Posted on 10/21/2005 4:13:36 PM PDT by churchillbuff
Released from a gag order, Larry Littwin – the controversial former director of the Texas Lottery under Harriet Miers – is free to appear at the upcoming Supreme Court confirmation hearings to give "potentially explosive" testimony damaging both to President Bush and his nominee, according to WND columnist Jerome Corsi.
As WorldNetDaily has reported, Littwin allegedly was fired by Miers because he wanted to investigate improper political influence-buying by lobbyists for GTECH, the firm contracted to run the lottery.
Corsi believes that Littwin, according to an examination of hundreds of contemporary Texas newspaper accounts, will be able to establish under oath that the GTECH contract was preserved on a no-bid basis by then-chairwoman of the Lottery Commission Miers in order to "keep the lid on" the National Guard controversy involving then-Gov. Bush.
The lobbyists included Ben Barnes, the former Texas lieutenant governor who claims he pulled strings to get Bush into the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War.
GTECH agreed to release Littwin from his gag order under pressure from Senate Judiciary Committee attorneys, Corsi said.
Littwin, who was hired by Miers in June 1997 and fired just five months later, wanted to reopen the GTECH contract for competitive bid, according to Corsi.
The Rhode Island company has held the operating contract on the Texas Lottery since the lottery began in 1991.
When Littwin sued GTECH over losing his job, Barnes gave a five-hour deposition. But GTECH settled with Littwin for $300,000, under the condition that he destroy all documents pertaining to the litigation, including the Barnes deposition.
Until now, Corsi reports, Littwin has been under a gag order as part of his "negotiated settlement" with GTECH, under which he would suffer a $50,000 penalty if he discussed openly any details of his Texas Lottery employment.
Corsi says insiders following the Texas Lottery Commission scandals believe Littwin's testimony is "potentially explosive."
Rumors are circulating, he adds, that influence-peddling crimes, including money laundering, may yet remain to be prosecuted.
Senate Judiciary Committee leadership has pledged to investigate fully Miers' background and qualifications for a lifetime appointment as associate Supreme Court justice.
I don't know but it sounds painful...
WHY did W find it necessary to open up this can of worms??? WHY?
I will, insulting one.
This is probably the 3rd or fourth damning revelation this week, not to mention the primary concern of conservatives familiar with the topic of judiciary malfeasance; her qualifications as a strict constructionalist. The logical response to this, unless you are referring to past conversations with churchhillbluff would not be to paint him into a corner that his motivation was somehow a personal hatred of our Republican President. That smacks of such a need to provoke an arguement not related to the topic of this article quite similar to the old "when did you stop beating your wife" strawman.
Two points...
This essentially says that Ben Barnes "blackmailed" the administration into accepting the firm he lobbied for "or else" he would make the Nat Guard story public, I guess.
Littwin wanted to reopen the bidding to other companies. Any evidence he was affiliated with any of these OTHER companies trying to get the Lottery contract?
Never happen. If the R Senators recognize the right of clinton to appoint Ruth Buzzi Ginsberg, how will they claim that Bush does not have the right to choose Miers. The R Senators will vote to affirm with 2 or less defections, imho.
I was curious where it ranked on an absolute scale.
I'm still not cornered, and this is not a damning revelation to anyone who lived here in Texas when all this transpired. It's not new news. The fact that it's news to others isn't surprising, I suppose.
Well I figured it was probably due to that as it was an odd comment to make otherwise.
I happen to remember him on here as well and remember he is a true conservative, perhaps not a true Republican. I think those passionately supporting Bush need to remember that those people aren't heratics, and do their best to reason with them. After all Bush can't run again, but conservatives are going to be needed to be engaged in politics in 08, even those that don't think George W Bush is the greatest President since Lincoln.
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