Free Republic

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Internal Revenue Service supervisor in Washington says she was personally involved in scrutinizing some of the earliest applications from tea party groups seeking tax-exempt status, including some requests that languished for more than a year without action. Holly Paz, who until recently was a top deputy in the division that handles applications for tax-exempt status, told congressional investigators she reviewed 20 to 30 applications. Her assertion contradicts initial claims by the agency that a small group of agents working in an office in Cincinnati were solely responsible for mishandling the applications. Paz, however, provided no evidence...

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States, usually a finger-pointer on human rights, could end up in the dock itself over reports of torture and abuse in its war on terror when the United Nations (news - web sites) begins a worldwide scrutiny this week. Activists, such as the New York-based Human Rights Watch, are urging members of the Commission on Human Rights to condemn Washington for mistreatment of prisoners detained abroad. If any such move emerges during the commission's annual session, which starts on Monday, the United States will be in a similar position to Cuba, Iran (news - web...

SACRAMENTO - The federal corruption probe of state Sen. Don Perata bubbles with the tension of a television drama. The central character is a savvy 59-year-old East Bay Democrat with a penchant for double-breasted suits who relishes comparisons to a Mafia boss. A former high school civics teacher and the son of an Italian-American dairyman, Perata rose through the byzantine world of Oakland politics to become leader of the state Senate. But now a federal investigation into his dealings with relatives and close associates threatens to undermine everything Perata has worked for. The case has the makings of a ``Law...

WASHINGTON - Questions are being raised about the authenticity of newly unearthed memos which asserted that George W. Bush ignored a direct order from a superior officer in the Texas Air National Guard and lost his status as a pilot because he failed to meet military performance standards and undergo a required physical exam. CBS, which reported on the memos on its "60 Minutes" program, said its experts who examined the documents concluded that they were authentic. They ostensibly were written by Lt. Col. Jerry Killian, one of Bush's commanders in 1972 and 1973. But Killian's son, one of Killian's...

SACRAMENTO - As a candidate for secretary of state, then-Democratic Assemblyman Kevin Shelley led a failed effort to bar elected officials from using state voter outreach money to promote themselves and their political fortunes. After taking over as the state's top elections official, Shelley spent more than $1 million in federal and state funds on a series of television and radio commercials -- prominently featuring himself urging Californians to vote. Shelley defended the advertisements Wednesday as a legitimate attempt to boost lackluster voter turnout, but Republicans questioned the secretary of state's use of public funds to raise his political profile....

<p>SACRAMENTO – Those most anxious to oust Gov. Gray Davis say he lied to the public last year about the magnitude of California's swelling budget crisis until after he was safely re-elected on Nov. 5.</p> <p>That allegation, denied by the governor, gathered steam as the deficit soared and the economy dipped during 2002. It fired the recall drive and strikes at the heart of the governor's credibility.</p>

US judges scrutinised over lenient sentencing By Andrew Buncombe in Washington 08 August 2003 The United States Attorney General, John Ashcroft, has ordered prosecuting officials across America to collate and gather information on federal judges who impose sentences that are lighter than guidelines recommend. In what has been interpreted as an attack on judicial independence, Mr Ashcroft has told US attorneys to be aggressive in gathering such information. "The purpose of this is to make sure that all our US attorneys understand that we intend to apply US law evenly across all jurisdictions," said Mark Carallo, a department spokesman. Mr...