Free Republic

CHICAGO – Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich says he is not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing and plans to stay on the job. In his first official statement since his arrest on corruption charges last week, Blagojevich (blah-GOY'-Uh-vich) says he will fight until he takes his "last breath." ... The Democratic governor says he intends to "answer every allegation in a court of law."

P.A. for Play: eBay to help governor take graft into the 21st century. Governor Ed "G. Money" Rendell (D-Deficit) said Pennsylvania might benefit by studying other states for money-raising best practices. Illinois Governor Rod "The God" Blagojevich's recent auction for former Senator Barack Obama's seat might be one way to raise the Commonwealth's painfully-empty coffers. Unlike his Illinois colleague, Rendell may take a more populist approach and avoid the smokey backrooms of Blagojevich. "I think opening up to all people through an online auction, like eBay, is much more egalitarian," said Rendell. "Besides my eyes burn after a lifetime of...

Barack Obama denies having contact with the indicted Illinois governor who tried to sell his old Senate seat yet the president elect’s top advisor revealed last month that the men, longtime political pals, had in fact spoken about a replacement. When a massive federal indictment charging Rod Blagojevich with multiple corruption counts was made public yesterday, Camp Obama suddenly diagnosed the second-term Democrat governor with political plague. The nation’s soon-to-be commander-in-chief claimed to barely know his close political ally. After all, who wants to be connected to a notoriously crooked politician who just got arrested and charged with selling the...

TEHRAN: An Iranian court has sentenced to jail and lashes 16 former central bank staff for taking bribes including 35 billion rials ($3.5 million) in cash as well as gold and foreign currencies, state radio reported on Sunday. It was the latest sign of the Islamic Republic, whose leaders have vowed to root out graft, getting increasingly tough on corruption in the world’s fourth-largest oil producer. The radio report said those accused received sentences of 10 years imprisonment, lashes and fines in the Tehran court’s “initial verdict” without making clear whether all 16 were handed the same punishment. The report...

LONDON – Bribes totaling thousands of dollars were paid to facilitate WND senior staff reporter Jerome Corsi's departure from Kenya after immigration authorities there detained him and his publicist – holding them under armed guard and without food – to prevent Corsi from holding a news conference revealing what he had discovered about Barack Obama's controversial ties in the African nation. Confirmation of the payments comes just as a report from Kenya Broadcasting Corp. admitted it was politics, not the contrived paperwork reason, for which Corsi was detained. According to copies of e-mails obtained by WND, a resident of Kenya...

The Wall Street Journal reports that a federal grand jury in Los Angeles is investigating the so-called "Friends of Angelo" loan program at Countrywide Financial, under which influential borrowers received preferential terms on home loans. The reported borrowers under the program have included U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), former Fannie Mae Chief Executive Franklin Raines, and California state appeals court judge Richard Aldrich.

RANGLE:My dear friends, I am here with my dear friend and colleague William Jefferson (D) Louisiana to announce that we have both been been betrayed by our wives. Before me is what I found what my wife had stashed away. Both William Jefferson, Democrat Louisiana, and I rely heavily on wives to handle our finances while we serve our constituents and the country. We both have been grievously wounded by their actions and, of course, we will makes amendments to any tax laws our wives have by passed. The Republicans are trying to make a big issue about this oversight...

A week ago I was at McDonald's ordering lunch. It was very busy and there was a large crowd present. I ordered the food and waited around for a few minutes. While I was doing so, a manager and another crewmemeber were getting ready to put the flags up on the pole. The manager showed him how to fold the flags up and they folded up old glory into a nice triangle with loving and patriotic care. While they were folding the McDonald's flag, a funny looking woman in her thirties with two tots in a carriage walked up to...

COLLECT CALL: Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith allegedly said he would send Sen Jeff Klein as an "enforcer" against lobbyists who didn’t donate to Democrats. Smith, the married father of two fathered an out-of-wedlock child with a woman other than his wife three years ago. Smith told lobbyists that their clients would be shut out of a Democrat-controlled Senate in January if they didn't pony up large contributions now, a "shocked" longtime lobbyist has told The Post. "It was a shocking set of remarks and people were looking around the room in disbelief," said the well-known lobbyist, who has...

