Posted on 01/12/2017 3:58:38 AM PST by HomerBohn
(Angry Patriot Movement) – A liberal senator who is as we speak attacking Jeff Sessions during his U.S. attorney general confirmation hearings has a massive scandal of his own unfolding.
Senator Cory Booker is embroiled in a Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation (NWCDC) scandal involving allegations of massive kickbacks, Politico reports. Yesterday, Donald Bernard Sr., who was the senior projects manager at the company that ran Newark’s water infrastructure under the direction of then-mayor of Newark, New Jersey Cory Booker, pled guilty in federal court to accepting nearly $1 million in bribes from contractors.
In December, Donald Bernard Sr.’s former boss at the Newark company, Linda Watkins Brashear, also pleaded guilty to similar corruption and kickback charges. Former contractor Giacomo “Jack” DeRosa pleaded guilty earlier this week to money laundering charges over kickbacks paid to Bernard.
Could all of this corruption at a massive and essential piece of infrastructure have happened without Mayor Cory Booker knowing about it? Allegations and complaints about the NWCDC were near constant during his tenure, but he failed to address them or push for an investigation into the corruption.
When Booker took office in 2008, the NWCDC, through its city contract, was running Newark’s entire water delivery apparatus — from the reservoirs to the purification plants. Its engineers and planners worked directly out of Newark City Hall.
Trustees appointed by a judge in 2013 to “wind down” the NWCDC and return water operations to the city are now suing Cory Booker in bankruptcy court. They maintain Booker’s failure to monitor the agency caused the extreme corruption which robbed the fiscally struggling city of its few resources and placed its antiquated water infrastructure at significant risk.
Cory Booker was forced to admit he never once attended a NWCDC board meeting his entire time in office even though he was the agency’s ex-officio trustee. Just last week, Booker’s attorneys argued that he is immune from financial liability because his role on the Newark water board was a “de facto responsibility of the office of mayor.” So, not doing a duty levied upon your office makes you immune from being responsible for not doing your duty?
Allegations of malfeasance at the Newark Watershed Conservation and Development Corporation (NWCDC) have been raised by local residents, reporters, and lawmakers for many years. The NWCDC is a non-profit agency created to protect the Newark watershed.
City Councilman Augusto Amador also led an investigation into corruption and kickbacks at the NWCDC. He was one of the most vocal and earliest critics of the excessive spending going on at the Newark agency. He said, “I’m surprised about the amount of money that was stolen…When I first looked into it and looked at the books that were submitted to the Council, the amount that was involved was nowhere near what we’re seeing now, but I’m not surprised by the indictments.”
The Newark watershed has grown substantially over the years and is now responsible for the entire water delivery infrastructure in the city. United States Attorney Paul Fishman unearthed the extensive corruption at the NWCDC that occurred on Cory Booker’s watch.
“This is bigger than I thought,” Dan O’Flaherty said after the guilty pleas of two more NWCDC suspects were uttered this week. O’Flaherty is an economics professor at Columbia University and a former Newark City Hall staffer.
Dan O’Flaherty and a group of concerned citizens formed The Newark Water Group to delve into the corruption allegations long swirling around operations at the NWCDC. He wrote a detailed report of the agency’s mismanagement entitled “Hog Wild” in 2011.
The NWCDC had a budget of about $11 million per year. According to O’Flaherty, $3 million of the budget was “pure pass-through,” which the non-profit infrastructure agency “never actually got their hands on.”
Won’t matter unless there’s sex involved. Is he queer? Timing is perfect. Does it mean the Republicans are playing hardball?
Good I hope it’s true and Karma is working its magic. I hope it does in Marco Rubio as well. Both men are obtuse and obnoxious little dickies.
This is a grimy individual. Personifies corruption. Perfect fit for Democratics.
The republican senate should immediately censor Mr. Booker. He is a despicable human being.
An inner city mayor stealing? Say it ain’t so!!
Actually, yes. If he's being accused of dereliction of duty related to his tenure as mayor, then he'd be immune from any personal liability in a civil lawsuit. In this case, he's being accused of dereliction of duty for his role on the NWCDC board ... and his lawyers are arguing (probably correctly) that he only had any duty to the NWCDC because of his title as mayor of Newark. He wasn't some guy who volunteered to serve on the board and got paid for his services.
*censure
A compliecent media will make this as if it never happened. ‘Serve Proed’. Only nuz on Newark’s water will be if lead is found.
"I feel blessed and honored to have partnered with Sen. Sessions..." Maybe it is indeed a little reminder to not turn on someone who got you "blessed".
What has become of Bob Menendez’s corruption scandal? New Jersey is virtuous just like New York and Chicago.
Democrats and corruption go together like Obama and homosexuals.
We better stop Cory Booker now before he starts running for POTUS in 2020
Naaah! It doesn’t matter. He’ll still be reelected.
Donors to his Senate campaign included Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, whose father has been a major Democratic fundraiser in New Jersey for years.
Made up stories that he saved someone from a burning building; Made up stories about helping a drug dealer; lied about living in Newark (as mayor); now I hear he is a McGreevy with additional perversions.
I believe Menendez was indicted and he’s operating as if nothing ever happened.
There is a rumor to that effect. Obama would know for sure.
Maybe not. My take was that the Dems are trying to up the visibility of a younger generation of potential candidates for the 2020 presidential election. Booker has been mentioned as a light black with good diction in the past.
GOP Sen are cowards.
Booker testified. Became a witnesss. Swore an oath.
First think I would have done is cross examine him. Ask him about his life and work, his email, his donors, his girlfriends (male and female). Under oath. With no prep.
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