Free Republic

TRENTON -- Former Sen. Wayne Bryant, once a titan of New Jersey politics, was sentenced to four years in federal prison today for trading on his clout as budget chairman to obtain a pension-padding job. "I cannot express how deeply sorry I am for the scorn my actions have caused," said Bryant, who choked up while apologizing for his crimes in Trenton today. Bryant will also pay $113,167 in restitution to UMDNJ. A jury convicted Bryant, a Democrat from Camden County, of 12 counts of pension fraud and bribery eight months ago, in a high profile trial the exposed a...

Noted Chicagoan and basketballophile Barack Obama appears to be writing off the California vote in 2012, at least the basketball fans around Los Angeles. In a pre-holiday interview with the Associated Press, Obama was asked who was the better player -- six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan or four-time champion Kobe Bryant? Without even a moment's hesitation, the ex-senator from Illinois blurted out, "Oh, Michael!" Then, apparently realizing what he'd just said and the profound impact on any 2012 election, the new president hastened to add: "I mean, Kobe's terrific. Don't get me wrong. But I haven't seen anybody match up...

Former senator Wayne R. Bryant was found guilty yesterday of selling his office as one of New Jersey's most influential lawmakers for a medical school job that padded his pension, in a case that also put on trial the secret political horse-trading of the state budget process. A federal jury in Trenton convicted Bryant of bribery for soliciting a job at the School of Osteopathic Medicine in Camden County and using his influence to help the school acquire $10.5 million in state grants between 2003 and 2006.The jury also found Bryant, 61, of Lawnside, guilty of 11 counts of mail...

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. – A former New Jersey lawmaker with a national reputation for pushing welfare reform is facing charges of using his political clout to land no-work government jobs as a way to boost his income and increase his pension benefits — from $28,000 a year to $81,000. ... The Democrat could face several years in prison if convicted on all counts.

PORTLAND, Ore. — A lawyer who watched a police officer park illegally in front of a restaurant, then wait around while his meal was prepared, issued the officer a series of citizen-initiated violations. Eric Bryant said he was sitting at the restaurant March 7 when Officer Chad Stensgaard parked his patrol car next to a no-parking sign and walked inside to wait for his food, the Portland Mercury reported Thursday. Bryant told the weekly paper that when he asked Stensgaard about his car, the officer asked Bryant: "If someone broke into your house, would you rather have the police be...

Former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker is headed for a U.S. Senate showdown with Democrat Harold Ford Jr. in November after sweeping to the Republican nomination on Thursday night. Corker celebrated the win for the seat now held by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist at the Sheraton Read House in Chattanooga. He had fought a bloody primary against former Congressmen Ed Bryant and Van Hilleary, who made concession speeches. In Hamilton County, Corker piled up 20,555 votes to 5,863 for Bryant and 3,919 for Hilleary. The Nashville Tennessean, with 1,762 of 2,432 precincts statewide reporting, had Corker at 175,092, Bryant at...

Bob Corker looks like he'll be the winner in the US Senate Primary in Tennessee, while Van Hilleary has already conceded.

I remember hearing something that President Ronald Reagan once (well, actually, a lot more than once) said. He described it as the "Eleventh Commandment" of GOP politics: "Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican." The point behind this Reagan quote is the topic of this week's commentary. Here of late, in Tennessee's GOP U.S. Senatorial primary, it seems that this "political commandment" has been thrown to the wolves. Not a day goes by that I don't see, hear and/or read one of the top three GOP contenders doing a little morality sniping at one or both of the...

NASHVILLE - While much attention and money have been focused on air attacks in the Republican U.S. Senate primary, the outcome of today's election could hinge on a much quieter "ground war." Collectively, the campaigns of Ed Bryant, Bob Corker and Van Hilleary have made close to 2 million phone calls to voters, based on figures provided by spokesmen for the three candidates. Each candidate has also had hundreds of volunteers knocking on thousands of doors at voter homes, making a personal pitch for votes when someone answers and leaving behind a flier when no one is at home. The...

