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Osama Bin Laden's terrorist organization has become increasingly reliant on organized crime, including cocaine smuggling, human trafficking and kidnapping, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Friday in Manhattan's federal court. The charges filed against three alleged al-Qaeda associates by the U.S. Attorney in Manhattan is the latest chilling evidence of a convergence between terrorism and organized crime. Oumar Issa, Harouna Touré and Idriss Abelrahman were snatched in Ghana on Wednesday by a Drug Enforcement Administration sting and shipped to New York, where they arrived on Friday to face charges of conspiracy to commit acts of narco-terrorism and providing material support...

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan unsealed narcotics and terrorism charges on Friday against three West Africans they identified as associates of Al Qaeda and a related terrorist group. While the United States Drug Enforcement Administration has long maintained that Al Qaeda has been involved in drug trafficking, officials at the agency said the case represented the first time such charges had been brought against people linked with the group. The three men — identified as Oumar Issa, Harouna Touré and Idriss Abelrahman — were arrested on Wednesday in Ghana and flown to the United States on Thursday night, law enforcement officials...

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan unsealed narcotics and terrorism charges on Friday against three West Africans they identified as associates of Al Qaeda and a related terrorist group. While the United States Drug Enforcement Administration has long maintained that Al Qaeda has been involved in drug trafficking, officials at the agency said the case represented the first time such charges had been brought against people linked with the group. The three men — identified as Oumar Issa, Harouna Touré and Idriss Abelrahman — were arrested on Wednesday in Ghana and flown to the United States on Thursday night, law enforcement officials...

A GOP counter-delegation is forming to undermine the Obama administration's work on an international climate change agreement in Copenhagen, warning that the president is poised to make commitments he can't keep and drawing heightened attention to controversial leaked e-mails. A GOP counter-delegation is forming to undermine the Obama administration's work on an international climate change agreement in Copenhagen, warning that the president is poised to make commitments he can't keep and drawing heightened attention to controversial leaked e-mails. At least a half-dozen Republican senators and representatives are planning to head to Denmark next week, as part of the overall U.S....

The U.N.'s decision this week to investigate whether some of its climate change research had been manipulated constitutes a "direct rebuke" of the Obama administration, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said Friday. The White House's unwillingness to open a similar inquiry could now only be characterized as "a sad abdication of their responsibility to ensure that U.S. policies are not driven by corrupted science and data," the congressman added. “The very integrity of the report that the Obama administration has predicated much of its climate change policy has been called into question and it is unconscionable that this administration and Congress...

The UN has announced it will open an investigation into climate research as a result of the CRU e-mails and documents that became public last week. The UN said it is luanching the probe because some of the research in question touches on related work either completed or promoted by its own Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). --snip-- “The very integrity of the report that the Obama administration has predicated much of its climate change policy has been called into question and it is unconscionable that this administration and Congress is willing to abdicate responsibility of uncovering the truth...

A handful of House Republicans did their best on Tuesday to shame Democrats and the Obama administration for its supposed connections to the controversial anti-poverty group ACORN. Republicans also voiced complaints that Democrats are not moving forward with investigations into the organization that is alleged to have committed widespread voter fraud to support Democratic candidates, in violation of the group's tax-exempt status. "ACORN is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Democratic Party," Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said at Tuesday's two-hour long partisan forum attended by eight Republicans but no Democrats. Another source of frustration for Republicans is a legal decision from...

The Obama Administration remains addicted to the "Chicago Way" of hardball politics. One of the clearest examples was last June's firing by the White House of Gerald Walpin, inspector general of the government service program AmeriCorps. Mr. Walpin complained at the time his ouster was due to his dogged investigation of misspent AmeriCorps money in a program run by Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, a major Obama backer. Mr. Walpin's firing by the White House was done in direct contravention of a 2008 law meant to protect inspectors general from political retribution. Mr. Obama himself co-sponsored the law as a Senator....

Oversight: After an unjust firing and campaign of character assassination, the former AmeriCorps inspector general has been cleared of acting improperly. Now where does he go to get his job and reputation back? On June 10, Gerald Walpin was fired with one hour's notice as the watchdog of AmeriCorps in violation of a federal law requiring Congress to be given a heads-up 30 days in advance. He then fell victim to a campaign of character assassination. When pressed for a reason for the sudden and improper dismissal of a federal watchdog, the White House responded with a letter to Sens....

A GOP congressional report accuses the White House of doing favors for Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, a former NBA star and prominent ally of President Barack Obama. The report was spearheaded by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. 
 The investigation also found evidence that D.C. schools chief Michelle Rhee handled “damage control” after allegations surfaced of sexual misconduct against Johnson, her now-fiancé. The probe was launched after an AmeriCorps inspector general, Gerald Walpin, was abruptly fired...

