Culture of Corruption Postscript: The Hilda Solis Files

Put on your super-shocked faces, everyone: Former Obama administration official Hilda Solis, who is now running for yet another government position in Los Angeles, is embroiled in yet another union corruptocracy scandal. The Hope and Change hits just keep on coming.

Solis served as President No More Business As Usual's first secretary of labor. Remember waaaay back then, when "most transparent administration in history" had not yet become an automatic punchline? Well before Solis' confirmation, it was already clear she was a poster child for left-wing sleazeball politics:

--Solis' husband's businesses failed to pay thousands of dollars in tax liens, which were 16 years old, until she was nominated.

--While she was in Congress, Solis served as director and treasurer of a union-promoting lobbying group, American Rights at Work, which was pushing her Big Labor "card check" legislation to eliminate the secret ballot, undermine worker choice and obliterate privacy protections.

--Solis failed to disclose those interest-conflicted positions to the House on her financial disclosure forms. In effect, she was lobbying herself -- while the group she worked for raked in at least $1 million in contributions from labor unions and spent thousands of dollars on television spots described by the group in its report to the FEC as "electioneering communications." The scheme circumvented vaunted McCain-Feingold campaign finance reforms barring so-called soft money donations from unions and corporations alike. Despite apparent violations of both basic disclosure and campaign finance rules, Solis skated.

--Upon winning confirmation, Solis quickly went to work doling out plum political appointments at the Labor Department and fat pay raises to a half-dozen of her former Capital Hill staffers. Americans for Limited Government found that "the appointees had significant pay increases averaging 50 percent upon changing jobs; one employee's salary nearly doubled." Cha-cha-cha-ching!

After stepping down from her Obama cabinet position last year, Solis is back in the political spotlight. With massive union backing of some $500,000, she's running for the powerful Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Question: Why did she step down from her cushy White House post? Inquiring local reporters in Los Angeles wanted to know.

Last week, the Los Angeles Times reported that her resignation coincided with an FBI inquiry into her role at an Obama reelection campaign fundraiser in 2012. When the paper asked the Solis campaign whether she had informed Obama of the FBI probe, a spokesman responded tersely: "It is inappropriate for a cabinet official to (discuss) private communications with the president."

It also turns out that for the entire last year she served as President Obama's labor secretary, Solis had retained a high-priced Washington, D.C., law firm "to address legal issues" involving the fundraiser and possible violations of the federal Hatch Act -- which prevents cabinet members from directly grubbing for campaign cash. Solis had incurred a debt of between $50,000 and $100,000 for the legal bills. Her campaign says it's almost "all" paid off, but won't specify by how much.

On Monday, the latest eruption of corruptocracy shook the Solis machine. Hews Media Group-Community News obtained a lawsuit filed in California's Central U.S. District Court claiming that Solis "was provided thousands of dollars worth of free private jet travel without declaring the trips on the federal government required forms, paid for by the powerful International Union of Operating Engineers based in Pasadena during the same period she was undergoing confirmation hearings to become part of Obama's cabinet." IUOE Local 12 owns a Cessna Citation XL jet, which ferried Solis back and forth between the coasts. IUOE First Vice President William Waggoner, a defendant in the suit, reportedly bragged to fellow union officials that he was providing her transportation.

Put on your super-duper shocked faces: Solis, the serial disclosure dodger, failed to report the in-kind donation to the Federal Election Commission as required by law.

Birds of a dirty feather flock together. Solis' pal Waggoner and his fellow IUOE brass have been accused by rank-and-file union members of systemic embezzlement, kickbacks, shakedowns, nepotism and intimidation. According to federal class-action litigation, the IUOE's former national leader made death threats against dissenting members; officials allegedly took kickbacks from employers who shortchanged pension and training funds. The L.A. Times detailed more charges, including that "one former local official siphoned off union money for entertainment and his girlfriend's breast enhancement; and another flew to auto races and family get-togethers on an $8.6-million jet ostensibly purchased for union business."

Courthouse News reported on another lawsuit against IUOE officials exposing how Waggoner's alleged "nepotism and a bad investment vehicle led to the evaporation of $50 million in IUOE pension funds." Union members are accusing Waggoner of pressuring local branches "to invest their pension funds in Amalgamated Bank's product line, which were sold by Waggoner's wife, Patricia, one of the bank's vice presidents."

