University. The men are so close they each named a son after the other.
A federal task force based in San Diego is investigating whether Foggo improperly intervened in awarding a company connected to Wilkes a contract to supply bottled water to CIA agents in Iraq.
Foggo's defense attorney, William G. Hundley, did not return a message seeking comment.
Investigators also have contacted two Washington, D.C.-based escort services in an effort to determine whether Wilkes supplied Cunningham and potentially other lawmakers with prostitutes, reportedly at the Watergate Hotel and, later, at the Westin Grand.
The allegations involving prostitutes were raised by defense contractor Mitchell Wade, who pleaded guilty to paying Cunningham more than $1 million in bribes. Wilkes also hosted poker parties for CIA personnel at the hotel.
Foggo has acknowledged participating in poker games organized by Wilkes at the hotel rooms, but the CIA said in a statement that Foggo insists they were card games "and nothing more." Lawyers for Wilkes also have denied there was any involvement with prostitutes.
Randall Eliason, former head of the public corruption section of the U.S. Attorney's office in Washington, said it looks like investigators are casting a wide net.
"It looks like they're going to explore all of Wilkes' contacts and sort of follow where it leads," he said. "Whether that means other members of Congress will be indicted, it's almost impossible to say from the outside."
This makes you wonder just how much Cunningham took in bribes. He is scum and a disgrace to conservatives everywhere.
It wasn't always so.
DAMN HIM. DAMN HIM TO HELL.
Does anyone see the similarities to the Cunningham/Lewis scandal and Abramoff/Buckham?
Abramoff crony Ed Buckham got Rep. David Weldon (R-FL) to get appropriations for a company called Map Roi. In return, it appears that Weldon received a kickback. Just like Cunningham (and possibly Lewis).
In K Street Gang, a new book by Matthew Continetti of the Weekly Standard, the author posits that Republicans no longer believe in smaller government. Their values simply state that because the federal government has so much money, most of which the government doesn't deserve, it's OK to redirect some of it to personal accounts.
At one time, the Republican Party was a principled organization. Newt Gingrich is a visionary. But after Gingrich resigned, Tom DeLay took over. DeLay created a regime of government-by-lobbyist. The DeLay regime rotted the Republican Party.
Oh. You're back. Beating up on DeLay again. (yawn)
welcome to FR...
You're on that other thread calling folks bigots because they are suspicious of a NYTimes photographer with an Islamic name and now you're over here throwing stones at a war hero. Come on. DC is corrupting. You try to buck the lobbyists and introduce an original bill and they will make you look the fool. Any congressman who introduces a bill has to consult with the lobbyists because they know where the problems are and how to fix them. (Ref Eddie Murphy movie where he goes to Congress: The Distinguished Gentleman)
The best example of corruption is McCain being a fifth of the Keating Five. He was guilty. Then he comes along and forces campaign finance reform down our throats to keep HIM from sinning again. It may be impossible to elect honest people who will stay clean, but I hope we keep trying.
EXCUSE ME??? I'm throwing stones at an ADMITTED CROOK. I campaigned for that POS, I gave my hard earned money towards his re-election, so don't you DARE come here and cast stones at ME.
Oh I see. And Democrats create a regime of government-by-toothfairy. Heavens to Betsy, teachers unions don't need no steenkin lobbyists. They have truth, justice, and the American Way on their side.
Anybody with a handle of "solid supply side" has been reading too may left wing talking points about what conservatives supposedly believe. Hey SSS, I suggest a name change to PhreemarketPhoebe.
"Oh. You're back. Beating up on DeLay again. (yawn)"
He deserves to be beaten up on. That scum bag, political whore, Tom Delay will be one of the main reasons we lose big-time in November unless a miracle happens.
Shouldn't you hurry Lancey, so you can get your place in line at the Kool Aid barrel?
You upset about DeLay's masterminding of the Texas congressional districts? Or was it his ability to keep the GOP votes in line against your rats? Maybe his constantly outsmarting your rats? Clearly, his effectiveness really bothers you.
Anyways, he won't have anything to do with elections that are coming up a political eternity from now - - he's retired, remember?
No, DeLay's corruption and abandonment of conservative values are what bother me.
DeLay's government-by-lobbyist regime used conservative sounding rhetoric to oppose conservative ideals. Like Ralph Reed ginning up Christian activists to support free trade with China: "A nation open to trade is a nation open to ministry." Lobbyist money got Reed to change his stance that China violated human rights and persecuted Christians.
DeLay used House procedures to kill an anti-gambling bill by requiring a 2/3 majority to pass. DeLay got to vote for the gambling ban knowing that although it had a majority, it would fail on the 2/3 supermajority. (Abramoff liked gambling, if you didn't know.)
DeLay used good conservative terms to defend labor laws in the US territory of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The CNMI was a "perti dish" of capitalism, according to DeLay. In reality, there were no immigration laws operating in the CNMI. Sex traffickers and sweatshops resulted. Not exactly the kind of human rights examples I want in a US territory. And not an example of capitalism to show the rest of the world. But Abramoff got rich.
Where is the smaller government? Why has spending increased? Why is the regulatory state increasing? Wasn't that supposed to change after the 1994 Republican revolution? Well, we did have good leadership until 1998. Newt Gingrich is a visionary, and I'm glad to see him take a national stage again. But when Newt resigned after the 1998 elections, DeLay took over. DeLay sold the House to the highest bidder, and the highest bidder always had his own interests at heart, not conservative interests. But DeLay and the lobbyists always defended the highest bidder's interests with the best conservative rhetoric. You will learn this soon enough. As no dems suggests, don't get hurt running to the Kool-Aid barrel.
I'm not taking away from him the good he did but why did he have to go and "spoil" it by getting in bed with Jack Abramhoff?
If you plant 30 acres of wheat and plant 5 acres of stink weed in the middle of it; the 30 acres of wheat doesn't make the stink weed smell any better.
Wilkes’ lawyer Nancy Luque is the gal who defended the Northern Virginia muslim terror charities like the SAAR group, etc.
Vindicated tom delay considers lawsuit, return to d.c.
WND ^ | 10/02/2014 | Jerome R. Corsi
VINDICATED TOM DELAY CONSIDERS LAWSUIT, RETURN TO D.C. After court win charges ‘Marxist’ Democrats tried to destroy him By Jerome R. Corsi On 10/02/2014 In Front Page,Politics,U.S. Tom DeLay NEW YORK – After learning the overturning of his felony conviction had been upheld by an appeals court, former Majority Leader Tom DeLay told WND he is considering bringing charges against the Travis County District Attorney’s Office for prosecutorial misconduct and he might run again for political office. DeLay said the Democratic Party’s attempt to destroy him over the past 11 years because of his conservative political views is a direct...
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