The Democratic National Committee may be trying to get some mileage out of recent news about oil industry contributions to Republican Sen. John McCain, launching a web site spoofing the idea of McCain sharing his presidential ticket with Exxon. But they may have found an unwelcome surprise in a just-released analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics. Turns out, the biggest recipient of contributions from Exxon executives and employees during this campaign is not McCain. It's Obama. The non-partisan center writes: "Through June, Exxon employees have given Obama $42,100 to McCain's $35,166. Chevron favors Obama $35,157 to $28,500, and Obama...

Add Monica Conyers's name to that list of Dems run afoul of the law whose party affiliation the MSM fails to mention. The Detroit City Council President Pro Tem, a Democrat and an Obama supporter, has made unwelcome headlines before, from getting into an argument with an eight-grader to allegedly threatening to shoot an aide to the Detroit mayor. Now things have taken a turn for the worse. According to the Detroit News in an article today entitled Bribe probe ensnarls Conyers: "Federal investigators have electronic surveillance evidence that allegedly links Detroit City Council President Pro Tem Monica Conyers with...

NEW YORK TIMES: "About that Mortgage, Senator . . ." It turns out that the chieftain of Countrywide -- which is smack in the middle of the mortgage mess -- extended privileged borrowing status to two Senators, Chris Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut, and Kent Conrad, Democrat of North Dakota. Both Senators deny any ethical violations.   The disclosure of the V.I.P. arrangments by the political website Politico.com left constituents angry and suspicious -- particularly because the revelations came just as Congress was rousing itself to do something about the mortgage foreclosure crisis.   It would be nice to think that...

(Undercover agent paid $900 bribe, he testifies) In a stark piece of evidence, jurors saw a video recording Wednesday of former Milwaukee Ald. Michael McGee taking what an undercover federal agent said was $900 in cash in connection with the transfer of a liquor license. As the exchange is made, agent Dan Rabu is heard asking McGee to “remember” him when the matter comes before the Common Council. McGee’s response: “I got you.” Meanwhile, in an audio recording of an earlier meeting with Rabu, McGee declared, “I am the gatekeeper” when it comes to licensing matters in his north side...

A judge on Thursday dropped nearly half the charges against "private eye to the stars" Anthony Pellicano and a co-defendant at the request of prosecutors, who were preparing to rest their case in the wiretapping and bribery trial. The 28 counts against Pellicano and ex-Los Angeles police sergeant Mark Arneson were dismissed by U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer after federal prosecutors said that witnesses required to prove them could not be brought to court. Both men still face 35 counts in the case, which centers on accusations that Pellicano wiretapped telephones and bribed police and telephone company officials to run...

Star witness draws Blagojevich into Rezko caseMarch 19, 2008 BY NATASHA KORECKI AND CHRIS FUSCO Staff Reporters Star witness Stuart Levine and Gov. Rod Blagojevich (AP/Sun-Times) They were on a flight home from a political fund-raising swing to New York in October 2003, businessman Stuart Levine testified today, when he thanked Gov. Blagojevich for reappointing him to a state board. Levine told jurors this morning at the corruption trial of indicted Blagojevich fund-raiser Tony Rezko that Blagojevich responded: “Never discuss any state board with me. You discuss them with Tony Rezko or Chris Kelly, but you stick with us, and...

Sheriff Mike Carona announced his resignation today “with a heavy heart,” saying it would be best for the department and the county if he was not distracted while defending himself against federal public corruption charges...

He is a former minister from Hope, Arkansas (yes of course we know who else came from Hope and it is not a fun coincidence). He makes jokes that he knows nothing about foreign policy. It is not funny. He just proved how little he does know. If he ever wants to be taken seriously by anyone, he should not delegate his articles on the topic to neophyte and left-leaning ghost writers. An article supposedly under his byline in the new issue of Foreign Affairs says: "American foreign policy needs to change its tone and attitude, open up, and reach...

