Free Republic

A lawyer for former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland asked a federal appeals court Friday to overturn his client’s corruption conviction, arguing the government too broadly applied a federal law. But a government lawyer told the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York City that the conviction should stand, claiming prosecutors rightly charged the Republican with falsifying documents to hide political work he did in two congressional campaigns. Rowland was sentenced to 2½ years in prison last year for allegedly conspiring to disguise work he did on a failed 2012 congressional campaign and a 2010 campaign. This is the...

Late at night, in the closing days of the legislative session, lobbyists, state workers and even some lawmakers gathered in offices at the State Capitol to drink beer, wine and liquor, KMSP-TV reported Wednesday night. The station showed trash cans full of beer, wine and liquor bottles and suggested that at least some the alcohol of might have been provided by lobbyists. Lobbyists are not allowed to give gifts to legislators. "What's troubling me is the coziness of the lobbyists and lawmakers," former House Speaker Ernest Lindstrom said after watching hidden-camera video taken by the station. Lindstrom, a Republican who...

Army to Gates: Halt the free softwareLast modified: March 10, 2004, 4:00 AM PST By Ina Fried Staff Writer, CNET News.com Microsoft has been mailing free copies of its pricey Office productivity software to government employees, but CNET News.com has learned that at least two federal agencies are warning recipients to return the gifts or risk violating federal ethics policies. Since the launch of Office 2003 last year, Microsoft has given out tens of thousands of free copies of its flagship software, which retails for about $500, to workers at its biggest customers. The giveaway was expanded to government workers...