Free Republic

WASHINGTON – In moments of great peril and uncertainty, the question of who actually runs Washington – who they are, what they think, what they know, what they think they know – takes on even more importance than it might under normal circumstances. In this, the first in a three-part series, Asia Times will examine the current power dynamics that shape the Biden White House and his national security team. Needless to say, the most important players in Washington are, as one might expect, the ones closest to the President, even if, for the most part, they remain unknown by...

A former state lawmaker was convicted Monday of mishandling thousands of dollars in charitable contributions and fraudulently obtaining a $150,000 loan and was sentenced to six to eight years in prison. Thomas Wright, the first member of the General Assembly to be expelled from office in 128 years, was immediately taken into custody. He winked at his wife, Joyce, as he left the courtroom. Wright was convicted of three felony fraud charges, concluding he misused or mishandled donations from two companies totaling $7,400 and used a bogus letter to take out a loan to build health care offices and a...

Mark Twain once remarked that “America has no native criminal class, except perhaps the Congress.” He was exaggerating, but not by too much. I’ve spend long years in Washington, and worked with many people in the government, both elected and appointed. I’ve observed two central problems: it is so easy, once you’re in a position of power, to casually reach out and line your pockets with the flood of cash that is always flowing by your door, The other problem is that Washington is inhabited by a large number of people who pulled out all the stops, and skated close...

Raleigh | The N.C. State Board of Elections suspended the campaign of state Rep. Thomas Wright on Tuesday because he has failed to file a financial disclosure report due since July 27. It was the latest episode in what has been a nine-month confrontation between Wright and elections administrators and legislative leaders. Tuesday's move means that the eight-term lawmaker and Democrat from Wilmington cannot accept campaign contributions or spend campaign money until the report is filed and any fines are paid. Kim Strach, the state deputy elections director who heads the board's campaign finance compliance staff, said she waited until...

John Kerry, a Lifetime of Wasted Opportunities Written by Michael Ashbury Tuesday, October 19, 2004 Unlike the average American, John Forbes Kerry was born into a family of wealth and privilege. His mother, Rosemary Forbes, was a French national, and heiress to the Forbes family fortune. Her father James Grant Forbes was born in Shanghai, China. Family members, including her father were leading opium dealers in China during the Opium War accumulating a considerable fortune. With support of the Forbes wealth, John Kerry had the opportunity of the finest education being trained at boarding schools in Switzerland and Massachusetts, including...

Thomas Wright traveling the state promoting ‘fair tax’ plan 07/21/2004 By Scott Nicholson Thomas Wright said his idea for a “fair tax” plan was conceived in a friend’s California living room 14 years ago, and now he’s executive director of “Americans for Fair Taxation.” Wright brought a task force to the Fifth District to explain the non-profit organization’s ideas, which he said had been misrepresented in the district’s Republican primary race. Candidate Jay Helvey had said candidate Vernon Robinson’s support of a fair or flat tax was a “tax on Social Security,” but Wright said that wasn’t the case. He...

The image Americans were asked to believe at the Democratic Convention of a John Kerry who "defended this nation" as a soldier in Vietnam and "will defend this nation" as its Commander in Chief has hit a snag. The soldiers he served along side of don't really believe that he did defend his country very well. And as one of his former commanding officers told my radio show on Wednesday, Kerry's chain of command was so fed up with his actions - they asked him to go home after he received his third purple heart. Naval Officer Thomas Wright served...

Friday, August 6, 2004 Kerry was asked to leave Vietnam Posted: August 6, 20041:00 a.m. Eastern By Kevin McCullough © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com The image Americans were asked to believe, at the Democratic National Convention, of a John Kerry who "defended this nation" as a soldier in Vietnam and "will defend this nation" as its commander in chief has hit a snag. The soldiers he served alongside of don't really believe that he did defend his country very well. And as one of his former commanding officers told my radio show on Wednesday, Kerry's chain of command was so fed up with his...

Earlier this afternoon, John Kerry's former commanding officer in Vietnam, Lt. Thomas Wright told talk radio audiences of his personal first hand account of how he asked John Kerry to leave Vietnam after he knew Kerry had received enough purple hearts to ship out. Wright told of how Kerry would frequently disobey orders and was a general nusiance to the operation of the Swift Boats. Click Here for Audio from Kevin McCullough Show earlier this afternoon.