A House oversight panel is examining the $45 billion federal bailout of Bank of America Corp. and its shotgun acquisition of Merrill Lynch&Co. last year at the height of the financial crisis. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has been investigating the government's role in pushing the hastily arranged takeover of Merrill Lynch, the tumultuous events surrounding the deal and the payment of billions of dollars in bonuses to Merrill employees. The panel has previously asked Charlotte, N.C.-based Bank of America, the second-largest U.S. bank, to hand over related documents. The committee is scheduled to hold a hearing at...

One Republican's political action committee on Sunday suggested Democrats enticed former Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava with "favors" in return for her endorsement of the race's remaining Democratic challenger. In a fundraising pitch to supporters this afternoon, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) through IssaPAC railed on Scozzafava for choosing to support Bill Owens over Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate who effectively forced her out of the race on Saturday. Issa also called on Republicans to donate promptly to Hoffman's war chest so that the party writ large could "send a message to Barack Obama that he can't buy this election." "Just...

A wide ranging congressional investigation into Countrywide Financial will dig into how the mortgage giant went about picking government officials to offer its VIP program, according to aides involved with the inquiry. Thanks to an agreement between Republicans and Democrats reached late Friday night, any name of a member of Congress involved in the VIP program will head straight to the ethics committee, while redacted copies of those documents will be given to the House Oversight and Government Reform. But the committee has cast a much wider net, looking into whether lobbyists or others in Washington helped identify mid-level Hill...

Susan Crabtree of The Hill has the scoop: "Two junior Democrats are urging their leaders to open an investigation into the Countrywide VIP mortgage program. Rep. Paul Hodes (N.H.), who is in his second House term, and freshman Rep. Mike Quigley (Ill.) called on the House Oversight and Government Reform panel to initiate an investigation into Countrywide Financial's 'Friends of Angelo' VIP program and whether it was used to gain influence over federal officials. They made their case for the investigation in a letter to Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.), the panel's chairman, and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the ranking member....

Faced with a promised vote to subpoena documents on Countrywide Financial's "Friends of Angelo" program, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee fled a scheduled 2 p.m. markup today. Rep. Darrell Issa of California, the Ranking Republican on the Oversight Committee, had promised to call for a vote at today's markup on whether to subpoena documents involved in the program that gave sweetheart mortgages to at least four Democratic government officials, including two senators. According to the Wall Street Journal, the program might have also benefitted the chairman of House Oversight, Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y. Even if it had been ruled...

House Democrats Lock GOP Out of Committee Room A bitter divide over Countrywide mortgage scandal. By JAMES FREEMAN Democratic staff for the House oversight committee informed their GOP counterparts today that the majority has changed the locks on the committee's hearing room. While Republicans previously enjoyed their own key to the room, they will now have to request access from Democrats. This followed a bitter partisan argument in which Republicans refused to take down a video from their website that contradicted Dem explanations about a closed-door meeting on the Countrywide VIP loan scandal. As we reported last week, the committee...

Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) locked Republicans out of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee room to keep them from meeting when Democrats aren’t present. Towns’ action came after repeated public ridicule from the leading Republican on the committee, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), over Towns’s failure to launch an investigation into Countrywide Mortgage’s reported sweetheart deals to VIPs. For months Towns has refused Republican requests to subpoena records in the case. Last Thursday Committee Republicans, led by Issa, were poised to force an open vote on the subpoenas at a Committee mark-up meeting. The mark-up was abruptly canceled. Only Republicans...

The revelation that Countrywide Financial recorded phone conversations as part of a specialized "VIP" mortgage loan program has added another twist to a Republican-led inquiry on Capitol Hill. Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, who has aggressively pursued the now-defunct Countrywide program for much of this year, said Monday that a call-recording system put in place as early as 2003 could contain evidence of wrongdoing by prominent public officials. He requested a raft of new information about the program and the taping system from Bank of America, which purchased Countrywide in July 2008 as it struggled with mounting losses amid the collapse...

The Treasury Department has agreed to conduct a review of IRS oversight of the community organizing group ACORN and similar organizations, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said Thursday. Issa, the top Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, announced that the Treasury Department's inspector general had agreed to an investigation called for by Issa and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. "In response to your request, [the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration] is initiating a review of the IRS's oversight of tax-exempt Section 501(c)(3) organizations and Section...

