Rep. Marie Newman of Illinois may have bribed a primary opponent to stay out of the race

[brooklynite]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Omaha Steve (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Business Insider

The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) said on Monday that it had found reason to believe that Democratic Rep. Marie Newman of Illinois offered a job to a potential primary opponent in exchange for a job in her congressional office. The body voted 6-0 to refer the case to the House Ethics Committee on October 15, 2021.

After unsuccessfully challenging moderate Rep. Dan Lipinski in the 2018 Democratic primary, Newman chose to again challenge the conservative Democrat in the following election. And she began making those preparations soon after her loss.

According to a report released on Monday, Newman may have promised a potential primary challenger, Palestinian-American professor Iymen Chehade, a job as her "foreign policy advisor and either District Director or Legislative Director" in a potential future congressional office after the two met in 2018.

Newman told the body that she sought to hire Chehade because of his knowledge on foreign and Arab-American affairs, which she felt was a shortcoming of her 2018 campaign. "It was clear that he had very specific knowledge around Palestine and Israel that I needed. He had been an expert on it," she told investigators.

Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/marie-newman-bribe-primary-opponent-office-congressional-ethics-2022-1

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Sigh...

Par for the course in Cook County, but it's not going to help her re-election.

[Hoyt]

1. Offering jobs, support next election, etc., is pretty common in local races.

[Freethinker65]

2. Old News?

What did ethics committee find? Newman has been saying no job was ever given.

Both Newman(D) and Casten(D) are fighting to represent a newly created Illinois House district. Casten pulled some strings at last minute to change district boundaries, giving Casten an edge.

Disclaimer: I canvassed for Newman against Lipinski but have nothing against Casten, except for changing district boundaries.

[The Magistrate]

3. Won't Help It, Sir? It Will Seal It, If True

She beat Lipinski, and I do not give the north end of a southbound rat how she pulled it off. I doubt many who voted for her do either.


"I was raised by immigrant parents who taught me their values of decency and hard work, sure it would equip me for life here. Would that I had been raised by wolves."

[msfiddlestix]

4. Isn't this SOP for political races, everywhere?

I find it a little puzzling.

Is the OCE cherry picking or target practicing?

[Omaha Steve]

5. After a review by forum hosts....LOCKING

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