- Hello Kaloogian
In the meantime, I heard Gov. Arnold gets to choose Cunningham's immediate replacement, which throws a monkey-wrench into the whole race.
Posted on 11/28/2005 12:30:57 PM PST by RWR8189
Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy and tax charges and tearfully resigned from office, admitting he took $2.4 million in bribes to steer defense contracts to conspirators.
Cunningham, 63, entered pleas in U.S. District Court to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud and wire fraud, and tax evasion for underreporting his income in 2004.
Cunningham answered "yes, Your Honor" when asked by U.S. District Judge Larry Burns if he had accepted bribes from someone in exchange for his performance of official duties.
Later, at a news conference, he wiped away tears as he announced his resignation.
"I can't undo what I have done but I can atone," he said.
Cunningham, an eight-term Republican congressman, had already announced in July that he would not seek re-election next year.
House Ethics rules say that any lawmaker convicted of a felony no longer should vote or participate in committee work. Under Republican caucus rules, Cunningham also would have lost his chairmanship of the House Intelligence subcommittee on terrorism and human intelligence.
The former Vietnam War flying ace was known on Capitol Hill for his interest in defense issues and his occasional temperamental outbursts.
After the hearing, Cunningham was taken away for fingerprinting and released on his own recognizance until a Feb. 27 sentencing hearing. He could receive up to 10 years in prison.
He also agreed to forfeit to the government his Rancho Santa Fe home, more than $1.8 million in cash and antiques and rugs.
In a statement, prosecutors said Cunningham admitted to receiving at least $2.4 million in bribes paid to him by several conspirators through a variety of methods, including checks totaling over $1 million, cash, rugs, antiques, furniture, yacht club fees and vacations.
"He did the worst thing an elected official can do _ he enriched himself through his position and violated the trust of those who put him there," U.S. Attorney Carol Lam said. The statement did not identify the conspirators.
The case began when authorities started investigating whether Cunningham and his wife, Nancy, used the proceeds from the $1,675,000 sale to defense contractor Mitchell Wade to buy the $2.55 million mansion in Rancho Santa Fe. Wade put the Del Mar house back on the market and sold it after nearly a year for $975,000 _ a loss of $700,000.
He drew little notice outside his San Diego-area district before the San Diego Union-Tribune reported last June that he'd sold the home to Wade.
Cunningham's pleas came amid a series of GOP scandals. Rep. Tom DeLay of Texas had to step down as majority leader after he was indicted in a campaign finance case; a stock sale by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is being looked at by regulators; and Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff was indicted in the CIA leak case.
Apparently Nancy Pelosi wasted no time to say how this is expected from the Republican party per a local tal show caller.
* Nick Mavroules, Massachusetts Democrat: tax evasion, accepting illegal gratuity (1992).
* Albert Bustamante, Texas Democrat: racketeering (1993).
* Carroll Hubbard, Kentucky Democrat: fraud and corruption (1994).
* Carl Perkins, Kentucky Democrat: fraud (1994).
* Charlie Rose, North Carolina Democrat:
financial-disclosure irregularities (1994).
* Larry Smith, Florida Democrat: tax evasion (1994).
* Walter Fauntroy, District of Columbia Democrat:
financial-disclosure misdemeanor (1995).
* Gerald Kleczka, Wisconsin Democrat: arrested for DWI (1995 and 1990); convicted DWI (1987).
* Mel Reynolds, Illinois Democrat: sexual misconduct (1995).
* Walter Tucker, California Democrat: extortion (1995).br> * Charles Wilson, Texas Democrat: paid $90,000 fine to Federal Election Commission (1995).
* Joe Kolter, Pennsylvania Democrat: fraud and conspiracy (1996).
* Dan Rostenkowski, Illinois Democrat: mail fraud (1996).
* Mary Rose Oakar, Ohio Democrat: financial-disclosure irregularities (1998).
* Austin J. Murphy, Pennsylvania Democrat: vote fraud (1999).
> As Mark Twain said, Congress is the American Criminal Class.
In the meantime, I heard Gov. Arnold gets to choose Cunningham's immediate replacement, which throws a monkey-wrench into the whole race.
Link no worky
That should be interesting.
Wish it were my district.
We're stuck with that smarmy Bob Filner. Wish they'd catch HIM taking bribes...wipe that unctuous grin right off his weasely mug.
See post 126
Kaloogian will shine, either way.
I'm not making an excuse for what any crook, Republican or Democrat did. I get an error when I try your link at the end. Did the list only go to 2000 or was there some truce on crooked stuff in the House called when the "new tone" arrived in D.C.? Seems to me there was some sort of truce until this year when the ethics committee could not organize in January because the Democrats wanted to break the truce so that McDermott (convicted of a felony I believe) could keep his seat and the Democrats could bring charges against Delay. I just read an article by Cliff Kincaid (sp?) concerning a piece published earlier this month in the Washington Post about the CIA and "Plamegate." The Post article admitted it was all a CIA plot to take down Bush & Co. and was farmed out to "their" reporters AND "their" prosecutors to carry out. That's why I suspect there will be NO prosecutions on the Democrat side for taking bribes and why the Democrats in the House have had no problem in maintaining absolute discipline in voting on everything as a block. Would not be surprised if Bass, Shays, etc. have made a deal to join the Democrats in exchange for no prosecutions of them since they are as comfortable voting on most issues with the Democrats anyway. Looks to me like Bush not only left the CIA, FBI, State Dep't lefties in place, but also forgot to fire any of the crooks that Clinton put in place as prosecutors when he fired everyone who might cause him problems in Justice and replaced them all at one time. Bush has set the table for what is going to happen to the Republicans between now and next Nov. IMO.
http://www.urbin.net/EWW/polyticks/democrats.html
And an UGLY one at that.
Kaloogian is the guy because he's an ACTIVIST, and we need more ACTIVISTS in the GOP. Former state assemblyman, founder of Recall Gray Davis Committee, founder of Move America Forward, a pro-troops organization.
Website: www.kaloogianforcongress.com
Do yu have a link for that? I'd lveo to see it.
I'm pretty cynical, but even I don't think that "many congressmen" manage to take $2.4 MILLION in bribes.
Nothing common at all about this crook.
I would assume the quid pro quo that is part of the life of a politician usually is more subtle than this, BUT it needs to be noted that there were people on the other side of the trade (the businesses the bribed him) that were perfectly willing to give it a shot as well.
Was it their first time?
Give him the full ten years.
Sorry. I should have done that. Unlike modern, up to date, now a go-go FR......the DUmmie site has no way to search for a story. It can be a real pain to find something a second time. Almost as if they want what they say to disappear down a memory hole...>LOL
Do you remember the thread title or anything?
I am sure that the title would have "FR" or "Freepers" in it. That would be what caught my eye. I will look when i have time, but if you want to I would recommend not looking at any page number less then 10 to find it. Why those ***hats do not have a search feature at that site is beyond me.
Whew... that's a shame. Everything he stood for and worked for down the drain.
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