I remain skeptical about polling results in a Republican primary. A statewide poll includes Democrats, independents and the occasional liar. But there have been several polls recently which, taken together, suggest Bob Corker has been leading in the Senate primary. I predicted earlier that Ed Bryant and Van Hilleary would not split the conservative vote evenly, but one of them would break out near election time. I thought it might be Hilleary, given his higher name recognition at the start of the race. State Rep. Chris Clem, the sage of Chattanooga, agreed with my analysis but said Bryant would be...

HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. -- Ed Bryant called on supporters in the pro-life, home-school and other conservative groups to help turn out a large vote for him in Thursday's Republican primary, warning that GOP control of Congress is at stake. "Go out and go the extra mile for this campaign and make sure we finish in first place. We're going to win. Carry the message out there that we literally could lose control of the United States Senate if we don't win in Tennessee. "And we won't win in Tennessee -- we'll lose this race to Congressman Ford, the Democrat -- if...

Ed Bryant and Bob Corker have revised attack advertising after questions arose over the truthfulness of earlier versions, though both continue to insist as Thursday's election approaches that they have done nothing wrong. Van Hilleary, the third major candidate in the Republican U.S. Senate primary, told a news conference Monday that Corker ads remain "devoid of honesty and integrity" and unfairly lump him and Bryant together. One of the revised Corker attack ads, aired for the first time Monday, continues to paint Bryant and Hilleary as "ineffective congressmen" who are "making personal attacks" on the wealthy businessman and former Chattanooga...

A fund-raiser for U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr., Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, will be 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Tennessee Theatre, a major event in an election that is drawing national attention. Those contributing will be "credited" for another event in Nashville on Thursday, Election Day, where former President Bill Clinton will join Ford at LP Field, the Titans' stadium, for a "road to victory" rally. The cost for the Knoxville reception is $150 as a patron, $1,000 as a sponsor and $5,000 as a host. Gov. Phil Bredesen is expected to attend the Knoxville reception, said state...

This summer's Republican U.S. Senate race just may have established a Tennessee political precedent or two that will be followed in lower-level campaigns to come. In races for the state Legislature, for example, every incumbent who voted for the state budget can henceforth be attacked for voting to raise his or her own pay under the precedent established by Bob Corker's innovative attack advertising. Corker aired television commercials declaring that his primary opponents, former U.S. Reps. Ed Bryant and Van Hilleary, voted to raise their own pay. The claim is based, the campaign said, on Dec. 15, 2000, votes cast...

With Republican majorities in the House and Senate, and a Republican in the White House, the GOP should have picked up where Ronald Reagan left off -- leading the nation as constitutional constructionists. Unfortunately, a cadre of constitutional obstructionists has split the Republican Party, diminished party loyalty and taken public support for the President and Congress to historic lows.

Republican Bob Corker reported giving another $420,000 in personal money to his U.S. Senate campaign on Thursday, while Van Hilleary belatedly filed a personal disclosure revealing $336,000 in income from a Washington law and lobbying firm. Corker's latest contribution to his own campaign brings his total self-funding to almost $2.2 million. As of July 14, Corker had also reported raising $6.5 million from others. The total of $8.7 million puts Corker on track toward setting a record for spending on a U.S. Senate campaign in Tennessee. That will almost certainly be the case if he wins the Aug. 3 primary....

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Corker traveled to Washington on Tuesday to collect contributions from political action committees and others, prompting opponents in both political parties to accuse him of hypocrisy. As campaigns of both major primary foes noted, Corker has made a theme of referring to Ed Bryant and Van Hilleary - former congressmen who have both served as lobbyists - as "Washington insiders" and "career politicians." U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr., the presumptive Democratic Senate nominee, said Corker "has been the loudest" of all Republicans in criticizing him for raising money outside of Tennessee. "Hypocrisy, thy name is...