Hillary's chief strategist said yesterday that Hillary would get 360 electoral votes if the election were held today and she faced Rudy Giuliani. http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/clinton-campaign-hillary-would-win-in-a-landslide-if-the-election-were-tomorrow-2007-11-15.html Mark Penn, Hillary's strategist said, "The voters are looking for someone who has the strength and experience to lead, and little has changed in the last few weeks outside of the massive media coverage of the attacks." Well .. that's not exactly accurate. Oh, Hillary could probably win with a landslide if the election were today ... but it certainly wouldn't be because they see her as someone with the "strength and experience to lead." It...

BALTIMORE - Former state Sen. Thomas Bromwell, a powerful figure in Annapolis during his nearly 20 years in the legislature, has agreed to plead guilty to taking bribes from a construction company executive, his attorney said Friday. Bromwell, 58, will plead guilty to racketeering conspiracy and filing a false tax return, said attorney Barry Pollack. Sentencing guidelines call for a prison term of about 6 1/2 years to 8 years for the former Senate Finance Committee chairman, Pollack said. "It was a very difficult decision for him, but taking into account what's best for him, what's best for his wife,...

WASHINGTON – In two days of prison interviews with federal agents this year, former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham described a level of corruption on his part more extensive than previously known and dealt a potentially devastating blow to the defense being waged by one of the contractors alleged to have bribed him.

WASHINGTON – In two days of prison interviews with federal agents this year, disgraced former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham described a level of corruption on his part more extensive than previously known and dealt a potentially devastating blow to the defense being waged by one of the defense contractors alleged to have bribed him. The interviews were conducted in February at the federal prison near Tucson, where the longtime Republican congressman is serving an eight-year and four-month sentence after admitting to accepting more than $2.4 million in bribes. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion. According to an 11-page...

When long-defiant former state Sen. Kathryn Bowers finally admits as expected Monday to taking bribes, the once-improbable Tennessee Waltz will have all but played out. She will become the 11th of 12 defendants in the FBI's undercover Waltz corruption sting to be found guilty. After Bowers, only one minor defendant remains, a former school board member. Prosecutors are undefeated -- 11-0 -- and they've scored victories against some of the biggest names in Tennessee politics. From Memphis powerhouse John Ford to his venerable East Tennessee colleague Ward Crutchfield and former Shelby County Commissioner Michael Hooks -- heir to the one...

Jefferson faces civil suit tied to alleged bribes Big Media Story

Working with FBI agents, former Orleans Parish School Board president Ellenese Brooks-Simms secretly recorded several recent conversations she had with Mose Jefferson -- the brother of indicted U.S. Rep. William Jefferson and the man who investigators believe paid her bribes -- as part of her agreement to cooperate with federal prosecutors, sources close to the case say. Brooks-Simms pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal fraud and kickback charges in connection with a scheme to win board support for the purchase of the "I CAN Learn" computer-based algebra tutorial. Federal authorities often ask witnesses to "wire up," as it's known in courthouse...

Former Orleans Parish School Board president and self-styled corruption fighter Ellenese Brooks-Simms will plead guilty in federal court today to charges that she accepted more than $100,000 in bribes from Mose Jefferson -- the eldest brother of indicted U.S. Rep. William Jefferson -- in exchange for supporting a multi-million dollar math curriculum contract, according to sources close to the case. Brooks-Simms, 67, will be charged in a bill of information to be filed by U.S. Attorney Jim Letten's office and will cooperate in the probe, her lawyer, Ralph Capitelli, confirmed. Brooks-Simms "has agreed to cooperate fully with the FBI and...

The state Legislature has defeated a proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage, ending a three-year campaign to overturn its legalization after several lawmakers switched their votes in the final hours of a dramatic legislative battle. The proposed constitutional ban was defeated in a roll-call vote of both houses of the Legislature shortly after 1 p.m. today, triggering a thunderous ovation by gay couples in the State House. The final tally was 151-45, giving supporters of gay marriage a victory by 5 votes. The vote means the ban will be blocked from reaching the 2008 ballot, and that gay marriage has...

