Free Republic

A jury sitting in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania convicted longtime political operative Kenneth Smukler, 58, of Villanova, Pennsylvania, today on charges of making and concealing illegal campaign contributions in two Congressional primary elections, and of obstructing justice in an investigation by the Federal Election Commission (FEC), announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “Today’s convictions demonstrate the Department of Justice’s commitment to ensuring a level playing field in the financing of federal elections,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski. “We will hold...

On Nov. 6, Americans will vote in one of the most important elections in our lifetime. Companies and their employees have a significant stake in the outcome. But too many people still say they don’t vote because they are too busy or their schedule won’t allow it.We’ve seen this before. In November 2016, about 40% of eligible voters did not cast a ballot. Some made a conscious decision not to go to the polls on Election Day. But many of these voters simply didn’t have a choice. Around half of states do not require employers to give employees paid leave...

Rep. Robert Brady, D-Pennsylvania, is a target of FBI scrutiny in an investigation into payments his campaign allegedly made to his opponent in 2012 to encourage him to drop out of the race, according to an approved search warrant application filed in U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Two political consultants have already been charged in the campaign finance probe involving Brady's reelection, but the search warrant application dated Nov. 1 appears to be the first time Brady himself is mentioned as suspected of criminal wrongdoing in the probe. Federal prosecutors last month said Kenneth Smukler and...

Never to let a "good crisis go to waste" (i.e., as an excuse to transfer more power and control to federal politicians and bureaucrats), thehill.com reports (my emphasis) that mere hours since the Arizona mass murders: "Rep. Robert Brady (D-Pa.) reportedly plans to introduce legislation that would make it a federal crime to use language or symbols that COULD BE PERCEIVED as threatening or inciting violence against a federal official or member of Congress." "Perceived"? "Could be"? And who gets the arbitrary, unbridled power to "perceive" what "could be" threatening? Him? Or, some other politician, bureaucrat, or board of self-annointed...

It’s a well-worn mantra in politics to never let a crisis go to waste, so it comes as little surprise that public officials and the chattering class are wasting no time in dusting off some of their wilder ideas in the aftermath of the tragic shooting in Tucson, Arizona.With only a few days detached from the national tragedy, here’s the list of the top five most ridiculous proposals already floated by your national leaders and thinkers.1. Encase the entire House and Senate floor with Plexiglass so the tourists can’t throw things at members of Congress Tourists (who reportedly don’t smell...

Reacting to the assassination attempt on one of their own, two House members on Monday said they will introduce legislation that would ban certain ammunition clips and make it illegal to threaten a federal official, both of which they say contributed to the mass casualties in a shooting rampage in Tuscson over the weekend. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., plans to introduce a bill that would ban high-capacity ammunition clips like the one used by Jared Loughner, the gunman accused of killing 6 and injuring 14, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., as they gathered at a “Congress on Your Corner” event....

Should someone send Rep. Robert Brady a copy of the First Amendment?According to The Hill,  the Democratic lawmaker “plans to introduce legislation that would make it a federal crime to use language or symbols that could be perceived as threatening or inciting violence against a federal official or member of Congress.”Let’s think about that for a moment. “A federal crime”: that’s a serious matter, right?  And for what? For using “language or symbols that could be perceived as threatening or inciting violence against a federal official or member of Congress.” My emphasis.“Could be perceived as . . .” Rep....

ANDREA MITCHELL, NBC: "What is the secret here to turn out? In the old days, the old machine days, what we called 'walking around money,' handing out money to get people to vote. Is it still the case? What do you do, what is the magic in Philadelphia? REP. ROBERT BRADY (D-PA): "We still have the street money and we're very knowledgeable." Rep. Brady is also the chairman of the Philadelphia Democratic party.