Republican U.S. Senate frontrunner Bob Corker went to Washington and had fund-raisers with D.C. lobbyists this week, prompting his opponents to call him ''very hypocritical.'' Tuesday night, Corker attended a $250-per-person, $1,000-per-political-action-committee (PAC) fund-raiser at the office of Capitol Decisions Inc., a wing of the largest independent lobbying firm in Washington, D.C. This morning, Corker attended a “meet and greet” — where a ticket price wasn’t required but donations were accepted — that was hosted by Independent Petroleum Association of America. That organization employs lobbyists and has a PAC that has given Corker $5,000 for his primary election. The two...

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Corker holds a 16-point lead over his Aug. 3 primary election opponents, according to a poll conducted last week for the Chattanooga Times Free Press. "Corker looks to be in pretty good shape," said Brad Coker, managing director of Washington, D.C.-based Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. "I would clearly put him in there as the favorite and the front-runner at this point." Thirty-nine percent of likely Republican primary voters surveyed said they would vote for Mr. Corker, compared to 23 percent for Ed Bryant and 22 percent for Van Hilleary. One percent of respondents said...

A University of Tennessee poll conducted earlier this month shows Bob Corker holds leads over his Republican primary rivals and Democratic U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. in the state's U.S. Senate race, though one in five voters is undecided. Races between Ford, the presumptive Democratic nominee, and Corker's Republican opponents, former congressmen Van Hilleary and Ed Bryant, would be a statistical dead-heat, according to the poll of 501 registered voters. Corker's GOP opponents say the polling is flawed and conducted before their own television ads have had a chance to take effect. Corker, former mayor of Chattanooga, is the preference...

NASHVILLE — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Corker revealed today that he has put more than $1.7 million of his own money into his campaign. Under federal campaign financing laws, that triggers the so-called "millionaires amendment" and means that other candidates in the GOP primary may now raise and spend more money. There are two main effects: The normal $2,100 per person, per election limit on campaign donations to candidates is lifted. According to Jennifer Coxe, campaign manager for Van Hilleary, the formula involved means that Corker's opponents may now receive up to $12,600 from each donor. Federal law also...

The Bob Corker for Senate campaign on Tuesday released a survey of 600 likely Republican voters that showed Bob Corker with 46% of the vote, Ed Bryant 24% and Van Hilleary 17%. The poll was completed this past Thursday, the evening before early voting began, Corker officials said. Glen Bolger, the Corker campaign’s pollster, said, “These results make it clear that Bob Corker remains in the driver’s seat for the Republican nomination. Both Ed Bryant and Van Hilleary have yet to offer voters a compelling positive reason to support their candidacies, and as result trail by significant margins as voters...

WASHINGTON - Tennessee's Senate race has caught the attention of national political parties because some observers think the contest could determine who controls the U.S. Senate. Democrats need to pick up six seats to win control of the Senate, and under many scenarios, the Tennessee race would be a crucial part of the electoral math. The seat is open because Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is stepping down to keep a term-limit pledge and weigh a presidential run. The likely Democratic nominee, Rep. Harold Ford, is a Memphis Democrat hoping to move from the House to the Senate. He...

The debate you might see among the three Republican U.S. Senate candidates if Democrat Harold Ford Jr. were thrown in for added entertainment value: The moderator would begin by explaining the rules, namely that the candidates will take turns posing questions, which may be directed at one of the other candidates, though each will have an opportunity to respond. The moderator would intervene only when he deems - in his sole and exclusive judgment - that moderation is in order. The right to ask the opening question, reasonably, is determined by a random drawing that Ed Bryant won. After that,...

Larry, Curly and Moe, they ain't. Ed, Bob and Van - Bryant, Corker and Hilleary, respectively - were deadly serious about staking out their differences during Thursday's televised debate at West High School. The three Republicans running for the U.S. Senate metaphorically poked eyes, slapped faces and cracked skulls during the hourlong forum, but they took exception to the presumptive Democratic nominee's characterization of them as "The Three Stooges." After listening to a recording of a radio broadcast during which U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. said, "The Stooges are funny, but you can't take them seriously," Hilleary responded with a...

