Congress' Use of Sex Hush Fund Violates Campaign Finance Law & is Embezzlement of Taxpayer Funds

Self | December 10, 2018 | Stayfree

[Stayfree]

If Mueller's witch hunt is dumb enough to try and take down Trump by claiming that hush money paid to the two women was a campaign finance law violation, then Mueller must also go after all the Congressmen who secretly used taxpayer funds to silence claims against them of sexual harassment. Such a secret use of taxpayer funds is also embezzlement and they all should be prosecuted.

[Stayfree]

We need to bombard the real patriots out there who can use this info to stop Mueller in his tracks. Spread the word!!!

[mass55th]

This is what I wrote on another thread this morning:

"It seems to me that the taxpayer funded hush fund used by Congressional members is just as much a violation of campaign laws, since the purpose of it is to keep any sexual abuse/harassment claims secret, in order to prevent those claims from becoming known, and adversely affecting their political careers, and chances of re-election."

[Liz]

Trump needs to publish the numbers..... the tax dollars co-opted by Congress over the years,
used as hush money to silence sexual abuse victims......

AMERICANS DEMAND TO KNOW THE SCOPE AND DIMENSION
OF TAX DOLLARS EXTORTED FOR POLS’ SEXUAL ABUSE PAYOFFS-——

It came in many forms:
<><> tax-paid hush money disguised as bonuses to victims
<><> tax-paid severances to victims
<><> no-show jobs to silence victims
<><> tax-paid legal assistance to victims
<><> payouts from the Office of Compliance
<><> payouts from tax-paid office budgets
<><> all other forms of tax-paid bribery
<><> all other forms of tax-paid hush money.

---

ACTION NOW-——Call President Trump: Comments: 202-456-1111 Switchboard: 202-456-1414

CONTACT CONGRESS: Capitol Switchboard 1-866-220-0044

U.S. Department of Justice Comment Line: 202-353-1555 Switchboard: 202-514-2000

[Liz]

Add to the sordid sex stories: wannabe Democrat Kamala Harris Literally Knows Nothing---her go-to defense;
Harris has to hope a lot of people believe she knew very little:

<><> Harris says she was “unaware” one of her top staffers “preyed on a female executive” in her office while she was California's AG.

<><>or that the predator was still a defendant when she named him to her Senate staff.

<><>As AG, she said she had no idea her lawyers “argued against releasing non-violent prisoners from overcrowded prisons.”

<><>Or that they refused a DNA test to a black death-row prisoner amid indications of evidence-tampering.

BACKSTORY--- Kamala Harris aide resigns over harassment settlement. The victim's long and highly visible paper trail includes (A) personnel reports, and, (B) a lawsuit. Miss Hartley began as Wallace's assistant in 2011. She reported the harassment to her supervisor. She felt retaliated against, according to her lawsuit. She was transferred to another DOJ office by the end of 2014. Then-Cali AG Kamala knew nothing, she says.

I guess Kamala was too busy putting her vagina into the service of her country. (snx)

KAMALA'S OUSTED AIDE: "200 years of oppression and I cant even look up an intern's dress?"

[humblegunner]

Yeah, we all heard Rush discuss that today.
But hey, you go ahead and pretend you figured it out yourself.
Yay you.
You’re special. Post a thread.

[mass55th]

White House Comment line closes at 4 p.m.

[DesertRhino]

Exactly. So hush money from Trump’s own checking account is a crime? Cool, so howzabout Congressmen using PUBLIC money to pay off groped women and getting THEM to sign NDA’s?

Nuclear war bit@hes. Go ahead, put your missiles in the air and see what kind of retaliation you get.

[Sarah Barracuda]

I guarantee you most members of Congress/Senate have paid off whores, mistresses, etc in order to save their own fannies. I wish President Trump would release the list..he should say “Hey you want to go after ME for this nonsense, let the American people see who the REAL perverts are”

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

Even Ike had a few issues.

[Sgt_Schultze]

Social Media’s active suppression of certain opinions of primarily Republicans, amounts to an undeclared campaign contribution for those NOT suppressed. Surely the amount is hundreds of thousands of dollars in value.