Jet-setting union crony Solis has the gall to brag about her record fighting income inequality and defending Big Labor rights. Maybe she should focus less on closing the wage gap and more on closing her truth and ethics gap.

EXCERPT-—LA TIMES FEB 2009-—US Rep. Hilda L. Solis, Obama’s choice for Labor Secy, faced new obstacles....lawmakers who were expected to vote on her confirmation abruptly canceled the hearing amid reports of back taxes owed by her husband. Solis, a Democrat from El Monte, is at least the fourth Obama nominee whose confirmation has been complicated by tax troubles.

The Obama administration conceded it had not discovered on its own that California tax liens had been filed against Solis’ husband, Sam H. Sayyad. The White House learned about the liens — a matter of public record — on Tuesday in the form of questions from USA Today, according to an administration aide.

—SNIP—
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/06/nation/na-solis6

CNN reported 2010: after four hours of negotiations, BP executives agreed to
put $20B into an independently managed (untraceable) federal compensation fund.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS---Obama was joined in the negotiations by VP Joe Biden, and five cabinet secretaries, including DHS Janet Napolitano, interior secretary, Ken Salazar, energy secretary, Steven Chu, Labor Secy Hilda Solis, Valerie Jarrett, and COS Rham Emanuel. / PICTURE/BP Holdings.

DOING THE DEAL---Obama dreams about his cut and new diamonds for Michele. In foreground, then-COS Rahm Emanuel's hand holds the pencil jotting down his cut that will help make him Chicago Mayor.

At the top, in turquoise, then-Labor Secy Hilda Solis figures out her cut and how many BP executive jobs she needs for latinos. Left, in orange, Dragon Lady Valerie Jarrett hopes Biden will remember his scripted lines.

THE EXTORTION GAME VP Joe Biden Told BP: "You’ll Put $20 Billion In Escrow Or We’ll Do It For You."

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Time to mobilize the Bak Secrecy Act. Under the Bank Secrecy Act, banks are required to establish, implement and maintain programs designed to detect and report suspicious activity indicative of govt fraud, money laundering and other financial crimes. “The Bank Secrecy Act was enacted to protect the public from harm by identifying and detecting money laundering from criminal enterprises, terrorism, tax evasion or other unlawful activities,” the special agent in charge for Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, explained.

=============================================

<><> L/E should get ahold of: (1) copies of checks, (2) wire transfers, (3) account statements, (4) invoices, (5) bills, (6) delivery tickets, (7) correspondence including e-mail, contracts, loan agreements, and, (8) any other books or records. L/E should also explore (a) monies paid to brokers, sub- brokers, (b) family members, (c) mortgage brokers, (d) financial managers, and, (e) real estate agents, brokers, and developers.

<><> L/E should scrutinize personal accounts and campaign bank accounts for suspicious activites: (A) large deposits, (B) funds transferred from one account into another, (C) frequent requests for withdrawals.

<><> Bank records might also show diversions to secret LLC accounts, to money launder and to operate personal ventures---or to finance campaign activites.

Tax fraud can also be facilitated by withdrawals, gift cards purchases, credit card purchases and intra-bank transfers from foundation accounts into personal a/nd campaign accounts.

<><> A huge tipoff is whether bank withdrawals support campaign activities and luxurious lifestyle including payments for real estate, investment and stock holdings, jewelry, luxury vehicles, resort travel....... and gifts from luxury outlets for wives and mistresses.

Taxpayers demand the Bank Secrecy Act be used to prosecute govt fraud pronto.

And study Solis' and the other's tax returns with a fine-tooth comb.....especially entries for "interest income."

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3121523/posts?page=33
[looksee as well Mod tacked on]

Exclusive: Labor Secy Hilda Solis Failed to Report Trips on Union’s Pvt Jet-’09 Confmtn Hrgs
Hews Media via Los Cerritos News ^ | February 10, 2014 | By Randy Economy and Brian Hews
Posted on Tuesday, February 11, 2014 12:30:09 AM by joinedafterattack
Edited on Tuesday, February 11, 2014 1:46:32 AM by Admin Moderator. [history]
Hews Media Group-Community News has obtained a lawsuit filed in the California Central US District Court claiming that former US Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, a current candidate for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, was provided thousands of dollars worth of free private jet travel without declaring the trips on the federal government required forms, paid for by the powerful International Union of Operating Engineers based in Pasadena during the same period she was undergoing confirmation hearings to become part of President Barack Obama’s Cabinet.....

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