Memphis Democrat's description of them as 'The Three Stooges' KNOXVILLE -- Larry, Curly and Moe, they ain't. Ed, Bob and Van -- Bryant, Corker and Hilleary, respectively -- were deadly serious about staking out their differences during Thursday's televised debate in Knoxville. The three Republicans running for the U.S. Senate metaphorically poked eyes, slapped faces and cracked skulls during the hour-long forum, but they took exception to the presumptive Democratic nominee's characterization of them as "The Three Stooges." After listening to a recording of a radio broadcast during which U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. of Memphis said, "The Stooges are...

Tennessee's rough-and-tumble Republican primary will roll into Knoxville on Thursday for a televised debate on the eve of early voting. The campaign has turned bitter over the candidates' conservative credentials, with former U.S. Reps. Van Hilleary and Ed Bryant attacking former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker as a closet moderate. The three GOP hopefuls will square off in a televised debate at West High School on Thursday. Early voting begins Friday morning. The winner will face U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr., the presumptive Democratic nominee, in the November general election. Hilleary and Bryant have hammered the well-funded Corker, alleging he has...

NASHVILLE - In a clash over the past, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr. has accused Republican candidate Ed Bryant of lying about the 1993 trial of Ford's father. "His characterization of what happened is an outright lie," said Ford in a telephone interview. "It's worse than just wrong." Ford said the Bryant comments are an example of Republicans "turning to personal attacks when they don't have any real issues." Bryant said Monday he stands by an assertion that "improper intervention" by a Democratic official of the U.S. Justice Department at the time led to the impaneling of a...

Chattanooga -- It's possible that some Democratic voters could cross party lines and vote for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Corker in the primary Aug. 3. But that's not a possibility Corker's campaign is willing to discuss. "Our efforts and energies are focused on taking Bob's message of using conservative principles to achieve positive results to Republican primary voters, getting their vote and ensuring that we will be the Republican nominee," campaign director Todd Womack said in a statement. Corker is already trying to fight off accusations from his primary opponents — former congressmen Van Hilleary and Ed Bryant —...

The Three Stooges of slapstick comedy fame occasionally dabbled in politics, such as an episode called "Three Dark Horses." Here in Tennessee, it seems politicians occasionally dabble in slapstick, as illustrated in an episode of last week's U.S. Senate campaign. The script opened with Harold Ford Jr., at a gathering of Tennessee Democrats, tossing a figurative pie into GOP faces. He likened the current Republican U.S. Senate candidates to the Three Stooges. Ford, assured of winning the Democratic nomination without being elbowed and gouged during a primary campaign, refused to identify which candidate represents which Stooge character in his comparison....

Van Hilleary, the Republican nominee for governor in 2002, showed what a scrapper he can be at the first televised debate of the three major U.S. Senate candidates in the GOP primary on Aug. 3. In fact, the former congressman and Gulf War veteran was downright feisty at Thursday's debate sponsored by WATE, Channel 6, at the University of Tennessee. His opponents, former U.S. Rep. Ed Bryant and former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker, pretty much stuck to the script they've developed for their campaigns. Corker's opening statement sounded like one of his TV commercials. The candidates sounded alike on many...

NASHVILLE - Bob Corker's major opponents in the Republican U.S. Senate primary are questioning whether the wealthy businessman is trying to hide something by refusing to release details of his federal income tax returns. Corker, who reported income of almost $5 million to the IRS last year, said that is not the case, and he has "provided all the information any voter or citizen would want to know." In response to News Sentinel requests, all three major GOP Senate candidates provided several years of basic federal 1040 income tax return forms for review. Ed Bryant and Van Hilleary, who both...