[Liz]

Politics Jan 11, 2018
Numerous state lawmakers across the country have been accused of sexual misconduct or harassment during the past year. Those who so far have resigned or faced other consequences:

RESIGNED FROM OFFICE
1. Alaska: Rep. Dean Westlake, submitted resignation letter Dec. 15 after being accused by several women of inappropriate behavior.
2. California: Assemblyman Matt Dababneh, resigned effective Jan. 1 after a lobbyist said he pushed her into a bathroom during a Las Vegas social event and engaged in lewd behavior in front of her.
3. California: Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra, resigned in November after allegations that he had kissed or groped multiple women without their consent.
4. Florida: Sen. Jack Latvala, resigned effective Jan. 5 following allegations of sexual misconduct raised by multiple women.
5. Minnesota: Sen. Dan Schoen, resigned effective Dec. 15 following several allegations from women.
6. Minnesota: Rep. Tony Cornish, resigned effective Nov. 30 following several allegations, including from a lobbyist who said he repeatedly propositioned her for sex.
7. Mississippi: Rep. John Moore, resigned in December after multiple women made complaints against him; the House speaker’s office said he had been facing an investigation led by an outside lawyer.
8. Nevada: Sen. Mark Manendo, resigned in July after a law firm concluded that he violated the Legislature’s anti-harassment policy and behaved inappropriately toward female staffers and lobbyists.
9. Ohio: Sen. Clifford Hite, resigned in October after being accused of sexually harassing a female state employee.
10. Oklahoma: Rep. Dan Kirby, resigned in February after two former assistants alleged he sexually harassed them, including one with whom he had reached a confidential wrongful-termination settlement that included a $44,500 payment from House funds.
11. Oklahoma: Sen. Ralph Shortey, resigned in March and later pleaded guilty to a federal charge of child sex trafficking after being accused of hiring a 17-year-old boy for sex.
12. Oklahoma: Sen. Bryce Marlatt, resigned in September after being charged with sexual battery for allegedly groping an Uber driver who picked him up from a restaurant in the capital city.
13. South Dakota: Rep. Mathew Wollmann, resigned in January 2017 after admitting to sexual contact with two interns, which a legislative panel said was a violation of rules.
14. Tennessee: Rep. Mark Lovell, resigned in February as a House ethics panel concluded that he had violated the
Legislature’s sexual harassment policy.

OTHER ACTIONS
1. Arizona: Rep. Don Shooter, suspended in November as chairman of the appropriations committee pending an external investigation into allegations that he sexually harassed a female colleague.
2. California: Sen. Tony Mendoza, agreed Jan. 3 to take a one-month paid leave of absence during an investigation into allegations that he behaved inappropriately with three young women who worked for him.
3. Colorado: Rep. Steve Lebsock, replaced Jan. 9 as chairman of the House Local Government Committee after allegations he sexually harassed a female lawmaker.
4. Illinois: Sen. Ira Silverstein, resigned in November as majority caucus chairman after a victims rights advocate publicly accused him of sending inappropriate messages to her.
5. Kentucky: House Speaker Jeff Hoover, resigned from his leadership post Jan. 8 after secretly settling a sexual harassment complaint with a female legislative aide and acknowledging he sent inappropriate text messages to her.
6. Kentucky: Rep. Jim DeCesare, removed from a legislative committee chairmanship in November after signing a secret sexual harassment settlement.
7. Kentucky: Rep. Brian Linder, removed from a legislative committee chairmanship in November after signing a secret sexual harassment settlement.
8. Kentucky: Rep. Michael Meredith, removed from a legislative committee chairmanship in November after signing a secret sexual harassment settlement.
9. Massachusetts: Senate President Stan Rosenberg, stepped aside in December from his leadership position pending an investigation by an independent law firm. The firm is looking into whether he violated any rules following a media report alleging that his husband sexually abused several men, including some who had dealings with the Legislature.
10. New Mexico: Sen. Michael Padilla, ousted in December as Democratic majority whip by the caucus after decade-old allegations that he had sexually harassed women in a prior job. Padilla also dropped out of the lieutenant governor’s race.
11. New York: Assemblyman Steven McLaughlin, formally sanctioned in November by a legislative ethics panel after allegations that he asked a female legislative staffer for nude photos and leaked her name when she filed a harassment complaint.
12. Oklahoma: Rep. Will Fourkiller, advised in February to get sensitivity training and blocked from interacting with the Legislature’s page program for a year after being accused of making inappropriate comments to a high school page in 2015.
13. Oregon: Sen. Jeff Kruse, removed from committees in October and told in a letter from the Senate president not to touch women after new accusations that he had inappropriately touched female colleagues. He faces an ongoing Senate investigation.
14. Pennsylvania: Sen. Daylin Leach, announced in December that he will “step back” from his campaign for a congressional seat after allegations that he behaved inappropriately toward female employees and campaign aides. Also facing a call from Gov. Tom Wolf to resign.
15. Washington: Rep. Matt Manweller, resigned as assistant floor leader and was removed as ranking member of a House committee in December. Manweller also was placed on paid leave from his job as a political science professor at Central Washington University and barred from contacting past and present students while the university investigates allegations of sexual harassment against him.
16. Wisconsin: Rep. Josh Zepnick, removed from legislative committees in December after being accused of kissing two women against their will at political events several years ago.