Here is video of ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis appearing on Fox News Sunday today, where she was questioned by Chris Wallace. GOP Rep. Darrell Issa also appeared on the show. President Obama refused to appear on Fox News today, even though he appeared on five other Sunday shows. So, Fox News Sunday booked Bertha Lewis and Issa. Lewis said "any organization is not entirely perfect," and admitted she was outraged by what she has seen in the undercover video tapes. She said, "Internally, let's have some reform." Issa said Lewis needs to agree to a full review of how past...

The outrage over ACORN, the controversial grass roots community organization, reaches a fever pitch as lawmakers in Washington begin to act. Chris Wallace gets the story behind the accusations from ACORN's CEO Bertha Lewis and from one of the group's harshest Congressional critics Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House has voted to deny all federal funding for ACORN, the community organizing group that has been caught up in several scandals. The House action came several days after the Senate took a similar vote to block the Housing and Urban Development Department from giving grants to ACORN. Republicans, long critics of the liberal-leaning group that advocates for the poor, led the effort to cut off all federal funds. California Republican Darrell Issa, who sponsored the measure in the House, says the "scandal surrounding the criminal activities of ACORN have called into question their role in...

The ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee wants more answers from the White House about its e-mail policies. In a letter to White House counsel Greg Craig, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) on Monday raised questions about the White House's request for supporters to forward “fishy claims” about healthcare. Issa says such a request could have a “chilling” effect on free speech and asked the president to ensure that the e-mails will be stored properly but not used for political purposes. “To help ease these concerns, please tell us what actions take place or have been discussed...

Darrell Issa, a Republican congressman from Southern California, has sent a stern letter to Rahm Emanuel, chief of staff of the Chicago Way White House. Issa's letter asks Emanuel to stop using Chicago-style political rough stuff against Republican critics of President Barack Obama's gazillion-dollar economic stimulus program. *snip* "These tactics have been characterized as a 'fist to the nose' and a message to 'back off,' " wrote Issa to Emanuel. "While this type of scare tactic might work in Chicago, it will not work to intimidate me or other members of the United States Congress."

Darrell Issa tells the Chief Of Staff, to, basically *&^%$# off. Zero Hedge tries hard to find fault with the Congressman's logic and fails miserably.

The House investigative committee’s top-ranking Republican wants White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel to answer for allegations that he used “Chicago-style scare tactics” to intimidate lawmakers who say the economic stimulus has failed. In a letter sent to Emanuel on Tuesday, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee ranking member Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) demanded to know how involved the chief of staff was in an effort to “threaten” Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer after Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said the president’s Recovery Act was a failure. According to reports, Emanuel directed four Cabinet secretaries to send what Issa characterized as “threatening...

Sean just announced... I will listen to Rep. Darrell Issa (R- 49th District, CA) See this Drudge Report : CONGRESSMAN WARNS RAHM : THIS ISN'T CHICAGO

Following reports that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has been orchestrating an effort to intimidate members of Congress and Governors who raise legitimate concerns regarding the effectiveness of the stimulus, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Ranking Member Darrell Issa (R-CA) sent a letter to Emanuel saying “While this type of scare tactic may work In Chicago, it will not work to intimidate me or other Members of the United States Congress.” “I and others have dared to bring these facts to the attention of President Obama, the Congress and the American people,” Issa wrote. “You’ve unfortunately...

WASHINGTON. D.C. – Following reports that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has been orchestrating an effort to intimidate members of Congress and Governors who raise legitimate concerns regarding the effectiveness of the stimulus, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Ranking Member Darrell Issa (R-CA) sent a letter to Emanuel saying “While this type of scare tactic may work In Chicago, it will not work to intimidate me or other Members of the United States Congress.” “I and others have dared to bring these facts to the attention of President Obama, the Congress and the American people,” Issa...

A reading of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform report on ACORN leaves only one conclusion, ACORN is a criminal enterprise. In fact, the only doubt, according to the committee, that ACORN is not RICO was a debate late in the report whether it is technically an organization. The evidence gathered by the committee is damning. The committee quoted several news sources, "insiders", Marcel Reid, Karen Inman, Anita Moncrief, and the law firm of Harman, Curran, Spielberg, and Eisenberg. HCSE was retained by ACORN as outside legal counsel. Ironically enough, a lot of the most damning evidence came from...

This report is 88 pages but here is the full ACORN report.

A new report from Republicans on a House oversight committee accuses ACORN of fraudulent activities and widespread corruption and calls for a criminal investigation into the advocacy group. ACORN, or the Association of Community Organizations for Reform, has been under constant fire from conservatives since last year for its support of Barack Obama's presidential candidacy and its planned participation in next year's 2010 census. But the report -- to be released Thursday by Rep. Darrell Issa, the top Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Issa's GOP colleagues -- offers the first detailed account of the...