NASHVILLE - Republican U.S. Senate candidates Ed Bryant and Van Hilleary are taking different tacks - Bryant positive, Hilleary negative - in new radio commercials as they seek to overcome a huge advertising advantage built up by Bob Corker. Corker, meanwhile, throws a not-so-subtle jab at his two opponents, both former congressmen who have worked as lobbyists, in a statewide television ad now airing. The situation developing with just more than six weeks to go before the Aug. 3 primary may indicate a barrage of attack ads are upcoming with Bryant attempting to stand off to one side, said John...

Zogby says no Republican holds a significant lead over Harold Ford, Jr.

When Bob Corker's U.S. Senate campaign began flooding Tennessee's airwaves with a commercial two weeks ago, his opponents in the Republican primary cried foul. They zeroed in on this statement: "When was the last time an elected official actually made government smaller? Or controlled spending so property taxes were the lowest since the 1950s?" Corker claimed the campaigns of Ed Bryant and Van Hilleary were misrepresenting his record. They pointed out that Corker raised taxes 24 percent his first year in office. Corker did. However, that wasn't the claim. Instead, the ad stated that Corker controlled spending. Financial information provided...

The three Republican candidates vying for the U.S. Senate seat in Tennessee will face each other in a broadcast debate on July 13, the eve of early voting for the Aug. 3 primary. Former U.S. Reps. Van Hilleary and Ed Bryant, and former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker have committed to answer questions from a panel of three journalists at West High School. The three GOP candidates are hoping to replace Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who is not running for reelection. The winner will face U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr., the presumptive Democratic nominee, in the November general election. With...

A month ago, only 11 percent of voters told pollsters that they had a favorable impression of former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker, while 56 percent said they were "unfamiliar" with the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. What a difference a month makes. After an advertising blitz, Corker now leads the GOP field, according to a SurveyUSA poll conducted exclusively for WBIR, Channel 10. If the Republican primary were today, according to SurveyUSA, 38 percent of likely Republican voters polled said they would back Corker, while Van Hilleary would get 28 percent and Ed Bryant 23 percent. The pollsters sampled 524...

Just call it the conservative smackdown. This year's U.S. Senate primary showdown has pitted three GOP candidates -- former U.S. congressmen Ed Bryant and Van Hilleary and former Chattanooga mayor Bob Corker -- in a television, Internet, and campaign trail snarling match to claim the "true conservative" moniker and edge out the competition. "It must be very important, because everybody says they're conservative around election time," Bryant said. "That's how you get elected in Tennessee." It's a coveted title. In Tennessee -- which hasn't elected a Democratic senator since 1990 -- folks prefer their meat barbecued and their Republicans solidly...

Former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker says he's both "flattered" and "disappointed" that his opponents in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate have agreed to unite to "expose" Corker's record. Former U.S. Reps. Van Hilleary and Ed Bryant believe they're the conservative candidates in the race and have pledged to show that Corker is not. Corker is running on a platform of "conservative principles" and "positive results." Hilleary, who had a letter exchange with Bryant on Friday, proposed that the two not attack one another and have a "conservative truce." Bryant answered with a headline that said, "Conservatives should be...

Van Hilleary, candidate for Tennessee's U.S. Senate seat, on Friday called on "his fellow conservative opponent" Ed Bryant to join him in a "conservative truce." Later in the day, Bryant said he agreed. Hilleary "emphasized the importance of electing a sincere conservative to the U.S. Senate and of mutually refraining from campaign attacks on fellow conservatives." He said he is "optimistic Bryant will agree.

May 7--In the competitive race to fill the Senate seat of departing Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R), likely Democratic nominee Harold Ford continues to trail all three potential Republican opponents. Representative Van Hilleary now leads Ford 47% to 38%. Representative Ed Bryant leads Ford 44% to 36%. And Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker leads him 43% to 39%. Those numbers are little changed from our previous Tennessee election poll. Since the beginning of the year, the gaps between Ford and the Republicans have widened. Hilleary does a bit better among conservatives than Bryant or Corker. All four candidates are viewed...