ALSO OF NOTE
1. Idaho: Rep. James Holtzclaw, accused in a complaint of making inappropriate comments to at least two people during the 2017 session.
2. Pennsylvania: Rep. Tom Caltagirone, facing calls by Gov. Tom Wolf to resign after reports that House Democrats authorized paying about $250,000 to settle a sexual harassment claim from a legislative assistant against Caltagirone in 2015.
3. Rhode Island: Rep. Teresa Tanzi, publicly alleged in October that a more senior legislator had suggested that sexual favors would allow her bills to go further, but Tanzi has not publicly identified the lawmaker.
4. Florida: Sen. Jeff Clemens, resigned in October after an extramarital affair with a lobbyist. The House speaker had said that because a lobbyist is dependent on legislators, “the facts here raise a very real question of sexual harassment.”
5. Kentucky: Rep. Dan Johnson killed himself in December, just days after being publicly accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in 2013.

(ha tip Beautiful_Gracious_Skies)

[Liz]

DEMOCRAT ALCEE HASTINGS ASKED STAFFER WHAT KIND OF PANTIES SHE WAS WEARING--
knows "nothing" about $220,000 settlement

Winsome Packer

Cong Hastings Record sexual harassment settlement exposes byzantine congressional process
by LEIGH ANN CALDWELL / NBC NEWS

WASHINGTON — With new harassment accusations being revealed on a nearly daily basis in Congress, documents obtained by NBC News from the Hastings case shed light on how taxpayer money ends up being used to essentially sweep such incidents under a bureaucratic rug with little accountability. On Capitol Hill, a sexual harassment complaint is a long process. The documents include drafts of a letter approving the settlement and a confidentiality agreement as well as an internal “lessons learned” memo written by a House employment lawyer. And while many of the accusations and details of the case remain in dispute, the eventual settlement is a case study of a process shrouded in secrecy despite being funded by taxpayers.

In 2011, Winsome Packer, a congressional staffer who worked for the United States Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (known as the Helsinki Commission) filed a complaint against the commission, alleging that its chairman at the time, Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., made unwanted sexual advances toward her and that she was threatened with retaliation. The details of Packer’s specific allegations are recorded in the complaint she also brought in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Publicly filed court documents in that lawsuit show that Packer alleged that she “was forced to endure” repeated “unwelcome sexual advances, crude sexual comments and unwelcome touching” by Hastings. In describing the incidents, Packer alleged that Hastings had hugged her multiple times, sometimes in front of witnesses at public events, pressing his whole body against her, and his face to her face. Packer also claimed that after she complained to the commission’s staff director, she was subject to threats of retaliation by both the director and Hastings himself, including “threats of termination.”

Hastings, who has been in Congress since 1993, has denied Packer’s allegations. He called them “malicious” and “absolutely false” in a letter obtained by NBC News. The Office of Congressional Ethics referred the matter to the House Ethics Committee in 2010. After reviewing more than one thousand pages of documents and interviewing eight witnesses, the committee closed the case after finding that while the congressman admitted to having made some unprofessional comments, it had found “no additional evidence supporting [Packer’s ] allegations.”

The federal court also dismissed the case, with prejudice, in June 2014. Both sides maintain they were wronged. But this case, which took four years to settle, shows the system is so flawed that even Hastings’ House-provided attorney issued a retrospective critical of the process. In an internal congressional document obtained by NBC News this week, Gloria Lett, an attorney for the Office of House Employment Counsel, offered some “lessons learned” from Packer’s case that recommended the adoption of new policies to handle such claims.

So how did Winsome Packer end up getting a $220,000 taxpayer-funded settlement in May 2014? And why was that payment, settling sexual harassment claims against a member of the House of Representatives, not included in a disclosure to the House Administration Committee of all such settlement payments in the last five years, provided by Congress’ Office of Compliance, the congressional office that approved the payment?

The puzzle of a byzantine process starts with what Packer says happened when she first made the complaint. Packer claims that from the outset she faced a system that was onerous and intimidating. In an interview, she told NBC News that the process “is designed to totally demolish you and convince you to drop it.” At the beginning, like any accuser who files a complaint with the Office of Compliance (OOC), Packer paid for her own legal representation while it’s the taxpayers who provide free legal counsel for the member of Congress or the office involved in the complaint. Packer completed an initial requirement of a 30-days-or-less, mandatory counseling period for accusers, and then proceeded to a second requirement of a 30-day mediation period. She called that process “worse than the harassment.” She and one of her lawyers describe an attempt to undermine her credibility and intimidate her. George Chuzi, who represented Packer in her first meeting regarding the complaint, said the House lawyers were “unbelievably aggressive.”