This Past Tuesday the Republican Members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released a staff report that provides the reasons for the Housing Bubble Burst 2007. The Report finds that the housing bubble burst that led to a financial crisis can be traced back to federal government intervention, pushed by the Democratic party, in the U.S. housing market. “The spin on the financial crisis by those who favored government efforts to erode lending standards is that the housing bubble didn’t cause this recession,” said Rep. Darrell Issa the Committee’s Ranking Member. “The findings in this report should...

Issa unloads: Says GOP must address 'failures' of Bush and Hastert @ 1:15 pm by Michael O'Brien Republicans have a responsibility to reflect on the "failures" of leaders like former President George W. Bush and House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), a prominent House Republican said Tuesday. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, argued the GOP must "throw everything we did wrong under the bus" — even if it means alienating some members of the party. Issa said that his committee and Republicans in general wouldn't be doing their jobs "if we're...

The Federal Reserve tried to keep other federal regulators out of the loop while pushing Bank of America to follow through on its deal to buy the crippled investment bank Merrill Lynch late last fall, according to Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The Republicans say documents obtained by the committee show that the Fed sought to limit the information given to the Securities and Exchange Commission, which was responsible for overseeing financial disclosures from the two companies, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, one of Bank of America's regulators. In a memo circulated...

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke engaged in a "cover-up" to disguise his actions in strong-arming the merger of Bank of America and Merrill Lynch last fall, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) charged in a statement released moments ago. Quick catchup: Bank of America chief executive Ken Lewis has twice testified under oath that Bernanke and former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson threatened to remove him (Lewis) and the B of A board if he didn't go through with a proposed merger with troubled brokerage Merrill Lynch. Lewis said that he considered trying to back out of the deal as he saw Merrill's losses...

I'm done being nice about this. First, watch the following clip from CNBC. It is quite clear, and explicit. This set off a veritable firestorm on CNBC, with various commentators coming in to defend Bernanke. None, however, was more odious than Jim Cramer, who said we need "a little less democracy." What? LESS DEMOCRACY Jim? Oh, I get it. You think that The Federal Reserve should be able to break the law any time it wants? That it should be able to, for example, buy Freddie and Fannie paper even though the clear black-letter law says it cannot? The Fed...

The Federal Reserve sought to hide its extensive involvement and concerns about Bank of America's acquisition of Merrill Lynch amid the latter's worsening financial condition, a top Republican congressman said on Wednesday. "The committee has already learned that Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve made inappropriate threats to fire Bank of America management unless they went ahead with the 'shotgun wedding' that was the Merrill Lynch acquisition," Rep. Darrell Issa of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said in a statement released to Reuters. "The Federal Reserve also engaged in a cover-up and deliberately hid concerns and pertinent details...

The next twist into Pelosi-gate? You can debate whether House Speaker Nancy Pelosi deserves a “gate” at the end of her name. In the meantime, one congressman thinks the FBI should be called in to investigate Pelosi’s charge that the CIA misled Congress on Bush administration interrogation techniques (”enhanced,” “harsh,” or “torture,” depending on your politics) against war-on-terror detainees. CNN reports that California Congressman Darrell Issa, a Republican, believes the FBI could shed some light on the issue. Perhaps trying to protect himself from charges that the call is politically motivated, Issa says as a member of the House Judiciary...

A growing chorus of Republican lawmakers is calling for an investigation into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's accusation that the CIA lied to Congress about Bush-era interrogation techniques. FBI Director Robert Mueller, when asked if a probe was under way, told Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., on Wednesday that he needed a referral before launching an investigation into the allegation. So Issa offered one. "If the CIA is lying to any of us -- and I've been briefed many times by them as a member of the Intelligence Committee -- it puts me in a position of not being able to do...

Franklin D. Raines, the former chief executive of Fannie Mae, used a special program at mortgage lender Countrywide Financial to receive a below-market rate on a home loan, contrary to sworn testimony he made to Congress in December, according to the top Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government. Rep. Darrell Issa (Calif.) released documents yesterday that he said show Raines received discounts and waivers of fees on a June 2003 home loan through the "Friends of Angelo" program, named after Countrywide's then-chief executive, Angelo R. Mozilo.

Rep. Darrell Issa fired a shot across the GOP bow Friday night at state Sen. Abel Maldonado, who cast the deciding vote in favor of a budget deal raising taxes. Starting out by lampooning the Obama administration for appointing Democrats with tax problems to administrative posts, Issa poked fun at Maldonado in a speech at the opening dinner for the California Republican Party's three-day spring convention in Sacramento. "Do you think Abel will have to pay those taxes now that he is an honorary Democrat?" Issa said.

