Secretary of state urges federal probe of Davis

Mercury News ^ | 9/26/02 | Dion Nissenbaum

[NormsRevenge]

SACRAMENTO - California Republicans stepped up their attacks Wednesday on Gov. Gray Davis by calling on Attorney General John Ashcroft to investigate persistent allegations that Davis has blurred the line between politics and policy.

Standing outside the federal courthouse, Secretary of State Bill Jones called Davis' aggressive fundraising tactics ``shocking, embarrassing and unacceptable.''

[NormsRevenge]

DUMP DAVI$



GO SIMON

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Can you say, "Kickback ?" I thought you could.

[Free the USA]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

``The Supreme Court has held that you can sell access,'' said Jacobs. ``That's not illegal.''

Really? That is news to me!

calgov2002:

California Laws for Sale

calgov2002: for old calgov2002 articles. 

calgov2002: for new calgov2002 articles. 

Other Bump Lists at: Free Republic Bump List Register

[NormsRevenge]

Ethics? What's that? LOL.

GRaYouT makes Clinton look like a piker.

[lavaroise]

said Davis campaign spokesman Roger Salazar. ``The fact is the governor has gone above and beyond what the law requires to ensure a separation between politics and policy.''

Is he contradicting what he meant? It seems like that going beyond what the law requires means breaking the law.

[heleny]

``The Supreme Court has held that you can sell access,'' said Jacobs. ``That's not illegal.''
Really? That is news to me!

Sure. For example, a politician can hold a fundraiser with admission fees. You pay, and you get to meet the politician or get a photo taken with him. There's nothing wrong with that.

The ethics problem begins when the politician meets people exclusively at fundraisers or only if they pay certain dues, such as the $100 admission for Berkeley students to talk with him. Davis crosses the threshold of unethical behavior.

Davis' bigger problem is that he sells policy at the expense of Californians, which is illegal. $70,500 from Tosco for Dioxin dumping permits, $2+ million from the plumbers for ensuring that plastic pipe can't be used in homebuilding, an unknown amount for a high-speed rail bond measure, $25,000 for an exclusive Oracle software contract, etc.