A Los Angeles grocery chain entrepreneur was charged with running a lucrative criminal enterprise that orchestrated murders, bribed city officials, laundered money and aided drug traffickers, according to an indictment unsealed today. George Torres, 50, who owns the Numero Uno grocery stores scattered throughout low-income parts of Los Angeles, was arrested Tuesday ... on charges of racketeering, violence in aid of racketeering, tax evasion and fraud. ... If convicted, Torres could face more than 60 years in prison. More than $100 million of the defendants' assets are subject to seizure. Torres was the longtime business partner of Horacio Vignali, who...

Although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was expected to push later this week for Jefferson's official ouster from his committee, an attempt to head off House Minority Leader John Boehner's resolution calling for an ethics investigation, and -- in an unusual move -- specifically asking the committee to answer whether Jefferson should resign. The House voted 373-26 in favor of launching an investigative panel of the ethics committee to determine whether Jefferson violated the House code of conduct.

<p>Sources tell CBS NEWS that Congressman William Jefferson (D-LA) will be indicted this afternoon on more than a dozen counts involving public corruption. Jefferson has been the subject of a ongoing probe in which FBI agents allegedly found more than 90-thousand dollars in cash in his freezer. The Justice Department is expected to unveil the charges later today... Developing...</p>

WASHINGTON - Two Democratic presidential candidates broke previous fundraising records during the first three months of the year, with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton setting a high bar of $26 million in new contributions for the quarter. Former Sen. John Edwards raised more than $14 million since the beginning of the year. Clinton also transferred $10 million from her Senate campaign account, bringing her total receipts for the quarter to $36 million. Unlike Edwards, Clinton aides would not reveal how much of her total was available only for the primary election and how much could be used just in the general...

The new Congress has passed rules prohibiting lobbyists from treating lawmakers to meals, trips, and other amenities — but the legislators have already found ways around those rules. Barred from picking up the tab for a lawmaker’s outing, the lobbyists are instead paying a political fund-raising committee (PAC) set up by the congressman, and the PAC pays the legislator’s way, according to a report by David D. Kirkpatrick in The New York Times. The rules, designed to curb the influence of lobbyists, were passed by both houses in January and have already taken effect in the House. They are expected...

Former strip club owner Michael Galardi bankrolled the plan to bribe San Diego councilmen to repeal a no-touching law at the clubs, but he was not the leader and organizer of the plan and should not be penalized as such, prosecutors said. JERRY RIFE/Union-Tribune Michael Galardi testified in the council bribery trial. In documents filed Thursday with the court, prosecutors took the unusual step of objecting to a sentencing recommendation by the neutral U.S. Probation Office by saying it is too harsh. Prosecutors are better known for objecting when they consider recommendations to be too lenient. The government disputed the...

Corruption Is Issue in New Orleans RaceReuters Updated:2006-11-01 09:04:06 Rep. William Jefferson (Alex Brandon, AP) NEW ORLEANS, Oct 31 (Reuters) - The battle to represent hurricane-battered New Orleans in Congress should turn on which candidate can best help rebuild the city but the buzz is about how $90,000 in cold hard cash ended up in the Democratic incumbent's freezer. Until the FBI found the money wrapped in foil as part of a sting operation in May, eight-term congressman William Jefferson seemed certain to be re-elected on Nov. 7 to represent Louisiana's 2nd district, much of which lay under water after...

Two Muslim clerics purportedly caught on camera allegedly taking bribes for declaring fatwas were suspended as ulemas on Monday, decided to form a body to monitor issuance of religious edicts. All India Milli Council set up an inquiry committee and announced "a social boycott" of those involved in the fatwas racket. Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband suspended Mufti Habibur Rehman and Meerut's Shahi Jama Masjid removed Maulana Imran following reports that they were seen accepting the money in return for issuing fatwas. Darul Uloom Vice-Chancellor Marghoobur Rehman said a four-member panel would investigate the matter and if found guilty Habibur...