House Republicans on Thursday threatened legal action against the White House for its decision to extend its jurisdiction to the Census Bureau and demanded that President Obama respond positively to a letter they sent on Wednesday urging him to reverse the action. "If the president doesn't acquiesce to our letter, and we suspect Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will not insist on that, then we would seek the courts," said House Oversight and Government Affairs ranking member Darrell Issa, R-Calif. At a news conference headlined by Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, Issa added that he believes the federal courts will agree...

Proposal Uses Private Equity to Keep Government from Buying Mortgage Assets, Assures Wall Street Won’t Get Rich While Taxpayers Get Stuck with Trillion Dollar Bill September 27, 2008 Washington, DC – Rep. Darrell Issa, a businessman and entrepreneur before coming to Congress, today offered a new proposal to protect the economy without a taxpayer-funded bail out of Wall Street. Under Rep. Issa’s plan, private investors would provide the capital for a Rescue Fund through the purchase of government issued Guaranteed Recovery Bonds. The Rescue Fund would be managed by the Treasury Department and would offer troubled financial firms interest accruing...

The California congressman who called the Sept. 11 attacks "simply" a plane crash ran for cover Wednesday under a barrage of ridicule from fellow Republicans, first responders and victims' families. San Diego GOP Rep. Darrell Issa was under siege for suggesting the federal government had already done enough to help New York cope with "a fire" that "simply was an aircraft" hitting the World Trade Center. "That is a pretty distorted view of things," said Frank Fraone, a Menlo Park, Calif., fire chief who led a 67-man crew at Ground Zero. "Whether they're a couple of planes or a couple...

Inland Rep. Darrell Issa is throwing his political clout and significant financial support behind a state ballot initiative to change the way California's electoral votes are cast in presidential elections -- a measure some say could decide the next president. The wealthy congressman, who single-handedly jumpstarted the 2003 recall of Gov. Gray Davis, said Tuesday he has agreed to support the measure both financially and by providing access to his own fundraising network, including his substantial e-mail lists. Issa, R-Vista, declined to say how much money he would give, describing his contribution as fluid. Dave Gilliard, a Republican consultant with...

Cindy Sheehan, Tom Hayden, and the Hate America Left meet with pro-Ba'athist members of the Iraqi parliament to discuss “peace.” TO FIND PEOPLE WHO HATE AMERICA AS MUCH AS THEY DO, the Fifth Column Left had to go halfway around the world to meet with Iraqi political leaders who call terrorism “honorable national resistance” and say foreign jihadists “are guaranteed Paradise” – and at least one of whom has ties to militia leader Muqtada al-Sadr. By the end of the trip, the American leftists would echo these sentiments. Somehow most of the media – occupied with interminable coverage of Hurricane...

NORTH COUNTY ---- Rep. Darrell Issa, a Vista Republican who has been considered in some circles a relative moderate on immigration matters, has joined a caucus of anti-illegal immigration lawmakers. Issa, R-Vista, announced last week that he had joined the Immigration Reform Caucus, a predominantly hard-line Republican group founded in 1999 by conservative members of Congress opposed to illegal immigration. His move comes at a critical time, as the U.S. Senate continues debating a controversial immigration reform bill that would pave the way to give millions of illegal immigrants a chance to become legal residents. Immigration analysts on both sides...

A U.S. defense analyst and author says Americans should be very concerned about some radical Muslim paramilitary compounds that have sprung up around the country and that are surrounded with "No Trespassing" signs. Hear This Report Greg Copley, president of the International Strategic Studies Association (ISSA), says the compounds are often populated with former U.S. convicts who were converted to Islam in prison. These convicts, he contends, are connected to a Pakistani organization. "Islamberg in New York, Ahmedabad in Virginia, and Holy Islamville in South Carolina, and so on are places which have been formed largely by Jamaat ul-Fuqra," Copley...

A visiting U.S. congressman held talks with President Bashar Assad Thursday, a day after a congressional delegation headed by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sparked controversy by meeting the Syrian leader. U.S. President George W. Bush has rejected direct talks with Damascus and criticized Pelosi for her visit. Commenting on Bush's criticism, California Republican Darrell Issa said the president had failed to promote the necessary dialogue to resolve disagreements between the U.S. and Syria. "That's an important message to realize: We have tensions, but we have two functioning embassies," Issa told reporters after separate meetings with Assad and his foreign...