Where is the outrage that was manufactured to run Rush Limbaugh off the air? Is it absent because Gumbel is allegedly black? So just picture for a moment, if you will, that you're watching SportsCenter tonight and Dan Patrick says, "The lack of whites in the NBA makes it look like a welfare office." Think that would get buried like Gumbel's comments? For what it's worth, maybe Gumbel should do some research on the emerging face of the GOP.

<p>Koby Bryant scored 81 points tonight, the second highest ever in an NBA game. Wilt Chamberlain, then of the Philadelphia 76ers, scored the all-time high of 100 points in a game.</p>

A Queens teen yesterday told a jury how he and two pals fatally beat and stabbed an unsuspecting boy as part of a brutal gang initiation. "Just take the money," Huang Chen, 18, begged his attackers as they stomped on his face and torso. But it wasn't his money they wanted. That was just a bonus to be divvied up after the killing, Nayquan Miller testified.

WASHINGTON - Longtime federal judge William B. Bryant — the first black person to serve as chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia — has died. He was 94. Bryant, who continued hearing cases as a senior judge until recently, died Sunday night, court spokesman Sheldon Snook said. President Johnson nominated Bryant to the federal bench in 1965, after Bryant distinguished himself in private practice and as a federal prosecutor in Washington. He was first hired as an assistant U.S. attorney in 1951. On Friday, President Bush signed legislation that will name a new $110...

NEW intelligence reports suggesting that 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta arrived in the US in late 1999 or early 2000 - six months earlier than previously thought - are likely to spark a reassessment of public servant Johnelle Bryant's incredible story of a face-to-face meeting with the terrorist. In an extraordinary 2002 interview later branded a hoax by some media -- including the ABC's Media Watch -- Ms Bryant claimed to have met Atta in late April or early May of 2000 when she worked as a loan officer with the US Department of Agriculture's farm services agency in Florida. Ms...

New facts back tale of brush with Atta David Nason, New York correspondent August 13, 2005 NEW intelligence reports suggesting that 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta arrived in the US in late 1999 or early 2000 - six months earlier than previously thought - are likely to spark a reassessment of public servant Johnelle Bryant's incredible story of a face-to-face meeting with the terrorist. In an extraordinary 2002 interview later branded a hoax by some media -- including the ABC's Media Watch -- Ms Bryant claimed to have met Atta in late April or early May of 2000 when she worked...

DENVER (AP) -- Nike is using photos of Kobe Bryant for the first time since his arrest two years ago for an alleged assault on a female employee at a Colorado resort. ``Nike agrees with most NBA observers that Kobe ranks among the very best players in the NBA, and his training and preparation are key elements of his game,'' said Nike spokesman Rodney Knox. The ads appear in Sports Illustrated. His name appeared in an ad earlier this year. Prosecutors dismissed a rape charge against Bryant last September after his alleged victim refused to go ahead with the case....

Kobe-less Lakers still beat LeBron, Cavs LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Lakers star Kobe Bryant sustained what the team called a severely sprained right ankle midway through the first quarter of Thursday night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers and had to be helped off the court. X-rays were negative, but Bryant will have an MRI on Friday, team spokesman John Black said. Bryant, the NBA's second-leading scorer with a 28.2-point average, was injured when he landed on Ira Newble's right foot while going for a rebound under the Cavaliers' basket. Newble was called for a foul on the play. Bryant immediately...

Del. L. Preston Bryant Jr., R-Lynchburg, has been thrown off the House budget-writing committee in the aftermath of his leadership role and votes on behalf of the governor's proposed tax increases last spring. House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, could not be reached yesterday to comment on his decision to oust Bryant. He has previously denied that he had punished Bryant and two other GOP delegates for bolting from the party's no-tax-increase position.