SCATTERED AMONG the loose papers and bound files unearthed last week at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry in Baghdad was "letter no. 140/4/5," labeled "Confidential and Personal" and addressed to "The President's Office--Secretariat." The letter concerns George Galloway, a pro-Saddam member of the British Parliament, who founded a charity known as the Mariam Appeal, ostensibly to aid Iraqi children suffering under U.N. sanctions. The missive, from the Iraqi Intelligence Service, is a request that money be funneled directly to Galloway. It reads in part: His projects and future plans for the benefit of [Iraq] need financial support to become a motive...

As Saddam Hussein was picking the U.N.'s pockets of billions of dollars, officials simply looked the other way, an investigation by ABC News has revealed. An international investigation conducted by ABCNews uncovered widespread corruption in the U.N. Oil-for-Food Program involving from $2 billion to $3 billion in bribes and kickbacks from the program, massive graft U.N. officials told ABCNews they were powerless to stop. "Everybody knew it, and those who were in a position to do something about it were not doing anything," said Benon Sevan, the executive director of the Office of Iraq Program. When asked if that...

How to Ensure Diverse Promotion RatesQ. What policies and procedures do you have to ensure promotion rates by race, ethnicity and gender match work-force-representation rates? Rohini Anand, senior vice president and chief diversity officer, Sodexho(No. 14): "Sodexho has clearly defined policies on affirmative action, equal-employment opportunity and discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Our affirmative-action department closely monitors and reports quarterly progress relative to the affirmative-action plans. We provide training annually to all plan owners to ensure we are meeting goals. Additionally, we use an innovative scorecard that holds all incentive-eligible managers accountable for the hiring, promotion and retention of women and...

**EXCLUSIVE** Sources on the Insurance Commissioner campaign trail have made an interesting discovery. According to finance reports, Commissioner of Insurance Jim Donelon has recently granted licenses to out of state companies to operate in Louisiana, sources tell THE DEAD PELICAN. This is not unusual by itself, but the timing is; both of them were granted licenses AFTER they donated to Jim Dandelions's campaign for insurance commissioner. A source close to THE DEAD PELICAN has cited this as "yet another example of the political cost businesses must pay if they want to operate in Louisiana." According to sources, on March 20th,...

http://www.wrecradio.com/cc-common/mainheadlines2.html?feed=118786&article=524931 Another Tennessee Waltz Indictment Hooks Jr. indicted, joins father as defendant in Tennessee Waltz. MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Former Memphis city school board member Michael Hooks Jr. became the 11th person indicted in the public corruption investigation known as Tennessee Waltz. His father, Shelby County Commission Chairman Michael Hooks Sr., has already been indicted on charges he took bribes from undercover FBI agents. Hooks Jr., whose great uncle was the civil rights pioneer and NAACP executive director Benjamin Hooks, was indicted Tuesday on four counts, including embezzlement, impeding an investigation and lying to FBI agents. The indictment says Hooks and...

WASHINGTON: The one-upmanship between India and Pakistan may have become a no-contest now with New Delhi’s economic and strategic leap forward, but there is one area where Islamabad is a clear winner. Its munificent leaders are by far the most generous visitors to Washington, lavishing expensive gifts on American government officials from President Bush down to unnamed CIA officers. A list of gifts accepted by U.S officials from foreign government sources in 2004 published in the Federal Register last week shows that Pakistan outdid most countries in the world, gifting U.S officials carpets, rugs, shawls, jewelry and antique pieces. Pakistan's...

House of Reps Boots Democrat from Committee It’s about time that bribe taker and thief, William Jefferson, Democrat Louisiana, was booted off his committee assignments in the House of Reps. Now, obviously we should not ask him to resign until the investigation is complete, but it is perfectly sensible to tell him to vacate his position on any committees where he can influence legislation. The House stripped Democratic Rep. William Jefferson of his committee seat on Friday in an unprecedented action against a lawmaker ensnared in scandal, but not under indictment. (article) Interesting that they feel they have to say...