Two government-paid lawyers representing Hastings sat across the table, as did her immediate supervisor. According to Packer and Chuzi, among the first things the House counsel said is that Packer is a “liar and an extortionist.” Packer added that the House attorneys also made an initial demand: Packer had to quit. Chuzi said he was “in shock” about the treatment of the accuser. Packer continued to press her case in federal court for three years. How Congress is trying to expose sexual harassment payouts Packer eventually received a settlement payment of $220,000, an amount confirmed by documents reviewed by NBC News and the largest known about since the Congressional Accountability Act was passed in 1995. One document obtained by NBC News details early draft terms of Packer’s settlement, and it is one of few such documents that have become public.

The others have not been released because confidentiality requirements, established by Congress and signed into federal law as the Congressional Accountability Act, bind accuser, accused and other legal entities from disclosing any terms or details. Despite these confidentiality requirements, Packer said she had decided to speak out because the environment has changed for accusers and she has little to lose. Packer, 60, who worked for the commission from 2007 until 2014, said she has not worked since the settlement was reached nearly four years ago, and is now living with her sister in Florida. Prior to her work as a policy adviser to the Helsinki Commission, Packer worked as a GOP staff member on the House Homeland Security Committee from 2003 through 2006. But when NBC News directed questions about the settlement and the payment to the two congressional entities the documents showed were involved in establishing and approving them — the Office of Compliance and the Senate Office of the Chief Counsel for Employment — neither provided answers. In an email, the Office of Compliance’s media representative wrote that “the Congressional Accountability Act requires that the OOC maintain the confidentially of contacts made with the office. The OOC cannot comment on whether matters have or have not been filed with the office.”

The Senate legal office did not respond to questions.

[Bruce Campbells Chin]

One problem with this whole narrative is the "hush money" label. Lawsuits are settled all the time. Sometimes because they have merit, sometimes because it is simply not worth it to fight them.

Settling a lawsuit filed by Daniles and her sleazy lawyer is not inherently unethical, nor is it even evidence that Trump did anything wrong.

[Liz]

Back in the 1990’s President Bill Clinton signed into law a bill that would shield sexually deviant Congressional members from being revealed to the public. Well, in 1995, Bill Clinton was getting lewinskied in the Oval Orifice, Congress decided to pass a law which can be properly called “Congressional Protection For Sexual Assault Act of 1995.”

Of course it’s not really entitled that; it’s allegedly called “The Congressional Accountability Act of 1995.” This law was debated and passed in the House 429-0. It then went to the Senate and was passed by unanimous consent and was signed by then-President Clinton.

You got it — not one “No” vote between either chamber. This must have really been a good law, right? Well, for Congress it was — if they liked to diddle their sexatary, pages, or other people in their offices.

Gee, I can see why Bill Clinton liked that bill too!

And while that law has thus far kept Congressional sexual harassment allegations and settlements completely hidden from the American public, that could change .......
(Excerpt) Read more at thewashingtonstandard.com

[aquila48]

Not to mention every possible ethics code worth that name.

I’m flabbergasted that conservatives haven’t made a huge deal of this. It is so wrong on so many levels.

And yes I’m sure there were Republicans that used it too, but we should run them out of town with everyone else that used it.

It’s truly appalling that they would be so shameless.

[rdcbn]

Trump paid like120K dollars to Stormy Daniels to satisfy her blackmail and extortion plot

At the Trump level it takes way over 100 k in legal fees just to respond to any initial claims, no matter how bogus they may be

Cohen settled Daniel’s blackmail and extortion threats for way less than nuisance cost

[bgill]

How many laws has Mueller violated? More than a few to be sure. He closed the cases on the Boston Bombers and the San Bernardino shooters shortly before things went to heck and afer he was continuously warned. Probably 9/11 as well.
That should be investigated.

[Carriage Hill]

Great idea, but it’ll never happen. Too many in Congress would be indicted. The Chambers would be almost empty.

[Osage Orange]

Payments in this case were bribes...

Winsom Losesome.

[chiller]

DJT will use it, either by releasing names (surely some R's in there too, maybe some R's he needs) or just the mention of the fund to point out the hypocrisy.

I leave it up to him to decide who's naughty and who's nice and the best way to use it.