On May 12, 2005, over dinner with business partner and FBI informant Lori Mody, Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.) furtively scrawled the letter "c" on a sheet of paper, and next to it wrote some numbers indicating that he was demanding a much larger personal stake in an African business deal than previously agreed to. "The 'c' is like for 'children,' " the congressman told Mody, as an FBI tape recorder rolled. "I make a deal for my children. It wouldn't be for me." As court records, sworn affidavits, plea agreements and search warrants attest, it was quite a deal,...

With the separation of powers, the Founders created a system with inevitable tension between Congress and the executive. Congress has been the biggest offender in stealing power from the executive in the modern era, but the May 20 FBI raid on the legislative office of William Jefferson (D., La.) seems a case in which the Justice Department has gone overboard, and even been insubordinate. Both Republican and Democratic leaders in the House have protested, prompting media clucking that Members aren't "above the law." Having spent years trying to get Congress to live by the laws it imposes on the rest...

Jefferson's CurseThe Nation Thu May 25, 11:58 AM ET AP - Mon May 15, 5:25 PM ET U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, speaks to the media at a news conference in New Orleans on Monday May 15, 2006. Congressman Jefferson declared his innocence in light of a federal bribery probe. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The Nation -- As John wrote a few days back, William Jefferson was one of the worst Democrats in the House even before he started hiding bribes in the freezer. Now he's a drag on his party and a disgrace to his district--which happens to represent...

Feds Are Intruding, Says Angry La. Lawmaker Tied to BribesBy Renee D. Turner, BET.com Staff Writer Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) Posted May 23, 2006 – Democratic Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson, rebutting claims by the FBI that he is on tape accepting a bribe, said Tuesday that he would not step down. "I expect to continue to represent the people who have sent me here," Jefferson told reporters, emphasizing that he will seek re-election in November. The Saturday- through-Sunday search into Jefferson’s D.C. congressional offices was an “outrageous intrusion,” the New Orleans representative said at a news conference. “…There are two...

FBI agents videotaped a politician accepting $US100,000 ($132,700) in cash they said was intended as a bribe for a Nigerian official, according to a court document. They later found $US90,000 of the money hidden in the freezer of Representative William Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat, the document says. It says the eight-term congressman received the cash from an FBI informant, who approached the bureau in March 2005 with her suspicion that Mr Jefferson and two business associates conspired to defraud her out of $US3.5 million. Mr Jefferson, a senior member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, has been under...

See for example this thread or this thread first. Congressman William Jefferson had his offices in Washington subject to a raid for they say bribes were paid involving a Ni-ger-i-un.

The US Senate is looking into allegations that a former US senator urged Baghdad to give a US company lucrative contracts under the much-criticised United Nations oil-for-food programme. This is the first time that a leading US lawmaker has been linked to the controversial UN programme, whose shortcomings have been an important element of the Bush administration's critique of the UN. The investigation involves one of the most vivid figures in US east coast politics, former senator Robert Torricelli, a New Jersey Democrat who was forced to pull out of the 2002 election after being "severely admonished" by the Senate...

Latin America: Ecuador's government deserves all the trouble it's got coming now that it's decided expropriation is the way to get rich. But the trouble won't come from the U.S. It's headed their way from Ecuadoreans....The loss of Ecuador's hard-won free-trade pact with the U.S., something it was on the razor's edge of signing, is virtually guaranteed. Ecuador also will probably lose all practical access to U.S. markets when its 2006 Andean trade preferences expire.Two free-trade-pact neighbors, Peru and Colombia, will gladly help themselves to Ecuador's market share in exports of flowers, shrimp and other regional specialties. About 60% of...

CIA Director Porter Goss abruptly resigned yesterday amid allegations that he and a top aide may have attended Watergate poker parties where bribes and prostitutes were provided to a corrupt congressman.